Discovery of a new 2-aminobenzhydrol template for highly potent squalene synthase inhibitors.

To obtain small and efficient squalene synthase inhibitors, a flexible 2-aminobenzhydrol open form structure was designed and showed potent inhibitory activity comparable to 4,1-benzoxazepin compounds. Further chemical modification led to the discovery of a novel template with a strong squalene synthase inhibitory activity, and its basic structure-activity relationship was revealed. The X-ray crystallographic data of compound 12 bound to the active site of squalene synthase provided an important insight into the binding mode of this alternative template that formed 11-membered ring conformations with an intramolecular hydrogen bond.