[3H]UR-DEBa176: A 2,4-Diaminopyrimidine-Type Radioligand Enabling Binding Studies at the Human, Mouse, and Rat Histamine H4 Receptors

J Med Chem. 2019 Sep 12;62(17):8338-8356. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01342. Epub 2019 Aug 30.

Abstract

Differences in sequence homology between human (h), mouse (m), and rat (r) histamine H4 receptors (H4R) cause discrepancies regarding affinities, potencies, and/or efficacies of ligands and therefore compromise translational animal models and the applicability of radioligands. Aiming at a radioligand enabling robust and comparative binding studies at the h/m/rH4Rs, 2,4-diaminopyrimidines were synthesized and pharmacologically investigated. The most notable compounds identified were two (partial) agonists with comparable potencies at the h/m/rH4Rs: UR-DEBa148 (N-neopentyl-4-(1,4,6,7-tetrahydro-5H-imidazo[4,5-c]pyridin-5-yl)pyrimidin-2-amine bis(2,2,2-trifluoroacetate), 43), the most potent [pEC50 (reporter gene assay) = 9.9/9.6/10.3] compound in the series being slightly G-protein biased and UR-DEBa176 [(R)-4-[3-(dimethylamino)pyrrolidin-1-yl]-N-neopentylpyrimidin-2-amine bis(2,2,2-trifluoroacetate), 46, pEC50 (reporter gene assay) = 8.7/9.0/9.2], a potential "cold" form of a tritiated H4R ligand. After radiolabeling, binding studies with [3H]UR-DEBa176 ([3H]46) at the h/m/rH4Rs revealed comparable Kd values (41/17/22 nM), low nonspecific binding (11-17%, ∼Kd), and fast associations/dissociations (25-30 min) and disclosed [3H]UR-DEBa176 as useful molecular tool to determine h/m/rH4R binding affinities for H4R ligands.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites / drug effects
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Mice
  • Molecular Structure
  • Pyrimidines / chemical synthesis
  • Pyrimidines / chemistry
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology*
  • Radioligand Assay
  • Rats
  • Receptors, Histamine H4 / agonists*
  • Receptors, Histamine H4 / metabolism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Pyrimidines
  • Receptors, Histamine H4