Discovery of potent and specific fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase inhibitors and a series of orally-bioavailable phosphoramidase-sensitive prodrugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes

Excessive glucose production by the liver coupled with decreased glucose uptake and metabolism by muscle, fat, and liver results in chronically elevated blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Efforts to treat diabetes by reducing glucose production have largely focused on the gluconeogenesis pathway and rate-limiting enzymes within this pathway such as fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase). The first potent FBPase inhibitors were identified using a structure-guided drug design strategy (Erion, M. D.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 15480-15490) but proved difficult to deliver orally. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a series of orally bioavailable FBPase inhibitors identified following the combined discoveries of a low molecular weight inhibitor series with increased potency and a phosphonate prodrug class suitable for their oral delivery. The lead inhibitor, 10A, was designed with the aid of X-ray crystallography and molecular modeling to bind to the allosteric AMP binding site of FBPase. High potency (IC50 = 16 nM) and FBPase specificity were achieved by linking a 2-aminothiazole with a phosphonic acid. Free-energy perturbation calculations provided insight into the factors that contributed to the high binding affinity. 10A and standard phosphonate prodrugs of 10A exhibited poor oral bioavailability (0.2-11%). Improved oral bioavailability (22-47%) was achieved using phosphonate diamides that convert to the corresponding phosphonic acid by sequential action of an esterase and a phosphoramidase. Oral administration of the lead prodrug, MB06322 (30, CS-917), to Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats led to dose-dependent inhibition of gluconeogenesis and endogenous glucose production and consequently to significant blood glucose reduction.     

Nature of "hydrogen bond" in the diborane-benzene complex: covalent, electrostatic, or dispersive?

Motivated by the recent discovery of unusual "hydrogen bonding"-like interaction between a borane system and benzene molecules in a molecular crystal, we carried out quantum mechanical calculations on a model complex, diborane-benzene cluster. The aim is to understand the nature of this unique interaction, which is expected to play an essential role in this novel class of molecular crystals. As analyzed in the present study, the interaction between diborane and benzene is special in the following aspects: (1) this interaction is mostly dispersive; (2) the observed pseudodirectionality with one of the diborane bridge hydrogen directed toward the benzene centroid minimizes the van der Waals contact; and (3) in the "hydrogen bond" map, this interaction is located in a unique region, which is presently populated by a few known molecular complexes with very different chemical characteristics. It is anticipated that the results from the present analysis will provide meaningful guidance for molecular engineering with diborane-benzene as a building block and for stabilization of this and possible other hydrogen bonds by dispersive contributions.     

Characterization of an O2 adduct of an active cobalt-substituted extradiol-cleaving catechol dioxygenase

The first example of an O(2) adduct of an active Co-substituted oxygenase has been observed in the extradiol ring cleavage of the electron-poor substrate 4-nitrocatechol (4NC) by Co(II)-homoprotocatechuate 2,3-dioxygenase (Co-HPCD). Upon O(2) binding to the high-spin Co(II) (S = (3)/(2)) enzyme-substrate complex, an S = (1)/(2) EPR signal exhibiting (59)Co hyperfine splitting (A = 24 G) typical of a low-spin Co(III)-superoxide complex was observed. Both the formation and decay of the new intermediate are very slow in comparison to the analogous steps for turnover of 4NC by native high-spin Fe(II)-HPCD, which is likely to remain high-spin upon O(2) binding. A similar but effectively stable S = (1)/(2) intermediate was formed by the inactive [H200N-Co-HPCD(4NC)] variant. The observations presented shed light on the key roles played by the substrate, the second-sphere His200 residue, and the spin state of the metal center in facilitating O(2) binding and activation.     

