Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Frédéric Bihel.
Microwave-assisted treatment of various heterocyclic amides (benzodiazepinone, phthalazone) with TiCl(4) in the presence of primary or secondary amines provides the corresponding amidines. In addition to the interest of the microwaves for this reaction, our study highlights the higher reactivity of the cyclic acetamide moiety compared to the cyclic benzamide moiety towards this TiCl(4)-mediated reaction.
gamma-Secretase is a structurally enigmatic multiprotein complex that catalyzes intramembrane proteolysis of a variety of substrates, including the amyloid beta-protein precursor of Alzheimer's disease and the Notch receptor essential to cell differentiation. The active site of this transmembrane aspartyl protease apparently lies at the interface between two subunits of presenilin-1 (PS1); however, evidence suggests the existence of an initial substrate-binding site that is distinct from the active site. Here, we report that photoaffinity probes based on potent helical peptide inhibitors and designed to mimic the amyloid beta-protein precursor substrate bind specifically to the PS subunit interface, at a site close to the active site. The location of the helical peptide-binding site suggests that substrate passes between the two PS1 subunits to access the active site. An aggressive Alzheimer-causing mutation in PS1 strongly reduced photolabeling by a transition-state analogue but not by helical peptides, providing biochemical evidence that the pathological effect of this PS mutation is due to alteration of the active-site topography.
Inhibition of gamma-secretase, one of the enzymes responsible for the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to produce pathogenic A beta peptides, is an attractive approach for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. We have designed a new gamma-secretase thiazolamide inhibitor bearing a dihydronicotinoyl moiety as Redox Delivery System which allows specific delivery of the drug to the brain. Through, on the one hand, A beta peptide production measurements by specific in vitro assays (gamma-secretase Cell Free assay and Cell Based assay on HEK 293 APP transfected cells) and, on the other hand, pharmacokinetic studies on animal models, the new inhibitor shows a good pharmacokinetic profile as well as a potent gamma-secretase inhibitory activity in vitro. From the obtained results, it is expected that drug will be mainly delivered to the CNS with low diffusion in the peripheral tissues. Consequently the side effects of this gamma-secretase inhibitor on the immune cells could be reduced.
New 2-bromomethyl-8-substituted-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones have been synthesized and their bioactive properties have been evaluated on different enzymatic models: serine proteases (trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin), HIV aspartyl protease, nitric oxide synthase and a panel of protein kinases. These new derivatives can provide upon chemical or enzymatic attack, very reactive quinonimine methide intermediates, which could be utilized for the design of enzyme inhibitors. We found that some of these new derivatives exhibit modest inhibitory activities on the studied enzyme models, but it could be improved after structure optimization.
Gamma-secretase is the second of two proteolytic enzymes responsible for the release of the amyloid beta-peptide implicated in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease. Here, we used solid-phase synthesis to generate a new series of helical peptides as gamma-secretase inhibitors, one of which, 11, showed an IC(50) of 140 pM in a cell-free enzyme assay.
During the coupling reaction between 3-alkoxy-7-amino-4-chloroisocoumarin and N-acyl alanine dipeptide, an unexpected deamidation reaction was observed. The proposed mechanism for this reaction involved the formation of an imide intermediate which after cleavage led to the release of amino acid moiety. The described deamidation reaction represents the first chemical model involving a non-peptidic moiety, which mimics biological and chemical deamidation processes occurring in proteins or peptides incorporating an asparagine or a glutamine residue.
A series of new 7-substituted-4-chloro-3-alkoxy isocoumarin derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of representative classes of proteases: serine protease (alpha-chymotrypsin, trypsin), cysteine protease (Caspase-3), and aspartyl protease (HIV-protease), 20S proteasome and also as inhibitors of amyloid peptide gamma-secretase-mediated production. Protease inhibition selectivity is directly related to the structure of the substituent at the 7-position of the isocoumarin nucleus. 7-Nitro-isocoumarin derivatives (4c, 4d, 4f) are potent alpha-chymotrypsin inhibitors but slightly active or inactive on HIV-protease, as well as on cysteine protease. In contrast, only derivatives bearing a free amino (5d, 5f) or a substituted amino group (6f) at the 7-position of the isocoumarin nucleus, were found weakly active or inactive on alpha-chymotrypsin, trypsin, Caspase-3 and HIV-protease, but prevent gamma-secretase-mediated production of Abeta 40/42 amyloid peptides, which is known to be involved in Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, the most active compounds on beta-amyloid peptide production [JLK6 (5d), JLK2 (5f) and JLK7 (6f)] show only weak or moderate inhibitory activity on the 20S proteasome. The obtained results suggest that the described new isocoumarin analogues could be of interest, since compounds like JLK6 (5d), JLK2 (5f) and JLK7 (6f) can be considered as possible hits for the development of new agents directed towards Alzheimer's disease.
In so much as bis-macrocyclic peptidomimetics have been recognized as high affinity substrates for HIV-1 protease, we were interested in the design and synthesis of new bis-macrocyclic bioisosteric analogues whose general structure is displayed on Fig. 2. The structures of these new analogues are characterized by the specific replacement of the methylene of the benzyl group directly attached to the N-acyl glycine residue in the original molecule 1, by its main bioisosteres, i.e. O-, S- and NH-aryl groups. Knowing that an intermediate in which an heteroatomic aryl group is directly linked to a free amine glycine residue is not stable, we developed an original synthetic pathway which involved the coupling of a specific side chain to the exocyclic carboxylic acid function, followed by an elegant oxidation-nucleophilic substitution Steglich-type reaction. Analogues 2a-d were then submitted to chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis. We demonstrated that, as expected, the specific cleavage of the exocyclic N-acyl bond led to the release of aryl moieties (phenol, thiophenol and aniline species). These chemical and enzymatic stability studies brought to light the biological potential of such macrocyclic analogues in infected cells.
3-Alkoxy-7-amino-4-chloroisocoumarins have been shown to lower the beta-amyloid secretion (a major component of the senile plaques involved in Alzheimer's disease). This paper reports the characterization of new adducts resulting from the reaction between the isocoumarin synthon and different classes of amines. This study allows on the one hand, a better understanding of the biological molecular processes by which such isocoumarin derivatives may interact with enzyme nucleophiles and, on the other hand, brings out the chemical potential of these synthons to generate new polycyclic derivatives.
We designed and synthesized a new class of serine protease inhibitors based on the oxazinone core. To this end, we first developed a short and efficient route to synthesize a new 3,4-dihydro[1,4]oxazin-2-one ring. Then we successfully synthesised the corresponding 5-bromo derivatives which have never been reported before, and demonstrated their inhibitory activities on alpha-chymotrypsin.
Starting from the chemical structure of the recent FDA-approved anti-HIV drug Amprenavir (Agenerase), a potent HIV-protease inhibitor, we have designed new series of Amprenavir bioisoteres in which the methylene group of the benzyl group was replaced by a sulfur atom. This structural modification has required an original multistep synthesis. Unfortunately, introduction of the sulfur atom abolished or drastically decreased both inhibitory activity on recombinant HIV protease and HIV infection protection on MT4 cell cultures.