Investigation of the cytotoxic implications of metal chelators against melanoma and approaches to improve the cytotoxicity profiles of metal coordinating agents

The cytotoxic activity of thiosemicarbazones (TSC) and thiocarbohydrazones was investigated against the MelRm melanoma cell line. In general, the melanoma line was susceptible to metal coordinating agents, the most useful of which incorporated the dipyridyl ketone hydrazone sub-structure. The impact of copper supplementation on the cytotoxic activity towards the melanoma line (MelRm) of metal coordinating agents when acting as ionophores is less predictable than the general improvement that has been seen in other cancer cells such as breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7). The bimetallic nature of thiocarbohydrazone complexes with resultant loss of lipophilicity is a limiting factor in usage against MelRm. The cytotoxic activity of TSC against MelRm when used as copper ionophores could be markedly improved through combination with a partner drug capable of disrupting cellular defences to oxidative stress. In the absence of copper supplementation, both TSC and thiocarbohydrazones could be used to initiate cell cycle arrest and this could be employed to improve cytotoxicity profiles of other metallodrugs such as cisplatin.     

Improved cytotoxicity of pyridyl-substituted thiosemicarbazones against MCF-7 when used as metal ionophores

Zinc is the second most abundant transition metal in the human body, between 3 and 10 % of human genes encoding for zinc binding proteins. We have investigated the interplay of reactive oxygen species and zinc homeostasis on the cytotoxicity of the thiosemicarbazone chelators against the MCF-7 cell line. The cytotoxicity of thiosemicarbazone chelators against MCF-7 can be improved through supplementation of ionic zinc provided the zinc ion is at a level exceeding the thiosemicarbazone concentration. Elimination of the entire cell population can be accomplished with this regime, unlike the plateau of cytotoxicity observed on thiosemicarbazone monotherapy. The cytotoxic effects of copper complexes of the thiosemicarbazone are not enhanced by zinc supplementation, displacement of copper from the complex being disfavoured. Treatment of MCF-7 with uncomplexed thiosemicarbazone initiates post G1 blockade alongside the induction of apoptosis, cell death being abrogated through subsequent supplementation with zinc ion after drug removal. This would implicate a metal depletion mechanism in the cytotoxic effect of the un-coordinated thiosemicarbazone. The metal complexes of the species, however, fail to initiate similar G1 blockade and apparently exert their cytotoxic effect through generation of reactive oxygen species, suggesting that multiple mechanisms of cytotoxicity can be associated with the thiosemicarbazones dependant on the level of metal ion association.     

Synthesis characterization and cytotoxicity studies of platinum(II) complexes with reduced amino pyridine schiff base and its derivatives as ligands

A series of reduced amino pyridine Schiff base platinum(II) complexes were prepared as potential anticancer drugs, and characterized by NMR, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and molar conductivity. UV and CD results showed the binding mode between these compounds and salmon sperm DNA may be intercalation. The cytotoxicity of these complexes was validated against A549, Hela, and MCF-7 cell lines by MTT assay. Some complexes exhibited better cytotoxic activity than cisplatin against Hela and MCF-7 cell lines.     

Antitumor dinuclear platinum(II) complexes derived from a novel chiral ligand

A new chiral ligand, 2-(((1R,2R)-2-aminocyclohexyl)amino)acetic acid (HL), was designed and synthesized to prepare a series of novel dinuclear platinum(II) complexes with dicarboxylates or sulfate as bridges. The evaluation of these metal complexes in vitro cytotoxicity against human HCT-116, MCF-7 and HepG-2 cell lines were made. All compounds showed antitumor activity to HCT-116 and MCF-7. Particularly, compounds M3 and M5 not only exhibited better activity than carboplatin against MCF-7 and HepG-2, but also showed very close activity to oxaliplatin against HCT-116.     

