VN/14-1 induces ER stress and autophagy in HP-LTLC human breast cancer cells and has excellent oral pharmacokinetic profile in female Sprague Dawley rats

Salinization Dramatically Enhance the Anti-Prostate Cancer Efficacies of AR/AR-V7 and Mnk1/2 Molecular Glue Degraders, Galeterone and VNPP433-3β Which Outperform Docetaxel and Enzalutamide in CRPC CWR22Rv1 Xenograft Mouse Model

Galeterone, 3β-(hydroxy)-17-(1H-benzimidazole-1-yl)androsta-5,16-diene (Gal, 1) and VNPP433-3β, 3β-(1H-imidazole-1-yl-17-(1H-benzimidazole-1-yl)androsta-5,16-diene (2) are potent molecular glue degrader modulators of AR/AR-V7 and Mnk1/2-eIF4E signaling pathways, and are promising Phase 3 and Phase 1 drug candidates, respectively. Because appropriate salts can be utilized to create new chemical entities with enhanced aqueous solubility, in vivo pharmacokinetics, and enhanced in vitro and in vivo efficacies, the monohydrochloride salt of Gal (3) and the mono- and di-hydrochlorides salts of compound 2, compounds 4 and 5, respectively, were synthesized. The salts were characterized using 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS analyses. Compound 3 displayed enhanced in vitro antiproliferative activity (7.4-fold) against three prostate cancer cell lines but surprisingly decreased plasma exposure in the pharmacokinetics study. The antiproliferative activities of the compound 2 salts (4 and 5) were equivalent to that of compound 2, but their oral pharmacokinetic profiles were significantly enhanced. Finally, and most importantly, oral administration of the parent compounds (1 and 2) and their corresponding salts (3, 4 and 5) caused dose-dependent potent inhibition/regression of aggressive and difficult-to-treat CWR22Rv1 tumor xenografts growth, with no apparent host toxicities and were highly more efficacious than the blockbuster FDA-approved prostate cancer drugs, Enzalutamide (Xtandi) and Docetaxel (Taxotere). Thus, the HCl salts of Gal (3) and VNPP433-3β (4 and 5) are excellent orally bioavailable candidates for clinical development.

4-Carbomethoxyl-10-Epigyrosanoldie E Extracted from Cultured Soft Coral Sinularia sandensis Induced Apoptosis and Autophagy via ROS and Mitochondrial Dysfunction and ER Stress in Oral Cancer Cells

Oral cancer is a malignant neoplasia that is more common in Asian than other regions, and men are at higher risk than women. Currently, clinical treatment for oral cancer consists of radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy. Therefore, it is important to find a drug that can inhibit the growth of cancer cells more effectively and safely. In this study, we examined the cytotoxicity of 4-carbomethoxyl-10-epigyrosanoldie E extracted from cultured soft coral Sinularia sandensis towards oral cancer cells. MTT cell proliferation and colony formation assays were used to evaluate cell survival, and immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting were employed to analyze the effects of 4-carbomethoxyl-10-epigyrosanoldie E on apoptosis and autophagy. 4-Carbomethoxyl-10-epigyrosanoldie E treatment also induced the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are associated with 4-carbomethoxyl-10-epigyrosanoldie E-induced cell death. In addition, the 4-carbomethoxyl-10-epigyrosanoldie E-induced antiproliferation effects on Ca9-22 and Cal-27 cells were associated with the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, activation of proapoptotic proteins (such as caspase-3/-9, Bax, and Bad), and inhibition of antiapoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and Mcl-1). 4-Carbomethoxyl-10-epigyrosanoldie E treatment also triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, leading to activation of the PERK/elF2α/ATF4/CHOP apoptotic pathway. Moreover, increased expressions of Beclin-1, Atg3, Atg5, Atg7, Atg12, Atg 16, LC3-I, and LC3-II proteins indicated that 4-carbomethoxyl-10-epigyrosanoldie E triggered autophagy in oral cancer cells. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that 4-carbomethoxyl-10-epigyrosanoldie E suppressed human oral cancer cell proliferation and should be further investigated with regard to its potential use as a chemotherapy drug for the treatment of human oral cancer.

