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Thakur A, Rana M, Mishra A, Kaur C, Pan CH, Nepali K. Recent advances and future directions on small molecule VEGFR inhibitors in oncological conditions. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 272:116472. [PMID: 38728867 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
"A journey of mixed emotions" is a quote that best describes the progress chart of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors as cancer therapeutics in the last decade. Exhilarated with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of numerous VEGFR inhibitors coupled with the annoyance of encountering the complications associated with their use, drug discovery enthusiasts are on their toes with an unswerving determination to enhance the rate of translation of VEGFR inhibitors from preclinical to clinical stage. The recently crafted armory of VEGFR inhibitors is a testament to their growing dominance over other antiangiogenic therapies for cancer treatment. This review perspicuously underscores the earnest attempts of the researchers to extract the antiproliferative potential of VEGFR inhibitors through the design of mechanistically diverse structural assemblages. Moreover, this review encompasses sections on structural/molecular properties and physiological functions of VEGFR, FDA-approved VEGFR inhibitors, and hurdles restricting the activity range/clinical applicability of VEGFR targeting antitumor agents. In addition, tactics to overcome the limitations of VEGFR inhibitors are discussed. A clear-cut viewpoint transmitted through this compilation can provide practical directions to push the cart of VEGFR inhibitors to advanced-stage clinical investigations in diverse malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandeep Thakur
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
| | - Mandeep Rana
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
| | - Anshul Mishra
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
| | - Charanjit Kaur
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India
| | - Chun-Hsu Pan
- Ph.D. Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan
| | - Kunal Nepali
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.
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2
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Acar Çevik U, Celik I, Görgülü Ş, Şahin Inan ZD, Bostancı HE, Özkay Y, Kaplacıklı ZA. New benzimidazole-oxadiazole derivatives as potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors: Synthesis, anticancer evaluation, and docking study. Drug Dev Res 2024; 85:e22218. [PMID: 38825827 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.22218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
We report herein, the design and synthesis of benzimidazole-oxadiazole derivatives as new inhibitors for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). The designed members were assessed for their in vitro anticancer activity against three cancer cell lines and two normal cell lines; A549, MCF-7, PANC-1, hTERT-HPNE and CCD-19Lu. Compounds 4c and 4d were found to be the most effective compounds against three cancer cell lines. Compounds 4c and 4d were then tested for their in vitro VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity, safety profiles, and selectivity indices using the normal hTERT-HPNE and CCD-19Lu cell lines. It was determined that compound 4c was the most effective and safe member of the produced chemical family. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) immunolocalizations of compounds 4c and 4d were evaluated relative to control by VEGFA immunofluorescence staining. Compounds 4c and 4d inhibited VEGFR-2 enzyme with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values of 0.475 ± 0.021 and 0.618 ± 0.028 µM, respectively. Molecular docking of the target compounds was carried out in the active site of VEGFR-2 (Protein Data Bank: 4ASD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulviye Acar Çevik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - Ismail Celik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Şennur Görgülü
- Medicinal Plant, Drug and Scientific Research and Application Center (AUBIBAM), Eskişehir, Turkey
| | | | - Hayrani Eren Bostancı
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey
| | - Yusuf Özkay
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - Zafer Asım Kaplacıklı
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey
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3
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Perraud V, Vanderhoydonck B, Bouvier G, Dias de Melo G, Kilonda A, Koukni M, Jochmans D, Rogée S, Ben Khalifa Y, Kergoat L, Lannoy J, Van Buyten T, Izadi-Pruneyre N, Chaltin P, Neyts J, Marchand A, Larrous F, Bourhy H. Mechanism of action of phthalazinone derivatives against rabies virus. Antiviral Res 2024; 224:105838. [PMID: 38373533 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.105838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Rabies, a viral zoonosis, is responsible for almost 59,000 deaths each year, despite the existence of an effective post-exposure prophylaxis. Indeed, rabies causes acute encephalomyelitis, with a case-fatality rate of 100 % after the onset of neurological clinical signs. Therefore, the development of therapies to inhibit the rabies virus (RABV) is crucial. Here, we identified, from a 30,000 compound library screening, phthalazinone derivative compounds as potent inhibitors of RABV infection and more broadly of Lyssavirus and even Mononegavirales infections. Combining in vitro experiments, structural modelling, in silico docking and in vivo assays, we demonstrated that phthalazinone derivatives display a strong inhibition of lyssaviruses infection by acting directly on the replication complex of the virus, and with noticeable effects in delaying the onset of the clinical signs in our mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoire Perraud
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité Lyssavirus, Epidémiologie et Neuropathologie, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Bart Vanderhoydonck
- Center for Innovation and Stimulation of Drug Discovery (Cistim) Leuven, Belgium
| | - Guillaume Bouvier
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Structural Bioinformatics Unit, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Guilherme Dias de Melo
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité Lyssavirus, Epidémiologie et Neuropathologie, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Amuri Kilonda
- Center for Innovation and Stimulation of Drug Discovery (Cistim) Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mohamed Koukni
- Center for Innovation and Stimulation of Drug Discovery (Cistim) Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Sophie Rogée
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité Lyssavirus, Epidémiologie et Neuropathologie, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Youcef Ben Khalifa
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité Lyssavirus, Epidémiologie et Neuropathologie, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Lauriane Kergoat
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité Lyssavirus, Epidémiologie et Neuropathologie, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Julien Lannoy
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité Lyssavirus, Epidémiologie et Neuropathologie, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, F-75015, Paris, France
| | | | - Nadia Izadi-Pruneyre
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Bacterial Transmembrane Systems Unit, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Patrick Chaltin
- Center for Innovation and Stimulation of Drug Discovery (Cistim) Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Arnaud Marchand
- Center for Innovation and Stimulation of Drug Discovery (Cistim) Leuven, Belgium
| | - Florence Larrous
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité Lyssavirus, Epidémiologie et Neuropathologie, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, F-75015, Paris, France.
