Prodrugs of a 1-Hydroxy-2-oxopiperidin-3-yl Phosphonate Enolase Inhibitor for the Treatment of ENO1-Deleted Cancers

J Med Chem. 2022 Oct 27;65(20):13813-13832. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01039. Epub 2022 Oct 17.

Abstract

Cancers harboring homozygous deletion of the glycolytic enzyme enolase 1 (ENO1) are selectively vulnerable to inhibition of the paralogous isoform, enolase 2 (ENO2). A previous work described the sustained tumor regression activities of a substrate-competitive phosphonate inhibitor of ENO2, 1-hydroxy-2-oxopiperidin-3-yl phosphonate (HEX) (5), and its bis-pivaloyoxymethyl prodrug, POMHEX (6), in an ENO1-deleted intracranial orthotopic xenograft model of glioblastoma [Nature Metabolism 2020, 2, 1423-1426]. Due to poor pharmacokinetics of bis-ester prodrugs, this study was undertaken to identify potential non-esterase prodrugs for further development. Whereas phosphonoamidate esters were efficiently bioactivated in ENO1-deleted glioma cells, McGuigan prodrugs were not. Other strategies, including cycloSal and lipid prodrugs of 5, exhibited low micromolar IC50 values in ENO1-deleted glioma cells and improved stability in human serum over 6. The activity of select prodrugs was also probed using the NCI-60 cell line screen, supporting its use to examine the relationship between prodrugs and cell line-dependent bioactivation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Esters
  • Glioblastoma* / drug therapy
  • Glioma*
  • Homozygote
  • Humans
  • Lipids
  • Organophosphonates* / pharmacology
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / genetics
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / metabolism
  • Prodrugs* / pharmacokinetics
  • Prodrugs* / therapeutic use
  • Sequence Deletion
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • Prodrugs
  • Organophosphonates
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase
  • Esters
  • Lipids
  • ENO1 protein, human
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins