Discovery of TP0628103: A Highly Potent and Selective MMP‑7 Inhibitor with Reduced OATP-Mediated Clearance Designed by Shifting Isoelectric Points

Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) has been shown to play an important role in pathophysiological processes such as cancer and fibrosis. We previously discovered selective MMP-7 inhibitors by molecular hybridization and structure-based drug design. However, the systemic clearance (CL_tot) of the biologically active lead compound was very high. Because our studies revealed that hepatic uptake by organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) was responsible for the high CL_tot, we found a novel approach to reducing their uptake based on isoelectric point (IP) values as an indicator for substrate recognition by OATP1B1/1B3. Our “IP shift strategy” to adjust the IP values culminated in the discovery of TP0628103 (18), which is characterized by reduced in vitro OATP-mediated hepatic uptake and in vivo CL_tot. Our in vitro–in vivo extrapolation of OATP-mediated clearance and the “IP shift strategy” provide crucial insights for a new medicinal chemistry approach to reducing the systemic clearance of OATP1B1/1B3 substrates.