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Publication Abstract from PubMed

There is an urgent clinical need for antimalarial compounds that target malaria caused by both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. The M1 and M17 metalloexopeptidases play key roles in Plasmodium haemoglobin digestion, and are validated drug targets. We used a multi-target strategy to rationally design inhibitors capable of potent inhibition of the M1 and M17 aminopeptidases from both P. falciparum (Pf-M1 and Pf-M17) and P. vivax (Pv-M1 and Pv-M17). The novel chemical series contains a hydroxamic acid zinc binding group to coordinate catalytic zinc ion/s, and a variety of hydrophobic groups to probe the S1' pockets of the four target enzymes. Structural characterisation by co-crystallisation showed that selected compounds utilise new and unexpected binding modes; most notably, compounds substituted with bulky hydrophobic substituents displace the Pf-M17 catalytic zinc ion. Excitingly, key compounds of the series potently inhibit all four molecular targets and show antimalarial activity comparable to current clinical candidates.

Hydroxamic acid inhibitors provide cross-species inhibition of Plasmodium M1 and M17 aminopeptidases.,Vinh NB, Drinkwater N, Malcolm TR, Kassiou M, Lucantoni L, Grin PM, Butler GS, Duffy S, Overall CM, Avery VM, Scammells PJ, McGowan S J Med Chem. 2018 Dec 11. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01310. PMID:30537832^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.