Optimization of the In Vivo Potency of Pyrazolopyrimidine MALT1 Protease Inhibitors by Reducing Metabolism and Increasing Potency in Whole Blood.
Abstract
The paracaspase MALT1 has gained increasing interest as a target for the treatment of subsets of lymphomas as well as autoimmune diseases, and there is a need for suitable compounds to explore the therapeutic potential of this target. Here, we report the optimization of the in vivo potency of pyrazolopyrimidines, a class of highly selective allosteric MALT1 inhibitors. High doses of the initial lead compound led to tumor stasis in an activated B-cell-like (ABC) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) xenograft model, but this compound suffered from a short in vivo half-life and suboptimal potency in whole blood. Guided by metabolism studies, we identified compounds with reduced metabolic clearance and increased in vivo half-life. In the second optimization step, masking one of the hydrogen-bond donors of the central urea moiety through an intramolecular interaction led to improved potency in whole blood. This was associated with improved in vivo potency in a mechanistic model of B cell activation. The optimized compound led to tumor regression in a CARD11 mutant ABC-DLBCL lymphoma xenograft model.
References
Malt1 protease inactivation efficiently dampens immune responses but causes spontaneous autoimmunity
N-aryl-piperidine-4-carboxamides as a novel class of potent inhibitors of MALT1 proteolytic activity
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