Synthesis and biological evaluation of cinnamyl compounds as potent antitumor agents

Oxidative Stress Amplifying Polyprodrug Micelles as Drug Carriers for Combination Anticancer Therapy

Cancer cells are more vulnerable to reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress than normal cells due to disturbed redox balance. It can be postulated that ROS-generating drug carriers exert anticancer actions, leading to combination anticancer therapy with drug payloads. Here, we report a ROS-generating polyprodrug of cinnamaldehyde (CA) that not only serves as a drug carrier but also synergizes with drug payloads. The polyprodrug of CA (pCA) incorporates ROS-generating CA in the backbone of an amphiphilic polymer through an acid-cleavable acetal linkage. pCA could self-assemble with tumor-targeting lipopeptide (DSPE-PEG-RGD) and encapsulate doxorubicin (DOX) to form T-pCAD micelles. At acidic pH, T-pCAD micelles release both CA and DOX to exert synergistic anticancer actions. Animal studies using mouse xenograft models revealed that T-pCAD micelles accumulate in tumors preferentially and suppress the tumor growth significantly. Based on the oxidative stress amplification and acid-responsiveness, ROS-generating pCAD micelles hold tremendous potential as drug carriers for combination anticancer therapy.

Tumor-targeted hyaluronic acid-based oxidative stress nanoamplifier with ROS generation and GSH depletion for antitumor therapy

Tumor cells with innate oxidative stress are more susceptible to exogenous ROS-mediated oxidative damage than normal cells. However, the generated ROS could be scavenged by the overexpressed GSH in cancer cells, thus causing greatly restricted efficiency of ROS-mediated antitumor therapy. Herein, using cinnamaldehyde (CA) as a ROS generator while β-phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) as a GSH scavenger, we designed a tumor-targeted oxidative stress nanoamplifier to elevate intracellular ROS level and synchronously suppress antioxidant systems, for thorough redox imbalance and effective tumor cells killing. First, an amphiphilic acid-sensitive cinnamaldehyde-modified hyaluronic acid conjugates (HA-CA) were synthesized, which could self-assemble into nano-assembly in aqueous media via strong hydrophobic interaction and π-π stacking. Then, aromatic PEITC was appropriately encapsulated into HA-CA nano-assembly to obtain HA-CA/PEITC nanoparticles. Through enhanced permeability retention (EPR) effect and specific CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis, HA-CA/PEITC nanoparticles could accumulate in tumor tissues and successfully release CA and PEITC under acidic lysosomal environment. Both in vitro and in vivo results showed that the nanoparticles could efficiently boost oxidative stress of tumor cells via generating ROS and depleting GSH, and finally achieve superior antitumor efficacy. This nanoamplifier with good biosafety provides a potential strategy to augment ROS generation and suppress GSH for enhanced oxidation therapy.

Anti-cancer effects of cinnamon: Insights into its apoptosis effects

Cancer is known as a leading cause of death worldwide. In the last two decades, the incidence of cancer has been dramatically increased mostly due to lifestyle changes. The importance of this issue has attracted further attention to discover novel therapies to prevent and treat cancers. According to previous studies, drugs used to treat cancer have shown significant limitations. Therefore, the role of herbal medicines alone or in combination with chemotherapy drugs has been extensively studied in cancer treatment. Cinnamon is a natural component showing a wide range of pharmacological functions including anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activities. Impaired apoptosis plays critical roles in the initiation and progression of cancer. Increasing evidence indicates that cinnamon, as a therapeutic agent, has anti-cancer effects via affecting numerous apoptosis-related pathways in cancer cells. Here, we highlighted anticancer properties of cinnamon, particularly through targeting apoptosis-related mechanisms.

Cinnamaldehyde Analogs: Docking Based Optimization, COX-2 Inhibitory In Vivo and In Vitro Studies

BACKGROUND

In the past decade CADD has emerged as a rational approach in drug development so with the help molecular docking approach we planned to perform virtual screening of the designed data set of Schiff bases of cinnamaldehyde. The research work will be helpful to put some light on the drug receptor interactions required for anti-inflammatory activity.

METHODS

For carrying out virtual screening of the developed cinnamaldehyde Schiff base data set, AutoDock 4.0 was used. The active hits identified through in silico screening were synthesized. Anti-inflammatory evaluation was carried out using Carrageenan-induced paw oedema method.

RESULTS

Compounds V2A44, V2A55, V2A76, V2A82, V2A119, V2A141 and V2A142 has shown highest binding energy (-4.84, -4.76, -4.59, -4.78, -4.74, -4.85 and -4.72 kcal/mol, respectively) and the binding interactions with amino acids namely, Phe478, Glu479, Lys492, Ala493, Asp497 and Ile498. Some of the analogs have shown significant activity and were comparable to Indomethacin (standard drug).

CONCLUSION

Five new compounds have shown significant activity and the results obtained from in silico studies are parallel to those of in vivo studies.

Cinnamaldehydes in Cancer Chemotherapy

Cinnamaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde-derived compounds are candidates for the development of anticancer drugs that have received extensive research attention. In this review, we summarize recent findings detailing the positive and negative aspects of cinnamaldehyde and its derivatives as potential anticancer drug candidates. Furthermore, we describe the in vivo pharmacokinetics and metabolism of cinnamaldehydes. The oxidative and antioxidative properties of cinnamaldehydes, which contribute to their potential in chemotherapy, have also been discussed. Moreover, the mechanism(s) by which cinnamaldehydes induce apoptosis in cancer cells have been explored. In addition, evidence of the regulatory effects of cinnamaldehydes on cancer cell invasion and metastasis has been described. Finally, the application of cinnamaldehydes in treating various types of cancer, including breast, prostate, and colon cancers, has been discussed in detail. The effects of cinnamaldehydes on leukemia, hepatocellular carcinoma, and oral cancer have been summarized briefly. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of arylcinnamide hybrid derivatives as novel anticancer agents

The combination of two pharmacophores into a single molecule represents one of the methods that can be adopted for the synthesis of new anticancer molecules. A series of novel antiproliferative agents designed by a pharmacophore hybridization approach, combining the arylcinnamide skeleton and an α-bromoacryloyl moiety, was synthesized and evaluated for its antiproliferative activity against a panel of seven human cancer cell lines. In addition, the new derivatives were also active on multidrug-resistant cell lines over-expressing P-glycoprotein. The biological effects of various substituents on the N-phenyl ring of the benzamide portion were also described. In order to study the possible mechanism of action, we observed that 4p slightly increased the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production in HeLa cells, but, more importantly, a remarkable decrease of intracellular reduced glutathione content was detected in treated cells compared with controls. These results were confirmed by the observation that only thiol-containing antioxidants were able to significantly protect the cells from induced cell death. Altogether our results indicate that the new derivatives are endowed with good anticancer activity in vitro, and their properties may result in the development of new cancer therapeutic strategies.