Arylpropionic acid-derived NSAIDs: New insights on derivatization,anticancer activity and potential mechanism of action

NSAIDs displayed chemopreventive and anticancer effects against several types of cancers. Moreover, combination of NSAIDs with anticancer agents resulted in enhanced anticancer activity. These findings have attracted much attention of researchers working in this field. The 2-arylpropionic acid-derived NSAIDs represent one of the most widely used anti-inflammatory agents. Additionally, they displayed antiproliferative activities against different types of cancer cells. Large volume of research was performed to identify molecular targets responsible for this activity. However, the exact mechanism underlying the anticancer activity of profens is still unclear. In this review article, the anticancer potential, structure activity relationship and synthesis of selected profen derivatives were summarized. This review is focused also on non-COX targets which can mediate the anticancer activity of this derivatives. The data in this review highlighted profens as promising lead compounds in future research to develop potent and safe anticancer agents.     

Synthesis,Biological Activity Evaluation and Molecular Docking of Imidazole Derivatives Possessing Hydrazone Moiety

In an attempt to identify potential active anticancer agents with low cytotoxic properties and CA inhibitors, a new series of hybrid compounds incorporating imidazole ring and hydrazone moiety as part of their structure were synthesized by aza-Michael addition reaction followed by intramolecular cyclization. The structure of synthesized compounds was elucidated using various spectral techniques. Synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer (prostate cell lines; PC3) and CA inhibitory (hCA I and hCA II) activity. Among them, some compound displayed remarkable anticancer activity and CA inhibitory activity with K_i values in range of 17.53±7.19–150.50±68.87 nM against cytosolic hCA I isoform associated with epilepsy, and 28.82±14.26–153.27±55.80 nM against dominant cytosolic hCA II isoforms associated with glaucoma. Furthermore, the theoretical parameters of the bioactive molecules were calculated to establish their drug-likeness qualities. The proteins used for the calculations are prostate cancer protein (PDB ID: 3RUK and 6XXP). ADME/T analysis was carried out to examine the drug properties of the studied molecules.     

Oridonin: A promising anticancer drug from China

Oridonin, a diterpenoid isolated from Rabdosia rubescens (Hemsl.) Hara, has been proved to possess remarkable anticancer activity, in addition to its potential in antiinflammation and antibacteria. The purpose of this article is to review current progress in oridonin concerned about a relationship between the chemical structure/modifications and its anticancer activity and to discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying its anticancer activity, such as suppression of tumor proliferation and induction of tumor cell death, and the cell signal transduction in anticancer activity of oridonin.     

3,4,4'-Trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, an analogue of resveratrol, is a potent antioxidant and cytotoxic agent

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a naturally occurring polyphenol widely distributed in food and dietary plants. This phytochemical has been intensively studied as an efficient antioxidant and anticancer agent, and a variety of substituted stilbenes have been developed in order to improve the potency of resveratrol. In this work, we described the synthesis of 3,4,4 -trihydroxy-trans-stilbene (3,4,4'-THS), an analogue of resveratrol, and studied its antioxidant and cytotoxic activity in vitro. 3,4,4 -THS was much more efficient than resveratrol in protecting against free radical-induced lipid peroxidation, photo-sensitized DNA oxidative damage, and free radical-induced hemolysis of human red blood cells. More potent growth inhibition in cultured human leukemia cells (HL-60) was also observed for 3,4,4 -THS. The relationship between the antioxidant efficiency and cytotoxic activity was discussed, with the emphasis on inhibition of the free radical enzyme ribonucleotide reductase by antioxidants. The result that this subtle structure modification of resveratrol drastically improves its bioactivity provides important strategy to develop novel resveratrol-based molecules.     

