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Eissa I, Yousef RG, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, Ismail A, Elkady H, Metwaly AM. New Theobromine Apoptotic Analogue with Anticancer Potential Targeting the EGFR Protein: Computational and In Vitro Studies. ACS Omega 2024; 9:15861-15881. [PMID: 38617602 PMCID: PMC11007702 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
AIM The aim of this study was to design and examine a novel epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor with apoptotic properties by utilizing the essential structural characteristics of existing EGFR inhibitors as a foundation. METHOD The study began with the natural alkaloid theobromine and developed a new semisynthetic derivative (T-1-PMPA). Computational ADMET assessments were conducted first to evaluate its anticipated safety and general drug-likeness. Deep density functional theory (DFT) computations were initially performed to validate the three-dimensional (3D) structure and reactivity of T-1-PMPA. Molecular docking against the EGFR proteins was conducted to investigate T-1-PMPA's binding affinity and inhibitory potential. Additional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations over 200 ns along with MM-GPSA, PLIP, and principal component analysis of trajectories (PCAT) experiments were employed to verify the binding and inhibitory properties of T-1-PMPA. Afterward, T-1-PMPA was semisynthesized to validate the proposed design and in silico findings through several in vitro examinations. RESULTS DFT studies indicated T-1-PMPA's reactivity using electrostatic potential, global reactive indices, and total density of states. Molecular docking, MD simulations, MM-GPSA, PLIP, and ED suggested the binding and inhibitory properties of T-1-PMPA against the EGFR protein. The in silico ADMET predicted T-1-PMPA's safety and general drug-likeness. In vitro experiments demonstrated that T-1-PMPA effectively inhibited EGFRWT and EGFR790m, with IC50 values of 86 and 561 nM, respectively, compared to Erlotinib (31 and 456 nM). T-1-PMPA also showed significant suppression of the proliferation of HepG2 and MCF7 malignant cell lines, with IC50 values of 3.51 and 4.13 μM, respectively. The selectivity indices against the two cancer cell lines indicated the overall safety of T-1-PMPA. Flow cytometry confirmed the apoptotic effects of T-1-PMPA by increasing the total percentage of apoptosis to 42% compared to 31, and 3% in Erlotinib-treated and control cells, respectively. The qRT-PCR analysis further supported the apoptotic effects by revealing significant increases in the levels of Casp3 and Casp9. Additionally, T-1-PMPA controlled the levels of TNFα and IL2 by 74 and 50%, comparing Erlotinib's values (84 and 74%), respectively. CONCLUSION In conclusion, our study's findings suggest the potential of T-1-PMPA as a promising apoptotic anticancer lead compound targeting the EGFR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim
H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical
Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy
(Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Reda G. Yousef
- Pharmaceutical
Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy
(Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A. Alsfouk
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z. Husein
- Chemistry
Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley
University, El-Kharja 72511, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M. Ibrahim
- Biophysics
Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Ismail
- Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical
Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy
(Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy
and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical
Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Research Institute, City of Scientific Research
and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
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Yousef RG, Eissa IH, Elkady H, Eldehna WM, Mehany ABM, Nabeeh A, Ibrahim IM, Elwan A, El-Zahabi MA. New nicotinamide derivatives as potential anticancer agents targeting VEGFR-2: design, synthesis, in vitro, and in silico studies. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-18. [PMID: 38100580 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2294170] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Herin, new nicotinamide candidates were designed and synthesized as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. In vitro antiproliferative activities were assessed against MCF-7, HepG-2 and HCT-116 cancer cell lines. The top cytotoxic members 15a, 15b, 16, 18a, and 18b were estimated against their selected target (VEGFR-2). Further mechanistic tests were studied for the most potent cytotoxic candidate 18a, these studies revealed the ability of compound 18a to hinder the progression of HCT-116 cells at S and Pre-G1phases besides boosting early and late apoptosis. Also compound 18a was found to significantly decrease the levels immunomodulatory proteins TNF-α and IL-6 while showing a four-fold rise in an apoptotic marker caspase-3 when compared to control cells. The therapeutic index of the designed derivatives was evaluated by computational ADMET and toxicity calculations as well as their potentiality to occupy the VEGFR-2 active site was signposted by molecular docking assessments. Finally, molecular dynamic simulation studies of compound 18a-VEGFR-2 complex indicated the high steadiness of compound 18a in the VEGFR-2 active site. This study presents compound 18a as a lead candidate that can be optimized to get a strong VEGFR-2 inhibitor.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wagdy M Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Ahmed B M Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Nabeeh
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Ayman El-Zahabi
