Discovery of Novel PTP1B Inhibitors with Once-Weekly Therapeutic Potential for Type 2 Diabetes: Design, Synthesis, and In Vitro and In Vivo Investigations of BimBH3 Peptide Analogues

J Med Chem. 2023 Feb 23;66(4):3030-3044. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c02003. Epub 2023 Feb 7.

Abstract

Poor medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus has become one of the main causes of suboptimal glycemic control. Once-weekly drugs can markedly improve the convenience, adherence, and quality of life of T2DM patients; thus, they are clinically needed and preferred. PTP1B plays a negative role in both insulin and leptin signaling pathways, which makes it an important target for diabetes. Herein, we design and synthesize 35 analogues of core BimBH3 peptide via lipidation/acylation strategy based on our previous work and evaluate their PTP1B inhibitory activity, obtaining the primary structure-activity relationship. Five compounds with good PPT1B inhibitory activity, target selectivity, and significantly improved stability were selected for molecular docking study and searching candidate molecules with long-acting antidiabetic potential. The in vivo anti-T2DM evaluation validated the once-weekly therapeutic potential of analogues 19, 26, 27, 31, and 33, which were comparable with semaglutide and therefore presented as promising drug candidates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / drug therapy
  • Drug Design*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors* / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors* / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Hypoglycemic Agents* / chemistry
  • Hypoglycemic Agents* / pharmacology
  • Insulin / metabolism
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1* / antagonists & inhibitors

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Insulin
  • PTPN1 protein, human
  • Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1