Modulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases by 6-nitro-7-hydroxycoumarin mediates apoptosis in renal carcinoma cells

Natural Compounds Derived from Plants on Prevention and Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Literature Review

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for roughly 85% of all malignant kidney cancer. Therapeutic options for RCC have expanded rapidly over the past decade. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy have ushered in a new era of the treatment of RCC, which has facilitated the outcomes of RCC. However, the related adverse effects and drug resistance remain an urgent issue. Natural compounds are optional strategies to reduce mobility. Natural compounds are favored by clinicians and researchers due to their good tolerance and low economic burden. Many studies have explored the anti-RCC activity of natural products and revealed relevant mechanisms. In this article, the chemoprevention and therapeutic potential of natural compounds is reviewed and the mechanisms regarding natural compounds are explored.

Therapeutic Effects of Coumarins with Different Substitution Patterns

The use of derivatives of natural and synthetic origin has gained attention because of their therapeutic effects against human diseases. Coumarins are one of the most common organic molecules and are used in medicine for their pharmacological and biological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antihypertensive, anticonvulsant, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective, among others. In addition, coumarin derivates can modulate signaling pathways that impact several cell processes. The objective of this review is to provide a narrative overview of the use of coumarin-derived compounds as potential therapeutic agents, as it has been shown that substituents on the basic core of coumarin have therapeutic effects against several human diseases and types of cancer, including breast, lung, colorectal, liver, and kidney cancer. In published studies, molecular docking has represented a powerful tool to evaluate and explain how these compounds selectively bind to proteins involved in various cellular processes, leading to specific interactions with a beneficial impact on human health. We also included studies that evaluated molecular interactions to identify potential biological targets with beneficial effects against human diseases.

Structural, spectroscopic and first-principles studies of new aminocoumarin derivatives

The new aminocoumarin derivatives 3-[1-(3-hydroxyanilino)ethylidene]-3H-chromene-2,4-dione, (1), 3-[1-(4-hydroxyanilino)ethylidene]-3H-chromene-2,4-dione, (2), and 3-[1-(2-hydroxyanilino)ethylidene]-3H-chromene-2,4-dione, (3), all C₁₇H₁₃NO₄, were synthesized by reacting an equimolar amount of 3-acetyl-4-hydroxycoumarin and the corresponding aminophenol in absolute ethanol. Structural and spectroscopic analysis of these phases revealed that derivatives (1) and (2) are isomers of previously reported (3) [Brahmia et al. (2013). Acta Cryst. E69, o1296]. The crystal structures of meta derivative (1) and para derivative (2) were ab initio determined from powder X-ray diffraction data using the direct-space approach. Both (1) and (2) adopt the orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁. These isomers show hydrogen bonds and rich π-π stacking, together with π...H interactions, which are built by conjugated systems of coumarin and phenol rings. In the crystalline lattice, the packing of (1) and (3) are mainly stabilized through O-H...O hydrogen bonding between neighbouring coumarin molecules, while hydrogen bonds between coumarin and water molecules build the stable crystal structure of derivative (2). A big similarity in the skeletons of the IR spectra of these isomers was noticed. Derivative (2) exhibits two weak bands which were not present in the spectra of the other two derivatives, at 2370 and 2948 cm^-1, which can be assigned to the O-H vibrations of the solvent (H₂O) trapped in the structure of (2). These aminocoumarin derivatives display absorption maxima in the visible region, attributed to π-π delocalization involving the whole electronic system of the compounds with a considerable charge-transfer character originating from the aminophenyl ring and pointing towards the coumarin system which is characterized by a high electron-accepting character. Additionally, the isolated molecular ground-state geometries were optimized at the PBE0/TZP level and the electronic properties, molecular electrostatic potential and Hirshfeld charges were determined.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Coumarin-Based Hydroxamate Derivatives as Histone Deacetylase (Hdac) Inhibitors with Antitumor Activities

A series of novel coumarin-based hydroxamate derivatives were designed and synthesized as histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis). Selective compounds showed a potent HDAC inhibition with nM IC₅₀ values, with the best compound (10e) being nearly 90 times more active than vorinostat (SAHA) against HDAC1. Compounds 10e and 11d also increased the levels of acetylated histone H3 and H4, which is consistent with their strong HDAC inhibition. In addition, 10e and 11d displayed a higher potency toward human A549 and Hela cancer cell lines compared with SAHA. Moreover, 10e and 11d significantly arrested A549 cells at the G2/M phase and enhanced apoptosis. Molecular docking studies revealed the possible mode of interaction of compounds 10e and 12a with HDAC1. Our findings suggest that these novel coumarin-based HDAC inhibitors provide a promising scaffold for the development of new potential cancer chemotherapies.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Heterocyclic Imines Linked Coumarin- Thiazole Hybrids as Anticancer Agents

Background:

Human Galectin-1, a protein of lectin family showing affinity towards β-galactosides has emerged as a critical regulator of tumor progression and metastasis, by modulating diverse biological events including homotypic cell aggregation, migration, apoptosis, angiogenesis and immune escape. Therefore, galectin-1 inhibitors might represent novel therapeutic agents for cancer.

