Glycogen phosphorylase (GP) is a target for the treatment of hyperglycaemia in the context of type 2 diabetes. This enzyme is responsible for the depolymerization of glycogen into glucose thereby affecting the levels of glucose in the blood stream. Twelve new d-glucopyranosylidene-spiro-isoxazolines have been prepared from O-peracylated exo-D-glucals by regio- and stereoselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides generated in situ by treatment of the corresponding oximes with bleach. This mild and direct procedure appeared to be applicable to a broad range of substrates. The corresponding O-unprotected spiro-isoxazolines were evaluated as glycogen phosphorylase (GP) inhibitors and exhibited IC50 values ranging from 1 to 800 μM. Selected inhibitors were further evaluated in vitro using rat and human hepatocytes and exhibited significant inhibitory properties in the primary cell culture. Interestingly, when tested with human hepatocytes, the tetra-O-acetylated spiro-isoxazoline bearing a 2-naphthyl residue showed a much lower IC50 value (2.5 μM), compared to that of the O-unprotected analog (19.95 μM). The most promising compounds were investigated in Zucker fa/fa rat model in acute and sub-chronic assays and decreased hepatic glucose production, which is known to be elevated in type 2 diabetes. This indicates that glucose-based spiro-isoxazolines can be considered as anti-hyperglycemic agents in the context of type 2 diabetes.
Whereas copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) between acetylated β-D-glucosyl azide and alkyl or phenyl acetylenes led to the corresponding 4-substituted 1-glucosyl-1,2,3-triazoles in good yields, use of similar conditions but with 2 equiv CuI or CuBr led to the 5-halogeno analogues (>71 %). In contrast, with 2 equiv CuCl and either propargyl acetate or phenyl acetylene, the major products (>56 %) displayed two 5,5'-linked triazole rings resulting from homocoupling of the 1-glucosyl-4-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles. The 4-phenyl substituted compounds (acetylated, O-unprotected) and the acetylated 4-acetoxymethyl derivative existed in solution as a single form (d.r.>95:5), as shown by NMR spectroscopic analysis. The two 4-phenyl substituted structures were unambiguously identified for the first time by X-ray diffraction analysis, as atropisomers with aR stereochemistry. This represents one of the first efficient and highly atropodiastereoselective approaches to glucose-based bis-triazoles as single atropisomers. The products were purified by standard silica gel chromatography. Through Sonogashira or Suzuki cross-couplings, the 1-glucosyl-5-halogeno-1,2,3-triazoles were efficiently converted into a library of 1,2,3-triazoles of the 1-glucosyl-5-substituted (alkynyl, aryl) type. Attempts to achieve Heck coupling to methyl acrylate failed, but a stable palladium-associated triazole was isolated and analyzed by (1)H NMR and MS. O-Unprotected derivatives were tested as inhibitors of glycogen phosphorylase. The modest inhibition activities measured showed that 4,5-disubstituted 1-glucosyl-1,2,3-triazoles bind weakly to the enzyme. This suggests that such ligands do not fit the catalytic site or any other binding site of the enzyme.
The knowledge derived from the three-dimensional structure of a macromolecular receptor either in the native form or in complex with different ligands has given new insights to the development of improved drug candidates contributing to the drug development pipeline. The structure-based drug design approach has been tested on a number of macromolecular targets implicated in various diseases such as hypertension, glaucoma, HIV and influenza. This approach has also been employed for the development of new antidiabetic agents targeting glycogen phosphorylase (GP), an enzyme that modulates glucose levels in blood circulation. The key role of x-ray protein crystallography in the structure-based inhibitor design process is presented by the case of rabbit muscle GP (RMGPb) that shares increased homology with the liver isoenzyme. The properties of the allosteric binding sites of RMGPb are revealed by filing the interactions formed upon binding of characteristic functional groups and documenting the changes induced in the residues lining the site of interest.
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