Structure-Based Design of Potent Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase Inhibitors with Promising in Vitro and in Vivo Antitumor Activities

J Med Chem. 2016 Jun 23;59(12):5766-79. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00324. Epub 2016 Jun 13.

Abstract

Inhibition of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) has the potential to directly limit NAD production in cancer cells and is an effective strategy for cancer treatment. Using a structure-based strategy, we have designed a new class of potent small-molecule inhibitors of NAMPT. Several designed compounds showed promising antiproliferative activities in vitro. (E)-N-(5-((4-(((2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)ethyl)(isopropyl)amino)methyl)phenyl)amino)pentyl)-3-(pyridin-3-yl)acrylamide, 30, bearing an indole moiety, has an IC50 of 25.3 nM for binding to the NAMPT protein and demonstrated promising inhibitory activities in the nanomolar range against several cancer cell lines (MCF-7 GI50 = 0.13 nM; MDA-MB-231 GI50 = 0.15 nM). Triple-negative breast cancer is the most malignant subtype of breast cancer with no effective targeted treatments currently available. Significant antitumor efficacy of compound 30 was achieved (TGI was 73.8%) in an orthotopic MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer xenograft tumor model. This paper reports promising lead molecules for the inhibition of NAMPT which could serve as a basis for further investigation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemical synthesis
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cytokines / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Design*
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemical synthesis
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / drug therapy
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / metabolism
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Mice, SCID
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / metabolism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Cytokines
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase
  • nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, human