| | - Hervé Bourhy
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité Lyssavirus, Epidémiologie et Neuropathologie, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, F-75015, Paris, France.
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Song J, Zhang S, Zhang B, Ma J. The anti-breast cancer therapeutic potential of 1,2,3-triazole-containing hybrids. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2024; 357:e2300641. [PMID: 38110853 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202300641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer, as one of the most common invasive malignancies and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women globally, poses a significant challenge in the world health system. Substantial advances in diagnosis and treatment have significantly improved the survival rate of breast cancer patients, but the number of incidences and deaths of breast cancer are projected to increase by 40% and 50%, respectively, by 2040. Chemotherapy is one of the principal treatments for breast cancer therapy, but multidrug resistance and severe side effects remain the major obstacles to the success of treatment. Hence, there is a vital need to develop novel chemotherapeutic agents to combat this deadly disease. 1,2,3-Triazole, which can be effectively constructed by click chemistry, not only can serve as a linker to connect different anti-breast cancer pharmacophores but also is a valuable pharmacophore with anti-breast cancer potential and favorable properties such as hydrogen bonding, moderate dipole moment, and enhanced water solubility. Particularly, 1,2,3-triazole-containing hybrids have demonstrated promising in vitro and in vivo anti-breast cancer potential against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant forms and possessed excellent selectivity by targeting different biological pathways associated with breast cancer, representing privileged scaffolds for the discovery of novel anti-breast cancer candidates. This review concentrates on the latest advancements of 1,2,3-triazole-containing hybrids with anti-breast cancer potential, including work published between 2020 and the present. The structure-activity relationships (SARs) and mechanisms of action are also reviewed to shed light on the development of more effective and multitargeted candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juntao Song
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, Zibo 148 Hospital, Zibo, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, People's Hospital of Zhoucun District, Zibo, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Emergency Department, People's Hospital of Zhoucun District, Zibo, China
| | - Junwei Ma
- Department of General Surgery, Zibo 148 Hospital, Zibo, China
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Elsebaie HA, El-Moselhy TF, El-Bastawissy EA, Elberembally KM, Badi RM, Elkaeed EB, Shaldam MA, Eldehna WM, Tawfik HO. Development of new thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines as dual EGFR and STAT3 inhibitors endowed with anticancer and pro-apoptotic activities. Bioorg Chem 2024; 143:107101. [PMID: 38183682 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
In part due to the resilience of cellular feedback pathways that develop therapeutic resistance to targeting the EGFR alone, using EGFR inhibitors alone was demonstrated to be unsuccessful in clinical trials. The over-activation of the signal transducer/activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) during the administration of an EGFR inhibitor is expected to play a substantial part in the failure and resistance of EGFR inhibitor treatment. Therein, we proposed a hypothesis that induced STAT3-mediated resistance to EGFR inhibition therapy could be addressed by a dual inhibition of EGFR and STAT3 method. To this end, we tried to discover new thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives "5a-o". Results from the screening on A549 and MCF7 cancer cell lines revealed that compounds 5j and 5k showed two-digit nanomolar with appropriate safety towards the WI-38 cell line. The best molecules, 5j and 5k, were subjected to γ-radiation, and their cytotoxic efficacy didn't change after irradiation, demonstrating that not having to use it avoided its side effects. Compounds 5j and 5k demonstrated the highest inhibition when their potency was tested as dual inhibitors on EGFR 67 and 41 nM, respectively, and STAT3 5.52 and 3.34 nM, respectively, proved with in silico molecular docking and dynamic simulation. In light of the results presented above, the capacity of both powerful compounds to alter the cell cycle and initiate the apoptotic process in breast cancer MCF7 cells was investigated. Caspase-8, Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-9 apoptotic indicators were studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heba A Elsebaie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
| | - Tarek F El-Moselhy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
| | - Eman A El-Bastawissy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
| | - Kamel M Elberembally
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
| | - Rehab Mustafa Badi
- Department of Medical Physiology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Moataz A Shaldam
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt.
