LASSBio-1829 Hydrochloride: Development of a New Orally Active N-Acylhydrazone IKK2 Inhibitor with Anti-inflammatory Properties

Inhibitor of nuclear factor κB kinase 2 (IKK2) is suggested to be a potential target for the development of novel anti‐inflammatory and anticancer drugs. In this work, we applied structure‐based drug design to improve the potency of the inhibitor (E)‐N′‐(4‐nitrobenzylidene)‐2‐naphthohydrazide (LASSBio‐1524, 1 a: IC50=20 μm). The molecular model built for IKK2 together with the docking methodology employed were able to provide important and consistent information with respect to the structural and chemical inhibitor characteristics that may confer potency to IKK2 inhibitors, providing important guidelines for the development of a new N‐acylhydrazone (NAH) derivative. (E)‐N′‐(4‐(1H‐pyrrolo[2,3‐b]pyridin‐4‐yl)benzylidene)‐2‐naphthohydrazide hydrochloride (LASSBio‐1829 hydrochloride, 10) is a 7‐azaindole NAH able to inhibit IKK2 with an IC50 value of 3.8 μm. LASSBio‐1829 hydrochloride was found to be active in several pharmacological inflammation tests in vivo, showing its potential as an anti‐inflammatory prototype. Quelling the kinase: IKK2 has been considered a good target for the design of novel drug prototypes to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. Herein we report the successful use of a structure‐based drug design strategy for the development of LASSBio‐1829 hydrochloride (10), an IKK2 inhibitor (IC50=3.8 μm) and a promising anti‐inflammatory prototype.