Angiokinase inhibition of VEGFR-2, PDGFR and FGFR and cell growth inhibition in lung cancer: Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking of novel azaheterocyclic coumarin derivatives

Unveiling the potential of isatin-grafted phenyl-1,2,3-triazole derivatives as dual VEGFR-2/STAT-3 inhibitors: Design, synthesis and biological assessments

The use of VEGFR-2 inhibitors as a stand-alone treatment has proven to be ineffective in clinical trials due to the robustness of cellular response loops that lead to treatment resistance when only targeting VEGFR-2. The over-activation of the signal transducer/activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3) is expected to significantly impact treatment failure and resistance to VEGFR-2 inhibitors. In this study, we propose the concept of combined inhibition of VEGFR-2 and STAT-3 to combat induced STAT-3-mediated resistance to VEGFR-2 inhibition therapy. To explore this, we synthesized new isatin-grafted phenyl-1,2,3-triazole derivatives "6a-n" and "9a-f". Screening on PANC1 and PC3 cancer cell lines revealed that compounds 6b, 6 k, 9c, and 9f exhibited sub-micromolar ranges. The most promising molecules, 6b, 6 k, 9c, and 9f, demonstrated the highest inhibition when tested as dual inhibitors on VEGFR-2 (with IC50 range 53-82 nM, respectively) and STAT-3 (with IC50 range 5.63-10.25 nM). In particular, triazole 9f showed the best results towards both targets. Inspired by these findings, we investigated whether 9f has the ability to trigger apoptosis in prostate cancer PC3 cells via the assessment of the expression levels of the apoptotic markers Caspase-8, Bcl-2, Bax, and Caspase-9. Treatment of the PC3 cells with compound 9f significantly inhibited the protein expression levels of VEGFR-2 and STAT-3 kinases compared to the control.

Development of new thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines as dual EGFR and STAT3 inhibitors endowed with anticancer and pro-apoptotic activities

In part due to the resilience of cellular feedback pathways that develop therapeutic resistance to targeting the EGFR alone, using EGFR inhibitors alone was demonstrated to be unsuccessful in clinical trials. The over-activation of the signal transducer/activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) during the administration of an EGFR inhibitor is expected to play a substantial part in the failure and resistance of EGFR inhibitor treatment. Therein, we proposed a hypothesis that induced STAT3-mediated resistance to EGFR inhibition therapy could be addressed by a dual inhibition of EGFR and STAT3 method. To this end, we tried to discover new thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives "5a-o". Results from the screening on A549 and MCF7 cancer cell lines revealed that compounds 5j and 5k showed two-digit nanomolar with appropriate safety towards the WI-38 cell line. The best molecules, 5j and 5k, were subjected to γ-radiation, and their cytotoxic efficacy didn't change after irradiation, demonstrating that not having to use it avoided its side effects. Compounds 5j and 5k demonstrated the highest inhibition when their potency was tested as dual inhibitors on EGFR 67 and 41 nM, respectively, and STAT3 5.52 and 3.34 nM, respectively, proved with in silico molecular docking and dynamic simulation. In light of the results presented above, the capacity of both powerful compounds to alter the cell cycle and initiate the apoptotic process in breast cancer MCF7 cells was investigated. Caspase-8, Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-9 apoptotic indicators were studied.

Machine Learning, Molecular Docking, and Dynamics-Based Computational Identification of Potential Inhibitors against Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most prevalent cause of cancer deaths worldwide. However, its treatment faces a significant hurdle due to the development of resistance. Phytomolecules are an important source of new chemical entities due to their rich chemical diversity. Therefore, a machine learning (ML) model was developed to computationally identify potential inhibitors using a curated data set of 649 phytomolecules with inhibitory activity against lung cancer cell lines. Four distinct ML approaches, including k-nearest neighbor, random forest, support vector machine, and extreme gradient boosting, were used in conjugation with MACCS and Morgan2 fingerprints to generate the models. It was observed that the random forest model developed by using the MACCS fingerprint shows the best performance. To further explore the chemical space and feature importance, k-means clustering, t-SNE analysis, and mean decrease in impurity had been calculated. Simultaneously, ∼400 000 natural products (NPs) retrieved from the COCONUT database were filtered for pharmacokinetic properties and taken for a multistep screening using docking against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant, a therapeutic drug target of lung cancer. Thereafter, the best-performing random forest model was used to predict the antilung cancer potential of the NPs having binding affinity better than the cocrystal ligand. This allowed the identification of 205 potential inhibitors, wherein the molecules with an indolocarbazole scaffold were enriched in top-scoring molecules. The top three indolocarbazole molecules with the lowest binding energy were further evaluated through 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, which suggested that these molecules are strong binders. Also, structural similarity analysis against known drugs revealed that these NPs are similar to staurosporine, which demonstrates potent and selective activity against EGFR mutants. Thereby, the consensus analysis employing ML, molecular docking, and dynamics revealed that the molecules having an indolocarbazole scaffold are the most promising NPs that can act as potential inhibitors against lung cancer.