Methods:

A new series of heterocyclic imines linked coumarin-thiazole hybrids (6a-6r) was synthesized and evaluated for its cytotoxic potential against a panel of six human cancer cell lines namely, lung (A549), prostate (DU-145), breast (MCF-7 & MDA-MB-231), colon (HCT-15 & HT-29) using MTT assay. Characteristic apoptotic assays like DAPI staining, cell cycle, annexin V and Mitochondrial membrane potential studies were performed for the most active compound. Furthermore, Gal-1 inhibition was confirmed by ELISA and fluorescence spectroscopy.

Results:

Among all, compound 6g 3-(2-(2-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene) hydrazineyl) thiazol-4-yl)-2H-chromen-2- one exhibited promising growth inhibition against HCT-15 colorectal cancer cells with an IC50 value of 1.28 ± 0.14 µM. The characteristic apoptotic morphological features like chromatin condensation, membrane blebbing and apoptotic body formation were clearly observed with compound 6g on HCT-15 cells using DAPI staining studies. Further, annexin V-FITC/PI assay confirmed effective early apoptosis induction by treatment with compound 6g. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced ROS generation were confirmed with JC-1 and DCFDA staining method, respectively by treatment with compound 6g, suggesting a possible mechanism for inducing apoptosis. Moreover, flow cytometric analysis revealed that compound 6g blocked G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle in a dose-dependent manner. Compound 6g effectively reduced the levels of Gal-1 protein in a dose-dependent manner. The binding constant (Ka) of 6g with Gal-1 was calculated from the intercept value which was observed as 1.9 x 107 M-1 by Fluorescence spectroscopy. Molecular docking studies showed strong interactions of compound 6g with Gal-1 protein.

Conclusion:

Our studies demonstrate the anticancer potential and Gal-1 inhibition of heterocyclic imines linked coumarin-thiazole hybrids.

Novel hydrazide-hydrazone and amide substituted coumarin derivatives: Synthesis, cytotoxicity screening, microarray, radiolabeling and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies

The current work presents the synthesis and biological evaluation of new series of coumarin hydrazide-hydrazone derivatives that showed in vitro broad spectrum antitumor activities against resistant pancreatic carcinoma (Panc-1), hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and leukemia (CCRF) cell lines using doxorubicin as reference standard. Bromocoumarin hydrazide-hydrazone derivative (BCHHD) 11b showed excellent anticancer activity against all tested cancer cell lines. Enzyme assays showed that BCHHD 11b induced apoptosis due to activation of caspases 3/7. Moreover, 11b inhibited GST and CYP3A4 in a dose dependent manner and the induced cell death could be attributed to metabolic inhibition. Moreover, 11b microarray analysis showed significant up- and down-regulation of many genes in the treated cells related to apoptosis, cell cycle, tumor growth and suppressor genes. All of the above presents BCHHD 11b as a potent anticancer agent able to overcome drug resistance. In addition, compound 11b was able to serve as a chemical carrier for ^99mTc and the in vivo biodistribution study of ^99mTc-11b complex revealed a remarkable targeting ability of ^99mTc into solid tumor showing that ^99mTc-11b might be used as a promising radiopharmaceutical imaging agent for cancer.

Rare Coumarins Induce Apoptosis, G1 Cell Block and Reduce RNA Content in HL60 Cells

The rare coumarins stenocarpin, stenocarpin isobutyrate, oficinalin, oficinalin isobutyrate, 8-methoxypeucedanin and the known xanthotoxin, isoimperatorin, bergapten, peucedanin and 8–methoxyisoimperatorin were isolated from Peucedanum luxurians Tamamsch. (Apiaceae) and identified by means of spectral data (1D and 2D NMR). Their immunomodulating activity was evaluated by flow cytometry and their influence on HL60 cells as well as on PHA-stimulated PBLs was tested. All tested coumarins induce apoptosis (maximal in the 48 h culture) and decrease cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, especially in HL60 cells. They also induce partial G1 block, but only in HL60 cells (at 100 µM concentrations). Dose-dependent reduction of RNA content was also found in G1 cells treated by the coumarins. All of the tested coumarins also possessed immunomodulatory activities. Bergapten and xanthotoxin were found to be the best candidates for further evaluation as anti-cancer drugs.

