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Niu P, Xu H, Fan M. Discovery and optimization of (2-naphthylthio)acetic acid derivative as selective Bfl-1 inhibitor. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2024; 101:129658. [PMID: 38373466 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2024.129658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic protein family suppresses cell death by deploying a surface groove to capture the critical BH3 α-helix of pro-apoptotic members. Bfl-1 is a relatively understudied member of this family, though it has been implicated in the pathogenesis and chemoresistance of a variety of human cancers. Reported small molecular Bfl-1 inhibitors encountered the issue of either lack in potency or poor selectivity against its most homologous member Mcl-1. In order to tackle this issue, compound library was screened and a hit compound UMI-77 was identified. We modified its chemical structure to remove the characteristic of PAINS (pan-assay interference compounds), demonstrated the real binding affinity and achieved selectivity against Mcl-1 under the guidance of computational modeling. After optimization 15 was obtained as leading compound to block Bfl-1/BIM interaction in vitro with more than 10-fold selectivity over Mcl-1. We believe 15 is of great value for the exploration of Bfl-1 biological function and its potential as therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengpeng Niu
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine (AMT), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China
| | - Huiqi Xu
- Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China; College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, China
| | - Mengyang Fan
- Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China; Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China.
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2
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Zhang T, Xing S, Du J, Xia J, Dong S, Li Z, Liu Z, Song Y. Discovery of novel TLR4/MD-2 inhibitors: Receptor structure-based virtual screening studies and anti-inflammatory evaluation. Bioorg Chem 2023; 141:106880. [PMID: 37783098 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a receptor structure-based virtual screening strategy was constructed using a computer-aided drug design. First, the compounds were filtered based on the Lipinski pentad and adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity profiles. Then, receptor structure-based pharmacophore models were constructed and screened. Finally, the in vitro toxicity and anti-inflammatory activities of hit compounds were initially evaluated to investigate their in vitro anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of action. The results revealed that hit 94 had the best anti-inflammatory activity and low toxicity while inhibiting the activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4/myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2)-associated signaling pathways of nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase. In vivo adjuvant arthritis results also revealed that hit 94 ameliorated foot swelling to a greater extent in rats compared with the positive control drug indomethacin. These results suggest that hit 94 can be used as a potential TLR/MD2 inhibitor for inflammatory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengyue Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Anhui Provincial Cancer Hospital, West Branch of the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, China
| | - Siqi Xing
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, China; The Affiliated Suqian First People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, SuQian 223800, China
| | - Jiyu Du
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, China
| | - Jucheng Xia
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, China
| | - Shuanghong Dong
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, China
| | - Zeng Li
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, China.
| | - Zhicheng Liu
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, China.
| | - Yang Song
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, China; Department of Pain, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical Uiversity, Hefei 230032, China.
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Ram T, Singh AK, Kumar A, Singh H, Pathak P, Grishina M, Khalilullah H, Jaremko M, Emwas AH, Verma A, Kumar P. MEK inhibitors in cancer treatment: structural insights, regulation, recent advances and future perspectives. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:1837-1857. [PMID: 37859720 PMCID: PMC10583825 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00145h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
