Hypoxia-inducible factor-2 (HIF-2) serves as the pivotal transcription factor in cellular responses to low oxygen levels, particularly concerning the regulation of erythropoietin (EPO) production. A docking-based virtual screening on crystal structures of HIF-2α inhibitors unexpectedly identified 3-phenyl-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-carboxamide derivative as a hit of HIF-2α agonist. Further structural optimizations of compound led to the discovery of a series of HIF-2α agonists with novel scaffolds. The most promising compounds and exhibited potent HIF-2α agonistic activities with EC values of 2.29 μM and 1.78 μM, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations have revealed their capacity to allosterically enhance HIF-2 dimerization, which shed light on their mechanism of action. Moreover, compound demonstrated a favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) profile, boasting an impressive oral bioavailability value of 68.71 %. These findings strongly suggest that compound is an auspicious lead compound for the treatment of renal anemia.

中文翻译：

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通过基于对接的虚拟筛选和结构修饰鉴定 3-芳基-5-甲基-异恶唑-4-甲酰胺衍生物和类似物作为新型 HIF-2α 激动剂

缺氧诱导因子 2 (HIF-2) 是细胞对低氧水平反应的关键转录因子，特别是在调节促红细胞生成素 (EPO) 产生方面。对 HIF-2α 抑制剂晶体结构进行基于对接的虚拟筛选，意外地发现 3-苯基-5-甲基-异恶唑-4-甲酰胺衍生物是 HIF-2α 激动剂的热门药物。化合物的进一步结构优化导致一系列具有新型支架的 HIF-2α 激动剂的发现。最有前途的化合物 和 表现出有效的 HIF-2α 激动活性，EC 值分别为 2.29 μM 和 1.78 μM。分子动力学模拟揭示了它们变构增强 HIF-2 二聚化的能力，这揭示了它们的作用机制。此外，该化合物表现出良好的药代动力学 (PK) 特征，口服生物利用度高达 68.71%。这些发现强烈表明该化合物是治疗肾性贫血的有利先导化合物。