Sorption and permeation in elastic solids: applicability to gas transport in glassy polymeric materials

A thermodynamic analysis of sorption and transport in elastic solids is presented. The penetrant's chemical potential in the solid is calculated from the free energy changes that accompany deformation of the solid to accommodate the penetrant and mixing of the deformed solid and penetrant. Sorption isotherms are obtained by equating this chemical potential to that of that of the gas phase. The penetrant diffusivity is determined from a statistical mechanical analysis described in the literature. Both pure and mixed gas solubility, diffusivity and permeability are predicted. Mixed gas behavior is predicted using material parameters obtained from pure gas data only. The results suggest certain relationships between the dual mode model parameters that are found experimentally. Comparison with several experimental gas–polymer systems indicate the elastic solid analysis can reproduce pure gas data and predict mixed gas data well with physically realistic material parameters. The results provide a basis for investigating the relationships between the mechanical, volumetric, gravimetric and thermodynamic processes that give rise to transport.     

Spectroscopic and electronic structure studies of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase: nature of tyrosinate-Fe(III) bonds and their contribution to reactivity.

The geometric and electronic structure of the high-spin ferric active site of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD) has been examined by absorption (Abs), circular dichroism (CD), magnetic CD (MCD), and variable-temperature-variable-field (VTVH) MCD spectroscopies. Density functional (DFT) and INDO/S-CI molecular orbital calculations provide complementary insight into the electronic structure of 3,4-PCD and allow an experimentally calibrated bonding scheme to be developed. Abs, CD, and MCD indicate that there are at least seven transitions below 35 000 cm(-1) which arise from tyrosinate ligand-to-metal-charge transfer (LMCT) transitions. VTVH MCD spectroscopy gives the polarizations of these LMCT bands in the principal axis system of the D-tensor, which is oriented relative to the molecular structure from the INDO/S-CI calculations. Three transitions are associated with the equatorial tyrosinate and four with the axial tyrosinate. This large number of transitions per tyrosinate is due to the pi and importantly the sigma overlap of the two tyrosinate valence orbitals with the metal d orbitals and is governed by the Fe-O-C angle and the Fe-O-C-C dihedral angles. The previously reported crystal structure indicates that the Fe-O-C angles are 133 degrees and 148 degrees for the equatorial and axial tyrosinate, respectively. Each tyrosinate has transitions at different energies with different intensities, which correlate with differences in geometry that reflect pseudo-sigma bonding to the Fe(III) and relate to reactivity. These factors reflect the metal-ligand bond strength and indicate that the axial tyrosinate-Fe(III) bond is weaker than the equatorial tyrosinate-Fe(III) bond. Furthermore, it is found that the differences in geometry, and hence electronic structure, are imposed by the protein. The consequences to catalysis are significant because the axial tyrosinate has been shown to dissociate upon substrate binding and the equatorial tyrosinate in the enzyme-substrate complex is thought to influence asymmetric binding of the chelated substrate moiety via a strong trans influence which activates the substrate for reaction with O2.     

The class equation and counting in factorizable monoids

For orders and conjugacy in finite group theory, Lagrange's Theorem and the class equation have universal application. Here, the class equation (extended to monoids via standard group action by conjugation) is applied to factorizable submonoids of the symmetric inverse monoid. In particular, if is a monoid induced by a subgroup of the symmetric group , then the center (all elements of that commute with every element of ) is if and only if is transitive. In the case where is both transitive and of order either or (for prime), formulas are provided for the order of as well as the number and sizes of its conjugacy classes.

     

Kinetics and mechanism of the benzoin isobutyl ether photoinitiated polymerization of styrene

The kinetics of the photopolymerization of styrene in bulk and in dilute systems in the presence of benzoin isobutyl ether as photoinitiator have been examined. The values of the intensity exponent, calculated at different temperatures or at different styrene concentrations, and the monomer exponent, calculated at various intensities, showed significant departure from those predicted by the ideal kinetic scheme, particularly at high intensity, at low temperature, or at low styrene concentrations. Low molecular weight polymer was the dominant product when high light intensity or low polymerization temperature was used. As the temperature was raised, however, or as the intensity was reduced, a high molecular weight polymer became progressively more important. Kinetic and molecular weight data suggest that at low temperature, high intensity, and/or at low monomer concentration, the benzoyl radical is the dominant initiating species; and the benzyl ether radical was consumed mainly in the termination step. At low intensity, high temperature and/or high monomer concentration, however, it appears that both benzoyl and benzyl ether radicals initiated polymerization.