Discovery of LWY713 as a potent and selective FLT3 PROTAC degrader with in vivo activity against acute myeloid leukemia

Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) has been validated as a therapeutic target for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). While a number of FLT3 kinase inhibitors have been approved for AML treatment, the clinical data revealed that they cannot achieve complete and sustained suppression of FLT3 signaling at the tolerated dose. Here we report a series of new, potent and selective FLT3 proteolysis targeting chimera degraders. The optimal compound LWY713 potently induced the degradation of FLT3 with a DC50 value of 0.64 nM and a Dmax value of 94.8% in AML MV4-11 cells with FLT3-internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that LWY713 selectively induced FLT3 degradation in a cereblon- and proteasome-dependent manner. LWY713 potently inhibited FLT3 signaling, suppressed cell proliferation, and induced cell G0/G1-phase arrest and apoptosis in MV4-11 cells. Importantly, LWY713 displayed potent in vivo antitumor activity in MV4-11 xenograft models.

Diterpenolignans and cephalotane diterpenoids from Cephalotaxus oliveri mast. with antitumor activity

Four undescribed naturally diterpenolignans, and two cephalotane diterpenoids, along with seven known compounds, including two pairs of enantiomers, were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Cephalotaxus oliveri Mast. Their structures were elucidated via spectroscopic data interpretation, chiral-phase HPLC analysis, NMR calculations, and electronic circular dichroism analysis. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against three kinds of human tumor cell lines. Among them, compound 8 exhibited the most potent activities against MCF-7, HepG2 and A549 cell lines with IC50 values of 2.83, 4.75 and 2.77 μM, respectively.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids with their antitumor activity from the aerial parts of Corydalis impatiens (pall.) Fisch

Phytochemical investigation on the aerial parts of Corydalis impatiens (pall.) Fisch (Papaveraceae) resulted in the identification of four previous undescribed benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, impatienines A-D (1-4), together with 14 known analogues (5-18). The structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis (IR, HR-ESIMS, 1D- and 2D-NMR) as well as ECD calculations. All the compounds obtained were investigated for their inhibitory effect on the growth of A549, H1299 and HepG2 cancer cells. Compounds 7 and 15 exhibited pronounced inhibition against the A549 cancer cells with IC50 values of 6.81 μM and 3.17 μM, while the positive control cisplatin was 1.83 μM. Compounds 1-3 showed moderate inhibitory on the H1299 cancer cells. Compounds 4, 10-12, and 16 showed signiffcant activity against HepG2 cancer cells with IC50 values range of 4.41-8.75 μM.

Antitumor effect of exopolysaccharide from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WLPL09 on melanoma mice via regulating immunity and gut microbiota

Exopolysaccharide (EPS-09) from L. plantarum WLPL09 was systemically investigated for the antitumor effect in B16F10 melanoma bearing mice model. The results showed that administraion of EPS-09 (200 mg/kg) could sigificantly inhibit the tumor growth of melanoma bearing mice, with a inhibition rate of 42.53 %. Meanwhile, compared to the Model group, high dose of EPS-09 (200 mg/kg) administraion could increase the spleen index (P = 0.10), promote the splenic lymphocytes proliferation under the stimulation of ConA and LPS with a proliferation rate of 120.58 % and 169.88 %, respectively, enhance the amount of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0149) in tumor tissue, as well as the serum content of cytokines, i.e., TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2 (P < 0.05) and IL-6 (P = 0.039) of B16F10 melanoma bearing mice. The transcriptional level analysis revealed that EPS-09 (200 mg/kg) administraion could sigificantly (P < 0.05) upregulate the transcription of apoptosis raleted genes, i.e., P53, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9, and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, downregulate the transcription of angiogenesis markers, i.e., Vegf and Fgf2 compared with Model group. Furthermore, administration of EPS-09 could increase the abundance of phylum Firmicutes, family Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, and genus Ruminococcus, but reduce the abundance of genus Prevotella, Akkermansia and Oscillospira. Taken together, these results indicate that administration of EPS-09 can induce apoptosis of tumor cell, inhibit tumor angiogenesis, improve the immunity, regulate the intestinal microbiota composition of B16F10 melanoma bearing mice, and play positive roles in the antitumor activity against melanoma.