Casein kinases as potential therapeutic targets

INTRODUCTION

The conventional term 'casein kinase' (CK) denotes three classes of kinases - CK1, CK2 and Golgi-CK (G-CK)/Fam20C (family with sequence similarity 20, member C) - sharing the ability to phoshorylate casein in vitro, but otherwise unrelated to each other. All CKs have been reported to be implicated in human diseases, and reviews individually dealing with the druggability of CK1 and CK2 are available. Our aim is to provide a comparative analysis of the three classes of CKs as therapeutic targets.

AREAS COVERED

CK2 is the CK for which implication in neoplasia is best documented, with the survival of cancer cells often relying on its overexpression. An ample variety of cell-permeable CK2 inhibitors have been developed, with a couple of these now in clinical trials. Isoform-specific CK1 inhibitors that are expected to play a beneficial role in oncology and neurodegeneration have been also developed. In contrast, the pathogenic potential of G-CK/Fam20C is caused by its loss of function. Activators of Fam20C, notably sphingolipids and their analogs, may prove beneficial in this respect.

EXPERT OPINION

Optimization of CK2 and CK1 inhibitors will prove useful to develop new therapeutic strategies for treating cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, while the design of potent activators of G-CK/Fam20C will provide a new tool in the fields of bio-mineralization and hypophosphatemic diseases.

Single-cell microinjection assay indicates that 7-hydroxycoumarin induces rapid activation of caspase-3 in A549 cancer cells

Coumarins have attracted intense interest in recent years due to their apoptogenic effects. The aim of the present study was to determine whether 7-hydroxycoumarin (7-HC) induces changes in caspase-3 (C-3) activity in A549 human lung carcinoma cells. A range of analytical techniques, including colorimetric and fluorometric assays, western blotting, single-cell microinjection, fluorescence microscopy and image analysis were conducted to elucidate the effects of 7-HC. A 24-h exposure to 1.85 mM 7-HC induced a 65% increase in C-3 activity, and a notable conversion of procaspase-3 to C-3, in addition to poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase cleavage. Furthermore, morphological changes associated with apoptosis were observed. Exposure of the cells to 7-HC for 3 or 6 h increased calcium conductance by 27%. By performing the single-cell microinjection of a specific fluorescent substrate of C-3 into previously 7-HC-exposed cells, a typical enzymatic kinetic profile of C-3 activation was identified a number of hours prior to the morphological and biochemical changes associated with apoptosis being observed. These results suggest that the rapid in vivo activation of C-3 is induced by 7-HC, the most relevant biotransformation product of coumarin in humans.

Design, Synthesis, and In Vitro Evaluation of Novel 3, 7-Disubstituted Coumarin Derivatives as Potent Anticancer Agents

Twenty-seven 3, 7-disubstituted coumarin derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated in vitro as anticancer agents. Most of the compounds showed moderate-to-potent antiproliferative activity against K562 cells. Compounds 7b and 7d were chosen to evaluate the concentration of 50% growth inhibition (GI50 ) against SN12C, OVCAR, BxPC-3, KATO-III, T24, SNU-1, WiDr, HeLa, K562, and AGS cell lines. The most potent compound 7d was selected for further cell cycle arrest assay in the AGS cell line. The in vitro data indicated that methylation of benzimidazole moiety at the 3-position of coumarin exhibited significant enhancement of anticancer activity. This study should provide important information for further modification and optimization of coumarin derivatives as anticancer agents.

Induction of Nur77-dependent apoptotic pathway by a coumarin derivative through activation of JNK and p38 MAPK

Coumarins are plant-derived natural products with a broad range of known pharmacological activities including anticancer effects. However, the molecular mechanisms by which this class of promising compounds exerts their anticancer effects remain largely unknown. We report here that a furanocoumarin named apaensin could effectively induce apoptosis of cancer cells through its activation of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Apoptosis induction by apaensin in cancer cells was suppressed by chemical inhibitors of JNK and p38 MAPK. Inhibition of the expression of orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) approach also abrogated the death effect of apaensin. Molecular analysis demonstrated that JNK activation was required for the nuclear export of Nur77, a known apoptotic event in cancer cells. Although p38 MAPK activation was not involved in Nur77 nuclear export, it was essential for Nur77 mitochondrial targeting through induction of Nur77 interaction with Bcl-2, which is also known to convert Bcl-2 from an antiapoptotic to a proapoptotic molecule. Together, our results identify a new natural product that targets orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 through its unique activation of JNK and p38 MAPK and provide insight into the complex regulation of the Nur77-Bcl-2 apoptotic pathway.

