Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) plays an important role in the regulation of cholesterol, lipid, and glucose metabolism. Recently, several studies on the molecular basis of FXR antagonism have been reported. However, none of these studies employs an FXR antagonist with nonsteroidal scaffold. On the basis of our previously reported FXR antagonist with a trisubstituted isoxazole scaffold, a novel nonsteroidal FXR ligand was designed and used as a lead for structural modification. In total, 39 new trisubstituted isoxazole derivatives were designed and synthesized, which led to pharmacological profiles ranging from agonist to antagonist toward FXR. Notably, compound 5s (4'-[(3-{[3-(2-chlorophenyl)-5-(2-thienyl)isoxazol-4-yl]methoxy}-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methyl]biphenyl-2-carboxylic acid), containing a thienyl-substituted isoxazole ring, displayed the best antagonistic activity against FXR with good cellular potency (IC50 =12.2 ± 0.2 μM). Eventually, this compound was used as a probe in a molecular dynamics simulation assay. Our results allowed us to propose an essential molecular basis for FXR antagonism, which is consistent with a previously reported antagonistic mechanism; furthermore, E467 on H12 was found to be a hot-spot residue and may be important for the future design of nonsteroidal antagonists of FXR.
Keywords: antagonists; mechanism of action; molecular dynamics; nonsteroidal ligands; receptors.
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