Preparation and photothermal therapy of gold nanorods modified by Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC polysaccharide

In recent years, the application of nanoparticles formed by coupling metal nanomaterials of photothermal therapy with polysaccharides as modified carriers in the targeted treatment of liver cancer has attracted extensive attention. In the present work, an undescribed homogeneous polysaccharide BCP50-2 was obtained from Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC. The structural analysis displayed that BCP50-2 contained galactose and a small amount of arabinose, and was mainly composed of six monosaccharide residues: →3,5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →4)-β-d-Galp-(1→, →4,6)-β-d-Galp-(1→, →3)-α-l-Galp-(1→, terminal α-l-Araf, and terminal β-d-Galp. To enhance the antitumor activity of BCP50-2, BCP50-2-AuNRs were prepared by coupling BCP50-2 with gold nanorods for the treatment of liver cancer. BCP50-2-AuNRs were rod-shaped with a long diameter of 26.8 nm and had good photothermal conversion effects. Under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, BCP50-2-AuNRs possessed photothermal effects and suppressed the growth of HepG2, A549, and MCF-7 cells. In addition, BCP50-2-AuNRs inhibited the development of liver cancer by inducing cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle in G2/M phases, and inhibiting cell migration. Moreover, BCP50-2-AuNRs inhibited tumor proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in zebrafish. In summary, BCP50-2-AuNRs may be potentially useful for cancer treatment.

Elucidating the development, characterization, and antitumor potential of a novel humanized antibody against Trop2

Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2) has emerged as a potential target for effective cancer therapy. In this study, we report a novel anti-Trop2 antibody IMB1636, developed using hybridoma technology. It exhibited high affinity and specificity (KD = 0.483 nM) in binding both antigens and cancer cells, as well as human tumor tissues. hIMB1636 could induce endocytosis, and enabled targeted delivery to the tumor site with an in vivo retention time of 264 h. The humanized antibody hIMB1636, acquired using CDR grafting, exhibited the potential to directly inhibit cancer cell proliferation and migration, and to induce ADCC effects. Moreover, hIMB1636 significantly inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-468 xenograft tumors in vivo. Mechanistically, hIMB1636 induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by regulating cyclin-related proteins and the caspase cascade. In comparison to commercialized sacituzumab, hIMB1636 recognized a conformational epitope instead of a linear one, bound to antigen and cancer cells with similar binding affinity, induced significantly more potent ADCC effects against cancer cells, and displayed superior antitumor activities both in vitro and in vivo. The data presented in this study highlights the potential of hIMB1636 as a carrier for the formulation of antibody-based conjugates, or as a promising candidate for anticancer therapy.

Safety and antitumor activity of metformin plus lanreotide in patients with advanced gastro-intestinal or lung neuroendocrine tumors: the phase Ib trial MetNET2

In retrospective studies, metformin use has been associated with better clinical outcomes in diabetic patients with advanced, well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (WDNETs). However, prospective evidence of metformin safety and activity is lacking. Here, we conducted the first-in-human phase Ib MetNET2 trial to investigate the safety and antitumor activity of metformin in combination with the somatostatin analog lanreotide autogel (ATG) in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients with advanced WDNETs of the gastrointestinal (GI) or thoracic tract. Enrolled patients received lanreotide ATG 120 mg plus oral metformin, up to a maximum dosage of 2550 mg/day. We enrolled 20 patients, of whom 18 (90%) and 2 (10%) had WDNETs of the GI and thoracic tract, respectively. Fourteen patients (70%) were non-diabetic. With a 5% incidence of SAEs, the study met its primary objective of demonstrating treatment safety. With a median follow-up of 39 months (95% CI 28-NE), median PFS was 24 months (95% CI 16-NE), with 12-month and 24-month PFS probability of 75% (95% CI 58-97) and 49% (95% CI 31-77), respectively. We found no statistically significant PFS differences between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Among exploratory analyses, the presence of tumor genomic alterations in DNA damage pathways was associated with trend towards worse PFS, whereas a precocious reduction of HOMA-IR index and plasma cholesterol concentration showed a trend towards an association with better PFS. In conclusion, metformin plus lanreotide ATG is a safe and well tolerated combination treatment that is associated with promising antitumor activity in both non-diabetic and diabetic patients with WDNETs, and that warrants further investigation in larger clinical trials.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel 4,4'-bipyridine derivatives acting as CDK9-Cyclin T1 protein-protein interaction inhibitors against triple-negative breast cancer

Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is directly related to tumor development in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. Increased CDK9 is significantly associated with poor patient prognosis, while inhibiting CDK9-Cyclin T1 protein-protein interaction has recently been demonstrated as a new approach to TNBC treatment. Herein, we synthesized a novel class of 4,4'-bipyridine derivatives as potential CDK9-Cyclin T1 PPI inhibitors against TNBC. The represented compound B19 was found to be an excellent and selective CDK9-Cyclin T1 PPI inhibitor with good potency against TNBC cell lines while exhibiting lower toxicity in normal human cell lines than the positive compound I-CDK9. Notably, compound B19 showed good pharmacokinetic properties and excellent antitumor activity against TNBC (4T1) allografts in mice with a therapeutic index of more than 42 (TGI4T1(12.5 mg/kg,i.p.) = 63.1% vs. LD50 = 537 mg/kg). Moreover, the administration of B19 in combination with the PARP inhibitor Olaparib results in a significant increase of the antitumor activity in MDA-MB-231 cells relative to that of either single agent. To our knowledge, B19 is the first reported non-metal organic compound that acts as a selective CDK9-Cyclin T1 PPI inhibitor with in vivo antitumor activity, and it may be alone and in combination with PARP inhibitor Olaparib for TNBC therapy.

Preparation and potential antitumor activity of alginate oligosaccharides degraded by alginate lyase from Cobetia marina

It is of great significance to develop marine resources and study its potential biological activity by using alginate lyase produced by marine psychrophilic bacteria. In the previous study, a new marine psychrophilic bacterium (Cobetia marina HQZ08) was screened from the growth area of Laminaria japonica, and it was found that the strain could efficiently produce alginate-degrading enzyme (Aly30). In this paper, the ability of Aly30 to degrade alginate was optimized and the optimal degradation conditions were obtained. It was found that the main degradation product of alginate oligosaccharides was trisaccharide. In vitro cell experiments showed that the antitumor activity of low molecular weight alginate oligosaccharides was better than that of high molecular weight alginate oligosaccharides. In summary, Aly30 had the potential to produce alginate oligosaccharides with low degree of polymerization and antitumor activity, which provided a reference for the enzymatic preparation and application of alginate oligosaccharides.

Discovery and bioassay of disubstituted β-elemene-NO donor conjugates: synergistic enhancement in the treatment of leukemia

Natural products are essential sources of antitumor drugs. One such molecule, β-elemene, is a potent antitumor compound extracted from Curcuma wenyujin. In the present investigation, a series of novel 13,14-disubstituted nitric oxide (NO)-donor β-elemene derivatives were designed, with β-elemene as the foundational compound, and subsequently synthesized to evaluate their therapeutic potential against leukemia. Notably, the derivative labeled as compound 13d demonstrated a potent anti-proliferative activity against the K562 cell line, with a high NO release. In vivo studies indicated that compound 13d could effectively inhibit tumor growth, exhibiting no discernible toxic manifestations. Specifically, a significant tumor growth inhibition rate of 62.9% was observed in the K562 xenograft tumor mouse model. The accumulated data propound the potential therapeutic application of compound 13d in the management of leukemia.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester inhibits MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation in inflammatory microenvironment by suppressing glycolysis and lipid metabolism

