Development of (<i>E</i>)-2-((1,4-Dimethylpiperazin-2-ylidene)amino)-5-nitro-<i>N</i>-phenylbenzamide, ML336: Novel 2-Amidinophenylbenzamides as Potent Inhibitors of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus
作者:Chad E. Schroeder、Tuanli Yao、Julie Sotsky、Robert A. Smith、Sudeshna Roy、Yong-Kyu Chu、Haixun Guo、Nichole A. Tower、James W. Noah、Sara McKellip、Melinda Sosa、Lynn Rasmussen、Layton H. Smith、E. Lucile White、Jeffrey Aubé、Colleen B. Jonsson、Donghoon Chung、Jennifer E. Golden
DOI:10.1021/jm501203v
日期:2014.10.23
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an emerging pathogenic alphavirus that can cause significant disease in humans. Given the absence of therapeutic options available and the significance of VEEV as a weaponized agent, an optimization effort was initiated around a quinazolinone screening hit 1 with promising cellular antiviral activity (EC50 = 0.8 mu M), limited cytotoxic liability (CC50 > 50 mu M), and modest in vitro efficacy in reducing viral progeny (63-fold at 5 mu M). Scaffold optimization revealed a novel rearrangement affording amidines, specifically compound 45, which was found to potently inhibit several VEEV strains in the low nanomolar range without cytotoxicity (EC50 = 0.02-0.04 mu M, CC50 > 50 mu M) while limiting in vitro viral replication (EC90 = 0.17 mu M). Brain exposure was observed in mice with 45. Significant protection was observed in VEEV-infected mice at 5 mg kg(-1) day(-1) and viral replication appeared to be inhibited through interference of viral nonstructural proteins.