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Biomedical subjects

G W Carter

Publications and source records attributed to G W Carter.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The properties of A-69412: a small hydrophilic 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor.

A compound which inhibits leukotriene biosynthesis could be clinically useful in treating several allergic and inflammatory diseases. One site for such inhibition is at the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase. Most inhibitors of this enzyme thus far described are poorly bioavailable. A-69412 is a small, relatively hydrophilic compound of the N-hydroxyurea class, which exhibits minimal plasma protein binding (6-12%). The compound was found to be a potent long-acting inhibitor of leukotriene formation in vivo in the rat (oral ED50 = 5 mg/kg) and ex vivo in several species. In addition, the compound exhibits excellent bioavailability in dogs and monkeys with a relatively long elimination half-life in both the species (6 and 3 h, respectively). The biochemical activity and pharmacological profile of A-69412 indicates its potential utility in asthma and ulcerative colitis, and possibly other inflammatory and allergic conditions.

Anaphylaxis↗

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of a series of novel benzopyran-containing platelet activating factor antagonists.

A class of N-substituted tetrahydrobenzopyrano[3,4-c]pyridines, I, have been identified as antagonists of platelet activating factor (PAF). The structural features essential for PAF binding were determined by systematic modification of three sites in the molecule. While O-alkyl analogues had little effect on binding potency, N-alkyl analogues exhibited a wide range of activity. Structural changes in the core ring system generally resulted in a loss of binding activity. Optimization of the N- and O-substituents resulted in the analogues 25-27 which exhibited Ki values ranging between 131 and 167 nM in a [3H]PAF binding assay. Compound 23 was also active in a model of PAF-induced shock in the mouse following intravenous administration.

Alkylation↗

Structure-function studies in a series of carboxyl-terminal octapeptide analogues of anaphylatoxin C5a.

The synthesis and structure-activity relationships of C-terminal octapeptide analogues of anaphylatoxin C5a have been studied. The introduction of hydrophobic amino acids into the N-acetylated native octapeptide (N-Ac-His-Lys-Asp-Met-Gln-Leu-Gly-Arg-OH) (1) has led to an analogue with 100 times more activity than the native octapeptide in inhibiting the binding of 125I-labeled anaphylatoxin C5a to human neutrophil membrane receptors. The observed apparent binding Ki's for the compounds (8-10) are in the range of 1-3 microM, and they possess nearly full agonist activity, despite the fact that these analogues are one-eighth or -ninth the size of the natural ligand anaphylatoxin C5a.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The discovery and development of zileuton: an orally active 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor.

The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase is a key target in the effort to discover drugs which inhibit the pathophysiology associated with the formation of leukotrienes. The research efforts of these laboratories have focused on the discovery of direct enzyme inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase. In particular, compounds with hydroxamate or N-hydroxyurea functionalities have proven to be potent inhibitors of leukotriene biosynthesis in vitro and more importantly in vivo. One of these compounds, zileuton (N-(1-benzo-[b]-thien-2-ylethyl)-N-hydroxyurea) has been shown recently to be an effective leukotriene inhibitor in man. The critical approaches and breakthroughs in the discovery and development of zileuton are described. In addition, some recent results with zileuton in animals and man are detailed.

Animals↗

Inhibition of leukotriene biosynthesis in the rat peritoneal cavity.

In the search for a model of leukotriene (LT) production to provide a method to determine in vivo 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) inhibitory activity by various compounds, a passive anaphylactic reaction in the rat peritoneal cavity was examined, refined and characterized. The reaction, produced by passive sensitization with an i.p. injection of rabbit anti-bovine serum albumin (anti-BSA) followed by an i.p. injection of BSA, resulted in the biosynthesis of large amounts of sulfidopeptide LTs measurable by immunoassay or by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. The oral activity of several 5-LO inhibitors has been examined using this model. An example of these is zileuton (Abbott-64077), a potent 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor now under clinical evaluation. Zileuton inhibited sulfidopeptide LT biosynthesis in the rat peritoneal cavity in a dose-dependent manner (ED50 = 3 mg/kg). WY-49,232, MK-866, BW A4C and phenidone also produced good activity with ED50 values of 6, 8, 11 and 17 mg/kg, respectively. This modified rat peritoneal anaphylaxis model appears to be a valuable tool for establishing in vivo activity of 5-LO inhibitors.

Administration, Oral↗

Identification and synthesis of a receptor binding site of human anaphylatoxin C5a.

