Binding model for nonpeptide antagonists of alpha(v)beta(3) integrin

A binding model for nonpeptide antagonists of integrin alpha(v)beta(3) has been developed through docking analyses utilizing the MMFFs force field and the recently published crystal structure, 1JV2. Results of this docking study have led to the identification of a novel binding model for selective antagonists of alpha(v)beta(3) over alpha(IIb)beta(3) integrins. Four different chemical classes are shown to bind in a similar fashion providing a measure of confidence in the proposed model. All alpha(v)beta(3) and alpha(IIb)beta(3) antagonists have a basic nitrogen separated some distance from a carboxylic acid to mimic RGD. For the alpha(v)beta(3) antagonists under present consideration, these charged ends are separated by twelve bonds. The basic nitrogen of the active alpha(v)beta(3) ligands are shown to interact with D150 of alpha(v) and the ligands' carboxylic acid interact with R214 of beta(3) while adopting an extended conformation with minimal protein induced internal strain. In addition, an energetically favorable interaction is found with all of the active alpha(v)beta(3) molecules with Y178 of alpha(v) when docked to the crystallographically determined structure. This novel interaction may be characterized as pi-pi stacking for the most active of the alpha(v)beta(3) selective antagonists. The proposed model is consistent with observed activity as well as mutagenicity and photoaffinity cross-linking studies of the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin.     

Isoxazolines as potent antagonists of the integrin alpha(v)beta(3)

Starting with lead compound 2, we sought to increase the selectivity for alpha(v)beta(3)-mediated cell adhesion by examining the effects of structural changes in both the guanidine mimetic and the substituent alpha to the carboxylate. To prepare some of the desired aminoimidazoles, a novel reductive amination utilizing a trityl-protected aminoimidazole was developed. It was found that guanidine mimetics with a wide range of pK(a)'s were potent antagonists of alpha(v)beta(3). In general, it appeared that an acylated 2-aminoimidazole guanidine mimetic imparted excellent selectivity for alpha(v)beta(3)-mediated adhesion versus alpha(IIb)beta(3)-mediated platelet aggregation, with selectivity of approximately 3 orders of magnitude observed for compounds 3g and 3h. It was also found in this series that the alpha-substituent was required for potent activity and that 2,6-disubstituted arylsulfonamides were optimal. In addition, the selective alpha(v)beta(3) antagonist 3h was found to be a potent inhibitor of alpha(v)beta(3)-mediated cell migration.     

Disubstituted indazoles as potent antagonists of the integrin alpha(v)beta(3)

A new series of indazole-containing alpha(v)beta(3) integrin antagonists is described. Starting with lead compound 18a, variations in a number of structural features were explored with respect to inhibition of the binding of beta(3)-transfected 293 cells to fibrinogen and to selectivity for alpha(v)beta(3) over GPIIbIIIa, another RGD-binding integrin. Indazoles attached to a 2-aminopyridine or 2-aminoimidazole by a propylene linker at the indazole 1-position and to a diaminopropionate derivative via a 5-carboxylate amide provided the best potency with moderate selectivity. Several differences in the SAR of the diaminopropionate moiety were observed between this series and a series of isoxazoline-based selective GPIIbIIIa antagonists. Compound 34a (SM256) was a potent antagonist of alpha(v)beta(3) (IC(50) 2.3 nM) with 9-fold selectivity over GPIIbIIIa.     

Radiolabeled RGD peptides as integrin alpha(v)beta3-targeted PET tracers

Imaging techniques targeting tumor angiogenesis have been investigated for past decade. Of these, the radiolabeled Arg-Gly- Asp (RGD) peptide has been focused because it has high affinity and selectivity for integrin alpha(v)beta3. Integrin alpha(v)beta3 is expressed on the plasma membrane in an active status in which it binds its ligands and transduce signals when exposed activating external stimuli of tumor angiogenesis such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Many linear or cyclic RGD peptides were developed for positron emission tomography (PET). In this review, we focused on currently developed RGD peptides as PET probes for non-invasive detection of integrin alpha(v)beta3 expression.     

Targeting cell surface alpha(v)beta(3) integrin increases therapeutic efficacies of a legumain protease-activated auristatin prodrug

Novel monomethylauristatin E (MMAE) prodrug 8 was designed and prepared that bound cell surface glycoprotein integrin αvβ3, and was activated using legumain protease as a catalyst. Upon activation, prodrug 8 strongly induced the death of MDA-MB-435 cells that express integrin αvβ3 on cell surface. Efficacies of prodrug 8 were also determined in vivo using animal models of 4T1 murine breast cancer, D121 Lewis lung carcinoma, and MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer. The results demonstrated that prodrug 8 decreased tumor growth and metastasis effectively. In comparison to the parent cytotoxin, MMAE, and prodrug 3, prodrug 8 was less toxic to mouse white blood cells. The latter caused no loss in weight gain of mice at a dose 3 mg/kg, which is over 30 times in excess to MMAE (0.1 mg/kg). We hypothesize that overexpression and colocalization of integrin αvβ3 and legumain protease on tumor cells, tumor vasculature, and/or tumor microenvironments can be exploited to enhance the efficacy and selectivity of potent cytotoxins, such as MMAE, which is otherwise too toxic to use for therapy.     

