Design, synthesis, and structure–activity relationship of podocarpic acid amides as liver X receptor agonists for potential treatment of atherosclerosis

A series of podocarpic acid amides were identified as potent agonists for Liver X receptor α and β subtypes, which are members of a nuclear hormone receptor superfamily that are involved in the regulation of a variety of metabolic pathways including cholesterol metabolism. We recently reported podocarpic acid anhydride and imide dimers as potent LXR agonists. Through parallel organic synthesis, we rapidly identified a series of new podocarpate leads with stable structures exemplified by adamantyl- and phenylcyclohexylmethyl-podocarpic acid amides (14 and 18). Compound 18 exhibited LXRα/β 50/20 nM (binding affinity) and 33.7/35.3-fold receptor inductions. Synthesis, SAR, and biological activities of new podocarpate analogs are discussed.