| | - Wagdy M Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt.
| | - Haytham O Tawfik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
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Mushtaq A, Wu P, Naseer MM. Recent drug design strategies and identification of key heterocyclic scaffolds for promising anticancer targets. Pharmacol Ther 2024; 254:108579. [PMID: 38160914 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2023.108579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Cancer, a noncommunicable disease, is the leading cause of mortality worldwide and is anticipated to rise by 75% in the next two decades, reaching approximately 25 million cases. Traditional cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy and surgery, have shown limited success in reducing cancer incidence. As a result, the focus of cancer chemotherapy has switched to the development of novel small molecule antitumor agents as an alternate strategy for combating and managing cancer rates. Heterocyclic compounds are such agents that bind to specific residues in target proteins, inhibiting their function and potentially providing cancer treatment. This review focuses on privileged heterocyclic pharmacophores with potent activity against carbonic anhydrases and kinases, which are important anticancer targets. Evaluation of ongoing pre-clinical and clinical research of heterocyclic compounds with potential therapeutic value against a variety of malignancies as well as the provision of a concise summary of the role of heterocyclic scaffolds in various chemotherapy protocols have also been discussed. The main objective of the article is to highlight key heterocyclic scaffolds involved in recent anticancer drug design that demands further attention from the drug development community to find more effective and safer targeted small-molecule anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alia Mushtaq
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
| | - Peng Wu
- Chemical Genomics Centre, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn Str. 11, Dortmund 44227, Germany
| | - Muhammad Moazzam Naseer
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; Chemical Genomics Centre, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn Str. 11, Dortmund 44227, Germany.
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Mostafa EM, El-Ghorab AH, Ghoneim MM, Ebrahim HA, Abulfaraj M, Abdelgawad MA, Farouk A, Musa A. Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Potential of Launaea mucronata Forssk Essential Oil Growing in Northern Saudi Arabia. Molecules 2023; 28:7025. [PMID: 37894504 PMCID: PMC10609284 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28207025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Essential oils are naturally occurring multicomponent combinations of isoprenoids with distinctive odors that are produced by aromatic plants from mevalonic acid. They are extensively applied in aromatherapy for the treatment of various ailments. To investigate the potential therapeutic value of the ingredients in Launaea mucronata essential oil (EO), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was used for essential oil characterization. Then, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), β-carotene/linoleic acid, and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays were used to evaluate the antioxidants. A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to estimate the cytotoxicity. Following a thorough analysis of the GC-MS chromatogram, 87 components representing 97.98% of the entire EO mixture were identified. N-eicosane (10.92%), 2E,6Z-farnesol (10.74%), and 2Z,6E-farnesyl acetone (46.35%) were determined to be the major components of the oil. When the produced EO was evaluated for its antioxidant properties, it showed a strong inhibitory effect (%) of 65.34 at a concentration of 80 μg/mL. The results (g/mL) showed a positive response against the tested cell lines for HCT-116, MCF-7, and HepG2 (8.45, 10.24, and 6.78 g/mL, respectively). A high-concentration mixture of deadly components consisting of farnesol, bisabolol, eicosane, and farnesyl acetone may be responsible for this significant cytotoxic action, which was especially noticeable in the HepG2 cell line. Molecular docking occurred between farnesol and farnesyl acetone with the target residues of topoisomerases I and II, CDK4/cyclD1, and Aurora B kinases; these showed binding free energies ranging from -4.5 to -7.4 kcal/mol, thus demonstrating their antiproliferative action. In addition, farnesol and farnesyl acetone fulfilled most of the ADME and drug-likeness properties, indicating their activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehab M. Mostafa
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia;
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed H. El-Ghorab
- Chemistry Department, College of Science, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia
- Flavour and Aroma Chemistry Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt;
| | - Mohammed M. Ghoneim
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Hasnaa Ali Ebrahim
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Moaz Abulfaraj
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mohamed A. Abdelgawad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Amr Farouk
- Flavour and Aroma Chemistry Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt;
| | - Arafa Musa
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia;
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
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