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is one of the main active ingredients of propolis with good antitumor activities. However, the potential effects of CAPE on the glycolysis and lipid metabolism of tumor cells are unclear. Here, the anti-tumor effects of CAPE on MDA-MB-231 cells in an inflammatory microenvironment stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were studied by estimating the inflammatory mediators and the key factors of glycolysis and lipid metabolism. The CAPE treatment obviously inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, and the mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased in the LPS-stimulated MDA-MB-231 cells. Compared with the LPS group, pro-inflammatory mediators, including toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha (IκBα), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, as well as interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4), declined after the CAPE treatment. Additionally, CAPE significantly down-regulated the levels of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3), and the key enzymes of glycolysis-hexokinase 2 (HK2), phosphofructokinase (PFK), pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme M2 (PKM2), and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA). Moreover, CAPE treatment decreased the levels of key lipid metabolism proteins, including acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and free fatty acid (FFA)-transported-related protein CD36. After adding the glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), the inhibitory effects of CAPE on cell viability and migration were not significant when compared with the LPS group. In summary, the antitumor activity of CAPE in vitro was mainly via the modulation of the inflammatory mediators and the inhibition of key proteins and enzymes in glucose and lipid metabolism.

Investigation of cytotoxic antiproliferative and antiapoptotic effects of nanosized boron phosphate filled sodium alginate composite on glioblastoma cancer cells

BACKGROUND

The effects of nanosized boron phosphate-filled sodium alginate composite gel (SA/BP) on the biological characteristics of three types of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells (C6, U87MG and T98G) were examined in this study. MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of the composite gel on GBM, which was then compared to L929 healthy cells. Furthermore, wound healing, apoptosis, and colony formation capacities were evaluated. The investigation revealed that the SA/BP composite gel was successful in all GBM cells and could be used as a treatment agent for GBM and/or other invasive cancer types.

METHODS AND RESULTS

According to the results, the SA/BP composite gel had no effect on healthy fibroblast cells but had a lethal effect on all glioblastoma cells. Additionally, the wound healing method was used to examine the effect of the SA/BP composite gel on cell migration. It was discovered that the wound closed in 24 h in untreated control group cells, while the SA/BP composite gel closed up to 29.62%, 26.77% and 11.31% of the wound for C6, U87MG and T98G cell lines respectively. SA/BP significantly reduced cell migration in cancer cells. The effect of the generated SA/BP composite gel on cell colony development was assessed using a colony formation assay, and the cells reduced colony formation for all GBMs. It was roughly 45% for 24 h and 30% for 48 h when compared to the control group for C6 cells, 33%(24 h) and 40%(48 h) for U87MG cells, 40%(24 h) and 43%(48 h) for T98G cells. DAPI(4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole) and JC-1(5,5',6,6'-Tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine, iodide) staining to evaluate apoptosis revealed that the SA/BP composite gel dramatically enhanced the frequency of all GBMs undergoing apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

In line with experimental findings, it was observed that the SA/BP composite gel system did not affect healthy fibroblast cells but had a cytotoxic effect on glioblastoma cells, significantly reduced cell migration and colony-forming capacity of cells, and significantly increased apoptosis and depolarization of cell membranes. Based on all these findings, it can be said that SA/BP composite gel has cytotoxic, antiproliferative and antiapoptotic effects on different glioblastoma cells.

New imidazole-2-ones and their 2-thione analogues as anticancer agents and CAIX inhibitors: Synthesis, in silico ADME and molecular modeling studies