EGFR and PI3K/m-TOR inhibitors: design, microwave assisted synthesis and anticancer activity of thiazole-coumarin hybrids

A series of thiazoline and thiazolidinone-based 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives were synthesized using both conventional synthesis procedures and microwave-assisted techniques. The new compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic effect against three human cancer cell lines; MCF-7, HCT-116 and HepG2 and one normal human cell line (BJ-1). The promising anti-proliferative compounds 2a, 2b, 6a and 6b were assessed for inhibiting EGFR and PI3K/mTOR. Compound 6a showed the highest inhibition activity towards the signaling pathway. The apoptotic effect and cell cycle arrest potential of derivative 6a were examined. Moreover, the molecular docking, physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetic parameters of the promising compound were investigated, as well.

Novel quinoxaline-based VEGFR-2 inhibitors to halt angiogenesis

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 is a dynamic target for therapeutic intervention in various types of cancer. This study was aimed at exploring the VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity of a novel library of quinoxalin-2-one derivatives such as 3-furoquinoxaline carboxamides, 3-pyrazolylquinoxalines, and 3-pyridopyrimidyl-quinoxalines. Among them, 6c, 7a, and 7d-f produced remarkable cytotoxicity against HCT-116 (IC50's 4.28-9.31 µM) and MCF-7 (IC50's 3.57-7.57 µM) cell lines using the MTT assay and doxorubicin (DOX) as a reference standard. Interestingly, results of cytotoxicity towards the human fibroblast cell line WI38 revealed that these hits demonstrated higher selectivity indices towards both HCT-116 (SI 8.69-23.19) and MCF-7 (SI 9.48-27.80) than DOX, SI 0.72 and 0.90, respectively. Then, these hits were subjected to a mechanistic study; they showed direct inhibition of VEGFR-2. Impressively, compound 7f displayed 1.2 times the VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity of sorafenib. The antiangiogenic potential of 7f was proved via lowering the level of VEGF-A, than that of control. It as well, exhibited scratch closure percent of 61.8%, compared with 74.5% of control at 48 hrs, indicating the potential anti-migratory effect of the compound 7f. It significantly increased the expression of tumor suppressor gene (p53) on MCF-7 cells by almost 18 folds and upregulated the caspase-3 level by 10.7 folds, compared to the control. Cell cycle analysis revealed cell cycle arrest at G2/M together with a PreG increase which indicated apoptosis induction potential. Annexin V-FITC apoptosis results proposed the two modes of cell death (apoptosis and necrosis) as an inherent mechanism of cytotoxicity of compound 7f. Molecular docking further supported the mechanism showing the affinity of target compounds for VEGFR-2 active site. Moreover, physicochemical and drug-like properties were assessed from the ADME properties.

New insights about the PDGF/PDGFR signaling pathway as a promising target to develop cancer therapeutic strategies

Numerous cancers express platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) and PDGF receptors (PDGFRs). By directly stimulating tumour cells in an autocrine manner or by stimulating tumour stromal cells in a paracrine manner, the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)/platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) pathway is crucial in the growth and spread of several cancers. To combat hypoxia in the tumour microenvironment, it encourages angiogenesis. A growing body of experimental data shows that PDGFs target malignant cells, vascular cells, and stromal cells to modulate tumour growth, metastasis, and the tumour microenvironment. To combat medication resistance and enhance patient outcomes in cancers, targeting the PDGF/PDGFR pathway is a viable therapeutic approach. There have been reports of anomalies in the PDGF pathway, including the gain of function point mutations, activating chromosomal translocations, or overexpression or amplification of PDGF receptors (PDGFRs). As a result, it has been shown that targeting the PDGF/PDGFR signaling pathway is an effective method for treating cancer. As a result, this study will concentrate on the regulation of the PDGF/PDGFR signaling system, in particular the current methods and inhibitors used in cancer treatment, as well as the associated therapeutic advantages and side effects.

