Design of Potent Dicyclic (1−5/4−10) Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Antagonists
作者:Jean E. Rivier、Guangcheng Jiang、R. Scott Struthers、Steven C. Koerber、John Porter、Laura A. Cervini、Dean A. Kirby、A. Grey Craig、Catherine L. Rivier
DOI:10.1021/jm990116+
日期:2000.3.1
In three earlier papers, the structures and biological potencies of numerous mono- and dicyclic antagonists of GnRH were reported. Among these, two families, each containing two to four members were identified that had very high antagonist potencies in an antiovulatory assay (within a factor of 2 of those of the most potent linear analogues) and high affinities (K-i < 0.5 nM) for the rat GnRH receptor (rGnRHR). The most favored cycles bridged the side chains of residues (4-10),(1,2) (5-8),(2) (4-10/5-8),(2) (1-3),(3) and (1-3/4-10).(3) Our goal was to identify a consensus model of bioactive conformations of GnRH antagonists, yet these biocompatible constraints did not sufficiently restrain the spatial location of the N-terminal tripeptide with respect to the C-terminal heptapeptide, due largely to the rotational freedom about the bonds connecting these regions. Examination of models derived from NMR studies of cyclo(4-10) analogues suggested a large number of possible cyclic constraints such as cycle (0-8), (1-8), or (2-8). All analogues tested with these substitutions were inactive as antiovulatory agents at 1 mg/rat (5-9) and had low affinity for rGnRHR. On the other hand, bridging positions 3 and 8 with a [DAsp(3)] to [Dbu(8)] (12, K-i = 13 nM) or [Orn(8)] (13, K-i = 14 nM) in the parent compound cyclo(3-8)[Ac-DNal(1),DCpa(2),DXaa(3),Arg(5),DNal(6),Xbb(8),DAla(10)]GnRH yielded analogues that blocked ovulation at 250 mu g/rat. Analogue 14 (K-i = 2.3 nM), with a [DAsp(3), Lys(8)] bridge, was fully active at 50 mu g/rat. Loss of potency (> 20-fold) was observed with the substitution of [DAsp(3)] in 14 by [DGlu(3)] in 15 (K-i = 23 nM), Dicyclic analogues possessing the (4-10) cycle and selected (1-6), (2-6), and (2-8) cycles led to analogues that were inactive at doses of 500 mu g/rat or larger. Two analogues with (1-8/4-10) cycles (16, K-i = 1.1 nM) or (3-8/4-10) cycles (22, K-i = 17 nM) showed full antiovulatory potency at 250 mu g/rat. None of these substitutions yielded analogues potent enough (>80% inhibition of ovulation at 5 mu g/rat or less and K-i < 0.5 nM) to be candidates for structural analysis by NMR. On the other hand, four dicyclic (1,1'-5/4-10) analogues met this criterion: dicyclo(1,1'-5/4-10)[Ac-Asp(1)(Gly),DCpa(2),DTrp(3),Asp(4),Dbu(5), DNal(6),Dpr(10)]GnRH (32, K-i = 0.22 nM), dicyclo(1,1'-5/4-10)[Ac-Asp(1)(Gly),DCpa(2),DTrp(3),Asp(4),Dbu(5), DNal(6),Dpr(10)]GnRH (34, K-i = 0.38 nM), dicyclo(1,1'-5/4 - 10)[Ac-Asp(1)(beta Ala),DCpa(2), DTrp(3),Asp(4),Dbu(5),DNal(6),Dpr(10)]GnRH (40, K-i = 0.15 nM), and dicyclo(1,1'-5/4-10)[Ac-Glu(1)(Gly), DCpa(2),DTrp(3),Asp(4),Dbu(5),DNal(6),Dpr(10)]GnRH (41, K-i = 0.24 nM). Since they differed slightly in terms of the (1,1'-5) bridge length (21 and 22 atoms) and bridgehead configuration, we may hypothesize that they assume similar bioactive conformations that satisfy a very discriminating receptor, since many other closely related analogues were significantly less potent.