Abstract
Matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) has been implicated as the protease responsible for collagen degradation in cartilage during osteoarthritis (OA). Compounds that inhibit the metalloproteinase at the Zn binding site typically lack specificity among MMP family members. Analogs of the low-micromolar lead MMP-13 inhibitor
4, discovered through high-throughput screening, were synthesized to investigate structure–activity relationships in this inhibitor series. Systematic modifications of
4 led to the discovery of MMP-13 inhibitors
20 and
24 which are more selective than
4 against other MMPs. Compound
20 is also approximately fivefold more potent as an MMP-13 inhibitor than the original HTS-derived lead compound
4.