PMID: 27598521

Authors:

Engdahl C, Knutsson S, Ekstrom FJ, Linusson A

Title:

Discovery of selective inhibitors targeting acetylcholinesterase 1 from disease-transmitting mosquitoes.

Journal:

J Med Chem. 2016 Sep 6.

Abstract:

Vector control of disease-transmitting mosquitoes is increasingly important due to the re-emergence and spread of infections such as malaria and dengue. We have conducted a high throughput screen (HTS) of 17,500 compounds for inhibition of the essential AChE1 enzymes from the mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti. In a differential HTS analysis including the human AChE, several structurally diverse, potent, and selective non-covalent AChE1 inhibitors were discovered. For example, a phenoxyacetamide-based inhibitor was identified with a 100-fold selectivity for the mosquito- over the human enzyme. The compound also inhibited a resistance conferring mutant of AChE1. Structure-selectivity relationships could be proposed based on the enzymes' 3D structures; the hits' selectivity profiles appear to be linked to differences in two loops that affect the structure of the entire active site. Non-covalent inhibitors of AChE1, such as the ones presented here, provide valuable starting points towards insecticides and are complementarity to existing and new covalent inhibitors.