Discovery and structural optimization of 1-phenyl-3-(1-phenylethyl)urea derivatives as novel inhibitors of CRAC channel

分类： 生物学 >> 生物物理学 提交时间： 2016-05-11

Zhang, Hai-zhen Chen, Hua-yan Nan, Fa-jun Xu, Xiao-lan Ali, Sher Wang, Dan Yu, Jun-wei Xu, Tao

摘要： Aim: Ca2+-release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel, a subfamily of store-operated channels, is formed by calcium release-activated calcium modulator 1 (ORAI1), and gated by stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1). CRAC channel may be a novel target for the treatment of immune disorders and allergy. The aim of this study was to identify novel small molecule CRAC channel inhibitors. Methods: HEK293 cells stably co-expressing both ORAI1 and STIM1 were used for high-throughput screening. A hit, 1-phenyl-3-(1-phenylethyl)urea, was identified that inhibited CRAC channels by targeting ORAI1. Five series of its derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their primary structure-activity relationships (SARs) were analyzed. All derivatives were assessed for their effects on Ca2+ influx through CRAC channels on HEK293 cells, cytotoxicity in Jurkat cells, and IL-2 production in Jurkat cells expressing ORAI1-SS-eGFP. Results: A total of 19 hits were discovered in libraries containing 32 000 compounds using the high-throughput screening. 1-Phenyl-3-(1-phenylethyl) urea inhibited Ca2+ influx with IC50 of 3.25 +/- 0.17 mu mol/L. SAR study on its derivatives showed that the alkyl substituent on the a-position of the left-side benzylic amine (R1) was essential for Ca2+ influx inhibition and that the S-configuration was better than the R-configuration. The derivatives in which the right-side R3 was substituted by an electron-donating group showed more potent inhibitory activity than those that were substituted by electron-withdrawing groups. Furthermore, the free N-H of urea was not necessary to maintain the high potency of Ca2+ influx inhibition. The N, N'-disubstituted or N'-substituted derivatives showed relatively low cytotoxicity but maintained the ability to inhibit IL-2 production. Among them, compound 5b showed an improved inhibition of IL-2 production and low cytotoxicity. Conclusion: 1-Phenyl-3-(1-phenylethyl) urea is a novel CRAC channel inhibitor that specifically targets ORAI1. This study provides a new chemical scaffold for design and development of CRAC channel inhibitors with improved Ca2+ influx inhibition, immune inhibition and low cytotoxicity.

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