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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Eissa IH, Yousef RG, Sami M, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk BA, Ibrahim IM, Husein DZ, Elkady H, Metwaly AM. Exploring the anticancer properties of a new nicotinamide analogue: Investigations into in silico analysis, antiproliferative effects, selectivity, VEGFR-2 inhibition, apoptosis induction, and migration suppression. Pathol Res Pract 2023; 252:154924. [PMID: 37956639 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2023.154924] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study focuses on the development and evaluation of (E)-N-(3-(1-(2-(4-bromobenzoyl)hydrazono)ethyl)phenyl)nicotinamide (BHEPN) as a potential inhibitor of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). METHODS Computational investigations as density function theory (DFT), docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and ADMET) in addition to in vitro (VEGFR-2 inhibition, cytotoxicity against HepG2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines, selectivity index, cells cycle analysis, apoptosis investigation, and cells migration assay) studies were conducted. RESULTS DFT calculations determined the three-dimensional structure and indicated the reactivity of BHEPN. Molecular docking, and MD simulations analysis showed the BHEPN's binding affinity and its potential as a VEGFR-2 inhibitor. ADMET assessments predicted BHEPN's safety and drug-like characteristics. In vitro investigations confirmed the inhibition of VEGFR-2 with an IC50 value of 0.320 ± 0.012 µM. BHEPN also exhibited remarkable cytotoxic effects against HepG2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines, with IC50 values of 0.19 ± 0.01 µM and 1.18 ± 0.01 µM, respectively, outperforming Sorafenib's IC50 values (2.24 ± 0.06 µM and 3.17 ± 0.01 µM), respectively. Notably, BHEPN displayed a higher IC50 value of 4.11 ± 0 µM against the non-carcinogenic Vero cell lines, indicating selectivity index values of 21.6 and 3.4 against the tested cancer cell lines, respectively. In a flow cytometry assay, BHEPN induced HepG2 cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase. Moreover, BHEPN increased the incidence of early and late apoptosis in HepG2 cell lines (from 1.38% and 0.22%) in control cells to (4.11-26.02%) in the treated cells, respectively. Additionally, the percentage of necrosis raised to 13.39%, in contrast to 0.62% in control cells. Finally, BHEPN was able to reduce the migration and wound healing abilities in HepG2 cells to 38.89% compared to 87.92% in untreated cells after 48 h. These in vitro results aligned with the computational predictions, providing strong evidence of BHEPN's efficacy and safety in anticancer applications. CONCLUSIONS BHEPN is a promising candidate for the development of novel anticancer agents through further in vitro and in vivo investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Muhammad Sami
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja 72511, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt.
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Eissa IH, Yousef RG, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, El-Mahdy HA, Elkady H, Metwaly AM. Computer-Assisted Drug Discovery of a Novel Theobromine Derivative as an EGFR Protein-Targeted Apoptosis Inducer. Evol Bioinform Online 2023; 19:11769343231217916. [PMID: 38046652 PMCID: PMC10693208 DOI: 10.1177/11769343231217916] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The overexpression of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) marks it as a pivotal target in cancer treatment, with the aim of reducing its proliferation and inducing apoptosis. This study aimed at the CADD of a new apoptotic EGFR inhibitor. The natural alkaloid, theobromine, was used as a starting point to obtain a new semisynthetic (di-ortho-chloro acetamide) derivative (T-1-DOCA). Firstly, T-1-DOCA's total electron density, energy gap, reactivity indices, and electrostatic surface potential were determined by DFT calculations, Then, molecular docking studies were carried out to predict the potential of T-1-DOCA against wild and mutant EGFR proteins. T-1-DOCA's correct binding was further confirmed by molecular dynamics (MD) over 100 ns, MM-GPSA, and PLIP experiments. In vitro, T-1-DOCA showed noticeable efficacy compared to erlotinib by suppressing EGFRWT and EGFRT790M with IC50 values of 56.94 and 269.01 nM, respectively. T-1-DOCA inhibited also the proliferation of H1975 and HCT-116 malignant cell lines, exhibiting IC50 values of 14.12 and 23.39 µM, with selectivity indices of 6.8 and 4.1, respectively, indicating its anticancer potential and general safety. The apoptotic effects of T-1-DOCA were indicated by flow cytometric analysis and were further confirmed through its potential to increase the levels of BAX, Casp3, and Casp9, and decrease Bcl-2 levels. In conclusion, T-1-DOCA, a new apoptotic EGFR inhibitor, was designed and evaluated both computationally and experimentally. The results suggest that T-1-DOCA is a promising candidate for further development as an anti-cancer drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University. Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hesham A El-Mahdy
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
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Eissa IH, Yousef RG, Elkady H, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, Elhendawy MA, Godfrey M, Metwaly AM. Design, semi-synthesis, anti-cancer assessment, docking, MD simulation, and DFT studies of novel theobromine-based derivatives as VEGFR-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers. Comput Biol Chem 2023; 107:107953. [PMID: 37673011 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2023.107953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
A group of theobromine derivatives was designed based on the key pharmacophoric characteristics of VEGFR-2 inhibitors. HepG2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines were used to test the obtained compounds for their in vitro anti-proliferative activities. Compound 15 (2-(3,7-Dimethyl-2,6-dioxo-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-purin-1-yl)-N-(4-(1-(2-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)hydrazono)ethyl) phenyl)acetamide) was the most potent cytotoxic member against MCF-7 (IC50 = 0.42 µM) and HepG2 (IC50 = 0.22 µM). The effectiveness of VEGFR-2 inhibition was assessed for compound 15, and its IC50 value was calculated to be 0.067 µM. Additional cellular mechanistic investigations showed that compound 15 dramatically increased the population of apoptotic HepG2 cells in both early and late apoptosis. The investigation of apoptotic markers confirmed that compound 15 upregulated the levels of BAX (2.26-fold) and downregulated the levels of Bcl-2 (4.4-fold). The molecular docking investigations, MM-GPSA, PLIP studies, and MD simulations validated the potential of compound 15 to be a VEGFR-2 inhibitor. DFT calculations have been completed to comprehend how the electrical charge is distributed within compound 15 and to predict how it would bond to VEGFR-2. Lastly, ADMET prediction showed that the designed members have drug-like characteristics and minimal levels of toxicity. In conclusion, our in vitro and in silico investigations showed that compound 15 exhibited promising apoptotic anticancer potential through the suppression of VEGFR-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja 72511, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
| | - Mostafa A Elhendawy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA; Department of Agriculture Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Damietta, Egypt
| | - Murrell Godfrey
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt.
