Monday, April 1, 2024

Discovery of α-Amidobenzylboronates as Highly Potent Covalent Inhibitors of Plasma Kallikrein

Matthew Allison, Rebecca L. Davie, Adrian J. Mogg, Sally L. Hampton, Jonas Emsley, and Michael J. Stocks

ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2024
DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00572

Hereditary angioedema (HAE), a rare genetic disorder, is associated with uncontrolled plasma kallikrein (PKa) enzyme activity leading to the generation of bradykinin swelling in subcutaneous and submucosal membranes in various locations of the body. Herein, we describe a series of potent α-amidobenzylboronates as potential covalent inhibitors of PKa. These compounds exhibited time-dependent inhibition of PKa (compound 20 IC50 66 nM at 1 min, 70 pM at 24 h). Further compound dissociation studies demonstrated that 20 showed no apparent reversibility comparable to d-Phe-Pro-Arg-chloromethylketone (PPACK) (23), a known nonselective covalent PKa inhibitor.


Morita–Baylis–Hillman Adduct Chemistry as a Tool for the Design of Lysine-Targeted Covalent Ligands

Marco Paolino, Giusy Tassone, Paolo Governa, Mario Saletti, Matteo Lami, Riccardo Carletti, Filippo Sacchetta, Cecilia Pozzi, Maurizio Orlan...