Structural and therapeutic insights from the species specificity and in vivo antithrombotic activity of a novel αIIb-specific αIIbβ3 antagonist

R Blue, MA Kowalska, J Hirsch… - Blood, The Journal …, 2009 - ashpublications.org
R Blue, MA Kowalska, J Hirsch, M Murcia, CA Janczak, A Harrington, M Jirouskova, J Li…
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2009ashpublications.org
We previously reported on a novel compound (Compound 1; RUC-1) identified by high-
throughput screening that inhibits human αIIbβ3. RUC-1 did not inhibit αVβ3, suggesting that
it interacts with αIIb, and flexible ligand/rigid protein molecular docking studies supported
this speculation. We have now studied RUC-1's effects on murine and rat platelets, which
are less sensitive than human to inhibition by Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides due to
differences in the αIIb sequences contributing to the binding pocket. We found that RUC-1 …
Abstract
We previously reported on a novel compound (Compound 1; RUC-1) identified by high-throughput screening that inhibits human αIIbβ3. RUC-1 did not inhibit αVβ3, suggesting that it interacts with αIIb, and flexible ligand/rigid protein molecular docking studies supported this speculation. We have now studied RUC-1's effects on murine and rat platelets, which are less sensitive than human to inhibition by Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides due to differences in the αIIb sequences contributing to the binding pocket. We found that RUC-1 was much less potent in inhibiting aggregation of murine and rat platelets. Moreover, RUC-1 potently inhibited fibrinogen binding to murine platelets expressing a hybrid αIIbβ3 receptor composed of human αIIb and murine β3, but not a hybrid receptor composed of murine αIIb and human β3. Molecular docking studies of RUC-1 were consistent with the functional data. In vivo studies of RUC-1 administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 26.5 mg/kg demonstrated antithrombotic effects in both ferric chloride carotid artery and laser-induced microvascular injury models in mice with hybrid hαIIb/mβ3 receptors. Collectively, these data support RUC-1's specificity for αIIb, provide new insights into the αIIb binding pocket, and establish RUC-1's antithrombotic effects in vivo.
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