Design,synthesis and antitumour and anti-angiogenesis evaluation of 22 moscatilin derivatives

Two series of moscatilin derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as anti-tumor and anti-angiogenesis agents. Most of these compounds showed moderate-to-obvious cytotoxicity against five cancer cell lines (A549, HepG2, MDA-MB-231, MKN-45, HCT116). Among these cell lines, compounds had obvious effects on HCT116. Especially for 8Ae, the IC₅₀ was low to 0.25 μM. 8Ae can inhibit the viability and induce the apoptosis of HCT116 cells but exhibit no cytotoxic activity in noncancerous NCM460 colon cells. 8Ae can also arrest the G2/M cell cycle in HCT116 cells by inhibiting the α-tubulin expression. Zebrafish bioassay-guided screen showed the 22 moscatilin derivatives had potent anti-angiogenic activities and compound 8Ae had better activities than positive compound. Molecular docking indicated 8Ae interacted with tubulin at the affinity of −7.2 Kcal/mol. In conclusion, compound 8Ae was a potential antitumor and anti-angiogenesis candidate for further development.     

转移性结直肠癌抗血管生成靶向治疗的研究进展

近年来,由于各种新的化疗药物及分子靶向药物的使用,转移性结直肠癌(metastatic colorectal cancer,m CRC)的个体化治疗逐步取得了重要的成果。研究表明,抗血管生成靶向药物与化疗药物的联合使用作为转移性结直肠癌的一线治疗方案,可明显改善治疗效果,延长患者的生存时间。血管内皮生长因子(vascularendothelial growth factor,VEGF)是肿瘤血管生成过程中最主要的因子。贝伐单抗是通过基因工程技术得到的针对血管内皮生长因子-A(VEGF-A)的单克隆抗体,作为抗血管生成靶向药物用于转移性结直肠癌的临床治疗。本文对近年来转移性结直肠癌的抗血管生成靶向治疗,尤其是贝伐单抗治疗的相关研究进展进行综述并展望未来抗血管生成靶向治疗的发展前景。     

Leucine ureido derivatives as aminopeptidase N inhibitors using click chemistry. Part II

Aminopeptidase N (APN) has been proved to be deeply associated with cancer angiogenesis, metastasis and invasion. Therefore, APN gains increasing attention as a promising anti-tumor target. In the current study, we report the design, synthesis, biological evaluation and structure-activity relationship of one new series of leucine ureido derivatives containing the 1,2,3-triazole moiety. Among them, compound 31f was identified as the best APN inhibitor with IC₅₀ value being two orders of magnitude lower than that of the positive control bestatin. Compound 31f possessed selective cytotoxicity to several tumor cell lines over the normal cell line human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Notably, when combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), 31f exhibited synergistic anti-proliferation effect against several tumor cell lines. At the same concentration, 31f exhibited much better anti-angiogenesis activities than bestatin in the HUVECs capillary tube formation assay and the rat thoracic aorta rings test. In the in vitro anti-invasion assay, 31f also exhibited superior potency over bestatin. Moreover, considerable in vivo antitumor potencies of 31f alone or in combination with 5-Fu were observed without significant toxic signs in a mouse heptoma H22 tumor transplant model.     

Antibody targeting of the insulin-like growth factor I receptor enhances the anti-tumor response of multiple myeloma to chemotherapy through inhibition of tumor proliferation and angiogenesis

Although many multiple myeloma (MM) patients initially respond to cytotoxic therapy, most eventually relapse. Novel therapeutic strategies employing a combination of chemotherapy with targeted biologics may significantly enhance the response of tumor cells to treatment. We tested a fully human anti-IGF-IR antibody (A12) against MM, and showed specific inhibition of IGF-I or serum -induced IGF-IR signaling in MM cells in vitro. The A12 as a single agent was demonstrated to exert modest to significant inhibition of tumor growth in vivo in various subcutaneous xenograft MM models. The A12 was also evaluated in a disseminated xenograft MM.1S NOD/SCID model as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs (bortezomib, melphalan) currently in clinical use. The tumor burden, as determined by luciferase bioimaging, was sharply decreased, and overall survival significantly prolonged when the therapies were combined. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that the A12 treated tumors had significantly decreased vascularization compared to control tumors. Furthermore, most MM lines constitutively secreted significant quantities of VEGF, and this was enhanced following IGF-I treatment. Inhibition of IGF-IR by the A12 in vitro suppressed both constitutive and IGF-I-induced secretion of VEGF, indicating that a putative anti-angiogenic mechanism associated with the A12 treatment may contribute to its anti-tumor effect.     

