Pharmacological Characterization of a Novel Nonpeptide Antagonist for Formyl Peptide Receptor-Like 1

A series of quinazolinone derivatives were synthesized based on a hit compound identified from a high-throughput screening campaign targeting the human formyl peptide receptor-like 1 (FPRL1). Based on structure-activity relationship analysis, we found that substitution on the para position of the 2-phenyl group of the quinazolinone backbone could alter the pharmacological properties of the compound. The methoxyl substitution produced an agonist 4-butoxy-N-[2-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-2H-quinazolin-3-yl]-benzamide (Quin-C1; C1), whereas a hydroxyl substitution resulted in a pure antagonist, Quin-C7 (C7). Several partial agonists were derived from other substitutions on the para position. C7 partially displaced [¹²⁵I]Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-d-Met-NH₂ (WKYMVm) binding to FPRL1 but not [³H]N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe to formyl peptide receptor. In functional assays using FPRL1-expressing RBL-2H3 cells, C7 inhibited calcium mobilization and chemotaxis induced by WKYMVm and C1 and degranulation elicited by C1. C7 also suppressed C1-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation and reduced arachidonic acid-induced ear edema in mice. This study represents the first characterization of a nonpeptidic antagonist for FPRL1 and suggests the prospect of using low molecular weight compounds as modulators of chemoattractant receptors in vitro and in vivo.