Induction of DNA damage, apoptosis and cell cycle perturbation mediate cytotoxic activity of new 5-aminosalicylate–4-thiazolinone hybrid derivatives

Licochalcone D exhibits cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells and enhances tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-induced apoptosis through upregulation of death receptor 5

Anticancer strategies using natural products or derivatives are promising alternatives for cancer treatment. Here, we showed that licochalcone D (LCD), a natural flavonoid extracted from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, suppressed the growth of breast cancer cells, and was less toxic to MCF-10A normal breast cells. LCD-induced DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, LCD potentiated tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced cytotoxicity. Mechanistically, LCD was revealed to reduce survival protein expression and to upregulate death receptor 5 (DR5) expressions. Silencing DR5 blocked the ability of LCD to sensitize cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. LCD increased CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) expression in breast cancer cells. Knockdown of CHOP attenuated DR5 upregulation and apoptosis triggered by cotreatment with LCD and TRAIL. Furthermore, LCD suppressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and promoted the phosphorylation of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Pretreatment with JNK inhibitor SP600125 or p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 abolished the upregulation of DR5 and CHOP, and also attenuated LCD plus TRAIL-induced cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Overall, our results show that LCD exerts cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cells and arguments TRAIL-mediated apoptosis by inhibiting survival protein expression and upregulating DR5 in a JNK/p38 MAPK-CHOP-dependent manner.

Spectroscopic, biochemical and computational studies of bioactive DNA minor groove binders targeting 5'-WGWWCW-3' motif

Spectroscopic, biochemical, and computational modelling studies have been used to assess the binding capability of a set of minor groove binding (MGB) ligands against the self-complementary DNA sequences 5'-d(CGCACTAGTGCG)-3' and 5'-d(CGCAGTACTGCG)-3'. The ligands were carefully designed to target the DNA response element, 5'-WGWWCW-3', the binding site for several nuclear receptors. Basic 1D 1H NMR spectra of the DNA samples prepared with three MGB ligands show subtle variations suggestive of how each ligand associates with the double helical structure of both DNA sequences. The variations among the investigated ligands were reflected in the line shape and intensity of 1D 1H and 31P-{1H} NMR spectra. Rapid visual inspection of these 1D NMR spectra proves to be beneficial in providing valuable insights on MGB binding molecules. The NMR results were consistent with the findings from both UV DNA denaturation and molecular modelling studies. Both the NMR spectroscopic and computational analyses indicate that the investigated ligands bind to the minor grooves as antiparallel side-by-side dimers in a head-to-tail fashion. Moreover, comparisons with results from biochemical studies offered valuable insights into the mechanism of action, and antitumor activity of MGBs in relation to their structures, essential pre-requisites for future optimization of MGBs as therapeutic agents.

Discovery of anticancer function of Febrifugine: Inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis and suppression steroid synthesis in bladder cancer cells

Bladder cancer is a prevalent malignancy affecting the urinary system, which presents a significant global health concern. Although there are many treatments for bladder cancer, identifying more effective drugs and methods remains an urgent problem. As a pivotal component of contemporary medical practice, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) assumes a crucial role in the realm of anti-tumor therapy, especially with the identification of active ingredients and successful exploration of pharmacological effects. Febrifugine, identified as a quinazoline-type alkaloid compound extracted from the Cytidiaceae family plant Huangchangshan, exhibits heightened sensitivity to bladder cancer cells in comparison to control cells (non-cancer cells) group. The proliferation growth of bladder cancer cells T24 and SW780 was effectively inhibited by Febrifugine, and the IC50 was 0.02 and 0.018 μM respectively. Febrifugine inhibits cell proliferation by suppressing DNA synthesis and induces cell death by reducing steroidogenesis and promoting apoptosis. Combined with transcriptome analysis, Febrifugine was found to downregulate low density lipoprotein receptor-associated protein, lanosterol synthase, cholesterol biosynthesis second rate-limiting enzyme, 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase, flavin adenine dinucleotide dependent oxidoreductase and other factors to inhibit the production of intracellular steroids in bladder cancer T24 cells. The results of animal experiments showed that Febrifugine could inhibit tumor growth. In summary, the effect of Febrifugine on bladder cancer is mainly through reducing steroid production and apoptosis. Therefore, this study contributes to the elucidation of Febrifugine's potential as an inhibitor of bladder cancer and establishes a solid foundation for the future development of novel therapeutic agents targeting bladder cancer.

