Selective antagonism of CRF1 receptor by a substituted pyrimidine

The corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and its type 1 receptor (CRF 1 R) regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, as well as other systems, thus playing a crucial role in the maintenance of homeostasis. Non-peptide CRF 1 R-selective antagonists exert therapeutic effects on experimental animals with abnormal regulation of their homeostatic mechanisms. However, none of them is as yet in clinical use. In an effort to develop novel small non-peptide CRF 1 R-selective antagonists, we have synthesized a series of substituted pyrimidines described in a previous study. These small molecules bind to CRF 1 R, with analog 3 having the highest affinity. Characteristic structural features of analog 3 are a N,N-bis(methoxyethyl)amino group at position 6 and a methyl in the alkythiol group at position 5. Based on the binding profile of analog 3, we selected it in the present study for further pharmacological characterization. The results of this study suggest that analog 3 is a potent CRF 1 R-selective antagonist, blocking the ability of sauvagine, a CRF-related peptide, to stimulate cAMP accumulation in HEK 293 cells via activation of CRF 1 R, but not via CRF 2 R. Moreover, analog 3 blocked sauvagine to stimulate the proliferation of macrophages, further supporting its antagonistic properties. We have also constructed molecular models of CRF 1 R to examine the interactions of this receptor with analog 3 and antalarmin, a prototype CRF 1 R-selective non-peptide antagonist, which lacks the characteristic structural features of analog 3. Our data facilitate the design of novel non-peptide CRF 1 R antagonists for clinical use.