Signal transduction in endothelial cells by the angiogenesis inhibitor histidine-rich glycoprotein targets focal adhesions

Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRGP) is an abundant heparin-binding plasma protein. We have shown that a fragment released from the central histidine/proline-rich (His/Pro-rich) domain of HRGP blocks endothelial cell migration in vitro and vascularization and growth of murine fibrosarcoma in vivo. The minimal active HRGP domain exerting the anti-angiogenic effect was recently narrowed down to a 35 amino acid peptide, HRGP330, derived from the His/Pro-rich domain of HRGP. By use of a signal transduction antibody array representing 400 different signal transduction molecules, we now show that HRGP and the synthetic peptide HRGP330 specifically induce tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and its downstream substrate paxillin in endothelial cells. HRGP/HRGP330 treatment of endothelial cells induced disruption of actin stress fibers, a process reversed by treatment of cells with the FAK inhibitor geldanamycin. In addition, VEGF-mediated endothelial cell tubular morphogenesis in a three-dimensional collagen matrix was inhibited by HRGP and HRGP330. In contrast, VEGF-induced proliferation was not affected by HRGP or HRGP330, demonstrating the central role of cell migration during tube formation. In conclusion, our data show that HRGP targets focal adhesions in endothelial cells, thereby disrupting the cytoskeletal organization and the ability of endothelial cells to assemble into vessel structures.     

Soluble multimer of recombinant endostatin expressed in E. coli has anti-angiogenesis activity

The bioactivity, refolding, and multimer formation of endostatin, particularly of recombinant endostatin produced from bacteria, are proved challenging for clinical application. In order to determine the biological activity of recombinant endostatin multimer, first, we expressed endostatin in Escherichia coli and purified it with ion-exchange chromatography. The purified active protein could elicit multimer formation spontaneously, but still has comparable activity. Aim to determine the anti-angiogenic activity of multimer endostatin, by use of RP-HPLC, we then successfully separated endostatin monomer and multimer for subjecting to anti-angiogenesis assay. The results from CAM (chorioallantoic membrane) inhibition assay showed that both monomer and multimer suppressed CAM vascularization significantly. At the dosage of 0.8 microg, inhibition rates of multimeric and monomeric proteins were about 58% and 38%, respectively. Multimeric endostatin exerted a higher activity than monomeric endostatin (p < 0.05). However, when the protein dosage is less than 0.4 microg/ml, there is no significance between their inhibition rates (p > 0.05), although both of them show a high inhibition effect in contrast to control. The results from HUVEC proliferation assay also showed similar effects at dosages of 0.6 and 1.6 microg/ml, multimer exerted a higher activity on inhibition of HUVEC proliferation comparing with monomer (p < 0.05). In conclusion, our results suggest that endostatin multimer has a comparable or higher bioactivity and multimerization will not affect its bioactivity, implying that endostatin activity is insensitive to structure conformation contributed by disulfide bonds.     

A homogalacturonan from the radix of Platycodon grandiflorum and the anti-angiogenesis activity of poly-/oligogalacturonic acids derived therefrom

A polysaccharide, PGA4-3b, with an average molecular weight of 8.9 kDa estimated by high-performance gel-permeation chromatography (HPGPC), was isolated from radix of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. Using monosaccharide analysis, methylation analysis and NMR spectroscopy, PGA4-3b was elucidated to be a linear poly-(1→4)-α-d-galactopyranosyluronic acid that contains no methyl ester groups. Partial acid hydrolysis of PGA4-3b yielded a series of poly- or oligogalacturonic acids with different degrees of polymerization (DP), that is, 4-3bde, 4-3bde-O-1, 4-3bde-O-2, 4-3bde-O-3, and 4-3bde-O-4. Cell tube formation inhibition tests with human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC) for antiangiogenesis analysis showed that 4-3bde-O-1 and 4-3bde-O-2, the fractions with higher molecular weights, could inhibit tube formation, while the native PGA4-3b and low molecular weight fraction 4-3bde-O-3 and 4-3bde-O4 are ineffective. Moreover, 4-3bde-O-2 with DP 5-10 impaired cell tube formation in a dose-dependent way, suggesting its potential to be developed as an anti-angiogenesis drug. This is the first time oligogalacturonic acids are reported to show an anti-angiogenesis effect.     

Vascular endothelial growth factors and receptors: anti-angiogenic therapy in the treatment of cancer

Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) are critical regulators of vascular and lymphatic function during development, in health and in disease. There are five mammalian VEGF ligands and three VEGF receptor tyrosine kinases. In addition, several VEGF co-receptors that lack intrinsic catalytic activity, but that indirectly modulate the responsiveness to VEGF contribute to the final biological effect. This review describes the molecular features of VEGFs, VEGFRs and co-receptors with focus on their role in the treatment of cancer.     

Synthesis,structure–activity relationships and biological evaluation of barbigerone analogues as anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenesis agents

A series of barbigerone analogues (7a–7w, 13a–13x) were designed, synthesized and biologically evaluated for their anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic activities. Among these compounds, compound 13a exhibited the most potent inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HUVECs, HepG2, A375, U251, B16, and HCT116 cells (IC₅₀ = 3.80, 0.28, 1.58, 3.50, 1.09 and 0.68 μM, respectively). Compound 13a inhibited the angiogenesis in zebrafish embryo assay in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, 13a also effectively inhibited the migration and capillary like tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cell in vitro. These results support the further investigation of this class of compounds as potential anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenesis agents.