Design, Synthesis, and Bioevaluation of 2-Aminopteridin-7(8 H)-one Derivatives as Novel Potent Adenosine A2A Receptor Antagonists for Cancer Immunotherapy

J Med Chem. 2022 Mar 10;65(5):4367-4386. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c02199. Epub 2022 Feb 25.

Abstract

In recent years, the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) has shown exciting progress in the development of immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Herein, a 2-amino-7,9-dihydro-8H-purin-8-one compound (1) was identified as an A2AR antagonist hit through in-house library screening. Extensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies led to the discovery of 2-aminopteridin-7(8H)-one derivatives, which showed high potencies on A2AR in the cAMP assay. Compound 57 stood out with an IC50 value of 8.3 ± 0.4 nM against A2AR at the 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) level of 40 nM. The antagonistic effect of 57 was sustained even at a higher NECA concentration of 1 μM, which mimicked the adenosine level in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Importantly, 57 enhanced T cell activation in both the IL-2 production assay and the cancer-cell-killing model, thus demonstrating its potential as a lead for developing novel A2AR antagonists in cancer immunotherapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine / pharmacology
  • Adenosine A2 Receptor Antagonists* / pharmacology
  • Adenosine-5'-(N-ethylcarboxamide)
  • Immunotherapy
  • Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Receptor, Adenosine A2A

Substances

  • Adenosine A2 Receptor Antagonists
  • Receptor, Adenosine A2A
  • Adenosine-5'-(N-ethylcarboxamide)
  • Adenosine