Topical advances in PIM kinases and their inhibitors: Medicinal chemistry perspectives

Imparting aromaticity to 2-pyridone derivatives by O-alkylation resulted in new competitive and non-competitive PIM-1 kinase inhibitors with caspase-activated apoptosis

New aromatic O-alkyl pyridine derivatives were designed and synthesised as Proviral Integration Moloney (PIM)-1 kinase inhibitors. 4c and 4f showed potent in vitro anticancer activity against NFS-60, HepG-2, PC-3, and Caco-2 cell lines and low toxicity against normal human lung fibroblast Wi-38 cell line. Moreover, 4c and 4f induced apoptosis in the four tested cancer cell lines with high percentage. In addition, 4c and 4f significantly induced caspase 3/7 activation in HepG-2 cell line. Furthermore, 4c and 4f showed potent PIM-1 kinase inhibitory activity with IC50 = 0.110, 0.095 µM, respectively. Kinetic studies indicated that 4c and 4f were both competitive and non-competitive inhibitors for PIM-1 kinase enzyme. In addition, in silico prediction of physiochemical properties, pharmacokinetic profile, ligand efficiency, ligand lipophilic efficiency, and induced fit docking studies were consistent with the biological and kinetic studies, and predicted that 4c and 4f could act as PIM-1 kinase competitive non-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) mimetics with drug like properties.

A review on structure-function mechanism and signaling pathway of serine/threonine protein PIM kinases as a therapeutic target

The proviral integration for the Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases, belonging to serine/threonine kinase family, have been found to be overexpressed in various types of cancers, such as prostate, breast, colon, endometrial, gastric, and pancreatic cancer. The three isoforms PIM kinases i.e., PIM1, PIM2, and PIM3 share a high degree of sequence and structural similarity and phosphorylate substrates controlling tumorigenic phenotypes like proliferation and cell survival. Targeting short-lived PIM kinases presents an intriguing strategy as in vivo knock-down studies result in non-lethal phenotypes, indicating that clinical inhibition of PIM might have fewer adverse effects. The ATP binding site (hinge region) possesses distinctive attributes, which led to the development of novel small molecule scaffolds that target either one or all three PIM isoforms. Machine learning and structure-based approaches have been at the forefront of developing novel and effective chemical therapeutics against PIM in preclinical and clinical settings, and none have yet received approval for cancer treatment. The stability of PIM isoforms is maintained by PIM kinase activity, which leads to resistance against PIM inhibitors and chemotherapy; thus, to overcome such effects, PIM proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are now being developed that specifically degrade PIM proteins. In this review, we recapitulate an overview of the oncogenic functions of PIM kinases, their structure, function, and crucial signaling network in different types of cancer, and the potential of pharmacological small-molecule inhibitors. Further, our comprehensive review also provides valuable insights for developing novel antitumor drugs that specifically target PIM kinases in the future. In conclusion, we provide insights into the benefits of degrading PIM kinases as opposed to blocking their catalytic activity to address the oncogenic potential of PIM kinases.

PIM Kinases as Potential Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Arthritides

The Proviral Integration site for the Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM)-1 kinase and its family members (PIM-2 and PIM-3) regulate several cellular functions including survival, proliferation, and apoptosis. Recent studies showed their involvement in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis RA, while no studies are available on psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). The main objective of this study is to assess the expression of PIM kinases in inflammatory arthritides, their correlation with proinflammatory cytokines, and their variation after treatment with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs or JAK inhibitors. We evaluated PIM-1, -2, and -3 expression at the gene and protein level, respectively, in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum of patients with RA, PsA, axSpA, and healthy individuals (CTR). All the samples showed expression of PIM-1, -2, and -3 kinases both at the gene and protein level. PIM-1 was the most expressed protein, PIM-3 the least. PIM kinase levels differed between controls and disease groups, with reduced PIM-1 protein and increased PIM-3 protein in all disease samples compared to controls. No difference was found in the expression of these molecules between the three different pathologies. PIM levels were not modified after 6 months of therapy. In conclusion, our preliminary data suggest a deregulation of the PIM pathway in inflammatory arthritides. In-depth studies on the role of PIM kinases in this field are warranted.