Structure–activity relationships of diverse xanthones against multidrug resistant human tumor cells

Thirteen xanthones were isolated naturally from the stem of Securidaca inappendiculata Hassk, and structure-activity relationships (SARs) of these compounds were comparatively predicted for their cytotoxic activity against three human multidrug resistant (MDR) cell lines MCF-7/ADR, SMMC-7721/Taxol, and A549/Taxol cells. The results showed that the selected xanthones exhibited different potent cytotoxic activity against the growth of different human tumor cell lines, and most of the xanthones exhibited selective cytotoxicity against SMMC-7721/Taxol cells. Furthermore, some tested xanthones showed stronger cytotoxicity than Cisplatin, which has been used in clinical application extensively. The SARs analysis revealed that the cytotoxic activities of diverse xanthones were affected mostly by the number and position of methoxyl and hydroxyl groups. Xanthones with more free hydroxyl and methoxyl groups increased the cytotoxic activity significantly, especially for those with the presence of C-3 hydroxyl and C-4 methoxyl groups.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of phenanthrenes as cytotoxic agents with pharmacophore modeling and ChemGPS-NP prediction as topo II inhibitors

In a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study, 3-methoxy-1,4-phenanthrenequinones, calanquinone A (6a), denbinobin (6b), 5-OAc-calanquinone A (7a) and 5-OAc-denbinobin (7b), have significantly promising cytotoxicity against various human cancer cell lines (IC(50) 0.08-1.66 μg/mL). Moreover, we also established a superior pharmacophore model for cytotoxicity (r = 0.931) containing three hydrogen bond acceptors (HBA1, HBA2 and HBA3) and one hydrophobic feature (HYD) against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. The pharmacophore model indicates that HBA3 is an essential feature for the oxygen atom of 5-OH in 6a-b and for the carbonyl group of 5-OCOCH(3) in 7a-b, important for their cytotoxic properties. The SAR for moderately active 5a-b (5-OCH(3)), and highly active 6a-b and 7a-b, are also elaborated in a spatial aspect model. Further rational design and synthesis of new cytotoxic phenanthrene analogs can be implemented via this model. Additionally, employing a ChemGPS-NP based model for cytotoxicity mode of action (MOA) provides support for a preliminary classification of compounds 6a-b as topoisomerase II inhibitors.     

Antitumor agents 200. Cytotoxicity of naturally occurring resveratrol oligomers and their acetate derivatives

Eleven resveratrol oligomers and six acetylated derivatives were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against a panel of human tumor cell lines. The acetate of (-)-ampelopsin A (12) showed potent and selective cytotoxic activity with ED50 values of 0.6, 0.7 and 2.0 microg/mL against KB, 1A9 and MCF-7 cells, respectively. Hopeaphenol (10) and pallidol hexaacetate (13) also showed significant cytotoxicity against KB cells with ED50 values of 1.2 and 1.6 microg/mL, respectively.     

Synthesis,biological evaluation,and in silico studies of new CDK2 inhibitors based on pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine and pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine scaffold with apoptotic activity

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibition is considered a promising target for cancer treatment for its crucial role in cell cycle regulation. Pyrazolo pyrimidine derivatives were well established for their antitumor activity via CDK2 inhibition. In this research, new series of pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives (4–15) was designed and synthesised as novel CDK2 inhibitors. The anti-proliferative activities against MCF-7, HCT-116, and HepG-2 were used to evaluate their anticancer activity as novel CDK2 inhibitors. Most of the compounds showed superior cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and HCT-116 compared to Sorafenib. Only compounds 8, 14, and 15 showed potent activity against HepG-2. The CDK2/cyclin A2 enzyme inhibitory activity was tested for all synthesised compounds. Compound 15 showed the most significant inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ 0.061 ± 0.003 µM. It exerted remarkable alteration in Pre G1 and S phase cell cycle progression and caused apoptosis in HCT cells. In addition, the normal cell line cytotoxicity for compound 15 was assigned revealing low cytotoxic results in normal cells rather than cancer cells. Molecular docking was achieved on the designed compounds and confirmed the two essential hydrogen binding with Leu83 in CDK2 active site. In silico ADMET studies and drug-likeness showed proper pharmacokinetic properties which helped in structure requirements prediction for the observed antitumor activity.     

