Bicyclic pyrrolidine inhibitors ofToxoplasma gondiiphenylalanine t-RNA synthetase with antiparasitic potencyin vitroand brain exposure

Abstract

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that bicyclic azetidines are potent and selective inhibitors of apicomplexan phenylalanine tRNA synthetase (PheRS), leading to parasite growth inhibitionin vitroandin vivo, including in models ofToxoplasmainfection. Despite these useful properties, additional optimization is required for the development of efficacious treatments of toxoplasmosis from this inhibitor series, in particular to achieve sufficient exposure in the brain. Here, we describe a series of PheRS inhibitors built on a new bicyclic pyrrolidine core scaffold designed to retain the exit-vector geometry of the isomeric bicyclic azetidine core scaffold while offering avenues to sample diverse chemical space. Relative to the parent series, bicyclic pyrrolidines retain reasonable potency and target selectivity for parasite PheRS vs. host. Further structure-activity relationship studies revealed that the introduction of aliphatic groups improved potency, ADME and PK properties, including brain exposure. The identification of this new scaffold provides potential opportunities to extend the analog series to further improve selectivity and potency and ultimately deliver a novel, efficacious treatment of toxoplasmosis.Lay abstractThe inhibition of protein synthesis in parasites has emerged as an attractive strategy to target parasitic diseases such as malaria, cryptosporidiosis, and toxoplasmosis. In this study, we report a new series of small molecules that inhibit the enzyme responsible for loading the amino acid phenylalanine onto its cognate tRNA in the parasite speciesToxoplasma, directly upstream of protein synthesis. We show that small molecules in this new series inhibitToxoplasmaparasite growth at low concentrations, and that, orally administered to mice, these molecules achieve high concentrations in the brain, which hold promise for the treatment of forms of toxoplasmosis that result from parasitic brain infection.