Discovery of Novel Tetrahydroquinoline Derivatives as Potent, Selective, and Orally Available AR Antagonists

Abstract

Androgen receptor (AR) antagonists are the first-line medicine for the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) in clinic. In our previous work, the tetrahydroquinoline derivative AT2 was identified as a novel scaffold AR antagonist via virtual screening and structural modifications, while its poor pharmacokinetic properties hindered further development. Herein, we report the systematic structural optimizations of AT2 and discover a novel tetrahydroquinoline derivative C2 as potent AR antagonist with an IC₅₀ value of 0.019 μM, accompanied with excellent selectivity over other nuclear receptors (PR, GR, MR). Further biological assays revealed that C2 significantly inhibited LNCaP cell proliferation, and efficiently reduced PSA protein expression. Especially, C2 showed superior efficacy against AR^F877L/T878A mutants compared to darolutamide and enzalutamide. Furthermore, C2 demonstrated excellent oral bioavailability, indicating the potential to enhance in vivo efficacy and to serve as a promising therapeutic option for PCa treatment.