The binding of vincristine, vinblastine and colchicine to tubulin

Preparations of tubulin were examined for their ability to bind vincristine, vinblastine, and colchicine, as measured by adsorption on DEAE impregnated filter paper. Vincristine and vinblastine were found to bind very rapidly with tubulin (<5 min), while colchicine took considerably longer (>4 hr). When varying concentrations of the alkaloids were employed, and the data examined on a Scatchard plot, it was found that colchicine had an association constant of 1.8 × 10⁶ liters/mole, while vinblastine and vincristine had constants of 6.0 × 10⁶ liters/mole and 8.0 × 10⁶ liters/mole respectively. In addition, it was found that the ratio of molar binding of colchicine was always twice that of vinblastine or vincristine.     

Iridoids,monoterpenoid glucoindole alkaloids and flavonoids from Vinca major

A new secoiridoid glucoside, vinmajoroside (1), was isolated from the leaves of Vinca major L. along with 11 known compounds belonging to the secoiridoid ((7α)-7-O-methylmorroniside, 2), iridoid (loganin, loganic acid and 7-O-p-coumaroylloganin), monoterpenoid glucoindole alkaloid (5 (S)-5-carboxyvincoside and strictosamide), flavonoid (rutin, kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside and robinin), lignan (syringaresinol 4-O-β-glucopyranoside) and phenolic acid (chlorogenic acid) groups. The structure elucidation of the isolates was accomplished by extensive 1D and 2D-NMR experiments as well as ESI-MS. Secoiridoids and lignan were encountered for the first time in the genus Vinca.     

Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis in patients receiving vincristine and vinblastine.

Three patients receiving vincristine or binblastine developed recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, which resolved when the drug was withdrawn. The presence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in patients with lymphoma may obscure the correct diagnosis, with the danger that the condition will produce respiratory distress if vinca alkaloid treatment is continued.     

Vinca alkaloids and analogues as anti-cancer agents: Looking back,peering ahead

Cancer still represents a “nightmare” worldwide, causing annually millions of victims. Several antiproliferative molecules are currently used as drugs market and offer a pharmaceutical opportunity for attenuating and treating tumor manifestations. In this context, natural sources have a relevant role, since they provide the 60% of currently-used anticancer agents. Among the numerous natural products, acting via different mechanisms of action, microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) have a high therapeutic potential, since they disrupt the abnormal cancer cell growth, interfering with the continuous mitotic division. Vinca alkaloids (VAs) are the earliest developed MTAs and approved for clinical use (Vincristine, Vinblastine, Vinorelbine, Vindesine, and Vinflunine) as agents in the treatment of hematological and lymphatic neoplasms. Here, we review the state-of-art of VAs, discussing their mechanism of action and pharmacokinetic properties and highlighting their therapeutic relevance and toxicological profile. Additionally, we briefly disclosed the technological approaches faced so far to ameliorate the pharmacological properties, as well as to avoid the drug resistance. Lastly, we introduced the recent advances in the discovery of new derivatives.     

A structural and pharmacological study of alkaloids of Vinca Minor

The three-dimensional structures of five indole alkaloids of Vinca (Vincamine, Vincamone, Apovincamine, Vincaminol, and Desoxyvincaminol) are determined theoretically and compared with the available experimental data. The main frame of all these compounds presents a similar structure: planar for the indole moiety, and pan-shaped centered on the C-3 atom for the second moiety. From this central atom a particularly active hydrogen atom points downwards. The main structural parameters obtained theoretically are compared with biological activities (arterial blood flow in brain). Some possible active centers, however, are proposed.     

Inhibition of phytohemagglutinin-, periodate- and A23187-induced lymphocyte transformation by Vinca alkaloids

The effect of the Vinca alkaloids, vincristine and vinblastine, on mitogen-induced transformation of isolated human peripheral blood lymphocytes has been investigated. Cells were subjected to a variety of mitogens (PHA, ionophore A23187 and sodium periodate) whose mechanism and site of action differ. Addition of vincristine or vinblastine to lymphocyte cultures prior to mitogen produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of cell transformation as determined by measurement of DNA synthesis and blast formation. The inhibitory effects were not due to decreased cell viability, since the drugs had little or no effect on cell viability. Vincristine and vinblastine were also found to impair [³H]thymidine incorporation by prestimulated blast cells at the higher drug concentrations tested. The results presented in this communication show that the Vinca alkaloids block lymphocyte transformation induced by either lectin or non-lectin mitogens. This suggests that the inhibitory step(s) may occur after mitogen stimulation.     

Comparative genotoxic effect of vincristine,vinblastine, and vinorelbine in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster

In this study, the vinca alkaloids vincristine (VCR), vinblastine (VBL) and vinorelbine (VNR) were investigated for genotoxicity in the wing Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART) of Drosophila. Our in vivo experiments demonstrated that all drugs assessed induced genetic toxicity, causing increments in the incidence of mutational events, as well as in somatic recombination. Another point to be considered is the fact that VNR was able to induce, respectively, approximately 13.0 and 1.7 times more mutant clones per millimolar exposure unit as their analogues VCR and VBL. The replacement of a CH(3) attached to vindoline group in VBL by a CHO in VCR seems to be responsible for the approximately seven times higher potency of the former. In contrast, the structural modifications on VNR's catharantine group could be related to its higher genotoxic potency, as well as its similar mutagenic and recombinagenic action.     

