BC 11-38

BC 11-38 is a selective inhibitor of PDE11 with an IC50 value of 0.28 μM [1].

PDE11 is a PDE family. In humans the PDE11A gene encodes four isoforms hydrolyzing both cAMP and cGMP. PDE11A is expressed in skeletal muscle, brain, prostate, testis, kidney, pancreas, liver, lymphoid cells, and pituitary and adrenal glands [2].

In H295R human adenocarcinoma cells, BC11-38 significantly increased cortisol production and cAMP levels, both in the presence and absence of the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin. In H295R cells, BC11-38 elevated ATF-1 phosphorylation in a manner that corresponded with its potency against PDE11. In several lines including MDA-MB-231 and HeLa cells, there were very low levels of PDE11A mRNA. In MDA-MB-231 cells, BC11-38 failed to elevate cAMP levels and CREB phosphorylation. In HeLa cells, BC11-38 did not affect cAMP levels or CREB phosphorylation [2]. In p54nrb/NONOKD cells, combining treatment with BC11-38 and ACTH restored partially the capacity to produce DHEA and cortisol in response to cAMP stimulation and the ability to generate cAMP in response to ACTH stimulation [3].

An invention also relates to the use of compounds such as BC11-38 to elevate cortisol levels in a subject who has adrenal suppression, e.g. where a subject is being administered with a corticosteroid, or on a long-term corticosteroid treatment [4].

References:
[1].  Cichero E, D'Ursi P, Moscatelli M, et al. Homology modeling, docking studies and molecular dynamic simulations using graphical processing unit architecture to probe the type-11 phosphodiesterase catalytic site: a computational approach for the rational design of selective inhibitors. Chemical biology & drug design, 2013, 82(6): 718-731.
[2].  Ceyhan O, Birsoy K, Hoffman CS. Identification of biologically active PDE11-selective inhibitors using a yeast-based high-throughput screen. Chemistry & biology, 2012, 19(1): 155-163.
[3].  Lu JY, Sewer MB. p54nrb/NONO Regulates Cyclic AMP-Dependent Glucocorticoid Production by Modulating Phosphodiesterase mRNA Splicing and Degradation. Molecular and cellular biology, 2015, 35(7): 1223-1237.
[4].  Hoffman CS, Ceyhan O. Inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 11 (PDE11): U.S. Patent 9,173,884[P]. 2015-11-3.

Identification of biologically active PDE11-selective inhibitors using a yeast-based high-throughput screen.[Pubmed:22284362]

Chem Biol. 2012 Jan 27;19(1):155-63.

The biological roles of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 11 (PDE11) enzymes are poorly understood, in part due to the lack of selective inhibitors. To address the need for such compounds, we completed an ~200,000 compound high-throughput screen (HTS) for PDE11 inhibitors using a yeast-based growth assay, and identified 4 potent and selective PDE11 inhibitors. One compound, along with two structural analogs, elevates cAMP and cortisol levels in human adrenocortical cells, consistent with gene association studies that link PDE11 activity to adrenal function. As such, these compounds can immediately serve as chemical tools to study PDE11 function in cell culture, and as leads to develop therapeutics for the treatment of adrenal insufficiencies. Our results further validate this yeast-based HTS platform for the discovery of potent, selective, and biologically active PDE inhibitors.