A generally applicable method for assessing the electrophilicity and reactivity of diverse nitrile-containing compounds

A simple theoretical calculation (reactivity of nitriles with methanethiol) was used to predict the electrophilicity of diverse nitrile warheads. These calculated electrophilicities were found to correlate with the extent of thiazoline adduct formed upon incubation of the nitriles with cysteine. Nit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters 2007-02, Vol.17 (4), p.998-1002
Main Authors:	Oballa, Renata M., Truchon, Jean-François, Bayly, Christopher I., Chauret, Nathalie, Day, Stephen, Crane, Sheldon, Berthelette, Carl
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Aminoacetonitrile Biological and medical sciences Bones, joints and connective tissue. Antiinflammatory agents Calculated electrophilicity Cathepsin K Cathepsins - antagonists & inhibitors Computational Biology Cyanamide Cysteine - chemistry Cysteine adduct Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors - chemical synthesis Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors - pharmacology Electrochemistry Humans In Vitro Techniques Indicators and Reagents Irreversible covalent binding Medical sciences Microsomes, Liver - drug effects Microsomes, Liver - enzymology NADP - chemistry Nitrile Nitrile warhead Nitriles - chemistry Osteoporosis Oxidation-Reduction Pharmacology. Drug treatments
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Summary:	A simple theoretical calculation (reactivity of nitriles with methanethiol) was used to predict the electrophilicity of diverse nitrile warheads. These calculated electrophilicities were found to correlate with the extent of thiazoline adduct formed upon incubation of the nitriles with cysteine. Nitrile-based inhibitors of cathepsin K have been known for some time and mechanism-of-action studies have demonstrated that cysteinyl proteases interact with nitriles in a reversible fashion. Three main classes of nitrile-containing inhibitors have been published in the cathepsin K field: (i) cyanamides, (ii) aromatic nitriles, and (iii) aminoacetonitriles. A computational approach was used to calculate the theoretical reactivities of diverse nitriles and this was found to correlate with their extent of reactivity with free cysteine. Moreover, there is a tentative link between high reactivity with cysteine and the potential to lead to irreversible covalent binding to proteins.
ISSN:	0960-894X 1464-3405