Browsing by Author "Rossi, Patrizia"

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Ebselen analogues with dual human neutrophil elastase (HNE) inhibitory and antiradical activity
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024-01) Crocetti, Letizia; Catarzi, Francesca; Giovannoni, Maria Paola; Vergelli, Claudia; Bartolucci, Gianluca; Pallecchi, Marco; Paoli, Paola; Rossi, Patrizia; Lippi, Martina; Schepetkin, Igor A.; Quinn, Mark T.; Guerrini, Gabriella
Human neutrophil elastase (HNE) plays an essential role in host defense against bacteria but is also involved in several respiratory diseases. Recent reports suggest that compounds exhibiting a combination of HNE inhibitory activity with antiradical properties may be therapeutically beneficial for the treatment of respiratory diseases involving inflammation and oxidative stress. We report here the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel ebselen analogues exhibiting HNE inhibitory and antiradical activities. HNE inhibition was evaluated in an enzymatic system using human HNE, whereas antiradical activity was evaluated in a cell-based assay system using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated murine bone marrow leukocytes as the source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). HNE inhibition was due to the N–CO group targeting Ser195-OH at position 2 of the scaffold, while antiradical activity was due to the presence of the selenium atom. The most active compounds 4d, 4f, and 4j exhibited a good balance between anti-HNE (IC50 = 0.9–1.4 μM) and antiradical activity (IC50 = 0.05–0.7 μM). Additionally, the solid-state structure of 4d was determined and compared to that of the similar compound N-propionyl-1,2-benzisoselenazol-3(2H)-one.
Synthesis, biological evaluation, molecular modeling, and structural analysis of new pyrazole and pyrazolone derivatives as N-formyl peptide receptors agonists
(Wiley, 2021-06) Vergelli, Claudia; Khlebnikov, Andrei I.; Crocetti, Letizia; Guerrini, Gabriella; Cantini, Niccolò; Kirpotina, Liliya N.; Schepetkin, Igor A.; Cilibrizzi, Agostino; Quinn, Mark T.; Rossi, Patrizia; Paoli, Paola; Giovannoni, Maria Paola
N- formyl peptide receptors (FPR1, FPR2, and FPR3) play key roles in the regulation of inflammatory processes, and recently, it was demonstrated that FPR1 and FPR2 have a dual role in the progression/suppression of some cancers. Therefore, FPRs represent an important therapeutic target for the treatment of both cancer and inflammatory diseases. Previously, we identified selective or mixed FPR agonists with pyridazinone or pyridinone scaffolds showing a common 4-(bromophenyl)acetamide fragment, which was essential for activity. We report here new pyrazole and pyrazolone derivatives as restricted analogues of the above 6-membered compounds, all exhibiting the same 4-bromophenylacetamide side chain. Most new products had low or absent FPR agonist activity, suggesting that the pyrazole nucleus was not appropriate for FPR agonists. This hypothesis was confirmed by molecular modeling studies, which highlighted that the five-membered scaffold was responsible for a worse arrangement of the molecules in the receptor binding site.