The present study involves the synthesis of a series of new imidazole-2-ones derivatives and their 2-thione analogs using conventional heating and the environmentally friendly benign technique, the microwave technique. Structure of the compounds was well elucidated by considering the data of both elemental and spectral analyses. The obtained data and theoretical values of the synthesized molecules correlated with the proposed molecular structure. Moreover, all the synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro for antitumor activity against HCT-116 and HeP2 human cancer cell panels and assessed as selective carbonic anhydrase IX isozyme (CA9/CAIX) inhibitors, thereby providing useful preliminary evidence for drug development. In addition, computational techniques were used to investigate the molecular and electronic characteristics of the investigated organic compounds. The 4b compound exhibited the best quantum chemistry features, as the highest occupied molecular orbital, softness, energy gap, and dipole moment, indicating the highest biological activity. This was supported by the experimental findings. Moreover, the in silico evaluation of drug candidates was also investigated. Thereafter, the anticancer activity of the most reactive candidate was studied via molecular docking to determine the types of interactions between this molecule and CAIX. According to the docking experiments, the 4b molecule generates five hydrogen bond interactions with active amino acid residues, Gln 92, Gln 67, and Thr 200.

Structure-based drug discovery of novel fused-pyrazolone carboxamide derivatives as potent and selective AXL inhibitors

As a novel and promising antitumor target, AXL plays an important role in tumor growth, metastasis, immunosuppression and drug resistance of various malignancies, which has attracted extensive research interest in recent years. In this study, by employing the structure-based drug design and bioisosterism strategies, we designed and synthesized in total 54 novel AXL inhibitors featuring a fused-pyrazolone carboxamide scaffold, of which up to 20 compounds exhibited excellent AXL kinase and BaF3/TEL-AXL cell viability inhibitions. Notably, compound 59 showed a desirable AXL kinase inhibitory activity (IC50: 3.5 nmol/L) as well as good kinase selectivity, and it effectively blocked the cellular AXL signaling. In turn, compound 59 could potently inhibit BaF3/TEL-AXL cell viability (IC50: 1.5 nmol/L) and significantly suppress GAS6/AXL-mediated cancer cell invasion, migration and wound healing at the nanomolar level. More importantly, compound 59 oral administration showed good pharmacokinetic profile and in vivo antitumor efficiency, in which we observed significant AXL phosphorylation suppression, and its antitumor efficacy at 20 mg/kg (qd) was comparable to that of BGB324 at 50 mg/kg (bid), the most advanced AXL inhibitor. Taken together, this work provided a valuable lead compound as a potential AXL inhibitor for the further antitumor drug development.

Pharmacokinetic study of Tdp1 inhibitor resulted in a significant increase in antitumor effect in the treatment of Lewis lung carcinoma in mice by its combination with topotecan

We have previously shown that the Tdp1 inhibitor, enamine derivative of usnic acid, the agent OL9-116, enhances the antitumor activity of topotecan. In the present study, we developed and validated LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of OL9-116 in mouse whole blood and studied pharmacokinetics of the agent. The substance OL9-116 was shown to be stable in the whole blood in vitro. Sample preparation included two steps: mixing 10 µL of a blood sample with 10 µL of 0.2 M ZnSO4 aqueous solution, followed by protein precipitation with 100 µL of acetonitrile containing internal standard. Quantification of the compound was performed using SCIEX 6500 QTRAP mass spectrometer in MRM mode following chromatographic separation on a C8 reversed-phase column. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, and stability of the prepared sample. When the agent OL9-116 was administered intragastrically at a dose of 150 mg/kg, the maximum concentration in the blood (about 5000 ng/mL) was reached after 2-4 h followed by the distribution and elimination of the compound. A study of the antitumor activity of a combination of OL9-116 and topotecan against Lewis lung carcinoma revealed that administration of topotecan 3 h after OL9-116 resulted in the most pronounced antitumor effect compared to simultaneous or individual administration of both compounds.

