Discovery of a 4-Azetidinyl-1-thiazoyl-cyclohexane CCR2 Antagonist as a Development Candidate

We have discovered a novel series of 4-azetidinyl-1-aryl-cyclohexanes as CCR2 antagonists. Divergent SAR studies on hCCR2 and hERG activities led to the discovery of compound 8d, which displayed good hCCR2 binding affinity (IC50, 37 nM) and potent functional antagonism (chemotaxis IC50, 30 nM). It presented an IC50 of >50 μM in inhibition of the hERG channel and had no effect on the QTc interval up to 10 mg/kg (i.v.) in anesthetized guinea pig and dog CV studies. It also displayed high selectivity over other chemokine receptors and GPCRs, and amendable oral bioavailability in dogs and primates. In a thioglycollate-induced inflammation model in hCCR2KI mice, it had ED50 of 3 mg/kg on inhibition of the influx of leukocytes, monocytes/macrophages, and T-lymphocytes.