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Eissa IH, Yousef RG, Asmaey MA, Elkady H, Husein DZ, Alsfouk AA, Ibrahim IM, Elkady MA, Elkaeed EB, Metwaly AM. Computer-assisted drug discovery (CADD) of an anti-cancer derivative of the theobromine alkaloid inhibiting VEGFR-2. Saudi Pharm J 2023; 31:101852. [PMID: 38028225 PMCID: PMC10663924 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101852] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
VEGFR-2 is a significant target in cancer treatment, inhibiting angiogenesis and impeding tumor growth. Utilizing the essential pharmacophoric structural properties, a new semi-synthetic theobromine analogue (T-1-MBHEPA) was designed as VEGFR-2 inhibitor. Firstly, T-1-MBHEPA's stability and reactivity were indicated through several DFT computations. Additionally, molecular docking, MD simulations, MM-GPSA, PLIP, and essential dynamics (ED) experiments suggested T-1-MBHEPA's strong binding capabilities to VEGFR-2. Its computational ADMET profiles were also studied before the semi-synthesis and indicated a good degree of drug-likeness. T-1-MBHEPA was then semi-synthesized to evaluate the design and the in silico findings. It was found that, T-1-MBHEPA inhibited VEGFR-2 with an IC50 value of 0.121 ± 0.051 µM, as compared to sorafenib which had an IC50 value of 0.056 µM. Similarly, T-1-MBHEPA inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 and MCF7 cell lines with IC50 values of 4.61 and 4.85 µg/mL respectively - comparing sorafenib's IC50 values which were 2.24 µg/mL and 3.17 µg/mL respectively. Interestingly, T-1-MBHEPA revealed a noteworthy IC50 value of 80.0 µM against the normal cell lines exhibiting exceptionally high selectivity indexes (SI) of 17.4 and 16. 5 against the examined cell lines, respectively. T-1-MBHEPA increased the percentage of apoptotic MCF7 cells in early and late stages, respectively, from 0.71 % to 7.22 % and from 0.13 % to 2.72 %, while the necrosis percentage was increased to 11.41 %, in comparison to 2.22 % in control cells. Furthermore, T-1-MBHEPA reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-2 in the treated MCF7 cells by 33 % and 58 %, respectively indicating an additional anti-angiogenic mechanism. Also, T-1-MBHEPA decreased significantly the potentialities of MCF7 cells to heal and migrate from 65.9 % to 7.4 %. Finally, T-1-MBHEPA's oral treatment didn't show toxicity on the liver function (ALT and AST) and the kidney function (creatinine and urea) levels of mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Reda G. Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Mostafa A. Asmaey
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, 71524, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Dalal Z. Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja 72511, Egypt
| | - Aisha A. Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M. Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A. Elkady
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11231, Egypt
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
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Eissa IH, Yousef RG, Elkady H, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk BA, Husein DZ, Asmaey MA, Ibrahim IM, Metwaly AM. Anti-breast cancer potential of a new xanthine derivative: In silico, antiproliferative, selectivity, VEGFR-2 inhibition, apoptosis induction and migration inhibition studies. Pathol Res Pract 2023; 251:154894. [PMID: 37857034 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2023.154894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The overexpression of VEGFR-2 receptors in breast cancer provides a valuable approach to anticancer strategies. Targeting VEGFR-2, a new semisynthetic compound (T-1-MCPAB) has been designed. METHODS Computational methods (ADMET, toxicity, DFT, Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics Simulations, MM-GBSA, PLIP, and PCAT) were conducted. In addition to the semi-synthesis, in vitro studies (anti-VEGFR-2, anti-proliferative, flow cytometry, and wound scratch assay) were employed. RESULTS ADME and toxicity profiles of T-1-MCPAB studies indicated its overall drug-likeness showing results much better than Sorafenib. Then, T-1-MCPAB's exact 3D structure, stability, and reactivity were evoked by the DFT calculations. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, MM-GPSA, PLIP, and PCAT studies denoted the correct binding and inhibiting potential of T-1-MCPAB, towards VEGFR-2 protein. After the semisynthesis, T-1-MCPAB inhibited VEGFR-2 with an IC50 of 0.135 µM, which was comparable to sorafenib's IC50 of 0.0591 µM. T-1-MCPAB also showed a notable performance against MCF7 and T47D breast cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 30.95 µM and 63.64 µM, respectively, and had high selectivity index values of 3.7 and 1.8, respectively. Furthermore, T-1-MCPAB influenced early and late apoptosis and significantly decreased the potential of MCF7 cells to heal and migrate. CONCLUSION T-1-MCPAB is a promising VEGFR-2 inhibitor with potential for breast cancer treatment. Further chemical and biological studies are needed to explore its potential as a therapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja 72511, Egypt.
| | - Mostafa A Asmaey
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, 71524 Assiut, Egypt.
