2-Substituted α,β Methylene-ADP Derivatives: Potent Competitive Ecto-5′-nucleotidase (CD73) Inhibitors with Variable Binding Modes

CD73 inhibitors are promising drugs for the (immuno)therapy of cancer. Here, we present the synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and co-crystal structures of novel derivatives of the competitive CD73 inhibitor ,-methylene-ADP (AOPCP) substituted in the 2-position. Small polar or lipophilic residues increased potency, 2-iodo- and 2-chloro-adenosine-5′-O-[(phosphonomethyl)phosphonic acid] (15, 16) being the most potent inhibitors with Ki values towards human CD73 of 3-6 nM. Subject to the size and nature of the 2-substituent, variable binding modes were observed by X-ray crystallography. Depending on the binding mode, large species differences were found, e.g. 2-piperazinyl-AOPCP (21) was >12-fold less potent against rat CD73 compared to human CD73. This study shows that high CD73-inhibitory potency can be achieved by simply introducing a small substituent into the 2-position of AOPCP without the necessity of additional bulky N6-substituents. Moreover, it provides valuable insights into the bindin...