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AI-driven discovery of brain-penetrant Galectin-3 inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease therapy

Elsevier, Pharmacological Research, Volume 218, August 2025
Authors
X., Liu, Xueyan, J., Xu, Jiexin, S., Zheng, Shuping, Y., Yang, Yaoyao, Y., Xie, Yuchong, J., Liu, Jinyu et al.

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has emerged as a critical regulator of neuroinflammation and a promising therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nevertheless, the development of brain-penetrant small-molecule Gal-3 inhibitors poses a significant challenge. To address this, we employed an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery platform, identifying FJMU1887 as a novel Gal-3 inhibitor possessing optimized pharmacokinetic properties and favorable blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Following AI-based virtual screening and structure prioritization, FJMU1887 demonstrated direct binding to Gal-3 with an affinity (Kd) of 1.55 μM, determined by microscale thermophoresis (MST). Crucially, mechanistic studies revealed that FJMU1887 disrupts the Gal-3–TREM2 interaction, as evidenced by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) assays. In vitro, FJMU1887 suppressed inflammatory responses in BV-2 microglial cells, inhibiting TNF-α with an IC₅₀ of 2.36 ± 0.37 μM, without inducing cytotoxicity. Pharmacokinetic assessments via parallel artificial membrane permeability assay for BBB (PAMPA-BBB) and in situ brain perfusion revealed effective blood-brain barrier penetration by FJMU1887, though partial P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux was observed. In vivo, 30-day oral administration of FJMU1887 to 14-month-old 5 ×FAD mice significantly reduced Gal-3 expression, attenuated microglial activation and neuroinflammation, decreased amyloid-β burden, and restored synaptic integrity. Notably, FJMU1887 improved cognitive performance in both 5 ×FAD and oligomeric Aβ-induced cognitive impairment mouse models across multiple behavioral paradigms. Collectively, FJMU1887 represents a brain-penetrant small-molecule Gal-3 inhibitor with dual anti-neuroinflammatory and cognition-enhancing effects, establishing it as a promising lead compound for AD therapy.