1,4-Naphthoquinones potently inhibiting P2X7 receptor activity

P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is an ATP-gated ion-channel with potential therapeutic applications. In this study, we prepared and searched a series of 1,4-naphthoquinones derivatives to evaluate their antagonistic effect on both human and murine P2X7 receptors. We explored the structure-activity relationship and binding mode of the most active compounds using a molecular modeling approach. Biological analysis of this series (eight analogues and two compounds) revealed significant in vitro inhibition against both human and murine P2X7R. Further characterization revealed that AN-03 and AN-04 had greater potency than BBG and A740003 in inhibiting dye uptake, IL-1β release, and carrageenan-induced paw edema in vivo. Moreover, we used electrophysiology and molecular docking analysis for characterizing AN-03 and AN-04 action mechanism. These results suggest 1,4-napthoquinones, mainly AN-04, as potential leads to design new P2X7R blockers and anti-inflammatory drugs.