Enhancement of cisplatin cytotoxicity in combination with herniarin in vitro

Combinatorial chemotherapy is a valuable route, which can be conducted by different approaches. Use of cisplatin has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for different kinds of cancers including bladder cancer. Herniarin is a member of simple coumarins, which are a group of common secondary metabolites in plants. In this study, the enhancing effects of herniarin on cisplatin cytotoxicity were investigated. Cytotoxicity of herniarin on transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) cells was first investigated in comparison with umbelliferone, the parent compound for a large number of coumarins including herniarin, by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. In order to test the effects of herniarin on cisplatin cytotoxicity, TCC cells were also treated with various combining concentrations of herniarin and cisplatin. In these experiments same amounts of dimethyl sulfoxide were used as controls. After 24, 48 and 72 h of treatments, the effects of herniarin on cisplatin cytotoxicity were evaluated by MTT assay. The level of chromatin condensation which represents the apoptotic morphology was also investigated by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Results indicated that unlike umbelliferone, its methoxy analog, herniarin, had no significant cytotoxicity on TCC cells. On the other hand, the combination of 80 µg/mL herniarin with 5 µg/mL cisplatin, significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of cisplatin. Furtheremore, DAPI staining revealed that combining concentrations of herniarin and cisplatin resulted in increased chromatin condensation in comparison with controls. This study is another confirmation for bioactivity of herniarin and shows that it might be a good candidate for further experiments investigating its mechanism of action.

Studying plant-derived coumarins for their pharmacological and therapeutic properties as potential anticancer drugs

Coumarins have attracted intense interest in recent years because of their diverse pharmacological properties. Among these properties, their anticancer effect was most extensively examined. In this review, their broad range of effects on the tumours as shown by various in vitro and in vivo experiments as well as clinical investigations is discussed. Studies have indicated that coumarins elicit inhibitory effects on cell growth of various carcinoma cell lines and may be potential candidates for cancer therapy. These natural compounds have served as valuable leads for further design and synthesis of more active analogues. In view of the relative simplicity of the coumarin compounds and their mechanism of action, the coumarin pharmacophore may serve as an important model on which to develop new patterns in cancer chemotherapy. The aim of this review is to examine in detail the properties of the title compounds as anticancer agents. In view of their comparatively low toxicity, relative cheapness, presence in the diet and occurrence in various herbal remedies, it appears important to evaluate their anticancer potentialities. Moreover their synergistic activity in combination therapy with other well-known anticancer drugs could be the basis for the development of rational approaches to new forms of cancer chemotherapy.

Synthesis of new conjugated coumarin-benzimidazole hybrids and their anticancer activity

A series of novel coumarin-benzimidazole hybrids, 3-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-7-(substituted amino)-2H-chromen-2-one derivatives of biological interest were synthesized. Six out of the newly synthesized compounds were screened for in vitro antitumor activity against preliminary 60 tumor cell lines panel assay. A significant inhibition for cancer cells was observed with compound 8 (more than 50% inhibition) compared with other compounds and active known drug 5-fluorouracil (in some cell lines) as positive control. Compound 8 displayed appreciable anticancer activities against leukemia, colon cancer and breast cancer cell lines.

How druggable is protein kinase CK2?

CK2 is a pleiotropic, ubiquitous, and constitutively active protein kinase (PK), with both cytosolic and nuclear localization in most mammalian cells. The holoenzyme is generally composed of two catalytic (alpha and/or alpha') and two regulatory (beta) subunits, but the free alpha/alpha' subunits are catalytically active by themselves and can be present in cells under some circumstances. CK2 catalyzes the phosphorylation of more than 300 substrates characterized by multiple acidic residues surrounding the phosphor-acceptor amino acid, and, consequently, it plays a key role in several physiological and pathological processes. But how can one kinase orchestrate all these tasks faithfully? How is it possible that one kinase can, despite all pleiotropic characteristics of PKs in general, be involved in so many different biochemical events? Is CK2 a druggable target? Several questions are still to be clearly answered, and this review is an occasion for a fruitful discussion.

