Synthesis and evaluation of cis-3,4-disubstituted piperidines as potent CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) antagonists

A series of cis-3,4-disubstituted piperidines was synthesized and evaluated as CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) antagonists. Compound 24 emerged with an attractive pro. le, possessing excellent binding ( CCR2 IC(50) = 3.4 nM) and functional antagonism (calcium flux IC(50) = 2.0 nM and chemotaxis IC(50) = 5.4 nM). Studies to explore the binding of these piperidine analogs utilized a key CCR2 receptor mutant (E291A) with compound 14 and revealed a significant reliance on Glu291 for binding. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.