Sara E. Kearney

A quantitative high throughput screen (qHTS) of 7,988 compounds with annotated libraries using biliary tract cancer cell lines with or without isocitrate dehydrogenase I (IDH1) mutations had identified YC-1 as being selectively cytotoxic against the IDH1 mutant cell lines. We present the structure-activity relationship study of YC-1 analogs and identify the key structural motifs that are essential for activity. We highlight the narrow SAR around the furfuryl alcohol that has been reported as a critical motif that is activated by the sulfotransferase enzyme SULT1A1. Drug-like properties of key analogs are evaluated. We also show the SAR of a smaller subset of 2-choloro-4-amino benzyl alcohols from the NCI compound collection with a similar benzyl alcohol motif. We also demonstrate the ability of key analogs to act as substrates of SULT1A1 in a colorimetric biochemical assay.

The resorcinol-terpene phytocannabinoid template is a privileged scaffold for the development of diverse therapeutics targeting the endocannabinoid system. Axially chiral cannabinols (axCBNs) are unnatural cannabinols (CBNs) that bear an additional C10 substituent, which twists the cannabinol biaryl framework out of planarity creating an axis of chirality. This unique structural modification is hypothesized to enhance both the physical and biological properties of cannabinoid ligands, thus ushering in the next generation of endocannabinoid system chemical probes and cannabinoid-inspired leads for drug development. In this full report, we describe the philosophy guiding the design of axCBNs as well as several synthetic strategies for their construction. We also introduce a second class of axially chiral cannabinoids inspired by cannabidiol (CBD), termed axially chiral cannabidiols (axCBDs). Finally, we provide an analysis of axially chiral cannabinoid (axCannabinoid) atropisomerism, which spans two classes (class 1 and 3 atropisomers), and provide first evidence that axCannabinoids retain─and in some cases, strengthen─affinity and functional activity at cannabinoid receptors. Together, these findings present a promising new direction for the design of novel cannabinoid ligands for drug discovery and exploration of the complex endocannabinoid system.