Coumarin A/AA induces apoptosis-like cell death in HeLa cells mediated by the release of apoptosis-inducing factor

It has been demonstrated that naturally occurring coumarins have strong biological activity against many cancer cell lines. In this study, we assessed the cytotoxicity induced by the naturally isolated coumarin A/AA in different cancer cell lines (HeLa, Calo, SW480, and SW620) and in normal peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT assay. The results demonstrate that coumarin A/AA was cytotoxic in the four cancer cell lines tested and importantly was significantly less toxic in PBMCs isolated from healthy donors. The most sensitive cancer cell line to coumarin A/AA treatment was Hela. Thus, the programmed cell death (PCD) mechanism induced by this coumarin was further studied in this cell line. DNA fragmentation, histomorphology, cell cycle phases, and subcellular distribution of PCD proteins were assessed. The results demonstrated that DNA fragmentation, but not significant cell cycle disruptions, was part of the PCD activated by coumarin A/AA. Interestingly, it was found that apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), a proapoptotic protein of the mitochondrial intermembrane space, was released to the cytoplasm in treated cells as detected by the western blot analysis in subcellular fractions. Nevertheless, the active form of caspase-3 was not detected. The overall results indicate that coumarin A/AA induces a caspase-independent apoptotic-like cell death program in HeLa cells, mediated by the early release of AIF and suggest that this compound may be helpful in clinical oncology.

Combined xanthorrhizol-curcumin exhibits synergistic growth inhibitory activity via apoptosis induction in human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231

Background

It has been suggested that combined effect of natural products may improve the treatment effectiveness in combating proliferation of cancer cells. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the possibility that the combination of xanthorrhizol and curcumin might show synergistic growth inhibitory effect towards MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells via apoptosis induction. The effective dose that produced 50% growth inhibition (GI₅₀) was calculated from the log dose-response curve of fixed-combinations of xanthorrhizol and curcumin generated from the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The experimental GI₅₀ value was used to determine the synergistic activity of the combination treatment by isobolographic analysis and combination-index method. Further investigation of mode of cell death induced by the combination treatment was conducted in the present study.

Results

Isobole analysis revealed that substances interaction was synergistic when xanthorrhizol and curcumin were added concurrently to the cultures but merely additive when they were added sequentially. The synergistic combination treatment was then applied to the cultures to investigate the mode of cell death induced by the treatment. Immunofluorescence staining using antibody MitoCapture™ revealed the possibility of altered mitochondrial transmembrane potential, which is one of the hallmark of apoptosis. Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining assay showed the rate of apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells to increase in response to the treatment. Apoptotic cell death was further confirmed by DNA fragmentation assay, where internucleosomal excision of DNA was induced upon treatment with xanthorrhizol-curcumin.

Conclusion

This is the first time the combined cytotoxic effect of xanthorrhizol and curcumin on MDA-MB-231 cells has been documented and our findings provide experimental support to the hypothesis that combined xanthorrhizol-curcumin showed synergistic growth inhibitory activity on MDA-MB-231 cells via apoptosis induction.

Structural insights into hydroxycoumarin-induced apoptosis in U-937 cells

In the present study, we sought to establish the effect of diverse structural-related hydroxycoumarins on the proliferation, cytotoxicity, and induction of apoptosis in promonocytic leukemic cells (U-937). The dihydroxylated coumarins, 7,8-dihydroxy-coumarin and esculetin, induced DNA fragmentation as well as characteristic morphological changes of programmed cell death in U-937 cells. With the aim to perform a structure-activity relationship study, the correlation between the physicochemical properties of the molecules and their pro-apoptotic activity was carried out. Results showed that the presence of two adjacent phenolic hydroxyl groups was the most important factor in terms of the SAR. The exposure of leukemic cells to 7,8-dihydroxy-coumarin evoked a phenoxyl radical generation that was detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The present study suggests that reactive oxygen species generation plays a critical role in dihydroxycoumarin-induced apoptosis in U-937 cells. These findings further suggest that these compounds may have a potential therapeutic role in the treatment of hematological malignancies.

