Synthesis, Activity and Docking Study of Novel Phenylthiazole-carboxamido acid Derivatives as FFA2 Agonists.

Free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFA2), also known as GPR43, is activated by short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are mainly produced by the gut microbiota through the fermentation of undigested carbohydrates and dietary fibers. FFA2 currently appears to be a potential target in the management of obesity, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. In the study, a series of novel phenylthiazole-carboxamido acid derivatives has been synthesized and evaluated as potential orthosteric FFA2 ligands for the study of structure-activity relationships. Compound 6e was found to exhibit the twofold potent agonistic activity in the stable hFFA2-transfected CHO-K1 cells (EC50 = 23.1 m) as that of positive control propionate (EC50 = 43.3 m). We also reported the results of mutagenesis studies based on the crystal structure of hFFA1 bound to TAK-875 at 2.3 angstrom resolution to identify important residues for orthosteric agonist 6e inducing FFA2 activation.