Discovery of novel dual inhibitors of receptor tyrosine kinases EGFR and IGF-1R

Protein profiling uncovers IGF-1R inhibition potential of 3-(2-furoyl)-indole scaffolds in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM

This study investigates the anti-proliferative potential and possible molecular mechanisms of 3-(2-furoyl)-indole derivatives against HepG2.

METHOD

Identified hit compounds (4a, 4b, 4c) using MTT screening, were further investigated for their efficacy and mechanism of action through FACS studies, in-silico molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and label-free quantitative proteome and ADMET prediction.

RESULTS

Lead compound 4a, showed IC50 of 27 µM against HepG2 cells and a binding score of -8.077 kcal/mol against IGF-1 R (PDB ID: 5XFS) and formed a stable complex 100 ns. Proteomic study revealed significant downregulation of the IGF-1 R downstream signaling molecules and showed minimal toxicity and favorable drug-like properties.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that 4a is a promising IGF-1 R inhibitor and potential drug candidate against drug resistance hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Novel access to α-carbolines with biological applications

In recent years, the 9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole nuclei, also named α-carboline which is found in many organic compounds such as natural products, pharmaceuticals, and materials, have intensively stimulated the research of new synthetic pathways. After a brief report published in 2015 describing novel accesses and biological applications of α-carbolines, this update reports between 2015 and 2023 on the emergence of original syntheses to this heterocyclic nucleus. Examples representing these processes are described and the biological activities of α-carbolines are mentioned when they have been prepared for therapeutic purposes.

Pyrrole-based EGFR inhibitors for the treatment of NCSLC: Binding modes and SARs investigations

The treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has made substantial progress due to the rapid development of small molecule targeted therapy, with dramatically prolonged survival. As an effective drug for the treatment of NSCLC, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors are currently experiencing issues like severe adverse events and drug resistance. It is urgent to develop novel types of EGFR inhibitors to overcome the abovementioned limitations. Pyrrole always works well as a probe for the creation of novel medication candidates for hard-to-treat conditions like lung cancer. Although the design, synthesis, and biological assays of pyrrole derivatives have been reported, their inhibitory actions against the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) EGFR have not been in-depthly studied. This review highlights the small molecule EGFR inhibitors containing pyrrole heterocyclic pharmacophores in recent years, and the research on their mechanism, biological activity, and structure-activity relationship (SAR).