Human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH) is an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, transplant rejection and other autoimmune diseases. Based on the X-ray structure of hDHODH in complex with lead compound 7, a series of benzylidenehydrazinyl-substituted thiazole derivatives as potent inhibitors of hDHODH were designed and synthesized, of which 19 and 30 were the most potent with IC50 values in the double-digit nanomolar range. Moreover, compound 19 displayed significant anti-arthritic effects and favorable pharmacokinetic profiles in vivo. Further X-ray structure and SAR analyses revealed that the potencies of the designed inhibitors were partly attributable to additional water-mediated hydrogen bond networks formed by an unexpected buried water between hDHODH and the 2-(2-methylenehydrazinyl)thiazole scaffold. This work not only elucidates promising scaffolds targeting hDHODH for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but also demonstrates that the water-mediated hydrogen bond interaction is an important factor in molecular design and optimization.

A series of triazole and benzotriazole derivatives as novel p90 ribosomal S6 protein kinase 2 (RSK2) inhibitors were designed and synthesized. The in vitro activities against RSK2 were evaluated, and among 14 compounds, compounds 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 and 14 exhibited enzyme IC 50 values of 8. 91, 2.86, 3.19, 3.05, 4.49 and 2.09 μmol/L respectively. The proposed binding modes were simulated using molecular docking method, and the docking results coupled with the structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis indicated that all these active compounds bound to the RSK2 ATP binding site at NTKD, and the electron-donating groups on the 4-position of phenyl were the determinant point for the inhibitory activity.