Molecular model of the alpha(IIb)beta(3) integrin

A molecular model of the alpha(IIb)beta(3) integrin has been developed utilizing (i). the crystal structure of alpha(v)beta(3), (ii). homology model of the alpha(IIb) subdomain, and (iii). the docking of alpha(IIb)beta(3)/alpha(v)beta(3) dual and selective inhibitors into the putative binding sites of alpha(IIb)beta(3) and alpha(v)beta(3). Since the binding sites of these integrins are located at the interface between the two heads of the individual subunits, only the alpha(IIb)beta(3) head region is modeled. The 3D conformations of two loops in alpha(IIb), whose residues have been implicated in non-peptide ligand binding, could not be determined from homology with alpha(v) alone. Mutagenesis data and the modeling of small ligand binding contributed to the rational design of these loop conformations. The final energy minimized loop conformations exhibit permissible phi/psi angles and contribute to a binding site model of alpha(IIb)beta(3) that is consistent with both the known mutagenesis studies and in-house structure-activity relationships. The charged residues alpha(IIb):E117 and beta(3):R214 are found to dominate the ligand-protein binding interaction. The previously identified "exosite" is also identified as a hydrogen bond, hydrophobic or pi-pi interaction with Y190, similar to the recently proposed binding model of alpha(v)beta(3).     

Nonpeptide alpha(v)beta(3) antagonists. 1. Transformation of a potent, integrin-selective alpha(IIb)beta(3) antagonist into a potent alpha(v)beta(3) antagonist

Modification of the potent fibrinogen receptor (alpha(IIb)beta(3)) antagonist 1 generated compounds with high affinity for the vitronectin receptor alpha(v)beta(3). Sequential modification of the basic N-terminus of 1 led to the identification of the 5,6,7, 8-tetrahydro[1,8]naphthyridine moiety (THN) as a lipophilic, moderately basic N-terminus that provides molecules with excellent potency and selectivity for the integrin receptor alpha(v)beta(3). The THN-containing analogue 5 is a potent inhibitor of bone resorption in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the identification of a novel, nonpeptide radioligand with high affinity to alpha(v)beta(3) is also reported.     

Integrin alpha v beta 3 as a therapeutic target for blocking tumor-induced angiogenesis

The integrin receptor alphavbeta3 has been shown to play a critical role in several distinct processes, such as angiogenesis, osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and tumor metastasis. Its expression is upregulated in newly synthesized blood vessels produced in response to a variety of tumors and purified angiogenic factors. Studies show that alphavbeta3 is a critical target downstream from perhaps all angiogcnic factors. Proof-of-principle that alphavbeta3 antagonists such as monoclonal antibodies and small molecules block angiogenesis and tumor growth has been obtained in several animal models. Many endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis such as angiostatin, endostatin and tumstatin seem to work through the alphavbeta3 receptor further emphasizing the critical role of this receptor in angiogenesis. In addition, the alphavbeta3 receptor has been clearly implicated in several pathological processes such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and metastasis of prostate cancer to bone. Thus alphavbeta3 may prove to be an important target for pharmacological intervention in more than one clinical setting.     

alpha(v)beta(3) Integrin antagonists as inhibitors of bone resorption

The alpha(v)beta(3) integrin is a non-covalent, heterodimeric, cell-surface protein that is expressed with varying density on numerous cell types, including osteoclasts, vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and a variety of tumour cells. Functionally, alpha(v)beta(3) mediates a diverse range of biological events including the adhesion of osteoclasts to bone matrix, smooth muscle cell migration and angiogenesis. Specifically, there has been significant attention focused on the preparation of inhibitors of alpha(v)beta(3) for use as inhibitors of bone resorption, in recognition of the medical need for improved prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Herein, we summarise the pertinent chemistry and biological advances in the medicinal design and biological evaluation of peptide and small molecule alpha(v)beta(3) antagonists as inhibitors of bone resorption.     

N-Methylated cyclic RGD peptides as highly active and selective alpha(V)beta(3) integrin antagonists.

