Discovery and Development of First-in-Class ACKR3/CXCR7 Superagonists for Platelet Degranulation Modulation

The
atypical chemokine receptor 3 (ACKR3), formerly known as CXC-chemokine
receptor 7 (CXCR7), has been postulated to regulate platelet function
and thrombus formation. Herein, we report the discovery and development
of first-in-class ACKR3 agonists, which demonstrated superagonistic
properties with Emax values of up to 160%
compared to the endogenous reference ligand CXCL12 in a β-arrestin
recruitment assay. Initial in silico screening using an ACKR3 homology
model identified two hits, C10 (EC50 19.1
μM) and C11 (EC50 = 11.4 μM).
Based on these hits, extensive structure-activity relationship studies
were conducted by synthesis and testing of derivatives. It resulted
in the identification of the novel thiadiazolopyrimidinone-based compounds 26 (LN5972, EC50 = 3.4 μM) and 27 (LN6023, EC50 = 3.5 μM). These compounds are selective
for ACKR3 versus CXCR4 and show metabolic stability. In a platelet
degranulation assay, these agonists effectively reduced P-selectin
expression by up to 97%, suggesting potential candidates for the treatment
of platelet-mediated thrombosis.