10.1016/j.bmcl.2007.11.060
The study focuses on the optimization of the heterocyclic core of quinazolinone-derived CXCR3 antagonists, which are compounds that block the CXCR3 receptor, a chemokine receptor involved in immune cell trafficking and implicated in various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The researchers synthesized a series of six-six and six-five fused heterocyclic CXCR3 antagonists and evaluated their activities in displacement assays and cell migration assays. They also studied the pharmacokinetic properties of several top-performing compounds. The aim was to discover compounds with increased potency and improved pharmacokinetic properties that could serve as tools to study the role of the CXCR3 receptor in vivo. The chemicals used in the study included various heterocyclic compounds such as quinoline, 1,8-naphthyridine, quinoxaline, benzoimidazole, imidazopyridine, imidazopyrimidine, and pyrozolopyridine derivatives. These chemicals were designed to replace the 8-aza-quinazolinone core of the existing CXCR3 antagonist AMG 487, with the goal of improving binding affinity to the CXCR3 receptor and potentially enhancing therapeutic efficacy in treating diseases like psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.