Novel 3,4- seco bile acid diamides as selective anticancer proliferation and migration agents

Ilicicolin C suppresses the progression of prostate cancer by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

Aberrant activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway is a driving factor in the development of prostate cancer. Therefore, inhibiting the function of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is a strategy for the treatment of prostate cancer. Ilicicolin C is an ascochlorin derivative isolated from the coral-derived fungus Acremonium sclerotigenum GXIMD 02501. Which has anti-inflammatory activity, but its activity against prostate cancer has not yet been elucidated. MTT assay, plate clone-formation assay, flow cytometry and real-time cell analysis technology were used to detect the effects of ilicicolin C on cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis and migration of prostate cancer cells. Molecular docking software and surface plasmon resonance technology were used to analyze the interaction between ilicicolin C and PI3K/AKT proteins. Western blot assay was performed to examine the changes in protein expression. Finally, QikProp software was used to simulate the process of ilicicolin C in vivo, and a zebrafish xenograft model was used to further verify the anti-prostate cancer activity of ilicicolin C in vivo. Ilicicolin C showed cytotoxic effects on prostate cancer cells, with the most significant effect on PC-3 cells. Ilicicolin C inhibited proliferation and migration of PC-3 cells. It could also block the cell cycle and induce apoptosis in PC-3 cells. In addition, ilicicolin C could bind to PI3K/AKT proteins. Furthermore, ilicicolin C inhibited the expression of PI3K, AKT and mTOR proteins and could also regulate the expression of downstream proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Moreover, the calculations speculated that ilicicolin C was well absorbed orally, and the zebrafish xenograft model confirmed the in vivo anti-prostate cancer effect of ilicicolin C. Ilicicolin C emerges as a promising marine compound capable of inducing apoptosis of prostate cancer cells by counteracting the aberrant activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR, suggesting that ilicicolin C may be a viable candidate for anti-prostate cancer drug development. These findings highlight the potential of ilicicolin C against prostate cancer and shed light on its mechanism of action.

The anticancer activity of bile acids in drug discovery and development

Bile acids (BAs) constitute essential components of cholesterol metabolites that are synthesized in the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and excreted into the intestine through the biliary system. They play a crucial role in nutrient absorption, lipid and glucose regulation, and the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. In additional, BAs have demonstrated the ability to attenuate disease progression such as diabetes, metabolic disorders, heart disease, and respiratory ailments. Intriguingly, recent research has offered exciting evidence to unveil their potential antitumor properties against various cancer cell types including tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, gastric cancer, colon cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, prostate cancer, gallbladder cancer, neuroblastoma, and others. Up to date, multiple laboratories have synthesized novel BA derivatives to develop potential drug candidates. These derivatives have exhibited the capacity to induce cell death in individual cancer cell types and display promising anti-tumor activities. This review extensively elucidates the anticancer activity of natural BAs and synthetic derivatives in cancer cells, their associated signaling pathways, and therapeutic strategies. Understanding of BAs and their derivatives activities and action mechanisms will evidently assist anticancer drug discovery and devise novel treatment.

Phenolic-rich extracts from toasted white and tannin sorghum flours have distinct profiles influencing their antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-adhesive, anti-invasive, and antimalarial activities