C5a is a 74 amino acid polypeptide that likely plays an important role in the pathogenesis of a number of inflammatory diseases. Therefore, the discovery of a C5a antagonist is of considerable therapeutic interest. A series of peptides designed to survey various regions of the molecule was synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis and evaluated for receptor-binding activity with polymorphonuclear leukocyte membranes. The C-terminal octapeptide (Ac-His-Lys-Asp-Met-Gln-Leu-Gly-Arg-OH) was identified as the smallest fragment which possessed reasonable C5a receptor binding activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

4-hydroxythiazole inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase.

4-Hydroxythiazoles have been identified as potent inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase in vitro exhibiting IC50's of less than 1 microM. An investigation of structure-activity relationships showed that the most potent inhibitors of this series are the 5-phenyl derivatives. The corresponding thiazolidin-4-one analogues were found to be relatively inactive. The 4-hydroxythiazoles were active inhibitors against 5-lipoxygenase in both intact rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes and human whole blood. The compounds were also selective inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase, displaying only weak activity against other related enzymes, cyclooxygenase and 12- and 15-lipoxygenase.

Animals↗

5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity of zileuton.

Zileuton [N-(1-benzo[b]thien-2-ylethyl)-N-hydroxyure] inhibited 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid synthesis by rat basophilic leukemia cell 20,000 x g supernatant and rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) (IC50 = 0.5 and 0.3 microM) respectively. It also inhibited leukotriene (LT)B4 biosynthesis by rat PMNL (IC50 = 0.4 microM), human PMNL (IC50 = 0.4 microM) and human whole blood (IC50 = 0.9 microM). Inhibition of human PMNL LTB4 biosynthesis was removed readily by a simple wash procedure. At concentrations up to 100 microM, the compound produced little or no inhibition of several related enzymes, such as platelet 12-lipoxygenase, soybean and rabbit reticulocyte 15-lipoxygenase and sheep seminal vesicle cyclooxygenase. At p.o. doses from 0.5 to 5 mg/kg in the dog, zileuton produced a rapid and sustained inhibition of ex vivo blood LTB4 biosynthesis which correlated with the pharmacokinetic behavior of the compound. In a similar ex vivo study in the rat, the compound displayed an p.o. ED50 of 2 mg/kg. Zileuton was highly effective in preventing 6-sulfidopeptide LT formation in the rat peritoneal cavity triggered by an antigen-antibody reaction with an ED50 of 3 mg/kg. In experimental models of inflammation, zileuton significantly reduced arachidonic-acid induced mouse ear edema (ED50 = 31 mg/kg) and also attenuated inflammatory cell accumulation in the rat pleural Arthus reaction. The effectiveness of this compound for preventing LT formation in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo suggests its utility for preventing the pathophysiological effects of the LTs and other 5-lipoxygenase products in animals and in humans.

Administration, Oral↗

Quantitative structure-activity relationships of inhibitors of immune complex-induced inflammation: 1-phenyl-3-aminopyrazoline derivatives.

Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) of the 1-phenyl-3-aminopyrazoline analogues as inhibitors of immune complex-induced inflammation have been studied. The correlation suggests that the overall size of the phenyl substituents are of importance, and bulky groups have negative effects on potency. The negative steric effects are gradually increased from ortho to meta to para positions. The negative steric effects were sometimes altered by the electronic effects of the substituents. Electron-releasing groups on the phenyl ring increased potency, while electron-withdrawing groups decreased it. Ortho substituents, however, have unaccounted for additional deleterious effects described here with an indicator variable. The octanol-water partition coefficient (log P) and dissociation constants (pKa) of the 1-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl)-3-aminopyrazoline analogue have been experimentally determined.

Animals↗

Inhibitors of immune complex-induced inflammation: 5-substituted 3-[1-(2-benzoxazolyl)hydrazino]propanenitrile derivatives.

A number of 5-substituted 3-[1-(2-benzoxazolyl)hydrazino]propanenitrile analogues have been studied as inhibitors of the rat pleural reverse passive Arthus reaction, and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) of these analogues have been examined. The QSAR equations indicate that hydrophilic substituents at the 5-position produce more potent compounds, while electron-releasing groups decrease activity. The results supplement QSAR data we previously obtained from the dermal reverse passive Arthus reaction.

Animals↗

Hydroxamic acid inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase: quantitative structure-activity relationships.

