| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1395504 | European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry | 2015 | 10 Pages |
•Pyrazolecarboxamide derivatives as a new class of HCV inhibitors.•Inhibition the subgenomic HCV replicon 1b genotype.•Reduction the RNA copies of the infectious Jc1 chimeric 2a clone.•Suppression of HCV-induced COX-2 mRNA and protein expression.
We report here the synthesis and mechanism of inhibition of pyrazolecarboxamide derivatives as a new class of HCV inhibitors. Compounds 6, 7, 8 and 16 inhibited the subgenomic HCV replicon 1b genotype at EC50 values between 5 and 8 μM and displayed an even higher potency against the infectious Jc1 HCV 2a genotype. Compound 6 exhibited an EC50 of 6.7 μM and selectivity index of 23 against HCV 1b, and reduced the RNA copies of the infectious Jc1 chimeric 2a clone by 82% at 7 μM. Evaluation of the mode of anti-HCV activity of 6 revealed that it suppressed HCV-induced COX-2 mRNA and protein expression, displaying an IC50 of 3.2 μM in COX-2 promoter-linked luciferase reporter assay. Conversely, the anti-HCV activity of 6 was abrogated upon over-expression of COX-2. These findings suggest that 6 as a representative of these pyrazolecarboxamides function as anti-HCV agents via targeting COX-2 at both the transcription and translation levels.
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