Sorghum is a gluten-free cereal commonly used in foods, and its consumption has been associated with the prevention of human chronic conditions such as obesity and cancer, due to the presence of dietary fiber and phenolic compounds. This study aimed to evaluate, for the first time, the antiproliferative, antioxidant, anti-adhesion, anti-invasion, and antimalarial activities of phenolic extracts from toasted white and tannin sorghum flours to understand how different phenolic profiles contribute to sorghum biological activities. Water and 70 % ethanol/water (v/v), eco-friendly solvents, were used to obtain the phenolic extracts of toasted sorghum flours, and their phenolic profile was analyzed by UPLC-MSE. One hundred forty-five (145) phenolic compounds were identified, with 23 compounds common to all extracts. The solvent type affected the phenolic composition, with aqueous extract of both white sorghum (WSA) and tannin sorghum (TSA) containing mainly phenolic acids. White sorghum (WSE) and tannin sorghum (TSE) ethanolic extracts exhibited a higher abundance of flavonoids. WSE demonstrated the lowest IC50 on EA.hy926 (IC50 = 46.6 µg/mL) and A549 cancer cells (IC50 = 33.1 µg/mL), while TSE showed the lowest IC50 (IC50 = 70.8 µg/mL) on HCT-8 cells (human colon carcinoma). Aqueous extracts also demonstrated interesting results, similar to TSE, showing selectivity for cancer cells at higher IC50 concentrations. All sorghum extracts also reduced the adhesion and invasion of HCT-8 cells, suggesting antimetastatic potential. WSE, rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids, exhibited greater toxicity to both the W2 (chloroquine-resistant) and 3D7 (chloroquine-sensitive) strains of Plasmodium falciparum (IC50 = 8 µg GAE/mL and 22.9 µg GAE/mL, respectively). These findings underscore the potential health benefits of toasted sorghum flours, suggesting diverse applications in the food industry as a functional ingredient or even as an antioxidant supplement. Moreover, it is suggested that, besides the phenolic concentration, the phenolic profile is important to understand the health benefits of sorghum flours.

Toward the Asymmetric de Novo Synthesis of Lanostanes: Construction of 7,11-Dideoxy-Δ5-lucidadone H

Efforts to establish an asymmetric entry to hexanorlanostanes has resulted in a concise synthesis of 7,11-dideoxy-Δ5-lucidadone H from epichlorohydrin. By exploiting metallacycle-mediated annulative cross-coupling (to establish a functionalized hydrindane) and stereoselective formation of the steroidal C9-C10 bond to establish a stereodefined 9-alkyl estrane, 14 subsequent steps have been established to generate a hexanorlanostane system. Key transformations include formal inversion of the C13 quaternary center, oxidative dearomatization/group-selective Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement, and Lewis acid mediated semi-Pinacol rearrangement.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Two Series of Novel A-Ring Fused Steroidal Pyrazines as Potential Anticancer Agents

BACKGROUND

Increasingly, different heterocyclic systems have been introduced into the steroid nucleus to significantly enhance the antitumor activities of steroid molecules. However, in this study, few literature precedents describing the pyrazine heterocyclic-condensed modification to an A-ring of steroid monomers were found, although the pyrazine group is thought to be essential for the potent anticancer activity of clinically relevant drugs and natural steroid dimers.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Two series of novel A-ring fused steroidal pyrazines were designed and efficiently synthesized from commercially available progesterone via key α-ketoenol intermediates. Through a cell counting kit-8 cytotoxic assay of 36 derivatives for three tumor cells, 14 compounds displayed significant antiproliferative activity compared to 5-fluorouracil, especially for human prostatic tumor cells (PC-3) in vitro. Further mechanistic studies indicated that the most active compound, 12n (IC₅₀, 0.93 μM; SI, 28.71), could induce the cell apoptosis of PC-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner and cause cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. The molecular docking study suggested that compound 12n fitted the active sites of cytochrome P450 17A1 (6CIZ) well.

CONCLUSIONS

12n might serve as a promising lead compound for the development of novel anticancer drugs. This facile ring-closing strategy may provide a novel and promising avenue for the cycloaddition reaction of the steroidal skeleton through α-ketoenol intermediates.

Dihydroartemisinin-Bile Acid Hybridization as an Effective Approach to Enhance Dihydroartemisinin Anticancer Activity

A series of hybrid compounds based on natural products-bile acids and dihydroartemisinin-were prepared by different synthetic methodologies and investigated for their in vitro biological activity against HL-60 leukemia and HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Most of these hybrids presented significantly improved antiproliferative activities with respect to dihydroartemisinin and the parent bile acid. The two most potent hybrids of the series exhibited a 10.5- and 15.4-fold increase in cytotoxic activity respect to dihydroartemisinin alone in HL-60 and HepG2 cells, respectively. Strong evidence that an ursodeoxycholic acid hybrid induced apoptosis was obtained by flow cytometric analysis and western blot analysis.