Synthesis, metal ion binding, and biological evaluation of new anticancer 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole analogs of UK-1

UK-1 is a bis(benzoxazole) natural product displaying activity against a wide range of human cancer cell lines. A simplified analog of UK-1, 4-carbomethoxy-2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole, was previously found to be almost as active as UK-1 against cancer cell lines, and similar to the natural product, formed complexes with a variety of metal ions such as Mg2+ and Zn2+. A series of 4-substituted-2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole analogs of this 'minimal pharmacophore' of UK-1 were prepared. The anti-cancer activity of these analogs was examined in breast and lung cancer cell lines. Spectrophotometric titrations in methanol were carried out in order to assess the ability of UK-1 and these analogs to coordinate with Mg2+ and Cu2+ ions. Although none of the new analogs were more cytotoxic than 4-carbomethoxy-2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole, some analogs were identified that display similar cytotoxicity to this simplified UK-1 analog with improved water solubility. UK-1 and all of these new analogs bind Cu2+ ions better than Mg2+ ions, and the nature of the 4-substituent is important for the Mg2+ ion binding ability of these 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazoles. Previous studies of a limited number of UK-1 analogs demonstrated a correlation between Mg2+ ion binding ability and cytotoxicity; however, within this series of 4-substituted-2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazoles the variations in cytotoxicity do not correlate with either Mg2+ or Cu2+ ion binding ability. These results, together with recent ESI-MS studies of Cu2+-mediated DNA binding by UK-1 and analogs, indicate that UK-1 and analogs may exert their cytotoxic effects by interaction with Cu2+ or other transition metal ions, rather than Mg2+, and that metal ion-mediated DNA binding, rather than metal ion binding affinity, is important for the cytotoxic effect of these compounds. The potential role of Cu2+ ions in the cytotoxic action of UK-1 is further supported by the observation that UK-1 in the presence of Cu2+ displays enhanced cytotoxicity to MCF-7 and A549 cells when compared to UK-1 alone.     

Honatisine, a novel diterpenoid alkaloid, and six known alkaloids from Delphinium honanense and their cytotoxic activity

A novel diterpene alkaloid named honatisine (1) has been isolated from the whole plants of Delphinium honanense, along with six known alkaloids, siwanine E (2), isoatisine (3), atisine (4), delcorinine (5), uraphine (6), and nordhagenine A (7). Their structures were deduced on the basis of their spectral data. All of them were evaluated by a SRB assay for their cytotoxicity, and compound 1 showed a significant cytotoxic activity (IC(50) =3.16 μM) against the MCF-7 cell line.     

Structure-Activity Relationships of Novel Salicylaldehyde Isonicotinoyl Hydrazone (SIH) Analogs: Iron Chelation,Anti-Oxidant and Cytotoxic Properties

Salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (SIH) is a lipophilic, tridentate iron chelator with marked anti-oxidant and modest cytotoxic activity against neoplastic cells. However, it has poor stability in an aqueous environment due to the rapid hydrolysis of its hydrazone bond. In this study, we synthesized a series of new SIH analogs (based on previously described aromatic ketones with improved hydrolytic stability). Their structure-activity relationships were assessed with respect to their stability in plasma, iron chelation efficacy, redox effects and cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cells. Furthermore, studies assessed the cytotoxicity of these chelators and their ability to afford protection against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative injury in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. The ligands with a reduced hydrazone bond, or the presence of bulky alkyl substituents near the hydrazone bond, showed severely limited biological activity. The introduction of a bromine substituent increased ligand-induced cytotoxicity to both cancer cells and H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. A similar effect was observed when the phenolic ring was exchanged with pyridine (i.e., changing the ligating site from O, N, O to N, N, O), which led to pro-oxidative effects. In contrast, compounds with long, flexible alkyl chains adjacent to the hydrazone bond exhibited specific cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cells and low toxicity against H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. Hence, this study highlights important structure-activity relationships and provides insight into the further development of aroylhydrazone iron chelators with more potent and selective anti-neoplastic effects.     

