Structure activity relationships of quinoxalin-2-one derivatives as platelet-derived growth factor-β receptor (PDGFβ R) inhibitors, derived from molecular modeling

Abstract

We previously reported a quinoxalin-2-one compound (Compound 1) that had inhibitory activity equivalent to existing platelet-derived growth factor-β receptor (PDGFβ R) inhibitors. Lead optimization of Compound 1 to increase its activity and selectivity, using structural information regarding PDGFβ R-ligand interactions, is urgently needed. Here we present models of the PDGFβ R kinase domain complexed with quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. The models were constructed using comparative modeling, molecular dynamics (MD) and ligand docking. In particular, conformations derived from MD, and ligand binding site information presented by α-spheres in the pre-docking processing, allowed us to identify optimal protein structures for docking of target ligands. By carrying out molecular modeling and MD of PDGFβ R in its inactive state, we obtained two structural models having good Compound 1 binding potentials. In order to distinguish the optimal candidate, we evaluated the structural activity relationships (SAR) between the ligand-binding free energies and inhibitory activity values (IC50 values) for available quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. Consequently, a final model with a high SAR was identified. This model included a molecular interaction between the hydrophobic pocket behind the ATP binding site and the substitution region of the quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. These findings should prove useful in lead optimization of quinoxalin-2-one derivatives as PDGFb R inhibitors. © 2008 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.