We report herein the synthesis of a series of 19 2-hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione derivatives variously substituted at position 7 aimed at inhibiting selectively two-metal ion catalytic active sites. The compounds were tested against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) polymerase, HIV-1 RT ribonuclease H (RNase H), and HIV-1 integrase (IN). Most compounds displayed poor inhibition of RT polymerase even at 50 microM. The majority of the synthesized compounds inhibited RNase H and IN at micromolar concentrations, and some of them were weakly selective for IN. Surprisingly, two new hits were discovered, which displayed a high selectivity for IN with submicromolar IC50 values. These enzymatic inhibitory properties may be related to the metal binding abilities of the compounds. Physicochemical studies were consistent with a 1/1 stoichiometry of the magnesium complexes in solution, and the metal complexation was strictly dependent on the enolization abilities of the compounds. Unfortunately, all tested compounds exhibited high cellular cytotoxicity in cell culture which limits their applications as antiviral agents.

VP is a multi-target drug interacting with several proteins implicated in major cellular processes. Although this does not impact its clinical use, VP does not seem to be the ideal drug for pharmacological inhibitions of YAP/TEAD.

No abstract

2-Hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione was recently discovered as a scaffold for the inhibition of HIV-1 integrase and the ribonuclease H function of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. First, we investigate its interaction with Mg(2+) and Mn(2+) using different spectroscopic techniques and report that 2-hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione forms a 1:1 complex with Mg(2+) but a 1:2 complex with Mn(2+). The complex formation requires enolization of the ligand. ESR spectroscopy shows a redox reaction between the ligand and Mn(2+) producing superoxide anions. Second, 2-hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione, its magnesium complex, and its 4-methyl and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxycarbonylisoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-diones were tested as inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase, reverse transcriptase ribonuclease H, and DNA polymerase functions. Their antiviral activities were evaluated and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxycarbonyl-isoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione was found to inhibit the viral replication of HIV-1 in MT-4 cells. Cross-resistance was measured for this compound on three different viral strains. Experimental data suggest that the antiviral activity of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxycarbonylisoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione is probably due to the RNase H inhibition.