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University. Cairo 12613, Egypt.
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt.
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Eissa IH, Yousef RG, Elkady H, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, Radwan MM, Metwaly AM. A Theobromine Derivative with Anticancer Properties Targeting VEGFR-2: Semisynthesis, in silico and in vitro Studies. ChemistryOpen 2023; 12:e202300066. [PMID: 37803417 PMCID: PMC10558427 DOI: 10.1002/open.202300066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A computer-assisted drug design (CADD) approach was utilized to design a new acetamido-N-(para-fluorophenyl)benzamide) derivative of the naturally occurring alkaloid, theobromine, (T-1-APFPB), following the pharmacophoric features of VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The stability and reactivity of T-1-AFPB were assessed through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Molecular docking assessments showed T-1-AFPB's potential to bind with and inhibit VEGFR-2. The precise binding of T-1-AFPB against VEGFR-2 with optimal energy was further confirmed through several molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, PLIP, MM-GBSA, and PCA studies. Then, T-1-AFPB (4-(2-(3,7-Dimethyl-2,6-dioxo-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-purin-1-yl)acetamido)-N-(4-fluorophenyl)benzamide) was semi-synthesized and the in vitro assays showed its potential to inhibit VEGFR-2 with an IC50 value of 69 nM (sorafenib's IC50 was 56 nM) and to inhibit the growth of HepG2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 2.24±0.02 and 3.26±0.02 μM, respectively. Moreover, T-1-AFPB displayed very high selectivity indices against normal Vero cell lines. Furthermore, T-1-AFPB induced early (from 0.72 to 19.12) and late (from 0.13 to 6.37) apoptosis in HepG2 cell lines. In conclusion, the combined computational and experimental approaches demonstrated the efficacy and safety of T-1-APFPB providing it as a promising lead VEGFR-2 inhibitor for further development aiming at cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design DepartmentFaculty of Pharmacy (Boys)Al-Azhar UniversityCairo11884Egypt
| | - Reda G. Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design DepartmentFaculty of Pharmacy (Boys)Al-Azhar UniversityCairo11884Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design DepartmentFaculty of Pharmacy (Boys)Al-Azhar UniversityCairo11884Egypt
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesCollege of PharmacyAlMaarefa UniversityRiyadh13713Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A. Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesCollege of PharmacyPrincess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityP.O. Box 84428Riyadh11671Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z. Husein
- Chemistry DepartmentFaculty of ScienceNew Valley UniversityEl-Kharja72511Egypt
| | | | - Mohamed M. Radwan
- National Center for Natural Products ResearchUniversity of MississippiMississippiMS 38677USA
- Department of PharmacognosyFaculty of PharmacyAlexandria UniversityAlexandriaEgypt
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants DepartmentFaculty of Pharmacy (Boys)Al-Azhar UniversityCairo11884Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research DepartmentGenetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research InstituteCity of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City)AlexandriaEgypt
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9
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Elkaeed EB, Yousef RG, Elkady H, Mehany ABM, Alsfouk BA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. In silico, in vitro VEGFR-2 inhibition, and anticancer activity of a 3-(hydrazonomethyl)naphthalene-2-ol derivative. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:7986-8001. [PMID: 36184591 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2127907] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/07/2022]
Abstract
In agreement with the general features of VEGFR-2 inhibitors, a new naphthalene analog (compound 7) has been designed and synthesized. The inhibitory potential of compound 7 was indicated by the proper binding and the perfect energy of -21.10 kcal/mol compared to sorafenib (-21.22) in the molecular docking studies. Next, six MD simulation studies over 100 ns (RMSD, RMSF, SASA, RoG, hydrogen bonding, and distance between the center of mass) confirmed the accurate interaction of compound 7 with the catalytic pocket of VEGFR-2. Similarly, an MM-GBSA established proper binding showing an exact total binding energy of -36.95 ± 3.03 kcal/Mol. Additionally, the MM-GBSA experiment indicated the vital amino acids in the binding process. Types and number of interactions of compound 7 with catalytic pocket of VEGFR-2 were determined through Protein-Ligand Interaction Profiler (PLIP). As a new compound, the DFT was employed to optimize the molecular structure of compound 7. The DFT experiments also verified the interaction features of compound 7 with the VEGFR-2 active site. In silico ADMET experiments revealed the general drug-likeness of compound 7. Fascinatingly, the in vitro examinations were consistent with the in silico experiments as compound 7 inhibited the VEGFR-2 enzyme with an IC50 value of 37 nM. Captivatingly, compound 7 inhibited both MCF-7 and HCT 116 cancer cells exhibiting IC50 values of 10.56 and 7.07 µM exhibiting excellent selectivity indexes of 9.04 and 13.50, respectively.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed B M Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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10