Discovery of high in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities of organometallic ruthenium(ii)–arene complexes with 5,7-dihalogenated-2-methyl-8-quinolinol

MClClQ-RuCl induced HeLa cell apoptosis was mediated by the inhibition of telomerase activity and dysfunction of mitochondria. Remarkably, MClClQ-RuCl obviously inhibited HeLa xenograft tumor growth in vivo.

Synthesis and antimetastatic activity evaluation of cinnamic acid derivatives containing 1,2,3-triazolic portions

It is herein described the preparation and evaluation of antimetastatic activity of twenty-six cinnamic acid derivatives containing 1,2,3-triazolic portions. The compounds were prepared using as the key step the Copper(I)-catalyzed azide (A)-alkyne (A) cycloaddition (C) (CuAAC reaction), also known as click reaction, between alkynylated cinnamic acid derivatives and different benzyl azides. The reactions were carried in CH₂Cl₂/H₂O (1:1 v/v) at room temperature, and the triazole derivatives were obtained in yields ranging from 73%99%. Reaction times varied from 5 to 40 min. The identity of the synthesized compounds was confirmed by IR and NMR (¹H and ¹³C) spectroscopic techniques. They were then submitted to in vitro bioassays to investigate how they act over metastatic behavior of murine melanoma. The most potent compound, namely 3-(1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)propyl cinnamate (9a), showed significant antimetastatic and antiproliferative activities against B16-F10 cells. In addition, gelatin zymography and molecular docking analyses pointed to the fact that this compound has potential to interact with matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and MMP-2, which are directly involved in melanoma progression. Therefore, these findings suggest that cinnamic acid derivatives containing 1,2,3-triazolic portions may have potential for development of novel candidates for controlling malignant metastatic melanoma.

Synthesis and evaluation of panaxatriol derivatives as Na+, K+-ATPase inhibitors

Panaxatriol, a triterpene bearing a steroid-like structure similar to cardiac glycosides, was presumed to share the same bioactivity with cardiac glycosides, and may be a potential Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase inhibitor. In this paper, a series of panaxatriol derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase inhibitory activities. The results of biological tests showed that more than half of the synthesized derivatives presented increased inhibitory activities compared with panaxatriol. Of these compounds, 13a with a 3, 4-seco skeleton showed the most potent inhibitory activity, which was equal to that of the standard drug digoxin. To understand the binding mode of the most active compound, molecular docking study of 13a with Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase was conducted. Therefore, 13a may serve as a new lead compound for the development of novel Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase inhibitors.

A New Series of Pyrrole-Based Chalcones: Synthesis and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity, Cytotoxicity, and Genotoxicity

In an effort to develop new potent antimicrobial and anticancer agents, new pyrrole-based chalcones were designed and synthesized via the base-catalyzed Claisen-Schmidt condensation of 2-acetyl-1-methylpyrrole with 5-(aryl)furfural derivatives. The compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial effects on pathogenic bacteria and Candida species using microdilution and ATP luminescence microbial cell viability assays. MTT assay was performed to determine the cytotoxic effects of the compounds on A549 human lung adenocarcinoma, HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma, C6 rat glioma, and NIH/3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblast cell lines. 1-(1-Methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-3-(5-(4-chlorophenyl)furan-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (7) and 1-(1-methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-3-(5-(2,5-dichlorophenyl)furan-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (9) were found to be the most potent antifungal agents against Candida krusei and therefore these compounds were chosen for flow cytometry analysis and Ames MPF assay. ATP bioluminescence assay indicated that the antifungal activity of compounds 7 and 9 against C. krusei was significantly higher than that of other compounds and the reference drug (ketoconazole), whereas flow cytometry analysis revealed that the percentage of dead cells treated with compound 7 was more than that treated with compound 9 and ketoconazole. According to Ames MPF assay, compounds 7 and 9 were found to be non-genotoxic against TA98 and TA100 with/without metabolic activation. MTT assay indicated that 1-(1-methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-3-(5-(2-nitrophenyl)furan-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (3) showed more selective anticancer activity than cisplatin against the HepG2 cell line. On the other hand, 1-(1-methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-3-(5-(4-nitrophenyl)furan-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (1) was found to be more effective and selective on the A549 cell line than cisplatin.