Fragment-Based Optimization of Dihydropyrazino-Benzimidazolones as Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor-2 Positive Allosteric Modulators against Migraine

J Med Chem. 2021 Jun 24;64(12):8607-8620. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00563. Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Abstract

Our previous scaffold-hopping attempts resulted in dihydropyrazino-benzimidazoles as metabotropic glutamate receptor-2 (mGluR2) positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) with suboptimal drug-like profiles. Here, we report an alternative fragment-based optimization strategy applied on the new dihydropyrazino-benzimidazolone scaffold. Analyzing published high-affinity mGluR2 PAMs, we used a pharmacophore-guided approach to identify suitable growing vectors and optimize the scaffold in these directions. This strategy resulted in a new fragment like lead (34) with improved druglike properties that were translated to sufficient pharmacokinetics and validated proof-of-concept studies in migraine. Gratifyingly, compound 34 showed reasonable activity in the partial infraorbital nerve ligation, a migraine disease model that might open this indication for mGluR2 PAMs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Benzimidazoles / chemical synthesis
  • Benzimidazoles / pharmacokinetics
  • Benzimidazoles / therapeutic use*
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / chemical synthesis
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / pharmacokinetics
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Migraine Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Proof of Concept Study
  • Pyrazines / chemical synthesis
  • Pyrazines / pharmacokinetics
  • Pyrazines / therapeutic use*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / agonists*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Benzimidazoles
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists
  • Pyrazines
  • Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate
  • metabotropic glutamate receptor 2