Novel benzothiazolyl urea and thiourea derivatives with potential cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities

A novel series of benzothiazole urea and thiourea derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for its in vitro cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The N1-(benzothiazol-2-yl)-N3-morpholinourea 3 displayed the highest cytotoxic activity in this series. A docked pose of 3 was obtained bound to G-quadruplex of human telomere DNA active site using the Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) module. Moreover, the synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans. Again, 3 showed the best activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv while other compounds were equipotent with ampicillin against S. aureus and E. coli.     

Design, synthesis and cytotoxic effect of hydroxy- and 3-alkylaminopropoxy-9,10-anthraquinone derivatives

In previous paper, we have reported the synthesis and the cytotoxic effect of 1,3-dihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone derivatives. For further design of more potent compounds, a new series of 1-hydroxy-3-(3-alkylaminopropoxy)-9,10-anthraquinones and 3-(3-alkylaminopropoxy)-9,10-anthraquinones have been synthesized. The cytotoxicity of synthetic compounds were evaluated against human Hep G2, Hep 3B and HT-29 cells. Almost all compounds indicated significant inhibitory activity against Hep G2, Hep 3B and HT-29 cell lines in vitro. Compound 5 exhibited selective cytotoxicity against Hep G2 in a concentration-dependent manner with ED50 value of 1.23 +/- 0.05 microM. Structure-activity analysis revealed that most of the 1-hydroxy-3-(3-alkylamino-2-hydroxypropoxy)-9,10-anthraquinone showed stronger cytotoxic effects than those of 1-hydroxy-3- or 3-(3-alkylaminopropoxy)-9,10-anthraquinones against Hep 3B cell line in vitro. A sub-G1 cell stage and DNA fragmentation in MCF-7 cells were significantly observed after 72 h incubation with selective compound 16. The results show that 16 causes cell death by apoptosis.     

Oleuropein inhibits migration ability through suppression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and synergistically enhances doxorubicin-mediated apoptosis in MCF-7 cells

Distinct metastasis is one of the main causes of breast cancer (BC)-related mortality and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a primary step in metastasis dissemination. On the other hand, doxorubicin (DOX) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent against BC; unfortunately, its clinical use is limited by dose-dependent side effects. Therefore, extensive efforts have been dedicated to suppressing metastasis of BC and also to overcome DOX side effects together with keeping its antitumor efficacy. Studies supported the role of oleuropein (OLEU) in reducing DOX-induced side effects besides its antitumor actions. In this study, the antimigratory effect of OLEU was assessed and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was used to detect OLEU effect on the expression level of EMT markers, in MCF-7 cells. The cytotoxic effect of OLEU and DOX was assessed by MTT assay, whereas the ratio of apoptosis was investigated by flow cytometry. The results showed that migration ability of MCF-7 cells remarkably decreased in OLEU treated group and RT-PCR results showed that OLEU may exert its antimigratory action by suppressing EMT through downregulation of sirtuin1 (SIRT1). Also, the results indicated that both OLEU and DOX were cytotoxic to MCF-7 cells, whereas DOX-OLEU cotreatment led to additive cytotoxicity and apoptosis rate. This study provides evidence regarding the suppressive role of OLEU on MCF-7 cells migration ability through suppression of EMT, and for the first time, it was proposed that SIRT1 downregulation can be involved in the OLEU antimigratory effect. Also, the findings demonstrated that OLEU can reduce DOX-induced side effects by reducing its effective dose.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of benzo[b]furo[3,4-e][1,4]diazepin-1-one derivatives as anti-cancer agents