冬凌草甲素抗肿瘤作用的研究进展

冬凌草甲素是从唇形科香茶菜属植物中分离出的对映贝壳杉烯二萜类有机化合物,具有广泛的抗肿瘤活性。该文将就冬凌草甲素抗肿瘤活性的化学构效关系及其抗肿瘤机制做一综述。     

Isoflavones inhibit the clonogenicity of human colon cancer cells

Isoflavones are a class of polyphenols that contain various substituents such as hydroxy, methoxy, and glycosyl groups. Methoxy groups are known to increase cell permeability and stability, but small structural changes can result in large differences in biological activity. In this study, the anticancer activities of several methoxy isoflavones were tested using a clonogenic survival assay. The relationship between structural properties of methoxy isoflavones and their anticancer activities on HCT116 colon cancer cell lines were studied quantitatively using comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis. The purpose of this study was to identify structural changes in isoflavones that increase the inhibitory effect on HCT116 colon cancer cell clonogenicity.     

The role of NAD(P)H oxidoreductase (DT-Diaphorase) in the bioactivation of quinone-containing antitumor agents: a review

Bioactivation of quinone-containing anticancer agents has been studied extensively within the context of the chemistry and structure of the individual quinones which may result in various mechanisms of bioactivation and activity. In this review we focus on the two electron enzymatic reduction/activation of quinone-containing anticancer agents by DT Diaphorase (DTD). This enzyme has become important in oncopharmacology because its activity varies with tissues and it has been found to be elevated in tumors. Thus, a selective tumor cell kill can exist for agents that are good substrates for this enzyme. In addition, the enzyme can be induced by a variety of agents, a fact that can be used in chemotherapy. That is induction by a nontoxic agent followed by treatment with a good DT-Diaphorase substrate. A wide variety of anticancer drugs are discussed some of which are not good substrates such as Adriamycin, and some of which are excellent substrates. The latter category includes a variety of quinone containing alkylating agents.     

Strong electronic charge as an important factor for anticancer activity of chitooligosaccharides (COS)

Even though several studies report the importance of chitosan derivatives for their anticancer activity, no clear information is available to describe the relationship between their charge properties and observed activities. In this research, differently charged chitooligosaccharide (COS) derivatives were synthesized and their anticancer activities were studied using three cancer cell lines, HeLa, Hep3B and SW480. Neutral red and MTT cell viability studies revealed that, highly charged COS derivatives could significantly reduce cancer cell viability, regardless to the positive or negative charge. Further, fluorescence microscopic observations and DNA fragmentation studies confirmed that the anticancer effect of these highly charged COS derivatives were due to necrosis. However, the exact molecular mechanism for anticancer activity of strongly charged COS compared to their poorly charged counterparts is not clear.     

Hydroxycamptothecin-loaded nanoparticles enhance target drug delivery and anticancer effect

Background  

Hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) has been shown to have activity against a broad spectrum of cancers. In order to enhance its tissue-specific delivery and anticancer activity, we prepared HCPT-loaded nanoparticles made from poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PEG-PBLG), and then studied their release characteristics, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and anticancer effects. PEG-PBLG nanoparticles incorporating HCPT were prepared by a dialysis method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the shape and diameter of the nanoparticles. The HCPT release characteristics in vitro were evaluated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detection method for determining HCPT in rabbit plasma was established. The pharmacokinetic parameters of HCPT/PEG-PBLG nanoparticles were compared with those of HCPT.     

nNOS inhibition, antimicrobial and anticancer activity of the amphibian skin peptide, citropin 1.1 and synthetic modifications. The solution structure of a modified citropin 1.1.

A large number of bioactive peptides have been isolated from amphibian skin secretions. These peptides have a variety of actions including antibiotic and anticancer activities and the inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase. We have investigated the structure-activity relationship of citropin 1.1, a broad-spectrum antibiotic and anticancer agent that also causes inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase, by making a number of synthetically modified analogues. Citropin 1.1 has been shown previously to form an amphipathic alpha-helix in aqueous trifluoroethanol. The results of the structure-activity studies indicate the terminal residues are important for bacterial activity and increasing the overall positive charge, while maintaining an amphipathic distribution of residues, increases activity against Gram-negative organisms. Anticancer activity generally mirrors antibiotic activity suggesting a common mechanism of action. The N-terminal residues are important for inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase, as is an overall positive charge greater than three. The structure of one of the more active synthetic modifications (A4K14-citropin 1.1) was determined in aqueous trifluoroethanol, showing that this peptide also forms an amphipathic alpha-helix.     