The alpha(V)beta(3) integrin receptor plays an important role in human tumor metastasis and tumor-induced angiogenesis. The in vivo inhibition of this receptor by antibodies or by cyclic peptides containing the RGD sequence may in the future be used to selectively suppress these diseases. Here we investigate the influence of N-methylation of the active and selective alpha(V)beta(3) antagonist cyclo(RGDfV) (L1) on biological activity. Cyclo(RGDf-N(Me)V-) (P5) was found to be even more active than L1 and is one of the most active and selective compounds in inhibiting vitronectin binding to the alpha(V)beta(3) integrin. Its high-resolution, three-dimensional structure in water was determined by NMR techniques, distance geometry calculations, and molecular dynamics calculations, providing more insight into the structure-activity relationship.     

Vitronectin receptor alpha(V)beta(3) integrin antagonists: chemical and structural requirements for activity and selectivity

Alpha(V)beta(3) integrin, a cell surface protein, has been targeted by a variety of natural and synthetic antagonists in the search for potential cancer and osteoporosis drug candidates. This review discusses chemical and structural requirements for activity and selectivity deduced from SAR studies and draws a tentative picture of the pharmacophore.     

Alpha and beta momorcharins

Two abortifacient proteins designated α and β momorcharins were isolated from seeds of the bitter gourd Momordica charantia by a procedure involving acetone fractionation, CM-Sepharose chromatography and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. The two proteins were approximately equipotent in inducing midterm abortion in mice. Hemagglutinating (lectin) activity was lacking. Homogeneity of the preparations was attested by a single band in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis. Although the two proteins had similar molecular weights as judged by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, they were immunochemically distinct.     

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of a paclitaxel conjugate with the divalent peptide E-[c(RGDfK)2] that targets integrin alpha v beta 3

The alpha(v)beta(3) integrin is overexpressed on proliferating endothelial cells such as those present in growing tumors as well as on tumor cells of various origins. Tumor-induced angiogenesis can be inhibited in vivo by antagonizing the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin with small peptides containing the arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid (RGD) amino acid sequence. The divalent cyclic peptide E-[c(RGDfK)(2)] is a novel ligand-based vascular-targeting agent that binds integrin alpha(v)beta(3) and demonstrated high uptake in OVCAR-3 xenograft tumors. In this work, we coupled the 2'-OH-group of paclitaxel through an aliphatic ester to the amino group of E-[c(RGDfK)(2)] or the control peptide c(RADfK), thus obtaining the derivatives E-[c(RGDfK)(2)]-paclitaxel and c(RADfK)-paclitaxel. Subsequently, we investigated the activity of the paclitaxel derivatives using several well-established in vitro angiogenesis assays: using a standard 72 h endothelial cell proliferation assay, we showed that both E-[c(RGDfK)(2)]-paclitaxel and c(RADfK)-paclitaxel inhibit the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in a similar manner as free paclitaxel (IC(50) value approximately 0.4 nM), an observation that can be explained by the half-life of the paclitaxel ester bond in the conjugates of approximately 2h at pH 7. In contrast, a 30-min exposure of the cells to the three drugs showed a clear difference between free paclitaxel, E-[c(RGDfK)(2)]-paclitaxel and c(RADfK)-paclitaxel with IC(50) values of 10nM, 25 nM, and 60 nM, respectively. These differences are very likely due to the different routes of cellular entry of these three molecules. While the hydrophobic paclitaxel diffuses rapidly through the cell membrane, the charged peptide-containing derivative E-[c(RGDfK)(2)]-paclitaxel binds to the overexpressed alpha(v)beta(3) integrin in order to enter the cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis. The differences between the derivatives were further demonstrated using an endothelial cell adhesion assay. Inhibition of cell attachment was observed only with the E-[c(RGDfK)(2)]-paclitaxel derivative indicating its specificity to the growing endothelial cells. Furthermore, E-[c(RGDfK)(2)]-paclitaxel inhibited both endothelial cells migration and capillary-like tube formation. These results further demonstrate their antiangiogenic properties. In vivo studies in an OVCAR-3 xenograft model demonstrated no antitumor efficacy for either E-[c(RGDfK)(2)] or E-[c(RGDfK)(2)]-paclitaxel compared to moderate efficacy for paclitaxel.     

Development and evaluation of lipid microbubbles targeted to alpha(v)beta(3)-integrin via biotin-avidin bridge

This work was to report preparation and quality control of targeted microbubbles (MB(t)) via biotin-avidin bridge, specifically verification of the "biotin-avidin-biotin" sandwich structure. (1) Lipid microbubbles filled with sulphur hexafluoride were produced by sonication and compared with commercially available microbubbles. (2) MB(t) were produced via biotin-avidin bridge. Specifically, the "biotin-avidin-biotin" sandwich structure on the surface of MB(t) was verified in vitro using fluorescence. (3) Adhesion of alpha(v)beta(3)-integrin targeted MB(t) (MB(αvβ3)) to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was tested using the parallel plate flow chamber (PPFC). "Biotin-avidin" is a reliable method to attach molecular probe onto the surface of microbubbles.     

