oxadiazoles and Pulmonary-Disease--Chronic-Obstructive

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with neutrophil-mediated inflammation, a potential target for treatment in COPD. We evaluated MK-0633, a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor in patients with COPD. This was a 12 week, randomized, double-blind, multicenter study comparing MK-0633 100 mg and placebo in patients 40-75 years of age (N = 266) with COPD, post-β-agonist forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) 25%-75% predicted, and an FEV(1)/forced vital capacity ratio (FVC) ≤ 70%. Long-acting inhaled bronchodilators were permitted for approximately 50% of patients. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change from baseline in pre-dose (trough) FEV(1) measured over the last 2 weeks of the 12 week treatment period. The change in FEV(1) over the last 2 weeks of the 12 weeks treatment period compared to baseline was 0.015 L for MK-0633 and 0.0002 for placebo (p = 0.556). For COPD Global Evaluation, 75.4% of patients receiving MK-0633 reported feeling better vs. 59.8% of patients receiving placebo (p = 0.032). There were no other significant differences between treatments. MK-0633 was well-tolerated and comparable to placebo. The 5-LO inhibitor MK-0633 was not significantly more effective than placebo in improving FEV(1) from baseline in patients with COPD, although more patients reported feeling improved with MK-0633. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00418613.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Analysis of Variance; Benzenesulfonates; Benzopyrans; Bronchodilator Agents; Double-Blind Method; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Oxadiazoles; Placebos; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Spirometry; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Aged; Antitussive Agents; Capsaicin; Cough; Cross-Over Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Oxadiazoles; Pilot Projects; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Respiratory Function Tests; Single-Blind Method

Brusatol, a biologically active natural product, was modified in four distinct positions through the covalent attachment of a furoxan moiety, which acts as a nitric oxide (NO) donor. Forty derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory effects on excess NO biosynthesis in activated macrophages. Among them, compound 75 demonstrated inhibition (IC50 = 0.067 μM) comparable to that of brusatol but were less cytotoxic. More importantly, even at very low doses (2 μmol/kg/day), compound 75 also showed substantial inhibitory efficacy against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-like inflammation in the mouse model induced by cigarette smoke (CS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Particularly, this compound was over 100-fold less toxic (LD50 > 3852 μmol/kg) than brusatol and could be a promising lead for further studies. Notably, the improved properties of this derivative are associated with its NO-releasing capability.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; Drug Design; Female; Lipopolysaccharides; Macrophages; Male; Mice; Nitric Oxide; Oxadiazoles; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Quassins; Smoking; Structure-Activity Relationship