A liposomal etoposide with a sustained drug release effectively alleviated the therapy-related leukemia

Etoposide (VP16) can induce therapy-related leukemia, which is reported to occur less frequently with a prolonged dose schedule. Therefore, we hypothesized that nanocarriers could decrease the VP16-induced leukemogenesis by reducing the rate of VP16 exposure via a sustained drug release. To test our hypothesis, the VP16-loaded liposome with a slow drug release behavior was constructed by encapsulating a rapidly-cleaved VP16-maleimide conjugate into liposomes using a glutathione-gradient loading method, and its toxicities and in vivo antitumor efficacy were compared with free VP16 in the LLC lung cancer xenograft. It was found that the repeated injection of free VP16 induced severe splenomegaly, lymphocytosis, and extensive lymphocyte infiltration in various tissues, indicating a sign of VP16 therapy-related leukemia. By contrast, the liposomal VP16 not only remarkably alleviated the syndrome of leukemogenesis, but also exhibited significantly enhanced antitumor activity as compared with free VP16 at the same dose. These results highlighted that the liposomal VP16 having a sustained drug release could effectively decrease the toxicity of leukemogenesis, which provided a new warranty to develop liposomal VP16 as a safe alternative to the commercial VP16 injection.

Evaluation of tumor growth remission in a murine model for subcutaneous solid tumors - Benefits of associating the antitumor agent crotamine with mesoporous nanosilica particles to achieve improved dosing frequency and efficacy

Crotamine is a highly cationic polypeptide first isolated from South American rattlesnake venom, which exhibits affinity for acidic lysosomal vesicles and proliferating cells. This cationic nature is pivotal for its in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo anticancer actions. This study aimed to enhance the antitumor efficacy of crotamine by associating it with the mesoporous SBA-15 silica, known for its controlled release of various chemical agents, including large proteins. This association aimed to mitigate the toxic effects while amplifying the pharmacological potency of several compounds. Comprehensive characterization, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential analysis, confirmed the successful association of crotamine with the non-toxic SBA-15 nanoparticles. The TEM imaging revealed nanoparticles with a nearly spherical shape and variations in uniformity upon crotamine association. Furthermore, DLS showed a narrow unimodal size distribution, emphasizing the formation of small aggregates. Zeta potential measurements indicated a distinct shift from negative to positive values upon crotamine association, underscoring its effective adsorption onto SBA-15. Intraperitoneal or oral administration of crotamine:SBA-15 in a murine melanoma model suggested the potential to reduce the frequency of crotamine doses without compromising efficacy. Interestingly, while the oral route enhanced the antitumor efficacy of crotamine, pH-dependent release from SBA-15 was observed. Thus, associating crotamine with SBA-15 could reduce the overall required dose to inhibit solid tumor growth, bolstering the prospect of crotamine as a potent anticancer agent.

Discovery and biological evaluation of pregnenolone selenocyanoamides with potential anticancer and antimicrobial activities

Starting with pregnenolone, a 20-carbonyl group was converted into an amino group through a series of chemical reactions. This amino group was further converted into selenocyanoalkylamide, leading to the synthesis of six pregnenolone selenocyanoalkylamide derivatives. These compounds were then screened for antitumor activity in vitro, yielding promising results. Compounds 4b-4f show higher inhibitory activity than the positive control abiraterone and 2-methoxyestradiol, with IC50 values lower than 10 μmol/L against breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer cell lines that closely related to human hormone expression levels. The Annexin V assay of compound 4f revealed that compounds inhibited tumor cell proliferation primarily through the induction of programmed apoptosis. The zebrafish test results indicated that compound 4d had significant inhibitory activity against MCF-7 cell xenografts in vivo. Moreover, the antibacterial test indicated that compounds 4a and 4d-4e had better inhibitory activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) than the positive controls vancomycin and ampicillin. These results suggest that these compounds may hold promise as novel antitumor agents or antimicrobial agents for further study.