MEK1/2 are critical components of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK or MAPK signalling pathway that regulates a variety of cellular functions including proliferation, survival, and differentiation. In 1997, a lung cancer cell line was first found to have a MEK mutation (encoding MEK2P298L). MEK is involved in various human cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), spurious melanoma, and pancreatic, colorectal, basal, breast, and liver cancer. To date, 4 MEK inhibitors i.e., trametinib, cobimetinib, selumetinib, and binimetinib have been approved by the FDA and several are under clinical trials. In this review, we have highlighted structural insights into the MEK1/2 proteins, such as the αC-helix, catalytic loop, P-loop, F-helix, hydrophobic pocket, and DFG motif. We have also discussed current issues with all FDA-approved MEK inhibitors or drugs under clinical trials and combination therapies to improve the efficacy of clinical drugs. Finally, this study addressed recent developments on synthetic MEK inhibitors (from their discovery in 1997 to 2022), their unique properties, and their relevance to MEK mutant inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teja Ram
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab Ghudda Bathinda 151401 India
| | - Ankit Kumar Singh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab Ghudda Bathinda 151401 India
| | - Adarsh Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab Ghudda Bathinda 151401 India
| | - Harshwardhan Singh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab Ghudda Bathinda 151401 India
| | - Prateek Pathak
- Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, Higher Medical and Biological School, South Ural State University Chelyabinsk 454008 Russia
- Pharmaceutical Analysis and Quality Assurance and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, GITAM School of Pharmacy at "Hyderabad Campus", GITAM (Deemed to be University) India
| | - Maria Grishina
- Laboratory of Computational Modeling of Drugs, Higher Medical and Biological School, South Ural State University Chelyabinsk 454008 Russia
| | - Habibullah Khalilullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University Unayzah 51911 Saudi Arabia
| | - Mariusz Jaremko
- Smart-Health Initiative (SHI) and Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Thuwal 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdul-Hamid Emwas
- Core Labs, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Thuwal 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Amita Verma
- Bioorganic and Med. Chem. Res., Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences Prayagraj 211007 India
| | - Pradeep Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab Ghudda Bathinda 151401 India
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4
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Çapan İ, Hawash M, Jaradat N, Sert Y, Servi R, Koca İ. Design, synthesis, molecular docking and biological evaluation of new carbazole derivatives as anticancer, and antioxidant agents. BMC Chem 2023; 17:60. [PMID: 37328860 DOI: 10.1186/s13065-023-00961-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The carbazole skeleton is an important structural motif occurring naturally or synthesized chemically and has antihistaminic, antioxidant, antitumor, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to design and synthesize a novel series of carbazole derivatives and evaluate their antiproliferative and antioxidant activities. METHODS The synthesized compounds were characterized utilizing HRMS, 1H-, and 13CAPT-NMR, and assessed for their anticancer, antifibrotic, and antioxidant effects utilizing reference biomedical procedures. In addition, the AutoDock Vina application was used to perform in-silico docking computations. RESULTS A series of carbazole derivatives were synthesized and characterized in the current study. Compounds 10 and 11 were found to have a stronger antiproliferative effect than compounds 2-5 against HepG2, HeLa, and MCF7 cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 7.68, 10.09, and 6.44 µM, respectively. Moreover, compound 9 showed potent antiproliferative activity against HeLa cancer cell lines with an IC50 value of 7.59 µM. However, except for compound 5, all of the synthesized compounds showed moderate antiproliferative activities against CaCo-2 with IC50 values in the range of 43.7-187.23 µM. All of these values were compared with the positive control anticancer drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). In addition, compound 9 showed the most potent anti-fibrotic compound, and the cellular viability of LX-2 was found 57.96% at 1 µM concentration in comparison with the positive control 5-FU. Moreover, 4 and 9 compounds showed potent antioxidant activities with IC50 values of 1.05 ± 0.77 and 5.15 ± 1.01 µM, respectively. CONCLUSION Most of the synthesized carbazole derivatives showed promising antiproliferative, antioxidant, and antifibrotic biological effects, and further in-vivo investigations are needed to approve or disapprove these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- İrfan Çapan
- Department of Material and Material Processing Technologies, Gazi University, Technical Sciences Vocational College, 06560, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Mohammed Hawash
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, 00970, Nablus, Palestine.