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Eissa IH, Yousef RG, Elkady H, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, Elhendawy MA, Godfrey M, Metwaly AM. Identification of new theobromine-based derivatives as potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors: design, semi-synthesis, biological evaluation, and in silico studies. RSC Adv 2023; 13:23285-23307. [PMID: 37538515 PMCID: PMC10395314 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra04007k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to design anticancer theobromine derivatives inhibiting VEGFR-2. The new compounds were tested in vitro to evaluate their effectiveness against MCF-7 and HepG2 cancer cell lines. Among these compounds, 15a showed the highest cytotoxicity against HepG2, with an IC50 value of 0.76 μM, and significant anti-proliferative effects on MCF-7, with an IC50 value of 1.08 μM. Notably, the selectivity index of 15a against the two cancer cells was 98.97 and 69.64, respectively. Moreover, 15a demonstrated potent VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.239 μM). Further investigations revealed that 15a induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells, significantly increasing early-stage and late-stage apoptosis percentages from 3.06% and 0.71% to 29.49% and 9.63%, respectively. It also upregulated caspase-3 and caspase-9 levels by 3.45-fold and 2.37-fold, respectively compared to control HepG2 cells. Additionally, 15a inhibited the migration and wound healing ability of HepG2 cells. Molecular docking confirmed the binding affinities of the semi-synthesized compounds to VEGFR-2, consistent with in vitro results. Several computational analyses (DFT, MD simulations, MM-GBSA, PLIP, and essential dynamics) supported the stability of the 15a-VEGFR-2 complex. Overall, the biological and computational findings suggest that compound 15a could be a promising lead compound for the development of a novel apoptotic anticancer agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo11884 Egypt
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo11884 Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo11884 Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University Riyadh 13713 Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University P.O. Box 84428 Riyadh 11671 Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University El-Kharja 72511 Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University Cairo 12613 Egypt
| | - Mostafa A Elhendawy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi University MS 38677 USA
- Department of Agriculture Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University Damietta Egypt
| | - Murrell Godfrey
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi University MS 38677 USA
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City) Alexandria Egypt
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11
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Eissa IH, G Yousef R, Elkady H, Alsfouk AA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, El-Deeb N, Kenawy AM, Eldehna WM, Elkaeed EB, Metwaly AM. New apoptotic anti-triple-negative breast cancer theobromine derivative inhibiting EGFRWT and EGFR T790M: in silico and in vitro evaluation. Mol Divers 2023:10.1007/s11030-023-10644-4. [PMID: 37162644 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-023-10644-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
A new theobromine-derived EGFR inhibitor (2-(3,7-Dimethyl-2,6-dioxo-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-purin-1-yl)-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)acetamide) has been developed that has the essential structural characteristics to interact with EGFR's pocket. The designed compound is 2,6-di ortho methylphenyl)acetamide derivative of the well-known alkaloid, theobromine, (T-1-DOMPA). Firstly, deep DFT studies have been conducted to study the optimized chemical structure, molecular orbital and chemical reactivity analysis of T-1-DOMPA. Then, T-1-DOMPA's anticancer potentialities were estimated first through a structure-based computational approach. Utilizing molecular docking, molecular dynamics, MD, simulations over 100 ns, MM-PBSA and PLIP studies, T-1-DOMPA bonded to and inhibited the EGFR protein effectively. Subsequently, the ADMET profiles of T-1-DOMPA were computed before preparation, and its drug-likeness was anticipated. Therefore, T-1-DOMPA was prepared for the purposes of scrutinizing both the design and the results obtained in silico. The in vitro potential of T-1-DOMPA against triple-negative breast cancer cell lines, MDA- MB-231, was very promising with an IC50 value of1.8 µM, comparable to the reference drug (0.9 µM), and a much higher selectivity index of 2.6. Interestingly, T-1-DOMPA inhibited three other cancer cell lines (CaCO-2, HepG-2, and A549) with IC50 values of 1.98, 2.53, and 2.39 µM exhibiting selectivity index values of 2,4, 1.9, and 2, respectively. Additionally, T-1-DOMPA prevented effectively the MDA-MB-231cell line's healing and migration abilities. Also, T-1-DOMPA's abilities to induce apoptosis were confirmed by acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining assay. Finally, T-1-DOMPA caused an up-regulation of the gene expression of the apoptotic gene, Caspase-3, in the treated MDA-MB-231cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt.
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja, 72511, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, 12613, Egypt
| | - Nehal El-Deeb
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt
- Pharmaceutical and Fermentation Industries Development Center, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA City), New Borg El-Arab City, 21934, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Kenawy
- Nucleic Acids Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab City, 21934, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Wagdy M Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
- School of Biotechnology, Badr University in Cairo, Badr City, 11829, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt.
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt.
