Therapeutic Potential of a Novel Vitamin D[sub.3] Oxime Analogue, VD1-6, with CYP24A1 Enzyme Inhibitory Activity and Negligible Vitamin D Receptor Binding

The regulation of vitamin D[sub.3] actions in humans occurs mainly through the Cytochrome P450 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1) enzyme activity. CYP24A1 hydroxylates both 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D[sub.3]) and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)[sub.2]D[sub.3]), which is the first step of vitamin D catabolism. An abnormal status of the upregulation of CYP24A1 occurs in many diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). CYP24A1 upregulation in CKD and diminished activation of vitamin D[sub.3] contribute to secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), progressive bone deterioration, and soft tissue and cardiovascular calcification. Previous studies have indicated that CYP24A1 inhibition may be an effective strategy to increase endogenous vitamin D activity and decrease SHPT. This study has designed and synthesized a novel C-24 O-methyloxime analogue of vitamin D[sub.3] (VD1-6) to have specific CYP24A1 inhibitory properties. VD1-6 did not bind to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in concentrations up to 10[sup.−7] M, assessed by a VDR binding assay. The absence of VDR binding by VD1-6 was confirmed in human embryonic kidney HEK293T cultures through the lack of CYP24A1 induction. However, in silico docking experiments demonstrated that VD1-6 was predicted to have superior binding to CYP24A1, when compared to that of 1,25(OH)[sub.2]D[sub.3]. The inhibition of CYP24A1 by VD1-6 was also evident by the synergistic potentiation of 1,25(OH)[sub.2]D[sub.3]-mediated transcription and reduced 1,25(OH)[sub.2]D[sub.3] catabolism over 24 h. A further indication of CYP24A1 inhibition by VD1-6 was the reduced accumulation of the 24,25(OH)D[sub.3], the first metabolite of 25(OH)D catabolism by CYP24A1. Our findings suggest the potent CYP24A1 inhibitory properties of VD1-6 and its potential for testing as an alternative therapeutic candidate for treating SHPT.