A Chemical Tuned Strategy to Develop Novel Irreversible EGFR-TK Inhibitors with Improved Safety and Pharmacokinetic Profiles

Abstract

Gatekeeper T790 M mutation in EGFR is the most prevalent factor underlying acquired resistance. Acrylamide-bearing quinazoline derivatives are powerful irreversible inhibitors for overcoming resistance. Nevertheless, concerns about the risk of nonspecific covalent modification have motivated the development of novel cysteine-targeting inhibitors. In this paper, we demonstrate that fluoro-substituted olefins can be tuned to alter Michael addition reactivity. Incorporation of these olefins into the quinazoline templates produced potent EGFR inhibitors with improved safety and pharmacokinetic properties. A lead compound <b>5a</b> was validated against EGFR^WT, EGFR^T790M as well as A431 and H1975 cancer cell lines. Additionally, compound <b>5a</b> displayed a weaker inhibition against the EGFR-independent cancer cell line SW620 when compared with afatinib. Oral administration of <b>5a</b> at a dose of 30 mg/kg induced tumor regression in a murine-EGFR^L858R/T790M driven H1975 xenograft model. Also, <b>5a</b> exhibited improved oral bioavailability and safety as well as favorable tissue distribution properties and enhanced brain uptake. These findings provide the basis of a promising strategy toward the treatment of NSCLC patients with drug resistance