AUTHOR=Fernández Gabriela A. , Castro Eliana F. , Rosas Rocío A. , Fidalgo Daniela M. , Adler Natalia S. , Battini Leandro , España de Marco Maria J. , Fabiani Matias , Bruno Ana M. , Bollini Mariela , Cavallaro Lucia V. TITLE=Design and Optimization of Quinazoline Derivatives: New Non-nucleoside Inhibitors of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry VOLUME=8 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2020.590235 DOI=10.3389/fchem.2020.590235 ISSN=2296-2646 ABSTRACT=

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) belongs to the Pestivirus genus (Flaviviridae). In spite of the availability of vaccines, the virus is still causing substantial financial losses to the livestock industry. In this context, the use of antiviral agents could be an alternative strategy to control and reduce viral infections. The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is essential for the replication of the viral genome and constitutes an attractive target for the identification of antiviral compounds. In a previous work, we have identified potential molecules that dock into an allosteric binding pocket of BVDV RdRp via a structure-based virtual screening approach. One of them, N-(2-morpholinoethyl)-2-phenylquinazolin-4-amine [1, 50% effective concentration (EC50) = 9.7 ± 0.5 μM], was selected to perform different chemical modifications. Among 24 derivatives synthesized, eight of them showed considerable antiviral activity. Molecular modeling of the most active compounds showed that they bind to a pocket located in the fingers and thumb domains in BVDV RdRp, which is different from that identified for other non-nucleoside inhibitors (NNIs) such as thiosemicarbazone (TSC). We selected compound 2-[4-(2-phenylquinazolin-4-yl)piperazin-1-yl]ethanol (1.9; EC50 = 1.7 ± 0.4 μM) for further analysis. Compound 1.9 was found to inhibit the in vitro replication of TSC-resistant BVDV variants, which carry the N264D mutation in the RdRp. In addition, 1.9 presented adequate solubility in different media and a high-stability profile in murine and bovine plasma.