| | - Nidal Jaradat
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, 00970, Nablus, Palestine
| | - Yusuf Sert
- Yozgat Bozok University, Sorgun Vocational School, Yozgat, Turkey
| | - Refik Servi
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey
| | - İrfan Koca
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Art & Sciences, Yozgat Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey
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5
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Govindaraj RG, Thangapandian S, Schauperl M, Denny RA, Diller DJ. Recent applications of computational methods to allosteric drug discovery. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 9:1070328. [PMID: 36710877 PMCID: PMC9877542 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1070328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Interest in exploiting allosteric sites for the development of new therapeutics has grown considerably over the last two decades. The chief driving force behind the interest in allostery for drug discovery stems from the fact that in comparison to orthosteric sites, allosteric sites are less conserved across a protein family, thereby offering greater opportunity for selectivity and ultimately tolerability. While there is significant overlap between structure-based drug design for orthosteric and allosteric sites, allosteric sites offer additional challenges mostly involving the need to better understand protein flexibility and its relationship to protein function. Here we examine the extent to which structure-based drug design is impacting allosteric drug design by highlighting several targets across a variety of target classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajiv Gandhi Govindaraj
- Computational Chemistry, HotSpot Therapeutics Inc., Boston, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Rajiv Gandhi Govindaraj,
| | | | - Michael Schauperl
- Computational Chemistry, HotSpot Therapeutics Inc., Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - David J. Diller
- Computational Chemistry, HotSpot Therapeutics Inc., Boston, MA, United States
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6
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Zang Y, Ning J, Liu K, Shang M, Zang C, Li C, Ma J, Chen X, Ma J, Li G, Yang Y, Bao X, Zhang D, Zhang D. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of pyranocarbazole derivatives against Alzheimer’s disease, with antioxidant, neuroprotective and cognition enhancing properties. Bioorg Chem 2022; 129:106179. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.106179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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7
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Moshawih S, Lim AF, Ardianto C, Goh KW, Kifli N, Goh HP, Jarrar Q, Ming LC. Target-Based Small Molecule Drug Discovery for Colorectal Cancer: A Review of Molecular Pathways and In Silico Studies. Biomolecules 2022; 12:878. [PMID: 35883434 PMCID: PMC9312989 DOI: 10.3390/biom12070878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancer types. Although there have been breakthroughs in its treatments, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms and genetic involvement in colorectal cancer will have a substantial role in producing novel and targeted treatments with better safety profiles. In this review, the main molecular pathways and driver genes that are responsible for initiating and propagating the cascade of signaling molecules reaching carcinoma and the aggressive metastatic stages of colorectal cancer were presented. Protein kinases involved in colorectal cancer, as much as other cancers, have seen much focus and committed efforts due to their crucial role in subsidizing, inhibiting, or changing the disease course. Moreover, notable improvements in colorectal cancer treatments with in silico studies and the enhanced selectivity on specific macromolecular targets were discussed. Besides, the selective multi-target agents have been made easier by employing in silico methods in molecular de novo synthesis or target identification and drug repurposing.
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8
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Huang W, Shi L, Liu M, Zhang Z, Liu F, Long T, Wen S, Huang D, Wang K, Zhou R, Fang W, Hu H, Ke S. Design, Synthesis, and Cytotoxic Activity of Novel Natural Arylsulfonamide-Inspired Molecules. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27051479. [PMID: 35268580 PMCID: PMC8911723 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary arylsulfonamide functional groups feature prominently in diverse pharmaceuticals. However, natural arylsulfonamides are relatively infrequent. In this work, two novel arylsulfonamide natural products were first synthesized, and then a series of novel molecules derived from natural arylsulfonamides were designed and synthesized, and their in vitro cytotoxic activities against A875, HepG2, and MARC145 cell lines were systematically evaluated. The results indicate that some of these arylsulfonamide derivatives exhibit significantly good cytotoxic activity against the tested cell lines compared with the control 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), such as compounds 10l, 10p, 10q, and 10r. In particular, the potential molecule 10q, containing a carbazole moiety, exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against all tested cell lines, with IC50 values of 4.19 ± 0.78, 3.55 ± 0.63, and 2.95 ± 0.78 μg/mL, respectively. This will offer the potential to discover novel drug-like compounds from the sparsely populated area of natural products that can lead to effective anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Huang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Liqiao Shi
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Manli Liu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Zhigang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Fang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Tong Long
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Shaohua Wen
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Daye Huang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Kaimei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Ronghua Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Wei Fang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
- Correspondence: (W.F.); (H.H.); (S.K.); Tel.: +86-27-59101919 (S.K.)
| | - Hongtao Hu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
- Correspondence: (W.F.); (H.H.); (S.K.); Tel.: +86-27-59101919 (S.K.)
| | - Shaoyong Ke
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Pesticides, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430064, China; (W.H.); (L.S.); (M.L.); (Z.Z.); (F.L.); (T.L.); (S.W.); (D.H.); (K.W.); (R.Z.)
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
- Correspondence: (W.F.); (H.H.); (S.K.); Tel.: +86-27-59101919 (S.K.)
