Virtual screening identifies novel sulfonamide inhibitors of ecto-5'-nucleotidase

J Med Chem. 2012 Jul 26;55(14):6576-81. doi: 10.1021/jm300658n. Epub 2012 Jul 9.

Abstract

We aimed to identify inhibitors of ecto-5'-nucleotidase (ecto-5'-NT, CD73), a membrane-bound metallophosphoesterase that is implicated in the control of purinergic receptor signaling and a number of associated therapeutically relevant effects. Currently, only very few compounds, including ADP, its more stable analogue α,β-methylene-ADP, ATP, and anthraquinone derivatives are known to inhibit this enzyme. In the search for inhibitors with more drug-like properties, we applied a model structure-based virtual screening approach augmented by chemical similarity searching. On the basis of this analysis, 51 candidate compounds were finally selected for experimental evaluation. A total of 13 of these molecules were confirmed to have competitive inhibitory activity. The most potent inhibitor, 6-chloro-2-oxo-N-(4-sulfamoylphenyl)-2H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid amide (17), showed an IC(50) value of 1.90 μM. In contrast to the nucleotide- and anthraquinone-derived antagonists, the newly identified competitive inhibitors are uncharged at physiological pH values, possess a drug-like structure, and are structurally distinct from known active compounds.

MeSH terms

  • 5'-Nucleotidase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • 5'-Nucleotidase / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Inhibitory Concentration 50
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Conformation
  • Rats
  • Sulfonamides / chemistry
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology*
  • User-Computer Interface*

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Sulfonamides
  • 5'-Nucleotidase