부산대학교 도서관

Rho kinase (ROCK) is a promising drug target for the treatment of many diseases including hypertension, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and glaucoma. The structure−activity relationships (SAR) around a series of tetrahydroisoquinolines were evaluated utilizing biochemical and cell-based assays to measure ROCK inhibition. These novel ROCK inhibitors possess high potency, high selectivity, and appropriate pharmacokinetic properties for glaucoma applications. The lead compound, 35, had subnanomolar potency in enzyme ROCK-II assays as well as excellent cell-based potency (IC50= 51 nM). In a kinase panel profiling, 35had an off-target hit rate of only 1.6% against 442 kinases. Pharmacology studies showed that compound 35was efficacious in reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) in rats with reasonably long duration of action. These results suggest that compound 35may serve as a promising agent for further development in the treatment of glaucoma.