Abstract
There is a grave need for safer antiplatelet therapeutics to prevent heart attack and stroke. Agents targeting the interaction of platelets with the diseased vessel wall could impact vascular disease with minimal effects on normal hemostasis. We targeted integrin α2β1, a collagen receptor, because its overexpression is associated with pathological clot formation whereas its absence does not cause severe bleeding. Structure-activity studies led to highly potent and selective small-molecule inhibitors. Responses of integrin α2β1 mutants to these compounds are consistent with a computational model of their mode of inhibition and shed light on the activation mechanism of I-domain-containing integrins. A potent compound was proven efficacious in an animal model of arterial thrombosis, which demonstrates in vivo efficacy for inhibition of this platelet receptor. These results suggest that targeting integrin α2β1 could be a potentially safe, effective approach to long-term therapy for cardiovascular disease.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 719-724 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Volume | 106 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 20 2009 |
Keywords
- Alpha(2) beta(1)
- I-domain
- Integrin
- Platelet
- Thrombosis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General