A Network Flow-Based Method to Predict Anticancer Drug Sensitivity

Predicting anticancer drug sensitivity can enhance the ability to individualize patient treatment, thus making development of cancer therapies more effective and safe. In this paper, we present a new network flow-based method, which utilizes the topological structure of pathways, for predicting anticancer drug sensitivities. Mutations and copy number alterations of cancer-related genes are assumed to change the pathway activity, and pathway activity difference before and after drug treatment is used as a measure of drug response. In our model, Contributions from different genetic alterations are considered as free parameters, which are optimized by the drug response data from the Cancer Genome Project (CGP). 10-fold cross validation on CGP data set showed that our model achieved comparable prediction results with existing elastic net model using much less input features.     

Virtual screening and biochemical evaluation to identify new inhibitors of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a promising target for the development of anticancer medicines. Here, we report the first example for a successful application of the structure-based virtual screening to identify new mTOR inhibitors. Using the scoring function improved by implementing the ligand solvation effects on protein–ligand association, six novel mTOR inhibitors are found with IC₅₀ values ranging from 8 to 60 μM. Because these new inhibitors are also computationally screened for having desirable physicochemical properties as a drug candidate, they deserve consideration for further development by structure–activity relationship studies to optimize the inhibitory and anticancer activities. Structural features relevant to the stabilization of the inhibitors in the ATP-binding site of mTOR are addressed in detail.     

Antioxidant and antitumor activity of dirhenium dicarboxylates in animals with guerin carcinoma

The antioxidant and anticancer properties of dirhenium dicarboxylates of cis- and transconfiguration with different organic ligands in a model of tumor growth (Guerin carcinoma) were studied. It was shown that compounds of different configuration had similar antitumor effect, and dirhenium (III) cis-dicarboxylates were characterized by higher antioxidant activity and degree of activation of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) in comparison with trans-isomers. The dependence between the structure of dirhenium (III) dicarboxylates and their ability to activate erythrocyte SOD in the model of tumor growth was shown for the first time. The in vitro studies have shown that rhenium compounds of cis- and transconfiguration interacted similarly with erythrocyte SOD, changing the protein secondary structure. In contrast to trans-dicarboxylate, for cis-dicarboxylate the SOD-like activity was demonstrated to be on the first minutes of the xantine-oxidase reaction. The studied features of the interaction between rhenium compounds and SOD in vitro explain only partly the activation of SOD in experiments in vivo. The attempt is made to explain the differences in the mechanisms of antioxidant activity of dirhenium cis- and trans-dicarboxylates.     

3,4,4′-Trihydroxy-trans-stilbene,an analogue of resveratrol,is a potent antioxidant and cytotoxic agent

Abstract

Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a naturally occurring polyphenol widely distributed in food and dietary plants. This phytochemical has been intensively studied as an efficient antioxidant and anticancer agent, and a variety of substituted stilbenes have been developed in order to improve the potency of resveratrol. In this work, we described the synthesis of 3,4,4 -trihydroxy-trans-stilbene (3,4,4′-THS), an analogue of resveratrol, and studied its antioxidant and cytotoxic activity in vitro. 3,4,4 -THS was much more efficient than resveratrol in protecting against free radical-induced lipid peroxidation, photo-sensitized DNA oxidative damage, and free radical-induced hemolysis of human red blood cells. More potent growth inhibition in cultured human leukemia cells (HL-60) was also observed for 3,4,4 -THS. The relationship between the antioxidant efficiency and cytotoxic activity was discussed, with the emphasis on inhibition of the free radical enzyme ribonucleotide reductase by antioxidants. The result that this subtle structure modification of resveratrol drastically improves its bioactivity provides important strategy to develop novel resveratrol-based molecules.     