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9
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Su XX, Chen YR, Wu JQ, Wu XZ, Li KT, Wang XN, Sun JW, Wang H, Ou TM. Design, synthesis, and evaluation of 9-(pyrimidin-2-yl)-9H-carbazole derivatives disrupting mitochondrial homeostasis in human lung adenocarcinoma. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 232:114200. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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10
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Wen J, Chen W, Zhao B, Xu Q, Liu C, Zhang Q, Xie Z, Yan Y, Guo J, Huang J, Miao J, Wu X. A carbazole compound, 9-ethyl-9H-carbazole-3-carbaldehyde, plays an antitumor function through reactivation of the p53 pathway in human melanoma cells. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:591. [PMID: 34103468 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-03867-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
p53, the major tumor suppressor, is frequently mutated in many cancers, and up to 84% of human melanomas harbor wild-type p53, which is considered to be an ideal target for melanoma therapy. Here, we evaluated the antitumor activity of a carbazole derivative, 9-ethyl-9H-carbazole-3-carbaldehyde (ECCA), on melanoma cells. ECCA had a selectively strong inhibitory activity against the growth of BRAF-mutated and BRAF-wild-type melanoma cells but had little effect on normal human primary melanocytes. ECCA inhibited melanoma cell growth by increasing cell apoptosis, which was associated with the upregulation of caspase activities and was significantly abrogated by the addition of a caspase inhibitor. In vivo assays confirmed that ECCA suppressed melanoma growth by enhancing cell apoptosis and reducing cell proliferation, and importantly ECCA did not have any evident toxic effects on normal tissues. RNA-Seq analysis identified several pathways related to cell apoptosis that were affected by ECCA, notably, activation of the p53 signaling pathway. Biochemical assays demonstrated that ECCA enhanced the phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15 in melanoma cells harboring wild-type p53, and importantly, the knockdown or deletion of p53 in those cells counteracted the ECCA-induced apoptosis, as well as senescence. Further investigations revealed that ECCA enhanced the phosphorylation of p38-MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and treatment with either a p38-MAPK or a JNK inhibitor rescued the cell growth inhibition elicited by ECCA, which depended on the expression of the p53 gene. Finally, the combination of ECCA with a BRAF inhibitor significantly enhanced the growth inhibition of melanoma cells. In summary, our study demonstrates that the carbazole derivative, ECCA, induces melanoma cell apoptosis and senescence through the activation of p53 to significantly and selectively suppress the growth of melanoma cells without affecting normal human melanocytes, suggesting its potential to develop a new drug for melanoma therapy.
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11
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Huang W, Gao Z, Zhang Z, Fang W, Wang Z, Wan Z, Shi L, Wang K, Ke S. Selective and effective anticancer agents: Synthesis, biological evaluation and structure-activity relationships of novel carbazole derivatives. Bioorg Chem 2021; 113:104991. [PMID: 34051416 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.104991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Carbazole alkaloids is an important class of natural products with diverse biological functions. So, the aim of this article is to explore new chemical entities containing carbazole scaffold as potential novel cytotoxic agents based on our developed three-component indole-to-carbazole reaction. Two series of carbazole derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their in vitro cytotoxic activities against three cell lines (A875, HepG2, and MARC145) were evaluated. The results indicated that some of these carbazole derivatives exhibited significantly good cytotoxic activities against tested cell lines compared with the control 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Especially, carbazole acylhydrazone compounds 7g and 7p displayed high inhibitory activity on cancer cells, but almost no activity on normal cells. Further analysis of induced apoptosis for potential compounds indicated that the potential antitumor agents induced cell death in A875 cells at least partly (initially) by apoptosis, which might be used as promising lead scaffold for discovery of novel carbazole-type cytotoxic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Huang
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Zilin Gao
- College of Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhigang Zhang
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Wei Fang
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Zuoqian Wang
- Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Science, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops in Central China, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Zhongyi Wan
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Liqiao Shi
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China.
| | - Kaimei Wang
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China.
| | - Shaoyong Ke
- National Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China.
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Abstract
Cancer, still in the limelight due to its dreadful nature, shows overexpression of multiple signaling macromolecules leading to failure of many chemotherapeutic agents and acquired resistance to chemotherapy. These factors highlight the significance of shifting toward targeted therapy in cancer research. Recently, ERKs (ERK1 and 2) have been established as a promising target for the management of various types of solid tumors, due to their aberrant involvement in cell growth and progression. Several ERKs inhibitors have reached clinical trials for the management of cancer and their derivatives are being continuously reported with noteworthy anticancer effect. This review highlights the recent reports on various chemical classes involved in the development of ERKs inhibitors along with their in vitro and in vivo activity and structure-activity relationship profile.
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