A new series of novel Podophyllotoxin-like benzo[b]furo[3,4-e][1,4]diazepin-1-ones possessing structural elements of 4-aza-2,3-didehydropodophyllotoxins with central diazepine ring was designed and synthesized as anti-cancer agents. In initial assessment, the cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated against three cancer cell lines including MCF-7, PC3 and B16-F10 employing the MTT assay. Some of compounds (12h, 13a, 13c and 14b) showed significant cytotoxic activity. So, we investigated the cytotoxicity of compounds 12h, 13a, 13c and 14b, along with podophyllotoxin as the reference drug in different cancer cell lines including A549, A2780, DU145, HeLa, and normal Huvec cell line. Among these four compounds, 13c showed promising antiproliferative activity against all cancer cells stronger than the other compounds and comparable to reference drug podophyllotoxin in some cancer cells. All these four compounds did not show significant cytotoxicity on normal Huvec cell line. The flow cytometry analysis of the MCF-7, PC3 and A2780 human cancer cell lines treated with 13c showed that 13c, induced apoptosis in the MCF-7, PC3 and A2780 human cancer cell lines, which is in good agreement to its cytotoxic activity as well. Compound 13c did not show significant influence on tubulin assembly and exert its cytotoxic effects via induction of apoptosis and has potent and selective cytotoxic effects in cancer cells.     

Design,synthesis, and cytotoxic activity of novel 7-substituted camptothecin derivatives incorporating piperazinyl-sulfonylamidine moieties

In our continuing search for camptothecin (CPT)-derived antitumor drugs, novel 7-substituted CPT derivatives incorporating piperazinyl-sulfonylamidine moieties were designed, synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxicity against five tumor cell lines (A-549, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, KB, and KB-VIN). All of the derivatives showed promising in vitro cytotoxic activity against the tested tumor cell lines, and were more potent than irinotecan. Remarkably, most of the compounds exhibited comparable cytotoxicity against the multidrug-resistant (MDR) KB-VIN and parental KB tumor cell lines, while irinotecan lost activity completely against KB-VIN. Especially, compounds 13r and 13p (IC₅₀ 0.38 and 0.85 μM, respectively) displayed the greatest cytotoxicity against the MDR KB-VIN cell line and merit further development into preclinical and clinical drug candidates for treating cancer, including MDR phenotype.     

Proliferation of human breast cancer cells and anti-cancer action of doxorubicin and vinblastine are independent of PKC-alpha

Protein kinase C (PKC) has been considered for a potential target of anticancer chemotherapy. PKC-alpha has been associated with growth and metastasis of some cancer cells. However, the role of PKC-alpha in human breast cancer cell proliferation and anticancer chemotherapy remains unclear. In this study, we examined whether alterations of PKC-alpha by phorbol esters and PKC inhibitors could affect proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapeutic agents. Exposure for 24 h to doxorubicin (DOX) and vinblastine (VIN) caused a concentration-dependent reduction in proliferation of MCF-7 cells. However, these two anticancer drugs altered cellular morphology and growth pattern in distinct manners. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu, 100 nM), which enhanced activities of PKC-alpha, increased cancer cell proliferation and attenuated VIN (1 microM)-induced cytotoxicity. These effects were not affected in the presence of 10 nM staurosporine. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA, 100 nM) that completely depleted PKC-alpha also enhanced cancer cell proliferation and attenuated VIN-induced cytotoxicity. Three potent PKC inhibitors, staurosporine (10 nM), chelerythrine (5 microM) and bisindolylmaleimide-I (100 nM), had no significant effect on MCF-7 cell proliferation; staurosporine and chelerythrine, but not bisindolylmaleimide-I, attenuated VIN-induced cytotoxicity. Moreover, neither phorbol esters nor PKC inhibitors had an effect on cytotoxic effects of DOX (1 microM) on MCF-7 cell proliferation. Thus, these data suggest that MCF-7 cell proliferation or the anti-cancer action of DOX and VIN on breast cancer cells is independent of PKC-alpha.     

