SAR studies of 3-arylpropionic acids as potent and selective agonists of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1P1) with enhanced pharmacokinetic properties

Structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies of 3-arylpropionic acids—a class of novel S1P1 selective agonists—by introducing substitution to the propionic acid chain and replacing the adjacent phenyl ring with pyridine led to a series of modified 3-arylpropionic acids with enhanced half-life in rat. These analogs (e.g., cyclopropanecarboxylic acids) exhibited longer half-life in rat than did unmodified 3-arylpropionic acids. This result suggests that metabolic oxidation at the propionic acid chain, particularly at the C3 benzylic position of 3-arylpropionic acids, is probably responsible for their short half-life in rodent.