Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry最新文献

Indole is a privileged heteroaromatic scaffold in medicinal chemistry, characterised by its unique physicochemical properties, hydrogen-bonding potential, and bioisosteric versatility. Over the past decades, numerous indole-containing drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), spanning diverse therapeutic areas including oncology, infectious diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, neurological conditions, and cardiovascular diseases. This review provides a comprehensive survey of FDA-approved indole-based drugs, with particular emphasis on those approved from 2013 to the present. Representative synthetic strategies are highlighted to illustrate the versatility of the indole framework in drug design. Furthermore, we systematically discuss each drug's pharmacology, mechanisms of action, and clinical applications. By integrating synthetic chemistry with clinical applications, this review aims to provide medicinal chemists and drug developers with guidance for leveraging indole scaffolds in next-generation therapeutic discovery and development.

Diethyl phthalate (DEP), a common plasticiser and endocrine disruptor, has been linked to cancer, but its role in osteosarcoma (OS) remains unclear. This study integrated network toxicology, transcriptomics, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, machine learning, molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD), single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and external validation to investigate DEP-related mechanisms in OS. We identified 45 DEP-responsive genes enriched in extracellular matrix-related pathways. PPI network analysis revealed 11 hub genes, of which LASSO, SVM-RFE, and Boruta algorithms consistently prioritised P4HA2, COL18A1, and COL10A1. Docking and MD simulations supported stable binding of DEP to P4HA2 and COL18A1 via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. scRNA-seq demonstrated celltype-specific expression of these genes. Validation cohorts confirmed their upregulation in OS, with AUC values up to 0.950. These findings suggest that DEP may promote OS progression by targeting extracellular matrix remodelling, offering new diagnostic biomarkers and hypothesis-generating evidence for environmental osteocarcinogenesis.

Cynanchum wilfordii is a widely used herb in Oriental medicine, known for its wide range of therapeutic applications. The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the effects of selected compounds isolated from C. wilfordii, including 4-hydroxyacetophenone (CW1), 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone (CW2), wilfoside K1N (CW3), and cynandione A (CW4), on the inflammatory response induced by treatment of macrophages with LPS. The study focused on the analysis of the MAPK and NF-κB pathways. The results showed that treatment with CW1, CW2, CW3 and CW4 inhibited the expression of p-ERK, p-JNK, p-p38 and p-IkBa in LPS-induced macrophages, with CW4 exhibiting the greatest inhibitory effects. Furthermore, CW4 treatment showed the most significant inhibitory effect on p-IκB-α/IκB-α expression in the NF-κB pathway. In conclusion, the data demonstrate that CW4 exerts a robust inhibitory effect on macrophage inflammatory signalling pathways in the LPS-induced inflammatory response.

Docetaxel (DTX) resistance is the main cause of treatment failure in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid reductase 1 (PYCR1) is an enzyme involved in proline metabolism. It is highly expressed in various cancers and promotes malignant progression, yet its role in DTX resistance in prostate cancer remains unclear. In this study, bioinformatics analyses and in vitro/vivo experiments demonstrated that interfering with PYCR1 expression modulates the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to DTX. Subsequently, via structure-based virtual screening, molecular dynamics simulations, and cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), emodin-an anthraquinone compound-was identified as a PYCR1-targeting agent. Collectively, these findings suggest that PYCR1 may serve as a key target mediating DTX resistance in prostate cancer, and the emodin-DTX combination provides a promising potential clinical strategy to overcome such resistance. Finally, its functions and safety were also verified through in vitro experiments.

UBE2C (also known as UbcH10) is a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme essential for mitotic progression and a potential therapeutic target in cancer. Here, we report a structure-based design and characterisation of peptides derived from a natural interacting partner (U1) aimed at modulating UBE2C activity. Biophysical and biochemical assays identified peptide 5 as a lead compound, capable of binding UBE2C with micromolar affinity and inhibiting the formation of the UBE2C-Ub thioester complex. Enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations revealed that peptide folding landscapes are correlated with activity, with active peptides sampling transient β-sheet conformations compatible with binding. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a peptide inhibitor of UBE2C enzymatic activity.

The N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase (WecA)is a potential target for developing anti-tuberculosis drugs, due to its critical role in the synthesis of mycobacterial cell wall. The enzymatic study of WecA and the discovery of WecA inhibitors are therefore justified. However, WecA is a membrane protein with 11 transmembrane domains, making it difficult to be obtained, and even more difficult to perform activity studies. In order to gain sufficient WecA protein for activity investigation, the Escherichia coli (E. coli) Lemo21(DE3) strain was utilised in this study. The expression level of WecA was precisely regulated by T7 lysozyme. Purified WecA was obtained by affinity chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry. The kinetic properties of WecA were determined based on the detection of the product UMP. In addition, tunicamycin proved to be a competitive inhibitor. These results will lay theoretical foundations for the elucidation of WecA catalytic mechanism and the development of WecA inhibitors.