Discovery of YS-363 as a highly potent, selective, and orally efficacious EGFR inhibitor

The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the standard first-line therapy for EGFR-mutated NSCLC. However, long-term clinical treatment often leads to acquired drug resistance, making NSCLC refractory. Therefore, it is essential to design new EGFR inhibitors as potential drugs against NSCLC. This study reports on a novel quinazoline-based compound called YS-363 that acts as a new EGFR inhibitor. YS-363 demonstrated potent inhibition against both wild-type and L858R mutant forms of EGFR with IC50 values of 0.96 nM and 0.67 nM, respectively. Additionally, YS-363 had a reversible inhibitory effect on cellular EGFR signaling, had excellent inhibitory activity on cell proliferation and migration, and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In xenograft models dependent on EGFR signaling, oral administration of YS-363 substantially suppressed tumor growth by inhibiting this pathway. In summary, YS-363 is a promising selective reversible inhibitor with a novel quinazoline scaffold that can potentially develop more effective anti-lung cancer agents targeting EGFR in patients who have developed resistance to current therapies such as TKIs like gefitinib or erlotinib.

Paclitaxel prodrug-encapsulated polypeptide micelles with redox/pH dual responsiveness for cancer chemotherapy

Polypeptides are a highly promising carrier for delivering hydrophobic drugs, due to their excellent biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and non-immunogenicity. Herein, a redox and pH dual-responsive poly(ethylene glycol)-SS-b-polypeptide micelles encapsulated with disulfide bridged paclitaxel-pentadecanoic acid prodrug was developed for cancer chemotherapy. First of all, disulfide bridged paclitaxel-pentadecanoic acid prodrug (PTX-SS-COOH) and poly(ethylene glycol)-SS-b-polylysine-b-polyphenylalanine (mPEG-SS-b-PLys-b-PPhe, ESLP) were synthesized and confirmed via NMR, MS, FT-IR or GPC. After that, PTX-SS-COOH (PSH) embedded mPEG-SS-b-PLys-b-PPhe (ESLP/PSH) micelles were prepared by mixing method based on electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic forces. For comparison, mPEG-b-PLys-b-PPhe (ELP) was mixed with PTX-SS-COOH to generate another kind of micelles (ELP/PSH). The characterization of ESLP/PSH micelles through dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed a spherical structure with a diameter of approximately 170 nm. It is noteworthy that ESLP/PSH micelles displayed a high drug-loading rate of 22.84%, and excellent stability, which can be attributed to the specific interactions between the prodrug and copolymer. Drug release analysis demonstrated that the micelles exhibited a substantial release of PTX in the presence of GSH at pH 5.0, indicating a pH and redox dual responsiveness. In vivo pharmacokinetic study revealed the ESLP/PSH micelles had increased bioavailability and an extended circulation time. Ultimately, antitumor efficacy and systemic toxicity evaluation in 4 T1 tumor-bearing mice confirmed that ESLP/PSH micelles achieved the highest level of tumor growth inhibition (ca. 83%) and the lowest systemic toxicity in comparison with ELP/PSH micelles and commercialized Taxol®. Taken together, the dual responsive micelles represent a promising PTX formulation with potential clinical application in cancer chemotherapy.

Design, synthesis, antitumor activity, and molecular dynamics simulations of novel sphingosine kinase 2 inhibitors

Targeting sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2) has become a novel strategy for the treatment of cancer. However, potent and selective SphK2 inhibitors are rare. In our work, a series of novel SphK2 inhibitors were innovatively designed, synthesized and screened. Compound 12e showed the best inhibitory activity. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to analyze the detailed interactions between the SphK2 and its inhibitors. Moreover, 12e exhibited anti-proliferative activity in various cancer cells, and inhibited the migration of human breast cancer cells MCF-7.

Exploring the Interaction Between the Newly Designed Antitumor Zn(II) Complex and CT-DNA/BSA: Spectroscopic Methods, DFT Computational Analysis, and Docking Simulation

