Virtual screening and computational optimization for the discovery of covalent prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitors with activity in human cells

J Med Chem. 2012 Jul 26;55(14):6306-15. doi: 10.1021/jm3002839. Epub 2012 Jul 17.

Abstract

Our docking program, Fitted, implemented in our computational platform, Forecaster, has been modified to carry out automated virtual screening of covalent inhibitors. With this modified version of the program, virtual screening and further docking-based optimization of a selected hit led to the identification of potential covalent reversible inhibitors of prolyl oligopeptidase activity. After visual inspection, a virtual hit molecule together with four analogues were selected for synthesis and made in one-five chemical steps. Biological evaluations on recombinant POP and FAPα enzymes, cell extracts, and living cells demonstrated high potency and selectivity for POP over FAPα and DPPIV. Three compounds even exhibited high nanomolar inhibitory activities in intact living human cells and acceptable metabolic stability. This small set of molecules also demonstrated that covalent binding and/or geometrical constraints to the ligand/protein complex may lead to an increase in bioactivity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Drug Stability
  • Humans
  • Microsomes, Liver / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Prolyl Oligopeptidases
  • Protease Inhibitors / chemical synthesis
  • Protease Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Protease Inhibitors / metabolism
  • Protease Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Rats
  • Serine Endopeptidases / chemistry
  • Serine Endopeptidases / metabolism*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Substrate Specificity
  • User-Computer Interface*

Substances

  • Protease Inhibitors
  • Serine Endopeptidases
  • PREPL protein, human
  • Prolyl Oligopeptidases