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12
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Eissa IH, Yousef RG, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, Alesawy MS, Elkady H, Metwaly AM. Anticancer derivative of the natural alkaloid, theobromine, inhibiting EGFR protein: Computer-aided drug discovery approach. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282586. [PMID: 36893122 PMCID: PMC9997933 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
A new semisynthetic derivative of the natural alkaloid, theobromine, has been designed as a lead antiangiogenic compound targeting the EGFR protein. The designed compound is an (m-tolyl)acetamide theobromine derivative, (T-1-MTA). Molecular Docking studies have shown a great potential for T-1-MTA to bind to EGFR. MD studies (100 ns) verified the proposed binding. By MM-GBSA analysis, the exact binding with optimal energy of T-1-MTA was also identified. Then, DFT calculations were performed to identify the stability, reactivity, electrostatic potential, and total electron density of T-1-MTA. Furthermore, ADMET analysis indicated the T-1-MTA's general likeness and safety. Accordingly, T-1-MTA has been synthesized to be examined in vitro. Intriguingly, T-1-MTA inhibited the EGFR protein with an IC50 value of 22.89 nM and demonstrated cytotoxic activities against the two cancer cell lines, A549, and HCT-116, with IC50 values of 22.49, and 24.97 μM, respectively. Interestingly, T-1-MTA's IC50 against the normal cell lines, WI-38, was very high (55.14 μM) indicating high selectivity degrees of 2.4 and 2.2, respectively. Furthermore, the flow cytometry analysis of A549 treated with T-1-MTA showed significantly increased ratios of early apoptosis (from 0.07% to 21.24%) as well as late apoptosis (from 0.73% to 37.97%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- * E-mail: (IHE); (AMM); (HE)
| | - Reda G. Yousef
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A. Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z. Husein
- Faculty of Science, Chemistry Department, New Valley University, El-Kharja, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M. Ibrahim
- Faculty of Science, Biophysics Department, Cairo University. Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed S. Alesawy
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- * E-mail: (IHE); (AMM); (HE)
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
- * E-mail: (IHE); (AMM); (HE)
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Eissa IH, Elkaeed EB, Elkady H, Yousef RG, Alsfouk BA, Elzahabi HSA, Ibrahim IM, Metwaly AM, Husein DZ. Design, Molecular Modeling, MD Simulations, Essential Dynamics, ADMET, DFT, Synthesis, Anti-proliferative, and Apoptotic Evaluations of a New Anti-VEGFR-2 Nicotinamide Analogue. Curr Pharm Des 2023; 29:2902-2920. [PMID: 38031271 DOI: 10.2174/0113816128274870231102114858] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aims to design and evaluate (in silico and in vitro) a new nicotinamide derivative as an inhibitor of VEGFR-2, a major mediator of angiogenesis Methods: The following in silico studies were performed; DFT calculations, molecular modelling, MD simulations, MM-GBSA, PLIP, and PCAT studies. The compound's in silico (ADMET) analysis was also conducted. Subsequently, the compound ((E)-N-(4-(1-(2-(4-(4-Chlorobenzamido)benzoyl)hydrazono)ethyl) phenyl)nicotinamide) was successfully synthesized and designated as compound X. In vitro, VEGFR-2 inhibition and cytotoxicity of compound X against HCT-116 and A549 cancer cell lines and normal Vero cell lines were conducted. Apoptosis induction and migration assay of HCT-116 cell lines after treatment with compound X were also evaluated. RESULTS DFT calculations assigned stability and reactivity of compound X. Molecular docking and MD simulations indicated its excellent binding against VEGFR-2. Furthermore, MM-GBSA analysis, PLIP experiments, and PCAT studies confirmed compound X's correct binding with optimal dynamics and energy. ADMET analysis expressed its general likeness and safety. The in vitro assays demonstrated that compound X effectively inhibited VEGFR-2, with an IC50 value of 0.319 ± 0.013 μM and displayed cytotoxicity against HCT-116 and A549 cancer cell lines, with IC50 values of 57.93 and 78.82 μM, respectively. Importantly, compound X exhibited minimal toxicity towards the non-cancerous Vero cell lines, (IC50 = 164.12 μM). Additionally, compound X significantly induced apoptosis of HCT-116 cell lines and inhibited their potential to migrate and heal. CONCLUSION In summary, the presented study has identified compound X as a promising candidate for the development of a novel apoptotic lead anticancer drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Heba S A Elzahabi
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja 72511, Egypt
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14
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Yousef RG, Elwan A, Gobaara IMM, Mehany ABM, Eldehna WM, El-Metwally SA, A Alsfouk B, Elkaeed EB, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Anti-cancer and immunomodulatory evaluation of new nicotinamide derivatives as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers: in vitro and in silico studies. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2022; 37:2206-2222. [PMID: 35980113 PMCID: PMC9466619 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2110868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
New nicotinamide derivatives 6, 7, 10, and 11 were designed and synthesised based on the essential features of the VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Compound 10 revealed the highest anti-proliferative activities with IC50 values of 15.4 and 9.8 µM against HCT-116 and HepG2, respectively compared to sorafenib (IC50 = 9.30 and 7.40 µM). Compound 7 owned promising cytotoxic activities with IC50 values of 15.7 and 15.5 µM against the same cell lines, respectively. Subsequently, the VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities were assessed for the titled compounds to exhibit VEGFR-2 inhibition with sub-micromolar IC50 values. Moreover, compound 7 induced the cell cycle cessation at the cycle at %G2-M and G0-G1phases, and induced apoptosis in the HCT-116. Compounds 7 and 10 reduced the levels of TNF-α by 81.6 and 84.5% as well as IL-6 by 88.4 and 60.9%, respectively, compared to dexamethasone (82.4 and 93.1%). In silico docking, molecular dynamics simulations, ADMET, and toxicity studies were carried out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibraheem M M Gobaara
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed B M Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wagdy M Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Souad A El-Metwally
- Department of Basic Science, Higher Technological institute, 10th of Ramadan City, Egypt
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.,Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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15
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Elkaeed EB, Yousef RG, Khalifa MM, Ibrahim A, Mehany ABM, Gobaara IMM, Alsfouk BA, Eldehna WM, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH, El-Zahabi MA. Discovery of New VEGFR-2 Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Anti-Proliferative Evaluation, Docking, and MD Simulation Studies. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27196203. [PMID: 36234734 PMCID: PMC9571953 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27196203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Four new nicotinamide-based derivatives were designed as antiangiogenic VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The congeners were synthesized possessing the pharmacophoric essential features to bind correctly with the VEGFR-2 active pocket. All members were evaluated for their cytotoxic and VEGFR-2 inhibitory potentialities. Compound 6 was the most potent showingIC50 values of 9.3 ± 0.02 and 7.8 ± 0.025 µM against HCT-116 and HepG-2 cells, respectively, and IC50 of 60.83 nM regarding VEGFR-2 enzyme inhibition. Compound 6 arrested the growth of HCT-116 cells at the pre-G1 and G2-M phases. Further, it induced both early and late apoptosis. Additionally, compound 6 caused a significant decrease in TNF-α and IL6 by 66.42% and 57.34%, respectively. The considered compounds had similar docking performances to that of sorafenib against the VEGFR-2 (PDB ID: 2OH4). The correct binding of compound 6 with VEGFR-2 was validated using MD simulations, and MM-GPSA calculations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reda G. Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohamed M. Khalifa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Albaraa Ibrahim
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed B. M. Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | | | - Bshra A. Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wagdy M. Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt
- School of Biotechnology, Badr University in Cairo, Badr City 11829, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Correspondence: authors: (I.H.E.); (M.A.E.-Z.)