A new zinc(II) complex formulated as [Zn(pipr-ac)2], where pipr-ac stands for piperidineacetate, was synthesized and structurally identified with the help of experimental and DFT methods. Frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis demonstrated that the new complex has higher biological activity compared to the free ligand. Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) showed the nitrogen atoms and oxygen of carbonyl groups are the active sites of Zn(II) compound. Also, natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis confirmed the charge transfer from the ligating atoms to the metal ion and formation of four coordinated Zn(II) complex. MTT assay illustrated a noticeable cytotoxic activity of the new zinc(II) complex compared to cisplatin on K562 cell line. The CT-DNA and serum albumin (SA) binding of the Zn(II) complex were explored individually. In this regard, UV-Vis spectroscopy and florescence titration revealed the occurrences of fluorescence quenching of CT-DNA/SA by metal compound via static mechanism and creation of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions between them. The binding was further confirmed by viscosity measurement and gel electrophoresis assay for CT-DNA and circular dichroism spectroscopy for SA. Moreover, molecular docking simulation demonstrated that the new compound binds mainly through hydrogen bonds to the groove of DNA and hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions to site I of SA.

Hosimosines A-E, structurally diverse cytisine derivatives from the seeds of Ormosia hosiei Hemsl. et Wils

Ormosia hosiei Hemsl. et Wils (Fabaceae family) is an arbor species endemic to China. The seeds of O. hosiei have been used as traditional Chinese medicine to treat hernia, abdominal pain, blood stasis and amenorrhea. Cytisine-like and angustifoline type alkaloids were main components identified from this plant. In our research on the bioactive alkaloids from the promising Chinese medicinal plants, four new angustifoline type alkaloids (1-4) and a new cytisine-like alkaloid (5), named hosimosine A-E, together with 13 known analogues (6-18) were isolated from the seeds of O. hosiei. Their structures were elucidated by the extensive spectroscopic methods, especially the interpretation of NMR spectra and specific rotations, along with the methods of NMR and ECD calculation. Compounds 1-4 were identified as two pairs of epimers, whose relative configurations were deduced from density functional theory (DFT) calculations of NMR chemical shifts and DP4+ analysis, and absolute configurations were determined by comparison of their experimental and theoretical ECD spectra. Compound 5 displayed two sets of NMR data caused by the existence of tautomeric forms. Compounds 14, 17 and 18 were determined to be enantiomers of literature compounds. Some of the isolates exhibited moderate cytotoxic effects against HepG2, A2780 and MCF-7 cells.

In vitro and in vivo antitumor activities of Ru and Cu complexes with terpyridine derivatives as ligands

Six terpyridine ligands(L1-L6) with chlorophenol or bromophenol moiety were obtained to prepare metal terpyridine derivatives complexes: [Ru(L1)(DMSO)Cl2] (1), [Ru(L2)(DMSO)Cl2] (2), [Ru(L3)(DMSO)Cl2] (3), [Cu(L4)Br2]·DMSO (4), Cu(L5)Br2 (5), and [Cu(L6)Br2]⋅CH3OH (6). The complexes were fully characterized. Ru complexes 1-3 showed low cytotoxicity against the tested cell lines. Cu complexes 4-6 exhibited higher cytotoxicity against several tested cancer cell lines compared to their ligands and cisplatin, and lower toxicity towards normal human cells. Copper(II) complexes 4-6 arrested T-24 cell cycle in G1 phase. The mechanism studies indicated that complexes 4-6 accumulated in mitochondria of T-24 cells and caused significant reduction of the mitochondrial membrane potential, increase of the intracellular ROS levels and the release of Ca2+, and the activation of the Caspase cascade, finally inducing apoptosis. Animal studies showed that complex 6 obviously inhibited the tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model bearing T-24 tumor cells without significant toxicity.

A mechanistic updated overview on Cepharanthine as potential anticancer agent

The antitumor effects of traditional drugs have received increasing attention and active antitumor components extracted from traditional drugs have shown good efficacy with minimal adverse events. Cepharanthine(CEP for short) is an active component derived from the Stephania plants of Menispermaceae, which can regulate multiple signaling pathways alone or in combination with other therapeutic drugs to inhibit tumor cell proliferation, induce apoptosis, regulate autophagy, and inhibit angiogenesis, thereby inhibiting tumor progression. Therefore, we retrieved studies concerning CEP's antitumor effects in recent years and summarized the antitumor mechanism and targets, in order to gain new insights and establish a theoretical basis for further development and application of CEP.