Coumarin derivatives with potential anticancer and antibacterial activity: Design, synthesis, VEGFR-2 and DNA gyrase inhibition, and in silico studies

A series of coumarin derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity. Compound 3e exhibited significant antiproliferative activity and was further evaluated at five doses at the National Cancer Institute. It effectively inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) with an IC₅₀ value of 0.082 ± 0.004 µM compared with sorafenib. While compound 3e significantly downregulated total VEGFR-2 and its phosphorylation, it markedly reduced the HUVEC's migratory potential, resulting in a significant disruption in wound healing. Furthermore, compound 3e caused a 22.51-fold increment in total apoptotic level in leukemia cell line HL-60(TB) and a 6.91-fold increase in the caspase-3 level. Compound 3e also caused cell cycle arrest, mostly at the G1/S phase. Antibacterial activity was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Compound 3b was the most active derivative, with the same minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration value of 128 μg/mL against K. pneumonia and high stability in mammalian plasma. Moreover, compounds 3b and 3f inhibited Gram-negative DNA gyrase with IC₅₀  = 0.73 ± 0.05 and 1.13 ± 0.07 µM, respectively, compared to novobiocin with an IC₅₀ value of 0.17 ± 0.02 µM. The binding affinity and pattern of derivative 3e toward the VEGFR-2 active site and compounds 3a-c and 3f in the DNA gyrase active site were evaluated using molecular modeling. Overall, ADME studies of the synthesized coumarin derivatives displayed promising pharmacokinetic properties.

Fighting Carcinogenesis with Plant Metabolites by Weakening Proliferative Signaling and Disabling Replicative Immortality Networks of Rapidly Dividing and Invading Cancerous Cells

BACKGROUND

Cancer, an uncontrolled multistage disease causing swift division of cells, is a leading disease with the highest mortality rate. Cellular heterogeneity, evading growth suppressors, resisting cell death, and replicative immortality drive the tumor progression by resisting the therapeutic action of existing anticancer drugs through a series of intrinsic and extrinsic cellular interactions. The innate cellular mechanisms also regulate the replication process as a fence against proliferative signaling, enabling replicative immortality through telomere dysfunction.

AREA COVERED

The conventional genotoxic drugs have several off-target and collateral side effects associated with them. Thus, the need for the therapies targeting cyclin-dependent kinases or P13K signaling pathway to expose cancer cells to immune destruction, deactivation of invasion and metastasis, and maintaining cellular energetics is imperative. Compounds with anticancer attributes isolated from plants and rich in alkaloids, terpenes, and polyphenols have proven to be less toxic and highly targetspecific, making them biologically significant. This has opened a gateway for the exploration of more novel plant molecules by signifying their role as anticancer agents in synergy and alone, making them more effective than the existing cytotoxic regimens.

EXPERT OPINION

In this context, the current review presented recent data on cancer cases around the globe, along with discussing the fundamentals of proliferative signaling and replicative immortality of cancer cells. Recent findings were also highlighted, including antiproliferative and antireplicative action of plant-derived compounds, besides explaining the need for improving drug delivery systems.

Design, synthesis and anticancer activity studies of 3-(coumarin-3-yl)-acrolein derivatives: Evidenced by integrating network pharmacology and vitro assay

