A novel arylethynyltriazole acyclonucleoside inhibits proliferation of drug-resistant pancreatic cancer cells

Advance of structural modification of nucleosides scaffold

With Remdesivir being approved by FDA as a drug for the treatment of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), nucleoside drugs have once again received widespread attention in the medical community. Herein, we summarized modification of traditional nucleoside framework (sugar + base), traizole nucleosides, nucleoside analogues assembled by other drugs, macromolecule-modified nucleosides, and their bioactivity rules. 2'-"Ara"-substituted by -F or -CN group, and 3'-"ara" substituted by acetylenyl group can greatly influence their anti-tumor activities. Dideoxy dehydrogenation of 2',3'-sites can enhance antiviral efficiencies. Acyclic nucleosides and L-type nucleosides mainly represented antiviral capabilities. 5-F Substituted uracil analogues exihibit anti-tumor effects, and the substrates substituted by -I, -CF3, bromovinyl group usually show antiviral activities. The sugar coupled with 1-N of triazolid usually displays anti-tumor efficiencies, while the sugar coupled with 2-N of triazolid mainly represents antiviral activities. The nucleoside analogues assembled by cholesterol, polyethylene glycol, fatty acid and phospholipid would improve their bioavailabilities and bioactivities, or reduce their toxicities.

Alkynes as Privileged Synthons in Selected Organic Name Reactions

BACKGROUND

Alkynes are actually basic chemicals, serving as privileged synthons for planning new organic reactions for assemblage of a reactive motif, which easily undergoes a further desirable transformation. Name reactions, in organic chemistry are referred to those reactions which are well-recognized and reached to such status for being called as their explorers, discoverers or developers. Alkynes have been used in various name reactions. In this review, we try to underscore the applications of alkynes as privileged synthons in prevalent name reactions such as Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddtion via Click reaction, Sonogashira reaction, and Hetero Diels-Alder reaction.

OBJECTIVE

In this review, we try to underscore the applications of alkynes as privileged synthons in the formation of heterocycles, focused on the selected reactions of alkynes as a synthon or impending utilization in synthetic organic chemistry, which have reached such high status for being included in the list of name reactions in organic chemistry.

CONCLUSION

Alkynes (including acetylene) are an unsaturated hydrocarbon bearing one or more triple C-C bond. Remarkably, alkynes and their derivatives are frequently being used as molecular scaffolds for planning new organic reactions and installing reactive functional group for further reaction. It is worth mentioning that in general, the terminal alkynes are more useful and more frequently being used in the art of organic synthesis. Remarkably, alkynes have found different applications in pharmacology, nanotechnology, as well as being known as appropriate starting precursors for the total synthesis of natural products and biologically active complex compounds. They are predominantly applied in various name reactions such as Sonogashira, Glaser reaction, Friedel-crafts reaction, Castro-Stephens coupling, Huisgen 1.3-dipolar cycloaddtion reaction via Click reaction, Sonogashira reaction, hetero-Diels-Alder reaction. In this review, we tried to impress the readers by presenting selected name reactions, which use the alkynes as either stating materials or precursors. We disclosed the applications of alkynes as a privileged synthons in several popular reactions, which reached to such high status being classified as name reactions. They are thriving and well known and established name reactions in organic chemistry such as Regioselective, 1,3-dipolar Huisgen cycloaddtion reaction via Click reaction, Sonogashira reaction and Diels-Alder reaction.

E2F signature is predictive for the pancreatic adenocarcinoma clinical outcome and sensitivity to E2F inhibitors, but not for the response to cytotoxic-based treatments

The main goal of this study was to find out strategies of clinical relevance to classify patients with a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) for individualized treatments. In the present study a set of 55 patient-derived xenografts (PDX) were obtained and their transcriptome were analyzed by using an Affymetrix approach. A supervised bioinformatics-based analysis let us to classify these PDX in two main groups named E2F-highly dependent and E2F-lowly dependent. Afterwards their characterization by using a Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that E2F high patients survived significantly less than E2F low patients (9.5 months vs. 16.8 months; p = 0.0066). Then we tried to establish if E2F transcriptional target levels were associated to the response to cytotoxic treatments by comparing the IC50 values of E2F high and E2F low cells after gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, docetaxel or irinotecan treatment, and no association was found. Then we identified an E2F inhibitor compound, named ly101-4B, and we observed that E2F-higly dependent cells were more sensitive to its treatment (IC50 of 19.4 ± 1.8 µM vs. 44.1 ± 4.4 µM; p = 0.0061). In conclusion, in this work we describe an E2F target expression-based classification that could be predictive for patient outcome, but more important, for the sensitivity of tumors to the E2F inhibitors as a treatment. Finally, we can assume that phenotypic characterization, essentially by an RNA expression analysis of the PDAC, can help to predict their clinical outcome and their response to some treatments when are rationally selected.