Design,semisynthesis and potent cytotoxic activity of novel 10-fluorocamptothecin derivatives

Fluorination is a well-known strategy for improving the bioavailability of bioactive molecules in the lead optimization phase of drug discovery projects. In an attempt to improve the antitumor activity of camptothecins (CPTs), novel 10-fluoro-CPT derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxicity against five human cancer cell lines (A-549, MDA-MB-231, KB, KB-VIN and MCF-7). All of the derivatives showed more potent in vitro cytotoxic activity than the clinical CPT-derived drug irinotecan against the tumor cell lines tested, and most of them showed comparable or superior potency to topotecan. Remarkably, compounds 16b (IC₅₀, 67.0 nM) and 19b (IC₅₀, 99.2 nM) displayed the highest cytotoxicity against the multidrug-resistant (MDR) KB-VIN cell line and merit further development as preclinical drug candidates for treating cancer, including MDR phenotype. Our study suggested that incorporation of a fluorine atom into position 10 of CPT is an effective method for discovering new potent CPT derivatives.     

Design,Synthesis and Anticancer Evaluation of New Substituted Thiophene-Quinoline Derivatives

A series of new isoxazolyl, triazolyl and phenyl based 3-thiophen-2-yl-quinoline derivatives were synthesized adopting click chemistry approach. In addition, the synthesis of new useful synthon, (2-chloroquinolin-3-yl) (thiophen-2-yl) methanol, is reported. The obtained compounds were characterized by spectral data analysis and evaluated for their anticancer activity. All the derivatives were subjected to in vitro MTT cytotoxicity screening assay against a panel of four different human cancer cell lines, liver (HepG-2), colon (HCT-116), human cervical cancer (HeLa) and breast (MCF-7). Out of a library of 17 compounds, two compounds have been identified as potent and selective cytotoxic agents against HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines. SAR studies for such hybridized analogues were investigated and phenyl derivatives were proved to be more potent than isoxazole and triazole derivatives. Furthermore, the promising compounds were selected for in vitro inhibition of EGFR-TK and Topo II enzymes. Also, they were subjected to cell cycle arrest analysis and apoptosis assay on MCF-7 cells. Our recent finding highlights these thiophene-quinoline analogues as a promising class of compounds for further studies concerning new anticancer therapies.     

Design and molecular modeling of novel P38α MAPK inhibitors targeting breast cancer,synthesized from oxygen heterocyclic natural compounds

Two new series of furochromone and benzofuran derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against MCF-7 and MDA231 breast cancer cell lines. Compounds 5, 6, 7, 9, 15a, 16, 17a and 18 exhibited the best antiproliferative activities with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.19 to 2.78?µM against MCF-7 superior to lapatinib as reference standard (IC₅₀; 4.69?µM). Compounds 15a and 18 revealed significant cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and MDA231, therefore their inhibitory potencies against p38α MAP kinase were evaluated. Remarkably they exhibited significant IC₅₀ of 0.04?µM comparable to SB203580 (IC₅₀; 0.50?µM) as a reference standard. These promising results of cytotoxic activity and significant inhibition of p38α MAP kinase, were confirmed by exploring the effect of benzofuran derivative (18) on the apoptotic induction and cell cycle progression of MCF-7 cell line. Compound 18 induced preG1 apoptosis and cell growth arrest at G2/M phase preventing the mitotic cycle. Moreover it activated the caspase-7 which executes apoptosis. Molecular docking study was carried out using GOLD program to predict the mode of binding interaction of the synthesized compounds into the target p38α MAPK. Additionally, the physicochemical properties and ADME parameters of compound 18 were examined in silico to investigate its drug-likeness.