AbstractChagas' disease affects approximately eight million people throughout the world, especially the poorest individuals. The protozoan that causes this disease–Trypanosoma cruzi–has the enzyme cruzipain, which is the main therapeutic target. As no available medications have satisfactory effectiveness and safety, it is of fundamental importance to design and synthesize novel analogues that are more active and selective. In the present study, molecular docking and the in silico prediction of ADMET properties were used as strategies to optimize the trypanocidal activity of the pyrimidine compound ZN3F based on interactions with the target site in cruzipain. From the computational results, eight 4‐amino‐5‐carbonitrile‐pyrimidine analogues were proposed, synthesized (5a‐f and 7g‐h) and, tested in vitro on the trypomastigote form of the Tulahuen strain of T. cruzi. The in silico study showed that the designed analogues bond favorably to important amino acid residues of the active site in cruzipain. An in vitro evaluation of cytotoxicity was performed on L929 mammal cell lines. All derivatives inhibited the Tulahuen strain of T. cruzi and also exhibited lower toxicity to L929 cells. The 5e product, in particular, proved to be a potent, selective (IC50 = 2.79 ± 0.00 μM, selectivity index = 31.3) inhibitor of T. cruzi. The present results indicated the effectiveness of drugs based on the structure of the receptor, revealing the potential trypanocidal of pyrimidines. This study also provides information on molecular aspects for the inhibition of cruzipain.
摘要 南美锥虫病影响着全世界约 800 万人,尤其是最贫穷的人。导致这种疾病的原生动物--克鲁兹锥虫--含有克鲁兹蛋白酶,而这种酶是主要的治疗靶标。由于现有药物的有效性和安全性都不尽如人意,因此设计和合成更具活性和选择性的新型类似物至关重要。本研究根据嘧啶化合物 ZN3F 与 Cruzipain 靶位点的相互作用,采用分子对接和 ADMET 特性的硅学预测作为优化嘧啶化合物 ZN3F 杀胰活性的策略。根据计算结果,提出并合成了 8 种 4-氨基-5-甲腈嘧啶类似物(5a-f 和 7g-h),并对 Tulahuen 株 T. cruzi 的胰母细胞形态进行了体外测试。硅学研究表明,所设计的类似物与克鲁兹蛋白酶活性位点的重要氨基酸残基结合良好。对 L929 哺乳动物细胞系进行了体外细胞毒性评估。所有衍生物都能抑制 Tulahuen 株 T. cruzi,对 L929 细胞的毒性也较低。尤其是 5e 产品,被证明是一种强效、选择性(IC50 = 2.79 ± 0.00 μM,选择性指数 = 31.3)的 T. cruzi 抑制剂。本研究结果表明了基于受体结构的药物的有效性,揭示了嘧啶类药物的潜在杀胰作用。本研究还提供了抑制克鲁斯蛋白酶的分子方面的信息。