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship study of cytotoxic germanicane- and lupane-type 3beta-O-monodesmosidic saponins starting from betulin

Germanicane-type triterpenes allobetulin (3) and 28-oxoallobetulin (4) can be obtained by the Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement of the more available lupane-type triterpenes betulin (1) and betulinic acid (2), respectively. The medical uses of betulinic acid (2) and its derivatives are limited because of their poor hydrosolubility and pharmacokinetics properties. In order to overcome this major problem, we synthesized and studied the in vitro anticancer activity of a series of 3beta-O-monodesmosidic saponins derived from betulin (14-16), betulinic acid (20-22), allobetulin (23-28) and 28-oxoallobetulin (29-34) based on six different natural sugar residues (d-glucose, l-rhamnose, d-arabinose, d-galactose, d-mannose and d-xylose). This structure-activity relationship study confirmed that betulinic acid saponins are generally better in vitro anticancer agents than those derived from betulin with the exception of betulin 3beta-O-alpha-d-mannopyranoside (15) which exerted a potent cytotoxic activity against lung carcinoma (A-549) and colorectal adenocarcinoma (DLD-1) human cell lines with IC(50) ranging from 7.3 to 10.1mumol/L. Furthermore, although the synthesis of novel germanicane-type saponins was carried out with success, the bioactivity measured for these glycosides was not as high as we anticipated since only the 3beta-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside and 3beta-O-beta-d-galactopyranoside of allobetulin (23,24) showed moderate anticancer activity (IC(50) 30-40 micromol/L).     

Synthesis of (1,4)-naphthoquinono-[3,2-c]-1H-pyrazoles and their (1,4)-naphthohydroquinone derivatives as antifungal, antibacterial, and anticancer agents

A series of (1,4)-naphthoquinono [3,2-c]-1H-pyrazoles and their (1,4)-naphthohydroquinone derivatives 2-7 were synthesized and evaluated for antifungal, antibacterial, and anticancer activities. The structure-activity relationship of these compounds was studied and the results show that the compound 2b exhibited in vitro antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, and also possessed antibacterial profile against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli whereas 1c showed anticancer activity against Walker 256 Carcinosarcoma in rats.     

Structure-activity study on the LH- and FSH-releasing and anticancer effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-III analogs

GnRH-III was reported to have selective FSH-releasing activity in rats and significant anticancer potency on human breast cancer cells. To improve either of these effects, 14 analogs were synthesized and investigated for FSH/LH stimulation and breast cancer inhibition. Analogs with single amino acid changes in positions 5-7 or 10 showed small or no difference in the FSH- or LH-releasing activity compared with GnRH-III but their anticancer potency decreased significantly. Modification of the terminal amino acids, side chain cyclization at the 6-8 regions, or combined amino acid changes at positions 4, 6 and/or 8 resulted in the decrease of both effects. Gonadotropin-releasing activity of Arg(8)-GnRH-III was improved 3-11-fold. A copolymer conjugate of GnRH-III showed 2-3-fold anticancer activity while losing endocrine potency. CONCLUSION: The activation of GnRH-receptors on pituitary and breast cancer cells requires a specific structure and/or conformation that makes possible to improve the anticancer selectivity of GnRH analogs.     

QSAR study on some pyridoacridine ascididemin analogues as anti-tumor agents

Pyridoacridine ascididemin analogues have been reported as anticancer agents for their interesting antitumor activity against human cancer cells. A quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) analysis of ascididemin analogues was attempted using the physicochemical parameters and the electrotopological state atom (ETSA) indices. This study indicates that the electron withdrawing substituents with higher MR (molar refractivity) value at R₁ position favor the anti-tumor activity and the presence of NHR (R is hydrogen or alkyl group) at the R₃ position has contribution to the anti-tumor activity. ETSA indices have been incorporated as independent variable in the QSAR model with physicochemical parameters. It clearly suggests the importance of atoms 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 to the anti-tumor activity.