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Synthesis and Initial Evaluation of YM-08, a Blood-Brain Barrier Permeable Derivative of the Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp70) Inhibitor MKT-077, Which Reduces Tau Levels

Yoshinari Miyata, Xiaokai Li, Hsiu-Fang Lee, Umesh K Jinwal, Sharan R Srinivasan, Sandlin P Seguin, Zapporah T Young, Jeffrey L Brodsky, Chad A Dickey, Duxin Sun, Jason E Gestwicki

ACS Chem Neurosci. 2013 Jun 19;4(6):930-9.

PMID: 23472668

Abstract:

The molecular chaperone, heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), is an emerging drug target for treating neurodegenerative tauopathies. We recently found that one promising Hsp70 inhibitor, MKT-077, reduces tau levels in cellular models. However, MKT-077 does not penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), limiting its use as either a clinical candidate or probe for exploring Hsp70 as a drug target in the central nervous system (CNS). We hypothesized that replacing the cationic pyridinium moiety in MKT-077 with a neutral pyridine might improve its clogP and enhance its BBB penetrance. To test this idea, we designed and synthesized YM-08, a neutral analogue of MKT-077. Like the parent compound, YM-08 bound to Hsp70 in vitro and reduced phosphorylated tau levels in cultured brain slices. Pharmacokinetic evaluation in CD1 mice showed that YM-08 crossed the BBB and maintained a brain/plasma (B/P) value of ∼0.25 for at least 18 h. Together, these studies suggest that YM-08 is a promising scaffold for the development of Hsp70 inhibitors suitable for use in the CNS.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number Product Name Structure CAS Number Price
AP812647884 YM-08 YM-08 812647-88-4 Price
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