DNA damage response and breast cancer development: Possible therapeutic applications of ATR, ATM, PARP, BRCA1 inhibition

Breast cancer is the most common and significant cancers in females regarding the loss of life quality. Similar to other cancers, one of the etiologic factors in breast cancer is DNA damage. A plethora of molecules are responsible for sensing DNA damage and mediating actions which lead to DNA repair, senescence, cell cycle arrest and if damage is unbearable to apoptosis. In each of these, aberrations leading to unrepaired damage was resulted in uncontrolled proliferation and cancer. Another cellular function is autophagy defined as a process eliminating of unnecessary proteins in stress cases involved in pathogenesis of cancer. Knowing their role in cancer, scholars have tried to develop strategies in order to target DDR and autophagy. Further, the interactions of DDR and autophagy plus their regulatory role on each other have been focused simultaneously. The present review study has aimed to illustrate the importance of DDR and autophagy in breast cancer according to the related studies and uncover the relation between DDR and autophagy and its significance in breast cancer therapy.

Galeterone and The Next Generation Galeterone Analogs, VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β Exert Potent Therapeutic Effects in Castration-/Drug-Resistant Prostate Cancer Preclinical Models In Vitro and In Vivo

These studies compared the efficacies of our clinical agent galeterone (Gal) and the FDA-approved prostate cancer drug, enzalutamide (ENZ) with two lead next generation galeterone analogs (NGGAs), VNPP414 and VNPP433-3β, using prostate cancer (PC) in vitro and in vivo models. Antitumor activities of orally administered agents were also assessed in CWR22Rv1 tumor-bearing mice. We demonstrated that Gal and NGGAs degraded AR/AR-V7 and Mnk1/2; blocked cell cycle progression and proliferation of human PC cells; induced apoptosis; inhibited cell migration, invasion, and putative stem cell markers; and reversed the expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, Gal/NGGAs (alone or in combination) also inhibited the growth of ENZ-, docetaxel-, and mitoxantrone-resistant human PC cell lines. The NGGAs exhibited improved pharmacokinetic profiles over Gal in mice. Importantly, in vivo testing showed that VNPP433-3β (at 7.53-fold lower equimolar dose than Gal) markedly suppressed (84% vs. Gal, 47%; p < 0.01) the growth of castration-resistant PC (CRPC) CWR22Rv1 xenograft tumors, with no apparent host toxicity. ENZ was ineffective in this CRPC xenograft model. In summary, our findings show that targeting AR/AR-V7 and Mnk1/2 for degradation represents an effective therapeutic strategy for PC/CRPC treatment and supports further development of VNPP433-3β towards clinical investigation.

Optimization of Novel Antagonists to the Neurokinin-3 Receptor for the Treatment of Sex-Hormone Disorders (Part II)

Further lead optimization on N-acyl-triazolopiperazine antagonists to the neurokinin-3 receptor (NK₃R) based on the concurrent improvement in bioactivity and ligand lipophilic efficiency (LLE) is reported. Overall, compound 3 (LLE > 6) emerged as the most efficacious in castrated rat and monkey to lower plasma LH, and it displayed the best off-target safety profile that led to its clinical candidate nomination for the treatment of sex-hormone disorders.

Discovery and optimization of novel antagonists to the human neurokinin-3 receptor for the treatment of sex-hormone disorders (Part I)

Neurokinin-3 receptor (NK3R) has recently emerged as important in modulating the tonic pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release. We therefore decided to explore NK3R antagonists as therapeutics for sex-hormone disorders that can potentially benefit from lowering GnRH pulsatility with consequent diminished levels of plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) and correspondingly attenuated levels of circulating androgens and estrogens. The discovery and lead optimization of a novel N-acyl-triazolopiperazine NK3R antagonist chemotype achieved through bioisosteric lead change from the high-throughput screening (HTS) hit is described. A concomitant improvement in the antagonist bioactivity and ligand lipophilic efficiency (LLE) parameter were the principal guidelines in the lead optimization efforts. Examples of advanced lead analogues to demonstrate the amenability of this chemotype to achieving a suitable pharmacokinetic (PK) profile are provided as well as pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) correlations to analyze the trends observed for LH inhibition in castrated rats and monkeys that served as preliminary in vivo efficacy models.