N1-substituted triazole urea previously disclosed as an inhibitor of ABHD6 KT195 was modified as N2-substituted isomer and shown to inhibit LYPLAL1. The compound 2 inhibited also other alpha/beta hydrolases and some SGNH hydrolase-type esterase (PAFAH1B2-3), but compound 11 and 12 are specific.
Lysophospholipase-like 1 (LYPLAL1) is an uncharacterized metabolic serine hydrolase. Human genome-wide association studies link variants of the gene encoding this enzyme to fat distribution, waist-to-hip ratio, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We describe the discovery of potent and selective covalent small-molecule inhibitors of LYPLAL1 and their use to investigate its role in hepatic metabolism. In hepatocytes, selective inhibition of LYPLAL1 increased glucose production supporting the inference that LYPLAL1 is a significant actor in hepatic metabolism. The results provide an example of how a selective chemical tool can contribute to evaluating a hypothetical target for therapeutic intervention, even in the absence of complete biochemical characterization.