Lung cancer, a globally prevalent fatal malignancy, remains a major therapeutic challenge. X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is overexpressed in various cancers, driving uncontrolled proliferation, while its specific inhibition suppresses tumour growth. Through virtual screening, we identified five novel candidate peptides (Peptides 1-5) with picomolar-level inhibitory activity. Peptide-5 showed the highest binding affinity (K_d = 10.2 ± 0.5 pM), and FP assay indicated that Peptide-5 competitively binds the BIR3 domain of XIAP against caspase-9. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the structural stability of its complex with XIAP. Meanwhile, Peptide-5 showed good serum and metabolic stability, as well as favourable cellular permeability. Notably, Peptide-5 exhibited potent antiproliferative activity against various tumour cells with no obvious toxicity to normal cells. Peptide-5 potentially activates apoptotic signalling through modulating the Bcl-2/Bax mRNA expression. In summary, our study confirms that Peptide-5 is a highly potent and promising XIAP-targeted inhibitor for the treatment of cancer.

TGF-β promotes progression and metastasis in later stages of tumour development, and inhibitors targeting TGF-β or its receptor have faced clinical limitations due to toxicity and poor selectivity. This study aimed to identify novel TGFβR1 inhibitors by screening the ChemDiv database using a structure-based virtual screening approach. Among the top-ranked compounds, 3282-0487 showed the highest potency. Its analogues were further evaluated, leading to four potent TGFβR1 inhibitors with sub-micromolar IC₅₀ values. Molecular docking confirmed favourable binding interactions, and structure-activity relationship analysis highlighted key structural features contributing to inhibitory activity. Among these, compound 3282-0486 demonstrated the lowest IC₅₀ values against colorectal cancer cells, inducing apoptosis and dose-dependent anti-migration effects. Its efficacy was further supported by changes in downstream TGFβR1 signalling, including p-Smad2, EMT markers, and PARP1 cleavage. Additionally, compound 3282-0486 exhibited selectivity for TGFβR1. Overall, these findings support compound 3282-0486 as a promising TGFβR1 inhibitor with therapeutic potential.

ABCB1-mediated drug efflux is a key determinant of multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer. To overcome this mechanism, a series of thiol-substituted aminocoumarin-derived, coumarin-containing triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives (5a-5s) was synthesised, and compound 5r (NYH-707) was identified as the most potent ABCB1 inhibitor. NYH-707 markedly restored paclitaxel sensitivity in SW620/Ad300 MDR cells, reducing the IC₅₀ from 4.55 ± 0.73 µM to 0.011 ± 0.002 µM (reversal factor = 413.6). Molecular docking predicted strong binding (-9.7 kcal/mol) through hydrogen bonding with LYS-826 and SER-880 and π-π stacking with PHE-994. CETSA confirmed direct ABCB1 engagement, while drug-accumulation assays demonstrated inhibition of ABCB1-mediated efflux. In vivo, co-administration of NYH-707 and paclitaxel significantly suppressed SW620/Ad300 xenograft growth without detectable systemic toxicity. These findings indicate that NYH-707 acts as a potent and selective ABCB1 modulator capable of reversing MDR likely by modulating ABCB1 conformational dynamics, thereby enhancing chemotherapeutic efficacy in resistant tumours.

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases have been widely exploited as targets for antiparasitic and antifungal inhibitors; however, they have received little attention as targets in multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Here we describe the biochemical characterisation of Prolyl-tRNA synthetase from Klebsiella pneumoniae (KpProRS), highlighting its ligase and proofreading activities. Distinct classes of ProRS inhibitors were evaluated against KpProRS but only halofuginone (HF) strongly modulated KpProRS activity. A new HF analog (Cpd-6) was developed and exhibited superior inhibitory activity against KpProRS relative to HF but low efficacy against MDR K. pneumoniae, despite good antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Further studies revealed that Cpd-6 resistance in K. pneumonia is mainly mediated by AcrAB efflux pump activity, which could be counteracted by efflux pump inhibitors. These findings therefore reinforce KpProRS as a target for antimicrobial development and highlight the therapeutic potential of combining HF analogues with efflux pump inhibitors to fight Gram-negative MDR pathogens.