Discovery of Orally Bioavailable Chromone Derivatives as Potent and Selective BRD4 Inhibitors: Scaffold Hopping, Optimization, and Pharmacological Evaluation

J Med Chem. 2020 May 28;63(10):5242-5256. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00035. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Abstract

Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) represents a promising drug target for anti-inflammatory therapeutics. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of novel chromone derivatives via scaffold hopping to discover a new class of orally bioavailable BRD4-selective inhibitors. Two potent BRD4 bromodomain 1 (BD1)-selective inhibitors 44 (ZL0513) and 45 (ZL0516) have been discovered with high binding affinity (IC50 values of 67-84 nM) and good selectivity over other BRD family proteins and distant BD-containing proteins. Both compounds significantly inhibited the expression of Toll-like receptor-induced inflammatory genes in vitro and airway inflammation in murine models. The cocrystal structure of 45 in complex with human BRD4 BD1 at a high resolution of 2.0 Å has been solved, offering a solid structural basis for its binding validation and further structure-based optimization. These BRD4 BD1 inhibitors demonstrated impressive in vivo efficacy and overall promising pharmacokinetic properties, indicating their therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Animals
  • Biological Availability
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Transformed
  • Chromones / administration & dosage*
  • Chromones / chemistry*
  • Chromones / pharmacology
  • Crystallization / methods
  • Crystallization / trends
  • Drug Discovery / methods*
  • Drug Discovery / trends
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / methods
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Transcription Factors / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • BRD4 protein, human
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Chromones
  • Transcription Factors