Structure-activity relationship optimization of phenylalanine P1' and P2' regions with a phenylimidazole core resulted in a series of potent FXIa inhibitors. Introducing 4-hydroxyquinolin-2-one as the P2' group enhanced FXIa affinity and metabolic stability. Incorporation of an N-methyl piperazine amide group to replace the phenylalanine improved both FXIa potency and aqueous solubility. Combination of the optimization led to the discovery of FXIa inhibitor 13 with a FXIa K i of 0.04 nM and an aPTT EC2x of 1.0 μM. Dose-dependent efficacy (EC50 of 0.53 μM) was achieved in the rabbit ECAT model with minimal bleeding time prolongation.
Keywords: Thrombosis; anticoagulant; factor XIa.