In the search for new chemical scaffolds able to afford NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors, we used a pharmacophore-hybridization strategy by combining the structure of the acrylic acid derivative INF39 with the 1-(piperidin-4-yl)1,3-dihydro-2H-benzo[d]imidazole-2-one substructure present in HS203873, a recently identified NLRP3 binder. A series of differently modulated benzo[d]imidazole-2-one derivatives were designed and synthesised. The obtained compounds were screened in vitro to test their ability to inhibit NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis and IL-1β release in PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells stimulated with LPS/ATP. The selected compounds were evaluated for their ability to reduce the ATPase activity of human recombinant NLRP3 using a newly developed assay. From this screening, compounds 9, 13 and 18, able to concentration-dependently inhibit IL-1β release in LPS/ATP-stimulated human macrophages, emerged as the most promising NLRP3 inhibitors of the series. Computational simulations were applied for building the first complete model of the NLRP3 inactive state and for identifying possible binding sites available to the tested compounds. The analyses led us to suggest a mechanism of protein–ligand binding that might explain the activity of the compounds.

中文翻译：

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1-(Piperidin-4-yl)-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzo[d]imidazole-2-one 支架作为新型 NLRP3 抑制剂的化学调节

在寻找能够提供 NLRP3 炎症小体抑制剂的新化学支架时，我们使用了药效团杂交策略，将丙烯酸衍生物 INF39 的结构与 1-(piperidin-4-yl)1,3-dihydro-2 H -benzo[d]imidazole-2-one 亚结构存在于 HS203873 中，这是一种最近发现的 NLRP3 粘合剂。设计并合成了一系列不同调制的苯并 [d] 咪唑-2-one 衍生物。获得的化合物在体外进行筛选，以测试它们抑制 LPS/ATP 刺激的 PMA 分化的 THP-1 细胞中 NLRP3 依赖性细胞焦亡和 IL-1β 释放的能力。使用新开发的测定法评估所选化合物降低人重组 NLRP3 ATPase 活性的能力。从该筛选中，化合物9、13和18能够浓度依赖性地抑制 LPS/ATP 刺激的人类巨噬细胞中 IL-1β 的释放，成为该系列中最有前途的 NLRP3 抑制剂。计算模拟用于构建 NLRP3 非活性状态的第一个完整模型，并用于识别可用于测试化合物的可能结合位点。这些分析使我们提出了一种蛋白质-配体结合机制，可以解释化合物的活性。