Morphology and Proton Transport in Humidified Phosphonated Peptoid Block Copolymers

Polymers that conduct protons in the hydrated state are of crucial importance in a wide variety of clean energy applications such as hydrogen fuel cells and artificial photosynthesis. Phosphonated and sulfonated polymers are known to conduct protons at low water content. In this paper, we report on the synthesis phosphonated peptoid diblock copolymers, poly-<i>N</i>-(2-ethyl)­hexyl­glycine-<i>block</i>-poly-<i>N</i>-phosphono­methyl­glycine (pNeh-<i>b</i>-pNpm), with volume fractions of pNpm (ϕ_Npm) values ranging from 0.13 to 0.44 and dispersity (<i>Đ</i>) ≤ 1.0003. The morphologies of the dry block copolypeptoids were determined by transmission electron microscopy and in both the dry and hydrated states by synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering. Dry samples with ϕ_Npm > 0.13 exhibited a lamellar morphology. Upon hydration, the lowest molecular weight sample transitioned to a hexagonally packed cylinder morphology, while the others maintained their dry morphologies. Water uptake of all of the ordered samples was 8.1 ± 1.1 water molecules per phosphonate group. In spite of this, the proton conductivity of the ordered pNeh-<i>b</i>-pNpm copolymers ranged from 0.002 to 0.008 S/cm. We demonstrate that proton conductivity is maximized in high molecular weight, symmetric pNeh-<i>b</i>-pNpm copolymers

Piperazine Oxadiazole Inhibitors of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is a target of interest for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Starting from a biphenyloxadiazole screening hit, a series of piperazine oxadiazole ACC inhibitors was developed. Initial pharmacokinetic liabilities of the piperazine oxadiazoles were overcome by blocking predicted sites of metabolism, resulting in compounds with suitable properties for further in vivo studies. Compound <b>26</b> was shown to inhibit malonyl-CoA production in an in vivo pharmacodynamic assay and was advanced to a long-term efficacy study. Prolonged dosing with compound <b>26</b> resulted in impaired glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese (DIO) C57BL6 mice, an unexpected finding

Structure-Based Design of Novel Class II c-Met Inhibitors: 2. SAR and Kinase Selectivity Profiles of the Pyrazolone Series

As part of our effort toward developing an effective therapeutic agent for c-Met-dependent tumors, a pyrazolone-based class II c-Met inhibitor, <i>N</i>-(4-((6,7-dimethoxyquinolin-4-yl)­oxy)-3-fluorophenyl)-1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1<i>H</i>-pyrazole-4-carboxamide (<b>1</b>), was identified. Knowledge of the binding mode of this molecule in both c-Met and VEGFR-2 proteins led to a novel strategy for designing more selective analogues of <b>1</b>. Along with detailed SAR information, we demonstrate that the low kinase selectivity associated with class II c-Met inhibitors can be improved significantly. This work resulted in the discovery of potent c-Met inhibitors with improved selectivity profiles over VEGFR-2 and IGF-1R that could serve as useful tools to probe the relationship between kinase selectivity and in vivo efficacy in tumor xenograft models. Compound <b>59e</b> (AMG 458) was ultimately advanced into preclinical safety studies

Small Molecule Disruptors of the Glucokinase–Glucokinase Regulatory Protein Interaction: 3. Structure–Activity Relationships within the Aryl Carbinol Region of the <i>N</i>‑Arylsulfonamido‑<i>N</i>′‑arylpiperazine Series

We have recently reported a novel approach to increase cytosolic glucokinase (GK) levels through the binding of a small molecule to its endogenous inhibitor, glucokinase regulatory protein (GKRP). These initial investigations culminated in the identification of 2-(4-((2<i>S</i>)-4-((6-amino-3-pyridinyl)­sulfonyl)-2-(1-propyn-1-yl)-1-piperazinyl)­phenyl)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (<b>1</b>, AMG-3969), a compound that effectively enhanced GK translocation and reduced blood glucose levels in diabetic animals. Herein we report the results of our expanded SAR investigations that focused on modifications to the aryl carbinol group of this series. Guided by the X-ray cocrystal structure of compound <b>1</b> bound to hGKRP, we identified several potent GK–GKRP disruptors bearing a diverse set of functionalities in the aryl carbinol region. Among them, sulfoximine and pyridinyl derivatives <b>24</b> and <b>29</b> possessed excellent potency as well as favorable PK properties. When dosed orally in <i>db</i>/<i>db</i> mice, both compounds significantly lowered fed blood glucose levels (up to 58%)