Design, synthesis and mechanistic anticancer activity of new acetylated 5-aminosalicylate-thiazolinone hybrid derivatives

The development of hybrid compounds has been widely considered as a promising strategy to circumvent the difficulties that emerge in cancer treatment. The well-established strategy of adding acetyl groups to certain drugs has been demonstrated to enhance their therapeutic efficacy. Based on our previous work, an approach of accommodating two chemical entities into a single structure was implemented to synthesize new acetylated hybrids (HH32 and HH33) from 5-aminosalicylic acid and 4-thiazolinone derivatives. These acetylated hybrids showed potential anticancer activities and distinct metabolomic profile with antiproliferative properties. The in-silico molecular docking predicts a strong binding of HH32 and HH33 to cell cycle regulators, and transcriptomic analysis revealed DNA repair and cell cycle as the main targets of HH33 compounds. These findings were validated using in vitro models. In conclusion, the pleiotropic biological effects of HH32 and HH33 compounds on cancer cells demonstrated a new avenue to develop more potent cancer therapies.

The design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular docking of new 5-aminosalicylamide-4-thiazolinone hybrids as anticancer agents

New 5-aminosalicylamide-4-thiazolinone hybrids (27) were efficiently synthesized, characterized, and evaluated to explore their structure-activity relationship as anticancer agents. The antiproliferative activities of the new hybrids were evaluated against eight cancer cell lines using the sulforhodamine B assay. The most potent compound (24b) possessed high selectivity on the tested cell lines in the low micromolar range, with much lower effects on normal fibroblast cells (IC50 > 50 µM). The cell lines derived from leukemia (Jurkat), cervix (HeLa), and colon (HCT116) cancers appeared to be the most sensitive, with IC50 of 2 µM. 24b is the N-ethylamide derivative with p-dimethylaminobenzylidene at position 5 of the 4-thiazolinone moiety. Other N-substituents or arylidene derivatives showed lower activity. Hybrids with salicylamides showed lower activity than with methyl salicylate. The results clearly show that the modifications of the carboxy group and arylidene moiety greatly affect the activity. Investigating the possible molecular mechanisms of these hybrids revealed that they act through cell-cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition. Molecular docking studies rationalize the molecular interactions of 24b with EGFR. This work expands our knowledge of the structural requirements to improve the anticancer activity of 5-aminosalicylic-thiazolinone hybrids and pave the way toward multitarget anticancer salicylates.

Studying the Interaction between Bendamustine and DNA Molecule with SERS Based on AuNPs/ZnCl2/NpAA Solid-State Substrate

Bendamustine (BENDA) is a bifunctional alkylating agent with alkylating and purinergic antitumor activity, which exerts its anticancer effects by direct binding to DNA, but the detailed mechanism of BENDA-DNA interaction is poorly understood. In this paper, the interaction properties of the anticancer drug BENDA with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) were systematically investigated based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technique mainly using a novel homemade AuNPs/ZnCl2/NpAA (NpAA: nano porous anodic alumina) solid-state substrate and combined with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and molecular docking simulation to reveal the mechanism of their interactions. We experimentally compared and studied the SERS spectra of ctDNA, BENDA, and BENDA-ctDNA complexes with different molar concentrations (1:1, 2:1, 3:1), and summarized their important characteristic peak positions, their peak position differences, and hyperchromic/hypochromic effects. The results showed that the binding modes include covalent binding and hydrogen bonding, and the binding site of BENDA to DNA molecules is mainly the N7 atom of G base. The results of this study help to understand and elucidate the mechanism of BENDA at the single-molecule level, and provide guidance for the further development of effective new drugs with low toxicity and side effects.

4-Thiazolidinone-Bearing Hybrid Molecules in Anticancer Drug Design

Oncological diseases have currently reached an epidemic scale, especially in industrialized countries. Such a situation has prompted complex studies in medicinal chemistry focused on the research and development of novel effective anticancer drugs. In this review, the data concerning new 4-thiazolidinone-bearing hybrid molecules with potential anticancer activity reported during the period from the years 2017-2022 are summarized. The main emphasis is on the application of molecular hybridization methodologies and strategies in the design of small molecules as anticancer agents. Based on the analyzed data, it was observed that the main directions in this field are the hybridization of scaffolds, the hybrid-pharmacophore approach, and the analogue-based drug design of 4-thiazolidinone cores with early approved drugs, natural compounds, and privileged heterocyclic scaffolds. The mentioned design approaches are effective tools/sources for the generation of hit/lead compounds with anticancer activity and will be relevant to future studies.

