Discovery of the selective and efficacious inhibitors of FLT3 mutations.

Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) is among the most frequently mutated protein in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which has been confirmed as an important drug target for AML chemotherapy. Starting from the lead compound LT-106-175, a series of 1-H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide derivatives were synthesized to improve the FLT3 inhibitory potency and selectivity. Among them, compound 50 was identified as a highly potent and selective FLT3 inhibitor (IC = 0.213 nM), which showed equal activities against various mutants of FLT3 including FLT3 (ITD)-D835V and FLT3 (ITD)-F691L that is resistant to quizartinib. Compound 50 also exhibited efficacy against the human AML cell line MV4-11 (IC = 16.1 nM) harboring FLT3-ITD mutants. Inversely, compound 50 displayed no cytotoxicity to FLT3-independent cells, and the biochemical analyses showed that its effects were related to the inhibition of FLT3 signal pathways. Additionally, compound 50 induced apoptosis in MV4-11 cell as demonstrated by flow cytometry. Moreover, compound 50 showed enhanced metabolic stability. Altogether, it was concluded that compound 50 could be a promising FLT3 inhibitor for further developing therapeutic remedy of AML.