Discovery of Pyrrolo[2,3‑c]pyridines as Potent and Reversible LSD1 Inhibitors

Lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) acts as an epigenetic eraser by specifically demethylating mono- and histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) and H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) residues. LSD1 has been pursued as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of human cancer, and a number of LSD1 inhibitors have been advanced into clinical development. In the present study, we describe our discovery of pyrrolo­[2,3-c]­pyridines as a new class of highly potent and reversible LSD1 inhibitors, designed on the basis of a previously reported LSD1 inhibitor GSK-354. Among them, 46 shows an IC50 value of 3.1 nM in inhibition of LSD1 enzymatic activity and inhibits cell growth with IC50 values of 0.6 nM in the MV4;11 acute leukemia cell line and 1.1 nM in the H1417 small-cell lung cancer cell line. Compound 46 (LSD1-UM-109) is a novel, highly potent, and reversible LSD1 inhibitor and serves as a promising lead compound for further optimization.