Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Discovery of a Covalent Inhibitor of Pro-Caspase-1 Zymogen Blocking NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Pyroptosis

Dongyi Cao, Ruiying Xi, Hongye Li, Zhonghui Zhang, Xiaoke Shi, Shanshan Li, Yujie Jin, Wanli Liu, Guolin Zhang, Xiaohua Liu, Shunxi Dong, Xiaoming Feng, and Fei Wang
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2024

DOI https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01558

Caspase-1 plays a central role in innate immunity, as its activation by inflammasomes induces the production of proinflammatory cytokines and pyroptosis. However, specific inhibition of the enzymatic activity of this protease is not effective in suppressing inflammation, owing to its enzyme-independent function. Herein, we identified a cyclohexenyl isothiocyanate compound (CIB-1476) that potently inhibited caspase-1 activity and suppressed the assembly and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and gasdermin-D-mediated pyroptosis. Mechanistically, CIB-1476 directly targeted pro-caspase-1 as an irreversible covalent inhibitor by binding to Cys285 and Cys397, resulting in more durable anti-inflammatory effects in the suppression of enzyme-dependent IL-1β production and enzyme-independent nuclear factor κB activation. Chemoproteomic profiling demonstrated the engagement of CIB-1476 with caspase-1. CIB-1476 showed potent therapeutic effects by suppressing inflammasome activation in mice, which was abolished in Casp1–/– mice. These results warrant further development of CIB-1476 along with its analogues as a novel strategy for caspase-1 inhibitors.




Redirecting the pioneering function of FOXA1 with covalent small molecules

Sang Joon Won, Yuxiang Zhang, Christopher J. Reinhardt,Lauren M. Hargis, Nicole S. MacRae,Kristen E. DeMeester,Evert Njomen,Jarrett R. Remsb...