An evaluation of the quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) for more than 100 hydroxamic acids revealed that the primary physicochemical feature influencing the in vitro 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory potencies of these compounds is the hydrophobicity of the molecule. A significant correlation was observed between the octanol-water partition coefficient of the substituent attached to the carbonyl of the hydroxamate and in vitro inhibitory activity. This correlation held for hydroxamic acids of diverse structure and with potencies spanning 4 orders of magnitude. Although the hydrophobicity may be packaged in a variety of structural ways and still correlate with potency, the QSAR study revealed two major exceptions. Specifically, the hydrophobicity of portions of compounds in the immediate vicinity of the hydroxamic acid functionality does not appear to contribute to increased inhibition and the hydrophobicity of fragments beyond approximately 12 A from the hydroxamate do not influence potency. The QSAR study also demonstrated that inhibitory activity was enhanced when there was an alkyl group on the hydroxamate nitrogen, when electron-withdrawing substituents were present and when the hydroxamate was conjugated to an aromatic system. These observations provide a simple description of the lipoxygenase-hydroxamic acid binding site.

Arachidonate Lipoxygenases↗

Tertiary structure of human complement component C5a in solution from nuclear magnetic resonance data.

The tertiary structure for the region 1-63 of the 74 amino acid human complement protein C5a in solution was calculated from a large number of distance constraints derived from nuclear Overhauser effects with an angular distance geometry algorithm. The protein consists of four helices juxtaposed in an approximately antiparallel topology connected by peptide loops located at the surface of the molecule. The structures obtained for the helices are compatible with alpha-helical hydrogen-bonding patterns, which provides an explanation for the observed slow solvent exchange kinetics of the amide protons in these peptide regions. In contrast to the peptide region 1-63, no defined structure could be assigned to the C-terminal region 64-74, which increasingly acquires dynamic random coil characteristics as the end of the peptide chain is approached. An average root-mean-square deviation of 1.6 A was obtained for the alpha-carbons of the first 63 residues in the calculated ensemble of C5a structures, while the alpha-helices were determined with an average root-mean-square deviation of 0.8 A for the alpha-carbons. A comparison between the solution structure of C5a and the crystal structure of the functionally related C3a protein, as well as inferences for the interaction of C5a with its receptor on polymorphonuclear leukocytes, is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Sequence-specific assignments in the 1H NMR spectrum of the human inflammatory protein C5a.

Full sequence-specific assignments for the 1H NMR lines of the backbone protons of the human complement factor C5a are described and documented. The results were obtained by largely following the methodology developed by Wüthrich et al. [Wüthrich, K., Wider, G., Wagner, G., & Braun, W. (1982) J. Mol. Biol. 155, 311]. Assignments for the majority of the amino acid side chain protons were obtained by using a comparison of double- and triple-quantum-filtered two-dimensional correlated experiments together with the analysis of relayed coherence transfer spectra. The assignments provide the basis for the determination of the thus far unknown three-dimensional structure of C5a from nuclear Overhauser enhancement distance constraints.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Comparison of model and nuclear magnetic resonance structures for the human inflammatory protein C5a.

The model structure previously proposed for human C5a, based upon the crystal structure of the homologous protein human C3a, is compared to the solution structure of human C5a recently determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods in our laboratory. The general folding and helix topography of the C5a protein were modeled very well. The N-terminus, which is disordered in the C3a crystal, was correctly predicted in the C5a model both as to its being a helix and as to its docking site on the rest of the molecule. On the other hand, the NMR data show that the biologically important C-terminal residues are disordered in solution, unlike the model and the C3a crystal structure where this region was helical.

Complement C5↗

3-[1-(2-Benzoxazolyl)hydrazino]propanenitrile derivatives: inhibitors of immune complex induced inflammation.

3-[1-(2-Benzoxazolyl)hydrazino]propanenitrile derivatives were evaluated in the dermal and pleural reverse passive Arthus reactions in the rat. In the pleural test these compounds were effective in reducing exudate volume and accumulation of white blood cells. This pattern of activity was similar to that of hydrocortisone and different from that of indomethacin. The structural requirements for inhibiting the Arthus reactions were studied by systematic chemical modification of 1. These structure-activity relationship studies revealed that nitrogen 1' of the hydrazino group is essential for activity and must be electron rich, whereas chemical modifications of other sites of 1 had only a modest effect on activity.

Animals↗