Modulators of Sphingosine-1-phosphate Pathway Biology: Recent Advances of Sphingosine-1-phosphate Receptor 1 (S1P1) Agonists and Future Perspectives

The sphingoid base derived class of lipids (sphingolipids) is a family of interconverting molecules that play key roles in numerous structural and, signaling processes. The biosynthetic pathway of the sphingolipids affords many opportunities for therapeutic intervention: targeting the ligands directly, targeting the various proteins involved in the interconversion of the ligands, or targeting the receptors that respond to the ligands. The focus of this article is on the most advanced of the sphingosine-related therapeutics, agonists of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P(1)). The diverse structural classes of S1P(1) agonists will be discussed and the status of compounds of clinical relevance will be detailed. An examination of how potential safety concerns are being navigated with compounds currently under clinical evaluation is followed by a discussion of the novel methods being explored to identify next-generation S1P(1) agonists with improved safety profiles. Finally, therapeutic opportunities for sphingosine-related targets outside of S1P(1) are touched upon.