Structure-based discovery of novel 4,5,6-trisubstituted pyrimidines as potent covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Abstract

A series of novel 4,5,6-trisubstituted pyrimidines were designed as potent covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors based on the structure of ibrutinib by using a ring-opening strategy. Among these derivatives, compound I1 exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 0.07μM. The preliminary structure-activity relationship was discussed and the primary amino group at the C-4 position of pyrimidine was crucial for maintaining BTK activity. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations were performed for three inhibitor-BTK complexes to determine the probable binding model, which provided a comprehensive guide for further structural modification and optimization.

Keywords: BTK; Covalent kinase inhibitor; Molecular dynamics simulation; Pyrimidine; Structure–activity relationship.