Reconnoitering imidazopyridazines as anticancer agents based on virtual modelling approach: quantitative structure activity relationship, molecular docking and molecular dynamics

Cancer is an unimpeded growth of cells leading to metathesis of cancer and eventually spread throughout the body. PIM kinases are the members of the serine threonine kinase playing role in cancer progression, differentiation and proliferation. Till date there is no single drug targeting PIM-1 kinase in the market, that has made itself a target in limelight for the discover of new anticancer agents. The contemporary research focusses on the development of new inhibitors of PIM-1 kinase by application of ligand-based and structure-based perspective of drug discovery namely 3D-QSAR, molecular docking and dynamics. The following study stated the correlation amid structural and biological activity of the compounds employing 3D-QSAR analysis. Three 3D-QSAR models were generated using 33 molecules from which the excellent model stated an encouraging conventional correlation coefficient (r2) 0.8651, cross validation coefficient (q2) 0.7609. Furthermore, the predicted correlation coefficient (r2 pred) 0.6274, respectively. Molecular docking studies revealed that the most active compound 26 resided in the active pocket of PIM-1 kinase establishing hydrogen bond interactions with Asp186 in the DFG motif; similarly, all other molecules were engaged within the active site of the PIM-1 kinase. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulation study stated the stability of the ligand in the active site of PIM-1 kinase protein by developing two hydrogen bonds throughout the trajectory of 100 ns. In nutshell, the output stated the successful application of ligand and structure-based strategy for the development of novel PIM-1 kinase inhibitors as anticancer agents.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Comprehensive Insights that Targeting PIM for Cancer Therapy: Prospects and Obstacles

Proviral integration sitea for Moloney-murine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases are a family of highly conserved serine/tyrosine kinases consisting of three members, PIM-1, PIM-2, and PIM-3. These kinases regulate a wide range of substrates through phosphorylation and affect key cellular processes such as transcription, translation, proliferation, apoptosis, and energy metabolism. Several PIM inhibitors are currently undergoing clinical trials, such as a phase I clinical trial of Uzanserti (5) for the treatment of relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that has been completed. The current focus encompasses the structural and biological characterization of PIM, ongoing research progress on small-molecule inhibitors undergoing clinical trials, and evaluation analysis of persisting challenges in this field. Additionally, the design and discovery of small-molecule inhibitors targeting PIM in recent years have been explored, with a particular emphasis on medicinal chemistry, aiming to provide valuable insights for the future development of PIM inhibitors.

Discovery of new pyridine-quinoline hybrids as competitive and non-competitive PIM-1 kinase inhibitors with apoptosis induction and caspase 3/7 activation capabilities

New quinoline-pyridine hybrids were designed and synthesised as PIM-1/2 kinase inhibitors. Compounds 5b, 5c, 6e, 13a, 13c, and 14a showed in-vitro low cytotoxicity against normal human lung fibroblast Wi-38 cell line and potent in-vitro anticancer activity against myeloid leukaemia (NFS-60), liver (HepG-2), prostate (PC-3), and colon (Caco-2) cancer cell lines. In addition, 6e, 13a, and 13c significantly induced apoptosis with percentage more than 66%. Moreover, 6e, 13a, and 13c significantly induced caspase 3/7 activation in HepG-2 cell line. Furthermore, 5c, 6e, and 14a showed potent in-vitro PIM-1 kinase inhibitory activity. While, 5b showed potent in-vitro PIM-2 kinase inhibitory activity. Kinetic studies using Lineweaver-Burk double-reciprocal plot indicated that 5b, 5c, 6e, and 14a behaved as competitive inhibitors while 13a behaved as both competitive and non-competitive inhibitor of PIM-1 kinase enzyme. Molecular docking studies indicated that, in-silico affinity came in coherence with the observed in-vitro inhibitory activities against PIM-1/2 kinases.

Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Novel Dual Inhibitors of Human Protein Kinases CK2 and PIM-1

CK2 and PIM-1 are serine/threonine kinases involved in the regulation of many essential processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Inhibition of CK2 and PIM-1 kinase activity has been shown to significantly reduce the viability of cancer cells by inducing apoptosis. A series of novel amino alcohol derivatives of parental DMAT were designed and synthesized as potent dual CK2/PIM-1 inhibitors. Concomitantly with the inhibition studies toward recombinant CK2 and PIM-1, the influence of the obtained compounds on the viability of three human carcinoma cell lines, i.e., acute lymphoblastic leukemia (CCRF-CEM), human chronic myelogenous leukemia (K-562), and breast cancer (MCF-7), as well as non-cancerous cells (Vero), was evaluated using an MTT assay. Induction of apoptosis and cell cycle progression after treatment with the most active compound and a lead compound were studied by flow-cytometry-based assay. Additionally, autophagy induction in K-562 cells and intracellular inhibition of CK2 and PIM-1 in all the tested cell lines were evaluated by qualitative/quantitative fluorescence-based assay and Western blot method, respectively. Among the newly developed inhibitors, 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-[(4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)amino]propan-2-ol demonstrates the highest selectivity and the most prominent proapoptotic properties towards the studied cancer cells, especially towards acute lymphoblastic leukemia, in addition to inducing autophagy in K-562 cells.