The Anticancer Effects of the Pro-Apoptotic Benzofuran-Isatin Conjugate (5a) Are Associated With p53 Upregulation and Enhancement of Conventional Chemotherapeutic Drug Efficiency in Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

The present study aimed to investigate in-depth a cytotoxic novel benzofuran-isatin conjugate (5a, 3-methyl-N'-(2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)benzofuran-2-carbohydrazide) with promising potential anticancer activities in colorectal adenocarcinoma HT29 and metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) SW620 cell lines. Thus, the primary cell events involved in tumorigenicity, tumor development, metastasis, and chemotherapy response were explored. Both CRC cell lines were exposed to different concentrations of Compound 5a and then subjected to real-time cell viability, migration, and invasion assays, colony formation and cytotoxicity assays, and flow cytometry for cell cycle analysis and apoptosis determination. Western blot and RT-qPCR were performed to assess the protein and transcript expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cell cycle, and apoptosis markers. We showed that the Compound 5a treatment exhibited anticancer effects through inhibition of HT29 and SW620 cell viability, migration, and invasion, in a dose-dependent manner, which were associated with the upregulation of the tumor suppressor p53. Compound 5a also inhibited the colony formation ability of HT29 and SW620 cells and reversed EMT markers E-cadherin and N-cadherin expression. CRC cell exposure to Compound 5a resulted in a cell cycle arrest at the G1/G0 phase in HT29 cells and at the G2/M phase in SW620 cells, along with the downregulation of cyclin A1 expression, described to be involved in the S phase entry. Furthermore, Compound 5a-induced apoptosis was associated with the downregulation of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-xl marker, upregulation of pro-apoptotic Bax and cytochrome c markers, and increased mitochondrial outer membrane permeability, suggesting the involvement of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis pathway. In addition, the combination studies of Compound 5a with the main conventional chemotherapeutic drugs 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin showed a more potent cytotoxic effect in both CRC cells than a single treatment. In conclusion, our findings described the interesting in vitro anticancer properties of Compound 5a, shown to have possible antitumor, antimetastatic, and pro-apoptotic activities, with the enhancement of the cytotoxic efficiency of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. In vivo studies are requested to confirm the promising anticancer potential of Compound 5a for CRC therapy.

Role of 4-Thiazolidinone Scaffold in Targeting Variable Biomarkers and Pathways Involving Cancer

BACKGROUND

Cancer can be considered as a genetic as well as a metabolic disorder. Current cancer treatment scenario looks like aggravating tumor cell metabolism, causing the disease to progress even with greater intensity. The cancer therapy is restricted to limitations of poor patient compliance due to toxicities to normal tissues and multi-drug resistance development. There is an emerging need for cancer therapy to be more focused on the better understanding of genetic, epigenetic and transcriptional changes resulting in cancer progression and their relationship with treatment sensitivity.

OBJECTIVE

The 4-thiazolidinone nucleus possesses marked anticancer potential towards different biotargets, thus targeting different cancer types like breast, prostate, lung, colorectal and colon cancers, renal cell adenocarcinomas and gliomas. Therefore, conjugating the 4-thiazolidinone scaffold with other promising moieties or by directing the therapy towards targeted drug delivery systems like the use of nanocarrier systems, can provide the gateway for optimizing the anticancer efficiency and minimizing the adverse effects and drug resistance development, thus providing stimulus for personalized pharmacotherapy.

METHODS

An exhaustive literature survey has been carried out to give an insight into the anticancer potential of the 4-thiazolidinone nucleus either alone or in conjugation with other active moieties, with the mechanisms involved in preventing proliferation and metastasis of cancer covering a vast range of publications of repute.

CONCLUSION

This review aims to summarise the work reported on anticancer activity of 4-thiazolidinone derivatives covering various cancer biomarkers and pathways involved, citing the data from 2005 till now, which may be beneficial to the researchers for future development of more efficient 4-thiazolidinone derivatives.

