Discovery of a Locally and Orally Active CXCL12 Neutraligand (LIT-927) with Anti-inflammatory Effect in a Murine Model of Allergic Airway Hypereosinophilia

Pierre Regenass (1) , Dayana Abboud (2) , Francois Daubeuf (3) , Christine Lehalle (3) , Patrick Gizzi (4) , Stéphanie Riché (5) , Muriel Hachet-Haas (6) , François Rohmer (6) , Vincent Gasparik (7) , Damien Boeglin (3) , Jacques Haiech (3) , Tim Knehans (3) , Didier Rognan (8) , Denis Heissler (9) , Claire Marsol (3) , Pascal Villa , Jean-Luc Galzi (6) , Marcel Hibert (3) , Nelly Frossard (10) , Dominique Bonnet (3)

1 LERGEC - Laboratoire d'études et de recherche en génie civil
2 BSC - Biotechnologie et signalisation cellulaire
3 LIT - Laboratoire d'Innovation Thérapeutique
4 PCBiS - Plate-forme de chimie biologique intégrative de Strasbourg
5 CEA-LETI - Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information
6 Institut Gilbert-Laustriat : Biomolécules, Biotechnologie, Innovation Thérapeutique
7 LNPCV - Laboratoire de neurobiologie et pharmacologie cardiovasculaire
8 Institut Gilbert-Laustriat : Biomolécules, Biotechnologie, Innovation Thérapeutique
9 SBAB - Synthèse, Biosynthèse et Activité de Biomolécules
10 Inflammation et environnement dans l'asthme

We previously reported Chalcone-4 (1) that binds the chemokine CXCL12, not its cognate receptors CXCR4 or CXCR7, and neutralizes its biological activity. However, this neutraligand suffers from limitations such as poor chemical stability, solubility, and oral activity. Herein, we report on the discovery of pyrimidinone 57 (LIT-927), a novel neutraligand of CXCL12 which displays a higher solubility than 1 and is no longer a Michael acceptor. While both 1 and 57 reduce eosinophil recruitment in a murine model of allergic airway hypereosinophilia, 57 is the only one to display inhibitory activity following oral administration. Thereby, we here describe 57 as the first orally active CXCL12 neutraligand with anti-inflammatory properties. Combined with a high binding selectivity for CXCL12 over other chemokines, 57 represents a powerful pharmacological tool to investigate CXCL12 physiology in vivo and to explore the activity of chemokine neutralization in inflammatory and related diseases.

Domaines: Chimie; Chimie thérapeutique

Pierre Regenass, Dayana Abboud, Francois Daubeuf, Christine Lehalle, Patrick Gizzi, et al.. Discovery of a Locally and Orally Active CXCL12 Neutraligand (LIT-927) with Anti-inflammatory Effect in a Murine Model of Allergic Airway Hypereosinophilia. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2018, 61 (17), pp.7671-7686. ⟨10.1021/ACS.JMEDCHEM.8B00657⟩. ⟨hal-02366281⟩