Acyclonucleosides bearing coplanar arylethynyltriazole nucleobases: synthesis, structural analysis, and biological evaluation

The efficient synthesis of acyclonucleosides bearing coplanar 3-arylethynyltriazole motifs was established and several compounds displayed antiproliferative activity against cancer cells.

Genetic inactivation of Nupr1 acts as a dominant suppressor event in a two-hit model of pancreatic carcinogenesis

BACKGROUND

Nuclear protein 1 (Nupr1) is a major factor in the cell stress response required for Kras(G12D)-driven formation of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplastic lesions (PanINs). We evaluated the relevance of Nupr1 in the development of pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

We investigated the role of Nupr1 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression beyond PanINs in Pdx1-cre;LSL-Kras(G12D);Ink4a/Arf(fl/fl)(KIC) mice.

RESULTS

Even in the context of the second tumorigenic hit of Ink4a/Arf deletion, Nupr1 deficiency led to suppression of malignant transformation involving caspase 3 activation in premalignant cells of KIC pancreas. Only half of Nupr1-deficient;KIC mice achieved PDAC development, and incident cases survived longer than Nupr1(wt);KIC mice. This was associated with the development of well-differentiated PDACs in Nupr1-deficient;KIC mice, which displayed enrichment of genes characteristic of the recently identified human classical PDAC subtype. Nupr1-deficient;KIC PDACs also shared with human classical PDACs the overexpression of the Kras-activation gene signature. In contrast, Nupr1(wt);KIC mice developed invasive PDACs with enriched gene signature of human quasi-mesenchymal (QM) PDACs. Cells derived from Nupr1-deficient;KIC PDACs growth in an anchorage-independent manner in vitro had higher aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and overexpressed nanog, Oct-4 and Sox2 transcripts compared with Nupr1(wt);KIC cells. Moreover, Nupr1-deficient and Nurpr1(wt);KIC cells differed in their sensitivity to the nucleoside analogues Ly101-4b and WJQ63. Together, these findings show the pivotal role of Nupr1 in both the initiation and late stages of PDAC in vivo, with a potential impact on PDAC cell stemness.

CONCLUSIONS

According to Nupr1 status, KIC mice develop tumours that phenocopy human classical or QM-PDAC, respectively, and present differential drug sensitivity, thus becoming attractive models for preclinical drug trials.

Ultrasound-assisted one-pot synthesis of anti-CML nucleosides featuring 1,2,3-triazole nucleobase under iron-copper catalysis

A simple and efficient synthesis of modified 1,2,3-triazole nucleosides was developed. The strategy involved sequential one-pot acetylation-azidation-cycloaddition procedure and was found to be highly effective under a cooperative effect of ultrasound activation and iron/copper catalysis. The reactions were carried out under both conventional and ultrasonic irradiation conditions. In general, improvement in rates and yields were observed when reactions were carried out under sonication compared with conventional conditions. This one-pot procedure provides several advantages such as operational simplicity, high yield, safety and environment friendly protocol. The resulting substituted nucleosides were evaluated for their anticancer activity against K562 chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cell line.

Targeting heat shock factor 1 with a triazole nucleoside analog to elicit potent anticancer activity on drug-resistant pancreatic cancer

Issued from a lead optimization process, we have identified a novel triazole nucleoside analog which elicits potent anticancer activity on drug-resistant pancreatic cancer. Most importantly, this compound targets heat shock response pathways by down-regulation of heat shock transcription factor 1 and consequential down-regulation of multiple heat shock proteins HSP27, HSP70 and HSP90. Down-regulation of these proteins caused the shut-down of several oncogenic pathways and caspase-dependent apoptosis resulting in a potent anticancer effect in vitro and in vivo. These results demonstrate the potential rewards gained in searching for anticancer candidates with multimodal actions on heat shock response pathways via HSF1 down-regulation.