Discovery of a high potent PIM kinase inhibitor for acute myeloid leukemia based on N-pyridinyl amide scaffold by optimizing the fragments toward to Lys67 and Asp128/Glu171

Despite the recent development of PIM inhibitors based on N-(pyridin-3-yl)acetamide scaffold for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the structural-activity relationship (SAR) associated with the effects of positional isomerization of N toward to Lys67 and freedom of solvent fragment toward to Asp128/Glu171 still remains an open question. In this work, a structurally novel compound based on N-pyridinyl amide was designed by fragment hybridization and then our SAR exploration revealed that the positional isomerization would lead to a decrease in activity, while increase of the freedom of solvent fragment by breaking the intramolecular hydrogen bond unprecedentedly leads to an increase in activity. These studies finally resulted in the screening out of a potent PIM inhibitor FD1024 (compound 24) which exerts strong antiproliferative activity against the tested AML cell lines and achieves profound antitumor efficacy in mice at well-tolerated dose schedules.

PIM2 kinase regulates the expression of TIGIT and energy metabolism on NK cell in multiple myeloma patients.. [DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2159151/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

Background: PIM2 kinase play a vital role in the generation of plasma cell and bone loss in multiple myeloma(MM), which highly related to the tumor progression and as a potential therapy target in MM. In immune cell,PIM2 kinase involved in the regulation of lymphocyte like T cell and B cell, However, its role in NK cells remains unclear. Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing data were analysed the expression of PIM2 kinase in NK cells from MM patients and healthy donors.Immune checkpoint expression, cell apoptosis, and NK cell function had been evaluated through flow cytometry.Then, NCBI, UCSC, JASPAR and GEPIA database were used to predict promoter of TIGIT.NK-92 cells with ETS-1 knockdown were established by using sh-RNA. Kinase functional assay (ADP-Glo) were used to confirm PIM2 inhibitor from 160 kinds of natural flavonoids compound.Samples treated with or without drugs were analyzed using mass spectrometry and RNA-seq. The oxygen consumption rate (OCR), and the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) were measured by assay kit. Result: The PIM2 kinase was highly expressed in the NK cells from MM patients based on single-cell sequencing analysis and confirmed in clinical sample by PCR and flow cytometry.Inhibition of PIM2 kinase can increase the function of NK cells and down regulation TIGIT expression. Mechanism, we confirmed that ETS-1 which was directly binding to the promoter of TIGIT was up-regulated by PIM2 kinase, which can lead the strengthened transcription of TIGIT on NK cells.Furthermore, two novel natural flavonoids compound named Kaempferol and Quercetin dihydrate as PIM2 kinase inhibitors exhibiting higher efficiency at low dose in MM cells,while influence the expression of TIGIT and energy metabolism on NK-92 cells. For in vitro experiment,PIM2 kinase inhibitors can activate NK cell killing function and decrease TIGIT expression,while promoted the apoptosis of MM cells irrespective of adding BMSCs or not in co-culture systems BMSCs. Conclusion: PIM2 kinase involved in the regulation of NK cell.Inhibiting PIM2 kinase could down-regulate the expression of TIGIT and improve energy metabolism to enhance NK cell anti myeloma cell.

Nicotinonitrile-derived apoptotic inducers: Design, synthesis, X-ray crystal structure and Pim kinase inhibition

Although a plethora of targeted anticancer small molecule drugs became available, the low response rate and drug resistance imply the continuous need for expanding the anticancer chemical space. In this study, a novel series of nicotinonitrile derivatives was designed, synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxic activities in HepG2 and MCF-7 cells. All derivatives showed high to moderate cytotoxic activity against both cell lines, with cell-type and chemotype-dependent cytotoxic potential. The normal HEK-293 T cells were ca. 50-fold less susceptible to the cytotoxic effect of the inhibitors. The in vitro enzyme inhibitory activity of selected active cytotoxic derivatives 8c, 8e, 9a, 9e and 12 showed that they have sub- to one digit micromolar 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) against the three Pim kinase isoforms, with 8e being the most potent (IC₅₀ ≤ 0.28 μM against three Pim kinases), comparable to the pan kinase inhibitor, Staurosporine. In HepG2, 8e induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. Apoptotic mechanistic studies with 8c and 8e in HepG2 cells, indicated a significant upregulation in both P53 and caspase-3 relative gene expression, as well as increased Bax/Bcl-2 protein expression level. Further, docking studies combined with molecular dynamic simulation showed a stable complex with high binding affinity of 8e to Pim-1 kinase; exploiting a negative electrostatic potential surface interaction with the added dimethyl amino group in the new compounds. Moreover, in silico ADME profile prediction indicated that all compounds are orally bioavailable and most of them can penetrate the blood-brain barrier. This study presents novel nicotinonitrile derivatives as auspicious hits for further optimization as antiproliferative agents against liver cancer cells and promising pan Pim kinase inhibitors at submicromolar concentrations.