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Khedkar HN, Chen LC, Kuo YC, Wu ATH, Huang HS. Multi-Omics Identification of Genetic Alterations in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Therapeutic Efficacy of HNC018 as a Novel Multi-Target Agent for c-MET/STAT3/AKT Signaling Axis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10247. [PMID: 37373393 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210247] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Amongst the most prevalent malignancies worldwide, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. The failure of standard treatment modalities, such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, demands the need for in-depth understanding of the complex signaling networks involved in the development of treatment resistance. A tumor's invasive growth and high levels of intrinsic or acquired treatment resistance are the primary causes of treatment failure. This may be a result of the presence of HNSCC's cancer stem cells, which are known to have self-renewing capabilities that result in therapeutic resistance. Using bioinformatics methods, we discovered that elevated expressions of MET, STAT3, and AKT were associated with poor overall survival in HNSCC patients. We then evaluated the therapeutic potential of our newly synthesized small molecule HNC018 towards its potential as a novel anticancer drug. Our computer-aided structure characterization and target identification study predicted that HNC018 could target these oncogenic markers implicated in HNSCC. Subsequently, the HNC018 has demonstrated its anti-proliferative and anticancer activities towards the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, along with displaying the stronger binding affinities towards the MET, STAT3, and AKT than the standard drug cisplatin. Reduction in the clonogenic and tumor-sphere-forming ability displays HNC018's role in decreasing the tumorigenicity. Importantly, an vivo study has shown a significant delay in tumor growth in HNC018 alone or in combination with cisplatin-treated xenograft mice model. Collectively with our findings, HNC018 highlights the desirable properties of a drug-like candidate and could be considered as a novel small molecule for treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshita Nivrutti Khedkar
- Ph.D. Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute for Cancer Biology & Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Lung-Ching Chen
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei 11101, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei 24205, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Cheng Kuo
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Alexander T H Wu
- Ph.D. Program for Translational Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Taipei Heart Institute (THI), Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Clinical Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- International Ph.D. Program for Translational Science, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Centre, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
| | - Hsu-Shan Huang
- Ph.D. Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute for Cancer Biology & Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Centre, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
- School of Pharmacy, National Defense Medical Centre, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
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