Discovery of neuroprotective agents that inhibit human prolyl hydroxylase PHD2

Prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) enzymes play a critical role in the cellular responses to hypoxia through their regulation of the hypoxia inducible factor α (HIF-α) transcription factors. PHD inhibitors show promise for the treatment of diseases including anaemia, cardiovascular disease and stroke. In this work, a pharmacophore-based virtual high throughput screen was used to identify novel potential inhibitors of human PHD2. Two moderately potent new inhibitors were discovered, with IC₅₀ values of 4 microM and 23 microM respectively. Cell-based studies demonstrate that these compounds exhibit protective activity in neuroblastoma cells, suggesting that they have the potential to be developed into clinically useful neuroprotective agents.