| | - Mohamed Ayman El-Zahabi
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Correspondence: authors: (I.H.E.); (M.A.E.-Z.)
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16
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Elkaeed EB, Yousef RG, Elkady H, Alsfouk AA, Husein DZ, Ibrahim IM, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. New Anticancer Theobromine Derivative Targeting EGFR WT and EGFR T790M: Design, Semi-Synthesis, In Silico, and In Vitro Anticancer Studies. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27185859. [PMID: 36144596 PMCID: PMC9500845 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27185859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [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: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on the pharmacophoric features of EGFR inhibitors, a new semisynthetic theobromine-derived compound was designed to interact with the catalytic pocket of EGFR. Molecular docking against wild (EGFRWT; PDB: 4HJO) and mutant (EGFRT790M; PDB: 3W2O) types of EGFR-TK indicated that the designed theobromine derivative had the potential to bind to that pocket as an antiangiogenic inhibitor. The MD and MM-GBSA experiments identified the exact binding with optimum energy and dynamics. Additionally, the DFT calculations studied electrostatic potential, stability, and total electron density of the designed theobromine derivative. Both in silico ADMET and toxicity analyses demonstrated its general likeness and safety. We synthesized the designed theobromine derivative (compound XI) which showed an IC50 value of 17.23 nM for EGFR inhibition besides IC50 values of 21.99 and 22.02 µM for its cytotoxicity against A549 and HCT-116 cell lines, respectively. Interestingly, compound XI expressed a weak cytotoxic potential against the healthy W138 cell line (IC50 = 49.44 µM, 1.6 times safer than erlotinib), exhibiting the high selectivity index of 2.2. Compound XI arrested the growth of A549 at the G2/M stage and increased the incidence of apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reda G. Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Aisha A. Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Z. Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University, El-Kharja 72511, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M. Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
- Correspondence: (A.M.M.); (I.H.E.)
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Correspondence: (A.M.M.); (I.H.E.)
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17
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Yousef RG, Eldehna WM, Elwan A, Abdelaziz AS, Mehany ABM, Gobaara IMM, Alsfouk BA, Elkaeed EB, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Design, Synthesis, In Silico and In Vitro Studies of New Immunomodulatory Anticancer Nicotinamide Derivatives Targeting VEGFR-2. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27134079. [PMID: 35807326 PMCID: PMC9268560 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
VEGFR-2, the subtype receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) responsible for angiogenesis, is expressed in various cancer cells. Thus, VEGFER-2 inhibition is an efficient approach for the discovery of new anticancer agents. Accordingly, a new set of nicotinamide derivatives were designed and synthesized to be VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The chemical structures were confirmed using IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The obtained compounds were examined for their anti-proliferative activities against the human cancer cell lines (HCT-116 and HepG2). VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities were determined for the titled compounds. Compound 8 exhibited the strongest anti-proliferative activities with IC50 values of 5.4 and 7.1 µM against HCT-116 and HepG2, respectively. Interestingly, compound 8 was the most potent VEGFR-2 inhibitor with an IC50 value of 77.02 nM (compare to sorafenib: IC50 = 53.65 nM). Treatment of HCT-116 cells with compound 8 produced arrest of the cell cycle at the G0–G1 phase and a total apoptosis increase from 3.05 to 19.82%—6.5-fold in comparison to the negative control. In addition, compound 8 caused significant increases in the expression levels of caspase-8 (9.4-fold) and Bax (9.2-fold), and a significant decrease in the Bcl-2 expression level (3-fold). The effects of compound 8 on the levels of the immunomodulatory proteins (TNF-α and IL-6) were examined. There was a marked decrease in the level of TNF-α (92.37%) compared to the control (82.47%) and a non-significant reduction in the level of IL-6. In silico docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and MM-PBSA studies revealed the high affinity, the correct binding, and the optimum dynamics of compound 8 inside the active site of VEGFR-2. Finally, in silico ADMET and toxicity studies indicated acceptable values of drug-likeness. In conclusion, compound 8 has emerged as a promising anti-proliferative agent targeting VEGFR-2 with significant apoptotic and immunomodulatory effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda G. Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (R.G.Y.); (A.E.); (A.S.A.)
