piperidines and ibutamoren-mesylate

The GH secretagogues (GHS) were developed by reverse pharmacology. The objective was to develop small molecules with pharmacokinetics suitable for once-daily oral administration that would rejuvenate the GH/IGF-I axis. Neither the receptor nor the ligand that controlled pulse amplitude of hormone release was known; therefore, identification of lead structures was based on function. I reasoned that GH pulse amplitude could be increased by four possible mechanisms: 1) increasing GHRH release; 2) amplifying GHRH signaling in somatotrophs of the anterior pituitary gland; 3) reducing somatostatin release; and 4) antagonizing somatostatin receptor signaling. Remarkably, the GHS act through all four mechanisms to reproduce a young adult physiological GH profile in elderly subjects that was accompanied by increased bone mineral density and lean mass, modest improvements in strength, and improved recovery from hip fracture. Furthermore, restoration of thymic function was induced in old mice. The GHS receptor (GHS-R) was subsequently identified by expression cloning and found to be a previously unknown G protein-coupled receptor expressed predominantly in brain, pituitary gland, and pancreas. Reverse pharmacology was completed when the cloned GHS-R was exploited to identify an endogenous agonist (ghrelin) and a partial agonist (adenosine); ghsr-knockout mice studies confirmed that GHS are ghrelin mimetics.

Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Benzazepines; Ghrelin; Hip Fractures; Human Growth Hormone; Humans; Indoles; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligopeptides; Peptide Hormones; Piperidines; Secretory Rate; Spiro Compounds; Tetrazoles

Novel pyrazolinone-piperidine dipeptide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as growth hormone secretagogues (GHSs). Two analogues, capromorelin (5, CP-424391-18, hGHS-R1a K(i)=7 nM, rat pituicyte EC(50)=3 nM) and the des-methyl analogue 5c (hGHS-R1a K(i)=17 nM, rat pituicyte EC(50)=3 nM), increased plasma GH levels in an anesthesized rat model, with ED(50) values less than 0.05 mg/kg iv. Capromorelin showed enhanced intestinal absorption in rodent models and exhibited superior pharmacokinetic properties, including high bioavailabilities in two animal species [F(rat)=65%, F(dog)=44%]. This short-duration GHS was orally active in canine models and was selected as a development candidate for the treatment of musculoskeletal frailty in elderly adults.

Topics: Animals; Cells, Cultured; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Physical; Dipeptides; DNA, Complementary; Dogs; Drug Design; Female; Growth Hormone; Half-Life; Humans; Indicators and Reagents; Indoles; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Piperidines; Pituitary Gland; Pyrazoles; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rats, Wistar; Solubility; Spiro Compounds

A series of small molecules derived from MK-0677, a potent synthetic GHS, mimicking the N-terminal Gly-Ser-O-(n-octanoyl)-L-Ser-Phe segment of ghrelin was synthesized and tested in a binding and in a functional assay measuring intracellular calcium elevation in HEK-293 cells expressing hGHSR1a. Replacement of Phe in this tetrapeptide with a spiro(indoline-3,4'-piperidine) group, Gly-Ser with 2-aminoisobutyric acid, and O-(n-octanoyl)-L-Ser with O-benzyl-D-Ser provided synthetic GHS agonists with similar functional potency as ghrelin.

Topics: Binding Sites; Calcium; Cells, Cultured; Ghrelin; Humans; Indoles; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Luminescence; Molecular Mimicry; Peptide Hormones; Peptides; Piperidines; Protein Binding; Receptors, Cell Surface; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Receptors, Ghrelin; Spiro Compounds

Systematic SAR studies of the different regioisomers and homologues of the spiro(indane-1,4-piperidine) moiety in the growth hormone secretagogue L-162,752 are presented. Among them, spiro(3H-1-benzopyran-2,3-piperidine) was found to afford secretagogues with low nanomolar in vitro activity.

Topics: Animals; Growth Hormone; In Vitro Techniques; Indoles; Piperidines; Pituitary Gland; Rats; Spiro Compounds; Structure-Activity Relationship