Design,Synthesis and Preclinical Assessment of 99mTc-iFAP for In Vivo Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) Imaging

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is expressed in the microenvironment of most human epithelial tumors. ⁶⁸Ga-labeled FAP inhibitors based on the cyanopyrrolidine structure (FAPI) are currently used for the detection of the tumor microenvironment by PET imaging. This research aimed to design, synthesize and preclinically evaluate a new FAP inhibitor radiopharmaceutical based on the ^99mTc-((R)-1-((6-hydrazinylnicotinoyl)-D-alanyl) pyrrolidin-2-yl) boronic acid (^99mTc-iFAP) structure for SPECT imaging. Molecular docking for affinity calculations was performed using the AutoDock software. The chemical synthesis was based on a series of coupling reactions of 6-hidrazinylnicotinic acid (HYNIC) and D-alanine to a boronic acid derivative. The iFAP was prepared as a lyophilized formulation based on EDDA/SnCl₂ for labeling with ^99mTc. The radiochemical purity (R.P.) was verified via ITLC-SG and reversed-phase radio-HPLC. The stability in human serum was evaluated by size-exclusion HPLC. In vitro cell uptake was assessed using N30 stromal endometrial cells (FAP positive) and human fibroblasts (FAP negative). Biodistribution and tumor uptake were determined in Hep-G2 tumor-bearing nude mice, from which images were acquired using a micro-SPECT/CT. The iFAP ligand (Ki = 0.536 nm, AutoDock affinity), characterized by UV-Vis, FT-IR, ¹H–NMR and UPLC-mass spectroscopies, was synthesized with a chemical purity of 92%. The ^99mTc-iFAP was obtained with a R.P. >98%. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated high radiotracer stability in human serum (>95% at 24 h), specific recognition for FAP, high tumor uptake (7.05 ± 1.13% ID/g at 30 min) and fast kidney elimination. The results found in this research justify additional dosimetric and clinical studies to establish the sensitivity and specificity of the ^99mTc-iFAP.     

Design,Synthesis, and Structure–Activity Relationship Study of Potent MAPK11 Inhibitors

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare single-gene neurodegenerative disease, which can only be treated symptomatically. Currently, there are no approved drugs for HD on the market. Studies have found that MAPK11 can serve as a potential therapeutic target for HD. Regrettably, no MAPK11 small molecule inhibitors have been approved at present. This paper presents three series of compounds that were designed and synthesized based on the structure of skepinone-L, a known MAPK14 inhibitor. Among the synthesized compounds, 13a and 13b, with IC₅₀ values of 6.40 nM and 4.20 nM, respectively, displayed the best inhibitory activities against MAPK11. Furthermore, the structure–activity relationship (SAR) is discussed in detail, which is constructive in optimizing the MAPK11 inhibitors for better activity and effect against HD.     

Recent Progress in the Development of Indole-Based Compounds Active against Malaria,Trypanosomiasis and Leishmaniasis

Human protozoan diseases represent a serious health problem worldwide, affecting mainly people in social and economic vulnerability. These diseases have attracted little investment in drug discovery, which is reflected in the limited available therapeutic arsenal. Authorized drugs present problems such as low efficacy in some stages of the disease or toxicity, which result in undesirable side effects and treatment abandonment. Moreover, the emergence of drug-resistant parasite strains makes necessary an even greater effort to develop safe and effective antiparasitic agents. Among the chemotypes investigated for parasitic diseases, the indole nucleus has emerged as a privileged molecular scaffold for the generation of new drug candidates. In this review, the authors provide an overview of the indole-based compounds developed against important parasitic diseases, namely malaria, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis, by focusing on the design, optimization and synthesis of the most relevant synthetic indole scaffolds recently reported.     

Pharmacokinetic Characterization of the DDAH1 Inhibitors ZST316 and ZST152 in Mice Using a HPLC-MS/MS Method

The pharmacokinetic profile of ZST316 and ZST152, arginine analogues with inhibitory activity towards human dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase-1 (DDAH1), was investigated in mice using a newly developed HPLC-MS/MS method. The method proved to be reproducible, precise, and accurate for the measurement of the compounds in plasma and urine. Four-week-old female FVB mice received a single dose of ZST316 and ZST152 by intravenous bolus (30 mg/Kg) and oral gavage (60 mg/Kg). ZST316 Cmax was 67.4 µg/mL (intravenous) and 1.02 µg/mL (oral), with a half-life of 6 h and bioavailability of 4.7%. ZST152 Cmax was 24.9 µg/mL (intravenous) and 1.65 µg/mL (oral), with a half-life of 1.2 h and bioavailability of 33.3%. Urinary excretion of ZST152 and ZST316 was 12.5%–22.2% and 2.3%–7.5%, respectively. At least eight urinary metabolites were identified. After chronic intraperitoneal treatment with the more potent DDAH1 inhibitor, ZST316 (30 mg/Kg/day for three weeks), the bioavailability was 59% and no accumulation was observed. Treatment was well tolerated with no changes in body weight vs. untreated animals and no clinical signs of toxicity or distress. The results of this study show that ZST316 has a favorable pharmacokinetic profile, following intraperitoneal administration, to investigate the effects of DDAH1 inhibition in mice.     