Identification of NSAIDs as lipoxygenase inhibitors through highly sensitive chemiluminescence method, expression analysis in mononuclear cells and computational studies

Here we report the inhibitory effects of nine non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on soybean 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) enzyme (EC 1.13.11.12) by three different methods; UV-absorbance, colorimetric and chemiluminescence methods. Only two drugs, Ibuprofen and Ketoprofen, exhibited enzyme inhibition by UV-absorbance method but none of the drug showed inhibition through colorimetric method. Chemiluminescence method was found highly sensitive for the identification of 15-LOX inhibitors and it was more sensitive and several fold faster than the other methods. All tested drugs showed 15-LOX-inhibition with IC₅₀ values ranging from 3.52 ± 0.08 to 62.6 ± 2.15 µM by chemiluminescence method. Naproxen was the most active inhibitor (IC₅₀ 3.52 ± 0.08 µM) followed by Aspirin (IC₅₀ 4.62 ± 0.11 µM) and Acetaminophen (IC₅₀ 6.52 ± 0.14 µM). Ketoprofen, Diclofenac and Mefenamic acid showed moderate inhibitory profiles (IC₅₀ 24.8 ± 0.24 to 39.62 ± 0.27 µM). Piroxicam and Tenoxicam were the least active inhibitors with IC₅₀ values of 62.6 ± 2.15 µM and 49.5 ± 1.13 µM, respectively. These findings are supported by expression analysis, molecular docking studies and density functional theory calculations. The expression analysis and flow cytometry apoptosis analysis were carried out using mononuclear cells (MNCs) which express both human 15-LOX and 5-LOX. Selected NSAIDs did not affect the cytotoxic activity of MNCs at IC₅₀ concentrations and the cell death showed dose dependent effect. However, MNCs apoptosis increased only at the higher concentrations, demonstrating that these drugs may not induce loss of immunity in septic and other inflammatory conditions at the acceptable inhibitory concentrations. The data collectively suggests that NSAIDs not only inhibit COX enzymes as reported in the literature but soybean 15-LOX and MNCs LOXs are also inhibited at differential values. A comparison of the metabolomics studies of arachidonic acid pathway after inhibition of either COX or LOX enzymes may reconfirm these findings.

Natural compound catechol induces DNA damage, apoptosis, and G1 cell cycle arrest in breast cancer cells

Targeting cell cycle and inducing DNA damage by activating cell death pathways are considered as effective therapeutic strategy for combating breast cancer progression. Many of the naturally known small molecules target these signaling pathways and are effective against resistant and/or aggressive types of breast cancers. Here, we investigated the effect of catechol, a naturally occurring plant compound, for its specificity and chemotherapeutic efficacies in breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) cells. Catechol treatment showed concentration-dependent cytotoxicity and antiproliferative growth in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells while sparing minimal effects on noncancerous (F-180 and HK2) cells. Catechol modulated differential DNA damage effects by activating ATM/ATR pathways and showed enhanced γ-H2AX expression, as an indicator for DNA double-stranded breaks. MCF-7 cells showed G1 cell cycle arrest by regulating p21-mediated cyclin E/Cdk2 inhibition. Furthermore, activation of p53 triggered a caspase-mediated cell death mechanism by inhibiting regulatory proteins such as DNMT1, p-BRCA1, MCL-1, and PDCD6 with an increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Overall, our results showed that catechol possesses favorable safety profile for noncancerous cells while specifically targeting multiple signaling cascades to inhibit proliferation in breast cancer cells.

5-Arylidene-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)aminothiazol-4(5H)-ones with selective inhibitory activity against some leukemia cell lines

The data on the pharmacology of 4-thiazolidinones showed that 5-ene-2-(imino)amino-4-thiazolidinones are likely to comprise one of the most promising groups of compounds possessing anticancer properties. A series of 5-arylidene-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)aminothiazol-4(5H)-ones was designed, synthesized, and studied against 10 leukemia cell lines, including the HL-60, Jurkat, K-562, Dami, KBM-7, and some Ba/F3 cell lines. The structure-activity relationship analysis shows that almost all tested 5-arylidene-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)aminothiazol-4(5H)-ones were characterized by ІС₅₀ values lower or comparable to that of the control drug chlorambucil. Among the tested compounds, (5Z)-5-(2-methoxybenzylidene)- (12), (5Z)-(2-ethoxybenzylidene)- (21), (5Z)-5-(2-benzyloxybenzylidene)- (25), and (5Z)-5-(2-allyloxybenzylidene)-2-(4-hydroxyphenylamino)thiazol-4(5H)-ones (28) possessed the highest antileukemic activity at submicromolar concentrations (ІС₅₀  = 0.10-0.95 µM).