Targeting neonatal ischemic brain injury with a pentapeptide-based irreversible caspase inhibitor

Brain protection of the newborn remains a challenging priority and represents a totally unmet medical need. Pharmacological inhibition of caspases appears as a promising strategy for neuroprotection. In a translational perspective, we have developed a pentapeptide-based group II caspase inhibitor, TRP601/ORPHA133563, which reaches the brain, and inhibits caspases activation, mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, and apoptosis in vivo. Single administration of TRP601 protects newborn rodent brain against excitotoxicity, hypoxia–ischemia, and perinatal arterial stroke with a 6-h therapeutic time window, and has no adverse effects on physiological parameters. Safety pharmacology investigations, and toxicology studies in rodent and canine neonates, suggest that TRP601 is a lead compound for further drug development to treat ischemic brain damage in human newborns

Revisiting the mechanism of coagulation factor XIII activation and regulation from a structure/functional perspective

The activation and regulation of coagulation Factor XIII (FXIII) protein has been the subject of active research for the past three decades. Although discrete evidence exists on various aspects of FXIII activation and regulation a combinatorial structure/functional view in this regard is lacking. In this study, we present results of a structure/function study of the functional chain of events for FXIII. Our study shows how subtle chronological submolecular changes within calcium binding sites can bring about the detailed transformation of the zymogenic FXIII to its activated form especially in the context of FXIIIA and FXIIIB subunit interactions. We demonstrate what aspects of FXIII are important for the stabilization (first calcium binding site) of its zymogenic form and the possible modes of deactivation (thrombin mediated secondary cleavage) of the activated form. Our study for the first time provides a structural outlook of the FXIIIA 2 B 2 heterotetramer assembly, its association and dissociation. The FXIIIB subunits regulatory role in the overall process has also been elaborated upon. In summary, this study provides detailed structural insight into the mechanisms of FXIII activation and regulation that can be used as a template for the development of future highly specific therapeutic inhibitors targeting FXIII in pathological conditions like thrombosis

Direct observation of α-oxo ketenes from the photolysis of α-diazo β-diketones

Monitoring by IR spectroscopy of the broad-band irradiation of the symmetrically substituted 2-diazocyclohexane-1,3-dione (11), 3-diazopentane-2,4-dione (19), and 4-diazo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylheptane-3,5-dione (24) in Ar matrices at 12 K showed the formation of 2-carbonylcyclopentanone (s-Z-12), acetyl(methyl)ketene (s-E-20), and tert-butyl(pivaloyl)ketene (s-E-25), respectively, in less than 10 min. On increasing the photolysis time to >3 h, the α-oxo ketenes 12, 20, and 25 decarbonylated to the corresponding oxocarbenes which underwent Wolff rearrangement to carbonylcyclobutane (15), dimethylketene (23), and di-tert-butylketene (28), respectively. The reaction of 2-carbonylcyclopentanone (12) with CH3OH was monitored by IR spectroscopy. Thus, it was found that the reaction started at ca. 100 K and was essentially complete at 140 K, involving the initial formation of the enol form (9) of methyl 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate

A noncovalent class of papain-like protease/deubiquitinase inhibitors blocks SARS virus replication

We report the discovery and optimization of a potent inhibitor against the papain-like protease (PLpro) from the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV). This unique protease is not only responsible for processing the viral polyprotein into its functional units but is also capable of cleaving ubiquitin and ISG15 conjugates and plays a significant role in helping SARS-CoV evade the human immune system. We screened a structurally diverse library of 50,080 compounds for inhibitors of PLpro and discovered a noncovalent lead inhibitor with an IC50 value of 20 μM, which was improved to 600 nM via synthetic optimization. The resulting compound, GRL0617, inhibited SARS-CoV viral replication in Vero E6 cells with an EC50 of 15 μM and had no associated cytotoxicity. The X-ray structure of PLpro in complex with GRL0617 indicates that the compound has a unique mode of inhibition whereby it binds within the S4-S3 subsites of the enzyme and induces a loop closure that shuts down catalysis at the active site. These findings provide proof-of-principle that PLpro is a viable target for development of antivirals directed against SARS-CoV, and that potent noncovalent cysteine protease inhibitors can be developed with specificity directed toward pathogenic deubiquitinating enzymes without inhibiting host DUBs

Noncovalent tripeptidyl benzyl- And cyclohexyl-amine inhibitors of the cysteine protease caspase-1

Potent and noncovalent inhibitors of caspase-1 were produced by incorporating a secondary amine (reduced amide) isostere in place of the conventional electrophile (e.g., aldehyde) that normally confers high potency to cysteine protease inhibitors. Benzyl- or cyclohexylamines produced potent, reversible, and competitive inhibitors that were selective for caspase-1 (e.g., K(i) = 47 nM) over caspases 3 and 8 with minimal cytotoxicity. Unlike most cysteine protease inhibitors, these compounds do not react covalently and indiscriminately with thiols