药效团检索设计新的HIV-1蛋白酶抑制剂

通过对自建的未开发化合物三维结构库进行药效团检索,得到了4个对HIV-1蛋白酶抑制活化的化合物,通过构象分析发现包含药效团的构象处于优势构象,而且4个结构都含有带两个邻位羟基的苯环和一个间位羰基的药效团以及公共子结构。通过计算发现它们的疏水参数都很小。在考虑满足包含药效团的结构特征和有适中的疏水参数两个因素的前提下,设计出了新的具有潜在抑制HIV-1蛋白酶活性的化合物。它们的结构都比检索得到的四个化合物更为简单,因此易于合成。     

超高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间质谱法定性筛查保健食品中西地那非及其相关功效类非法添加化合物

建立了超高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间质谱（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）定性筛查102种西地那非及其相关功效化合物的方法。甲醇超声提取样品;采用Agilent Poroshell 120 SB-C18色谱柱（75 mm×3.0 mm,2.7 μm）,以0.1%（v/v）甲酸水溶液-乙腈为流动相梯度洗脱,流速0.4 mL/min;采用电喷雾离子（ESI）源,Q-TOF-MS作检测器,正离子模式检测;与对照品保留时间、母离子及碎片离子精确相对分子质量、元素组成比对,准确定性。西地那非等100种化合物在10种基质中的检出限为0.1~50 mg/kg或0.1~50 mg/L。并分类归纳了文中涉及的98种磷酸二酯酶5抑制剂质谱碎片裂解规律,为可疑物的识别和鉴定提供参考。该方法已应用于实际样品的测定,检出19种化合物,有效打击了非法添加行为。     

达比加群酯的合成

3-硝基-4-氯苯甲酸(2)经甲胺化得3-硝基-4-甲氨基苯甲酸(3),2-氨基吡啶与丙烯酸乙酯经迈克尔加成得3-[(吡啶-2-基)氨基]丙酸乙酯(5),化合物3与5经缩合、催化氢化得3-{[(3-氨基-4-甲胺基)苯甲酰基](吡啶-2-基)氨基}丙酸乙酯(7),化合物7再与N-(4-氰基苯基)甘氨酸(8)酰化、环合和Pinner反应,最后与氯甲酸正己酯反应得到达比加群酯(1),总收率约40%(以3-硝基-4-氯苯甲酸计),结构经IR、1H NMR和MS测试技术确证。     

Highly Sensitive Fluorometric Assay Method for Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Based on Nile Red‐Adsorbed Gold Nanoparticles

A new sensitive fluorometric assay method for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and its inhibitor was developed using a fluorescent dye, nile red (NR). Due to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the NR and the gold nanoparticle (AuNPs), the fluorescence was quenched. AChE can break down acetylthiocholine to produce a thiol‐bearing compound, thiocholine. In the presence of thiocholine, the nile red is replaced from the AuNPs surfaces and simultaneously transformed to a derivative of nile red. The fluorescence intensity of the derivative is much stronger than that of the native nile red with the same concentration and its maximum emission wavelength has a blue shift so that the sensor achieves a good signal‐to‐background ratio. In addition, when organophosphate pesticide (OPs) exists, the activity of AChE can be inhibited, the generation of thiocholine will be prevented and no fluorescence enhancement occurs. The results show that the method is sensitive to AChE and paraoxon with the detection limits of 0.2 mU/mL and 0.05 ng/mL, respectively.     

通过不对称氢转移/动态动力学拆分合成碳环N^3-嘌呤核苷

N^3-嘌呤核苷由于可能同时被嘌呤和嘧啶代谢酶识别,因而有望作为双靶点药物应用于抗病毒治疗.报道了一种以α-(N^3-嘌呤)取代的环烷酮为原料,通过不对称氢转移反应实现动态动力学拆分,高收率高立体选择性地合成系列碳环N^3-嘌呤核苷化合物.该催化体系也适用于α-嘧啶取代的环烷酮底物,且产物通过进一步衍生,合成了2’-F-,Ac S-,N^3-修饰的碳环嘧啶核苷.