Coumarin derivatives have diverse structures and show various significant biological activities. Aiming to develop more potent coumarin derivatives for cancer treatment, a series of coumarin acrolein hybrids were designed and synthesized by using molecular hybridization approach, and investigated for their antiproliferative activity against A549, KB, Hela and MCF-7 cancer cells as well as HUVEC and LO2 human normal cells. The results indicated that most of the synthesized compounds displayed remarkable inhibitory activity towards cancer cells but low cytotoxicity on normal cells. Among all the compounds, 5d and 6e were the most promising compounds against different cancer cell lines, especially for A549 and KB cells. The preliminary action mechanism studies suggested that compound 6e, the representative compound, was capable of dose-dependently suppressing migration, invasion and inducing significant apoptosis. Furthermore, the combined results of network pharmacology and validation experiments revealed that compound 6e induced mitochondria dependent apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT-mediated Bcl-2 signaling pathway. In summary, our study indicated compound 6e could inhibit cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promote cell apoptosis through inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in human oral epidermoid carcinoma cells. These findings demonstrated the potential of 3-(coumarin-3-yl)-acrolein derivatives as novel anticancer chemotherapeutic candidates, providing ideas for further development of drugs for clinical use.

Heterocyclic Compounds as Hsp90 Inhibitors: A Perspective on Anticancer Applications

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) have garnered special attention in cancer therapy as molecular chaperones with regulatory/mediatory effects on folding, maintenance/stability, maturation, and conformation of proteins as well as their effects on prevention of protein aggregation. Hsp90 ensures the stability of various client proteins needed for the growth of cells or the survival of tumor cells; therefore, they are overexpressed in tumor cells and play key roles in carcinogenesis. Accordingly, Hsp90 inhibitors are recognized as attractive therapeutic agents for investigations pertaining to tumor suppression. Natural Hsp90 inhibitors comprising geldanamycin (GM), reclaimed analogs of GM including 17-AAG and DMAG, and radicicol, a natural macrocyclic antifungal, are among the first potent Hsp90 inhibitors. Herein, recently synthesized heterocyclic compounds recognized as potent Hsp90 inhibitors are reviewed along with the anticancer effects of heterocyclic compounds, comprising purine, pyrazole, triazine, quinolines, coumarin, and isoxazoles molecules.

New 1,2,3-Triazole-Coumarin-Glycoside Hybrids and Their 1,2,4-Triazolyl Thioglycoside Analogs Targeting Mitochondria Apoptotic Pathway: Synthesis, Anticancer Activity and Docking Simulation

Toxicity and resistance to newly synthesized anticancer drugs represent a challenging phenomenon of intensified concern arising from variation in drug targets and consequently the prevalence of the latter concern requires further research. The current research reports the design, synthesis, and anticancer activity of new 1,2,3-triazole-coumarin-glycosyl hybrids and their 1,2,4-triazole thioglycosides as well as acyclic analogs. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized products was studied against a panel of human cancer cell lines. Compounds 8, 10, 16 and 21 resulted in higher activities against different human cancer cells. The impact of the hybrid derivative 10 upon different apoptotic protein markers, including cytochrome c, Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-7 along with its effect on the cell cycle was investigated. It revealed a mitochondria-apoptotic effect on MCF-7 cells and had the ability to upregulate pro-apoptotic Bax protein and downregulate anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and thus implies the apoptotic fate of the cells. Furthermore, the inhibitory activities against EGFR, VEGFR-2 and CDK-2/cyclin A2 kinases for 8, 10 and 21 were studied to detect the mechanism of their high potency. The coumarin-triazole-glycosyl hybrids 8 and 10 illustrated excellent broad inhibitory activity (IC₅₀= 0.22 ± 0.01, 0.93 ± 0.42 and 0.24 ± 0.20 μM, respectively, for compound 8), (IC₅₀ = 0.12 ± 0.50, 0.79 ± 0.14 and 0.15± 0. 60 μM, respectively, for compound 10), in comparison with the reference drugs, erlotinib, sorafenib and roscovitine (IC₅₀ = 0.18 ± 0.05, 1.58 ± 0.11 and 0.46 ± 0.30 μM, respectively). In addition, the docking study was simulated to afford better rationalization and put insight into the binding affinity between the promising derivatives and their targeted enzymes and that might be used as an optimum lead for further modification in the anticancer field.

Effect of Family Participatory Nursing Model Based on WeChat Platform on Psychological Elasticity and Quality of Life of Patients with Lung Cancer

Objective

To explore the effect of family participatory nursing model based on WeChat platform on psychological elasticity and life quality of patients with lung cancer.

Methods

One hundred patients with lung cancer treated in our hospital from February 2019 to April 2021 were enrolled. The patients were randomly assigned into control group and study group. The control group received routine nursing and the study group received family participatory nursing model based on WeChat platform. The scores of nursing satisfaction, self-feeling burden, symptom group assessment scale, family care index, and compliance and life quality were compared.