Disomic and diploid meiotic products in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Effect of vincristine, vinblastine, adriamycin, bleomycin, mitomycin C and cyclophosphamide

The effect of some antineoplastic drugs on the induction of disomic and diploid meiotic products in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was evaluated. Vincristine and vinblastine turned out not to be effective on any of the four genetic phenomena studied (sporulation, recombination, disomic induction and diploid induction). Adriamycin showed only slight activity in inducing diploids, particularly during the first meiotic division. Cyclophosphamide was active on both phenomena leading to the formation of disomic and diploid spores. Mitomycin C and bleomycin were effective on the induction of diploids. In all of these inductions, the origin of diploids was due to failure of the second meiotic division. No significant effects were found on recombination frequency. As a general conclusion, one may assume that formation of aneuploid and diploid gametes are two distinct phenomena, not necessarily correlated from the point of view of the mechanism and of the specificity of induction.     

Recent results in the field of vinblastine group antitumour alkaloids. Biochemical studies]

Studies on the interaction between vinblastine-like alkaloids and their receptor, i.e. tubulin, are reported. They shed some light on the structure-activity relationships in this medicinally important series: the configuration at C14' and C16', as well as the presence of the methoxycarbonyl group on C16' seem to play an essential role in the determination of biological activity. A new analogue, detected by its specific behaviour with tubulin, was found, in vivo, to be as active and less toxic than vinblastine.     

Completion of the canonical pathway for assembly of anticancer drugs vincristine/vinblastine in Catharanthus roseus

Glycosylation is a key modification for most molecules including plant natural products, for example, flavonoids and isoflavonoids, and can enhance the bioactivity and bioavailability of the natural products. The crystal structure of plant rhamnosyltransferase UGT89C1 from Arabidopsis thaliana was determined, and the structures of UGT89C1 in complexes with UDP‐β‐l ‐rhamnose and acceptor quercetin revealed the detailed interactions between the enzyme and its substrates. Structural and mutational analysis indicated that Asp356, His357, Pro147 and Ile148 are key residues for sugar donor recognition and specificity for UDP‐β‐l ‐rhamnose. The mutant H357Q exhibited activity with both UDP‐β‐l ‐rhamnose and UDP‐glucose. Structural comparison and mutagenesis confirmed that His21 is a key residue as the catalytic base and the only catalytic residue involved in catalysis independently as UGT89C1 lacks the other catalytic Asp that is highly conserved in other reported UGTs and forms a hydrogen bond with the catalytic base His. Ser124 is located in the corresponding position of the catalytic Asp in other UGTs and is not able to form a hydrogen bond with His21. Mutagenesis further showed that Ser124 may not be important in its catalysis, suggesting that His21 and acceptor may form an acceptor‐His dyad and UGT89C1 utilizes a catalytic dyad in catalysis instead of catalytic triad. The information of structure and mutagenesis provides structural insights into rhamnosyltransferase substrate specificity and rhamnosylation mechanism.     

Effects of two microtubule-depolymerizing drugs,vincristine and vinblastine,on porphyrin production by primary neural tissue cultures

A porphyrinogenic effect of 10^–5 to 10^–7 M Vincristine (VC) and Vinblastine (VB) was observed on primary neural tissue cultures prepared from chicken embryo brain in the presence of 10^–3 M delta-aminolevulinic acid. This effect is very pronounced in neurocyte cultures, in contrast with the documented neurite elongation defect. The microtubule disassembly by VC and VB changed the quantity of the porphyrins in the cells and medium of glial cell cultures. The correlation was studied between the depolymerization of the microtubules by VC and VB and the porphyrin overproduction of primary neural tissue cultures, the investigation also extending to 10^–7 M taxol. The direct mediation of nucleotide binding proteins of the adenyl-cyclase complex by GTP liberated from beta-tubulin during the disassembly of the microtubules is presumed.     

Radioimmunoassays for trans-zeatin and related cytokinins

Radioimmunoassays for the quantitation of trans-zeatin and related cytokinins have been developed. Antisera produced against bovine serum albumin conjugates of trans-zeatinriboside have a high affinity (K_a=2.4.10^-11 M) for zeatinriboside and for zeatin, but show a negligible cross reaction to isopentenyladenosine (0.1%) and cis-zeatinriboside (0.4%), only a slight cross reaction to dihydrozeatin (1.7%), and no cross reaction at all to other purines, such as adenosine and related, compounds, was observed. The assays are sensitive and measuring ranges extend from 0.06–30 pmol (0.02–10 ng) of zeatinriboside. This has been achieved by employing as tracers immunoreactive zeatin derivatives with high-specific activity, (tritiated zeatinriboside-dialcohol: 8.37.10¹¹ Bq mmol^-1 and zeatinribosyl-[¹²⁵I]tyramine: ca. 1.9.10¹³ Bq mmol^-1. The detection limit is 40 fmol (15pg) for the assay employing the tritiated tracer, and assay reproducibility is high (variation coefficients of triplicates less than 5%). Several hundred assays can be completed in one day, and, due to the high specificity of this assay, crude extracts may be used for analysis. The course of zeatin levels in developing fruits of Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Moneymaker is given.Abbreviations GC gas chromatography - LC liquid chromatography - MS mass spectroscopy - RIA radioimmunoassay - TLC thin layer chromatography - UB unspecific binding Part 12 in the Series: Use of Immunoassay in Plant Science