Abstract
Nitro fatty acids (NFAs) are endogenously generated lipid mediators deriving from reactions of unsaturated electrophilic fatty acids with reactive nitrogen species. Furthermore, Mediterranean diets can be a source of NFA. These highly electrophilic fatty acids can undergo Michael addition reaction with cysteine residues, leading to post-translational modifications (PTM) of selected regulatory proteins. Such modifications are capable of changing target protein function during cell signaling or in biosynthetic pathways. NFA target proteins include the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ), the pro-inflammatory and tumorigenic nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, the pro-inflammatory 5-lipoxygenases (5-LO) biosynthesis pathway as well as soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), which is essentially involved in the regulation of vascular tone. In several animal models of inflammation and cancer, the therapeutic efficacy of well-tolerated NFA has been demonstrated. This has already led to clinical phase II studies investigating possible therapeutic effects of NFA in subjects with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Albeit Michael acceptors feature a broad spectrum of bioactivity, they have for a rather long time been avoided as drug candidates owing to their presumed unselective reactivity and toxicity. However, targeted covalent modification of regulatory proteins by Michael acceptors became recognized as a promising approach to drug discovery with the recent FDA approvals of the cancer therapeutics, afatanib (2013), ibrutinib (2013), and osimertinib (2015). Furthermore, the Michael acceptor, neratinib, a dual inhibitor of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and epidermal growth factor receptor, was recently approved by the FDA (2017) and by the EMA (2018) for the treatment of breast cancer. Finally, a number of further Michael acceptor drug candidates are currently under clinical investigation for pharmacotherapy of inflammation and cancer. In this review, we focus on the pharmacology of NFA and other Michael acceptor drugs, summarizing their potential as an emerging class of future antiphlogistics and adjuvant in tumor therapeutics.
Highlights
Compounds possessing Michael acceptor units feature a broad spectrum of bioactivity
This study demonstrated that nitro fatty acids (NFAs) derivatives having varying carbon chain lengths and different positions of the nitroalkene group and show different potencies in affecting the above-mentioned signaling pathways (Khoo et al, 2018)
The development of inhibitors covalently binding enzymes or other target proteins via Michael reaction was deprioritized by the pharmaceutical industry
Summary
Compounds possessing Michael acceptor units feature a broad spectrum of bioactivity. they have been largely excluded from drug discovery endeavors because of their presumed unselective reactivity and toxicity. Well-recognized Michael acceptors that play a major part in the resolution process of inflammation are endogenously generated anti-inflammatory electrophilic lipids called nitro fatty acids (NFAs) (Rubbo, 2013). We will focus on NFA as representatives of lipid-derived electrophilic species, discuss other Michael acceptor-containing drugs engaged in clinical trials or already approved, and show the emerging therapeutic potential of this class of drugs.
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