ACS OMEGA, vol.8, no.34, pp.31293-31304, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
5-Lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP) is a regulatorof cellularleukotriene biosynthesis, which governs the transfer of arachidonicacid (AA) to 5-lipoxygenase for efficient metabolism. Here, the synthesisand FLAP-antagonistic potential of fast synthetically accessible 1,2,4-triazolederivatives based on a previously discovered virtual screening hitcompound is described. Our findings reveal that simple structuralvariations on 4,5-diaryl moieties and the 3-thioether side chain ofthe 1,2,4-triazole scaffold markedly influence the inhibitory potential,highlighting the significant chemical features necessary for FLAPantagonism. Comprehensive metabololipidomics analysis in activatedFLAP-expressing human innate immune cells and human whole blood showedthat the most potent analogue 6x selectively suppressedleukotriene B-4 formation evoked by bacterial exotoxinswithout affecting other branches of the AA pathway. Taken together,the 1,2,4-triazole scaffold is a novel chemical platform for the developmentof more potent FLAP antagonists, which warrants further explorationfor their potential as a new class of anti-inflammatory agents.