Results

First of all, we compared the nursing satisfaction: the study group was very satisfied in 25 cases, satisfactory in 20 cases, general in 5 cases, the satisfaction rate was 100.00%; the control group was very satisfied in 14 cases, satisfactory in 17 cases, general in 13 cases, dissatisfied in 6 cases, and the satisfaction rate was 88.00%. Compared between the two groups, the nursing satisfaction in the study group was higher compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Secondly, we compared the self-perceived burden, the emotional burden, physical burden, and economic burden and total scores of the study group were lower compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Comparing the scores of symptom group evaluation scale, the scores of respiratory symptoms, fatigue symptoms, psychological and emotional symptoms, digestive tract symptoms, and nervous system symptoms in the study group were lower compared to the control group (P < 0.05). In terms of the family care index of the two groups, the scores of fitness, cooperation, length, emotion, and intimacy in the study group were higher compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Comparison of compliance, the study group was very compliant in 42 cases, compliant in 7 cases, noncompliant in 1 case, the compliance rate was 98.00%; the control group was very compliant in 24 cases, compliant in 20 cases, noncompliant in 6 cases, the compliance rate was 88.00%. The compliance rate in the study group was higher compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Finally, we compared the scores of qualities of life. Before nursing, there exhibited no significant difference (P > 0.05). The scores of physiological function, psychological function, social function, and health self-cognition in the study group were lower compared to the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The family participatory nursing model based on WeChat platform helps to facilitate the psychological elasticity and quality of life of patients with lung cancer and further promote patients' self-care ability and compliance with lung cancer. It can also effectively enhance family care and nursing satisfaction; the nursing model is worth popularizing and applying in clinic.

Novel 1,2,3-Triazole-Coumarin Hybrid Glycosides and Their Tetrazolyl Analogues: Design, Anticancer Evaluation and Molecular Docking Targeting EGFR, VEGFR-2 and CDK-2

This study represents the design and synthesis of a new set of triazole-coumarin-glycosyl hybrids and their tetrazole hybrid analogues possessing various sugar moieties and modified analogues. All the newly synthesized derivatives were screened for their cytotoxic activities against a panel of human cancer cell lines. The coumarin derivatives 10, 13 and 15 derivatives revealed potent cytotoxic activities against Paca-2, Mel-501, PC-3 and A-375 cancer cell lines. These promising analogues were further examined for their inhibitory assessment against EGFR, VEGFR-2 and CDK-2/cyclin A2 kinases. The coumarin-tetrazole 10 displayed broad superior inhibitory activity against all screened enzymes compared with the reference drugs, erlotinib, sorafenib and roscovitine, respectively. The impact of coumarin-tetrazole 10 upon cell cycle and apoptosis induction was determined to detect its mechanism of action. Additionally, it upregulated the levels of casp-3, casp-7 and cytochrome-c proteins and downregulated the PD-1 level. Finally, molecular docking study was simulated to afford better rationalization and gain insight into the binding affinity between the promising derivatives and their targeted enzymes, which could be used as an optimum lead for further modification in the anticancer field.

Design, Synthesis and Molecular Modeling of Coumarin Derivatives as MDM2 Inhibitors Targeting Breast Cancer

The coumarin ring was used as a central scaffold that was substituted with a variety of bioactive functional groups, for designing and synthesizing novel MDM2 inhibitors targeting breast cancer. The synthesized derivatives, 3c, 3d, 3g, 7b, 7c and 8 with IC_50s ranging from 9.4 to 9.9 µM were evaluated for their safety on MCF10a normal breast cell line. The compounds showed selectivity indices of 2.15, 3.85, 2.75, 1.38, 3.72 and 5.20 respectively. 7c was selected for further investigation, the compound was capable of down-regulating MDM2 and the anti-apoptosis proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, up-regulating the level of p53 and the pro-apoptosis protein BAX, causing cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and activating Caspase-9 to induce apoptosis. Molecular docking study revealed the capability of derivative 7c to interact with the key amino acids in p53 binding pocket of MDM2 protein. Moreover, the physicochemical properties of compound 7c were studied in silico.