Methionine aminopeptidase 1 (MetAP1) is a target for drug discovery against many adversaries and a potential antileishmanial target for its role in N-terminal methionine processing. As an effort towards new inhibitor discovery against methionine aminopeptidase 1 from Leishmania donovani (LdMetAP1), we have synthesized a series of quinoline-based hybrids, that is (Z)-5-((Z)-benzylidine)-2-(quinolin-3-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-ones (QYT-4a-i) whose in vitro screening led to the discovery of a novel inhibitor molecule (QYT-4h) against LdMetAP1. The compound QYT-4h showed nearly 20-fold less potency for human MetAP1 and had drug-like features. Time-course kinetic assays suggested QYT-4h acting through a competitive mode by binding to the metal-activated catalytic site. Notably, QYT-4h was most potent against the physiologically relevant Mn(II) and Fe(II) supplemented forms of LdMetAP1 and less potent against Co(II) supplemented form. Surface plasmon resonance and fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated high affinity of QYT-4h for LdMetAP1. Through molecular modelling and docking studies, we found QYT-4h binding at the LdMetAP1 catalytic pocket occupying both the catalytic and substrate binding sites mostly with hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions which provide structural basis for its promising potency. These results demonstrate the feasibility of employing small-molecule inhibitors for selective targeting of LdMetAP1 which may find use to effectively eliminate leishmaniasis.
Keywords: Leishmania donovani; drug discovery; in vitro inhibition assay; methionine aminopeptidase 1; quinoline-based hybrids.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S.