| | - Wagdy M. Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt;
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (R.G.Y.); (A.E.); (A.S.A.)
| | - Abdelaziz S. Abdelaziz
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (R.G.Y.); (A.E.); (A.S.A.)
| | - Ahmed B. M. Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (A.B.M.M.); (I.M.M.G.)
| | - Ibraheem M. M. Gobaara
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (A.B.M.M.); (I.M.M.G.)
| | - Bshra A. Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt;
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
- Correspondence: (A.M.M.); (I.H.E.)
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (R.G.Y.); (A.E.); (A.S.A.)
- Correspondence: (A.M.M.); (I.H.E.)
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18
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Yousef RG, Ibrahim A, Khalifa MM, Eldehna WM, Gobaara IMM, Mehany ABM, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Discovery of new nicotinamides as apoptotic VEGFR-2 inhibitors: virtual screening, synthesis, anti-proliferative, immunomodulatory, ADMET, toxicity, and molecular dynamic simulation studies. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2022; 37:1389-1403. [PMID: 35577416 PMCID: PMC9116259 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2070744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
A library of modified VEGFR-2 inhibitors was designed as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Virtual screening was conducted for the hypothetical library using in silico docking, ADMET, and toxicity studies. Four compounds exhibited high in silico affinity against VEGFR-2 and an acceptable range of the drug-likeness. These compounds were synthesised and subjected to in vitro cytotoxicity assay against two cancer cell lines besides VEGFR-2 inhibitory determination. Compound D-1 showed cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 cells almost double that of sorafenib. Compounds A-1, C-6, and D-1 showed good IC50 values against VEGFR-2. Compound D-1 markedly increased the levels of caspase-8 and BAX expression and decreased the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 level. Additionally, compound D-1 caused cell cycle arrest at pre-G1 and G2-M phases in HCT-116 cells and induced apoptosis at both early and late apoptotic stages. Compound D-1 decreased the level of TNF-α and IL6 and inhibited TNF-α and IL6. MD simulations studies were performed over 100 ns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Albaraa Ibrahim
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed M Khalifa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wagdy M Eldehna
- School of Biotechnology, Badr University in Cairo, Badr City, Egypt.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Ibraheem M M Gobaara
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed B M Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.,Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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19
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El-Adl K, Sakr HM, Yousef RG, Mehany ABM, Abulkhair HS, Eissa IH. New quinoxalin-2(1H)-one-derived VEGFR-2 inhibitors: Design, synthesis, in vitro anticancer evaluations, in silico ADMET, and docking studies. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2022; 355:e2200048. [PMID: 35437829 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202200048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
More than 70% of cancer patients who are treated with chemotherapeutics do not show a durable response. As part of the global plan seeking new effective chemotherapeutics, here, we report the synthesis and in vitro and computational studies of new lenvatinib and sorafenib analog quinoxalines as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor II (VEGFR-2) tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The central quinolone and pyridine moieties of the Food and Drug Administration-approved anticancer agents lenvatinib and sorafenib were replaced with the versatile quinoxaline scaffold that has been exploited for developing potent cytotoxic agents. With some minor structural optimizations, all the other pharmacophoric features of lenvatinib and sorafenib were maintained. Accordingly, three new sets of quinoxalines were synthesized to evaluate their activity against liver, colorectal, and breast malignancies. The results obtained in the in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation study revealed the superior activity of three derivatives (20, 25, and 29) compared with that of doxorubicin and sorafenib. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) profiling and docking of 20, 25, and 29 into the VEGFR-2 receptor were also performed. Results of in silico studies showed the potential of the designed compounds to bind effectively with a number of key residues. The obtained in vitro cytotoxic activity and ADMET profiles of compounds 20, 25, and 29 suggested that they should be subjected to further structural optimizations to develop new candidates in cancer treatment protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled El-Adl
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.,Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Helmy M Sakr
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed B M Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hamada S Abulkhair
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.,Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University-Egypt, New Damietta, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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20
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Yousef RG, Sakr HM, Eissa IH, Mehany ABM, Metwaly AM, Elhendawy MA, Radwan MM, ElSohly MA, Abulkhair HS, El-Adl K. New quinoxaline-2(1 H)-ones as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors: design, synthesis, molecular docking, ADMET profile and anti-proliferative evaluations. NEW J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1nj02509k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Eleven new quinoxaline derivatives were designed and synthesized as modified VEGFR-2 inhibitors of our previous work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda G. Yousef
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Helmy M. Sakr
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed. B. M. Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Mostafa A. Elhendawy
- Department of Agriculture Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Damietta, Egypt
- National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA
| | - Mohamed M. Radwan
- National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud A. ElSohly
- National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
| | - Hamada S. Abulkhair
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City 11884, Cairo, Egypt
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University – Egypt, International Costal Road, New Damietta, Egypt
| | - Khaled. El-Adl
- Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, Cairo, Egypt
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