PMID: 18977146

Authors:

Ozawa T, Tsuji E, Ozawa M, Handa C, Mukaiyama H, Nishimura T, Kobayashi S, Okazaki K

Title:

The importance of CH/pi hydrogen bonds in rational drug design: An ab initio fragment molecular orbital study to leukocyte-specific protein tyrosine (LCK) kinase.

Journal:

Bioorg Med Chem. 2008 Dec 15;16(24):10311-8. Epub 2008 Oct 22.

Abstract:

The interaction energy was calculated, by the ab initio FMO method, for complexes between LCK protein and four inhibitors (staurosporine, BMS compound 2, and our compounds 3 and 4). In every case a number of CH/pi hydrogen bonds have been disclosed in the so-called adenine pocket. In complexes of 2, 3, and 4, CH/pi and NH/pi hydrogen bonds have been observed in another pocket. In view of the above results, the aniline ring of 3 was replaced by 2,6-dimethyl aniline to increase the potency for LCK kinase. A 10-fold increase in the potency has been achieved for 4 over 3. We suggest that the concept of weak hydrogen bonds is useful in the rational design of drugs.