Discovery of the Oral Leukotriene C4 Synthase Inhibitor (1 S,2 S)-2-({5-[(5-Chloro-2,4-difluorophenyl)(2-fluoro-2-methylpropyl)amino]-3-methoxypyrazin-2-yl}carbonyl)cyclopropanecarboxylic Acid (AZD9898) as a New Treatment for Asthma

J Med Chem. 2019 Sep 12;62(17):7769-7787. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00555. Epub 2019 Aug 30.

Abstract

While bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids are the mainstay of asthma treatment, up to 50% of asthmatics remain uncontrolled. Many studies show that the cysteinyl leukotriene cascade remains highly activated in some asthmatics, even those on high-dose inhaled or oral corticosteroids. Hence, inhibition of the leukotriene C4 synthase (LTC4S) enzyme could provide a new and differentiated core treatment for patients with a highly activated cysteinyl leukotriene cascade. Starting from a screening hit (3), a program to discover oral inhibitors of LTC4S led to (1S,2S)-2-({5-[(5-chloro-2,4-difluorophenyl)(2-fluoro-2-methylpropyl)amino]-3-methoxypyrazin-2-yl}carbonyl)cyclopropanecarboxylic acid (AZD9898) (36), a picomolar LTC4S inhibitor (IC50 = 0.28 nM) with high lipophilic ligand efficiency (LLE = 8.5), which displays nanomolar potency in cells (peripheral blood mononuclear cell, IC50,free = 6.2 nM) and good in vivo pharmacodynamics in a calcium ionophore-stimulated rat model after oral dosing (in vivo, IC50,free = 34 nM). Compound 36 mitigates the GABA binding, hepatic toxicity signal, and in vivo toxicology findings of an early lead compound 7 with a human dose predicted to be 30 mg once daily.

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Animals
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Asthma / drug therapy*
  • Asthma / metabolism
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Discovery*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / administration & dosage
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Glutathione Transferase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Glutathione Transferase / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Molecular Structure
  • Pyrazines / chemical synthesis
  • Pyrazines / chemistry
  • Pyrazines / pharmacology*
  • Rats
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Pyrazines
  • Glutathione Transferase
  • leukotriene-C4 synthase