Synthesis, characterisation and antimicrobial activity of copper(II) and manganese(II) complexes of coumarin-6,7-dioxyacetic acid (cdoaH2) and 4-methylcoumarin-6,7-dioxyacetic acid (4-MecdoaH2): X-ray crystal structures of [Cu(cdoa)(phen)2].8.8H(2)O and [Cu(4-Mecdoa)(phen)2].13H2O (phen=1,10-phenanthroline)

Two novel coumarin-based ligands, coumarin-6,7-dioxyacetic acid (1) (cdoaH(2)) and 4-methylcoumarin-6,7-dioxyacetic acid (2) (4-MecdoaH(2)), were reacted with copper(II) and manganese(II) salts to give [Cu(cdoa)(H(2)O)(2)].1.5H(2)O (3), [Cu(4-Mecdoa)(H(2)O)(2)] (4), [Mn(cdoa)(H(2)O)(2)] (5) and [Mn(4-Mecdoa)(H(2)O)(2)].0.5H(2)O (6). The metal complexes, 3-6, were characterised by elemental analysis, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, and magnetic susceptibility measurements and were assigned a polymeric structure. 1 and 2 react with Cu(II) in the presence of excess 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) giving [Cu(cdoa)(phen)(2)].8.8H(2)O (7) and [Cu(4-Mecdoa)(phen)(2)].13H(2)O (8), respectively. The X-ray crystal structures of 7 and 8 confirmed trigonal bipyramidal geometries, with the metals bonded to the four nitrogen atoms of the two chelating phen molecules and to a single carboxylate oxygen of the dicarboxylate ligand. The complexes were screened for their antimicrobial activity against a number of microbial species, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. The metal-free ligands 1 and 2 were active against all of the microbes. Complexes 3-6 demonstrated no significant activity whilst the phen adducts 7 and 8 were active against MRSA (MIC(80)=12.1microM), E. coli (MIC(80)=14.9microM) and Patonea agglumerans (MIC(80)=12.6microM). Complex 7 also demonstrated anti-Candida activity (MIC(80)=22microM) comparable to that of the commercially available antifungal agent ketoconazole (MIC(80)=25microM).

Novel coumarin-3-(N-aryl)carboxamides arrest breast cancer cell growth by inhibiting ErbB-2 and ERK1

A series of novel coumarin carboxamides were synthesized, and their tumor cell cytotoxic activity was investigated. These compounds specifically inhibited the growth of cancer cells that have a high level of ErbB-2 expression. Immunoprecipitation analysis of the cell lysates prepared from carboxamide treated cancer cells showed the inhibition of ErbB-2 phosphorylation suggesting the interaction of these compounds with ErbB-2 receptor. The down regulation of the kinase activity was further confirmed by performing in vitro kinase assay with recombinant ErbB-2 incubated with carboxamides. The inhibition of ErbB-2 phosphorylation correlated with down-regulation of ERK1 MAP kinase activation that is involved in proliferative signaling pathway. Furthermore, the cell-killing activity of many of these inhibitors is restricted to tumor cells with no demonstrable cytotoxicity against normal human fibroblasts suggesting that these compounds are tumor-specific.

Synthesis andin vitro Antineoplastic Evaluation of Certain 16-(4-Substituted Benzylidene) Derivatives of Androst-5-ene

In a systematic effort aimed at identifying new steroidal cytotoxic agents with potent antiproliferative activity against cancer cells, we synthesized certain 16-[4-(NO2, CN, and i-Pr)substituted]benzylidene derivatives of androst-5-ene, 7-25, with pyrrolidino functionality in the 3beta-position of the steroid nucleus, i.e., 13-18 and 25. The selected compounds were examined for their cytotoxicity against a panel of three human cancer cell lines at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Bethesda, USA. The results presented herein provide experimental evidence that compounds 7, 9, 10, 12, 16, and 19-21 induced apoptosis in human cancer cells.

Investigation of intracellular signalling events mediating the mechanism of action of 7-hydroxycoumarin and 6-nitro-7-hdroxycoumarin in human renal cells

Previously, 7-hydroxycoumarin (7-OHC) and 6-nitro-7-hydroxycoumarin (6-NO2-7-OHC) have been shown to be potent and selective anti-proliferative agents to the human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell line, A-498. Their effect on mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK's) was investigated. 6-NO2-7-OHC was shown to alter the phosphorylation status of ERK1/ERK2, p38 and SAPK, while 7-OHC activated ERK1/ERK2 but had no effect on p38 and SAPK. Also, 7-OHC inhibited topoisomerase II mediated relaxation of DNA, while neither compound was a substrate for P-glycoprotein (P-gp) mediated multi-drug resistance (MDR). Therefore, 6-NO2-7-OHC, rather than 7-OHC, modulated signalling events associated with cellular differentiation and apoptosis, suggesting its mechanism of action may be the promotion of cellular maturation and/or death. Consequently, 6-NO2-7-OHC may represent a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of RCC's.