beta(1)-Adrenoceptors compensate for beta(3)-adrenoceptors in ileum from beta(3)-adrenoceptor knock-out mice

1. This study examines beta(1)-, beta(2)- and beta(3)-adrenoceptor (AR)-mediated responses, mRNA levels and radioligand binding in ileum from beta(3)-AR knock-out (-/-) (KO) and wild type (+/+) (FVB) mice. 2. In KO and FVB mice, SR59230A (100 nM) (beta(3)-AR antagonist) antagonized responses to (-)-isoprenaline in both KO and FVB mice. (-)-Isoprenaline mediated relaxation of ileum was antagonized weakly by ICI118551 (100 nM) (beta(2)-AR antagonist). Responses to (-)-isoprenaline were more strongly antagonized by CGP20712A (100 nM) (beta(1)-AR antagonist), propranolol (1 microM) (beta(1)-/beta(2)-AR antagonist), carvedilol (100 nM) (non-specific beta-AR antagonist), and CGP12177A (100 nM) (beta(1)-/beta(2)-AR antagonist) in ileum from KO than in FVB mice. 3. Responses to CL316243 (beta(3)-AR agonist) in ileum from FVB mice were antagonized by SR59230A (100 nM) but not by propranolol (1 microM) or carvedilol (100 nM). CL316243 was ineffective in relaxing ileum from KO mice. 4. CGP12177A had no agonist actions in ileum from either KO or FVB mice. 5. beta(1)-AR mRNA levels were increased 3 fold in ileum from KO compared to FVB mice. This was associated with an increased maximum number of beta(1)-/beta(2)-AR binding sites (B(max)). beta(2)-AR mRNA levels were unaffected while no beta(3)-AR mRNA was detected in KO mice. 6. In mouse ileum, beta(3)-ARs and to a lesser extent beta(1)-ARs are the predominant adrenoceptor subtypes mediating relaxation in ileum from FVB mice. In KO mice beta(1)-ARs functionally compensate for the lack of beta(3)-ARs, and this is associated with increased beta(1)-AR mRNA and levels of binding.     

Design and synthesis of potent and selective alpha(4)beta(7) integrin antagonists

Interactions of the integrins alpha(4)beta(7) with its cognate ligand mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1) play a crucial role in the development of mucosa-associated lymphoid organs, in the generation of mucosal immune responses, and in diverse pathological processes such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease and type I diabetes. Using a previously developed spatial screening technique we describe the development of potent and selective alpha(4)beta(7) integrin antagonists based on the domain 1 Leu-Asp-Thr (LDT) sequence of MAdCAM-1 that is essential for alpha(4)beta(7) integrin binding. A library of homodetic cyclic penta- and hexapeptides was synthesized presenting the pharmacophoric LDT-sequence in different conformations. The cyclic hexapeptide P10 cyclo(Leu-Asp-Thr-Ala-D-Pro-Ala) inhibits alpha(4)beta(7) integrin mediated cell adhesion to MAdCAM-1 effectively. Further optimization of the lead structure P10 resulted in cyclic hexapeptides with enhanced activity. The compounds P25 cyclo(Leu-Asp-Thr-Ala-D-Pro-Phe), P28 cyclo(Leu-Asp-Thr-Asp-D-Pro-Phe), P29 cyclo(Leu-Asp-Thr-Asp-D-Pro-His), and P30 cyclo(Leu-Asp-Thr-Asp-D-Pro-Tyr) strongly inhibited alpha(4)beta(7) integrin mediated cell adhesion to MAdCAM-1, but they did not affect binding of the closely related alpha(4)beta(1) integrin to VCAM-1.     

整合素αvβ3拮抗剂的研究进展

肿瘤生长初期没有新血管生成（无血管期）,其生长到一定程度时依赖新生血管的维持.肿瘤血管生成是肿瘤生长和转移的形态学基础,它不仅向肿瘤提供营养,也向宿主输出大量的肿瘤细胞导致肿瘤的生长和转移.因此对以抑制肿瘤血管生成为目的的抗肿瘤药物的研究方兴未艾,有很多具有抑制肿瘤血管生成作用的化合物如大黄素与青蒿琥酯等被发现.整合素αvβ3介导血管内皮细胞和肿瘤细胞的黏附,参与血管生成和肿瘤转移,在肿瘤生长中起重要作用.当其功能受到抑制时,血管内皮细胞出现凋亡,肿瘤生长受到抑制,甚至肿瘤消退.整合素αvβ3受体拮抗剂作为抗新生血管肿瘤药物的同时,对骨质流失、血栓、风湿性关节炎的治疗也起了重要作用.