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Chen F, Zhang Z, Zhang H, Guo P, Feng J, Shen H, Liu X. Activation of α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Improves Muscle Endurance by Upregulating Orosomucoid Expression and Glycogen Content in Mice. J Cell Biochem 2024; 125:e30630. [PMID: 39014907 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
There are presently no acknowledged therapeutic targets or official drugs for the treatment of muscle fatigue. The alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) is expressed in skeletal muscle, with an unknown role in muscle endurance. Here, we try to explore whether α7nAChR could act as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of muscle fatigue. Results showed that nicotine and PNU-282987 (PNU), as nonspecific and specific agonists of α7nAChR, respectively, could both significantly increase C57BL6/J mice treadmill-running time in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The improvement effect of PNU on running time and ex vivo muscle fatigue index disappeared when α7nAChR deletion. RNA sequencing revealed that the differential mRNAs affected by PNU were enriched in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis signaling pathways. Further studies found that PNU treatment significantly elevates glycogen content and ATP level in the muscle tissues of α7nAChR+/+ mice but not α7nAChR-/- mice. α7nAChR activation specifically increased endogenous glycogen-targeting protein orosomucoid (ORM) expression both in vivo skeletal muscle tissues and in vitro C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. In ORM1 deficient mice, the positive effects of PNU on running time, glycogen and ATP content, as well as muscle fatigue index, were abolished. Therefore, the activation of α7nAChR could enhance muscle endurance via elevating endogenous anti-fatigue protein ORM and might act as a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of muscle fatigue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Chen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Pengyue Guo
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiayi Feng
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Shen
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xia Liu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
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2
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Dahab MA, Mahdy HA, Elkady H, Taghour MS, Elwan A, Elkady MA, Elsakka EGE, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Ibrahim IM, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Semi-synthesized anticancer theobromine derivatives targeting VEGFR-2: in silico and in vitro evaluations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:4214-4233. [PMID: 37261471 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2219333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Vascular endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis are all crucially impacted by Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). Its expression is significantly boosted throughout pathologic angiogenesis causing the development of tumors. Sothat, inhibition of VEGFR-2 has crucial role in cancer treatment. In this study, novel semisynthetic theobromine derivatives were rationally designed as VEGFR-2 inhibitors and subjected to in vitro testing for their ability to block VEGFR-2 activation. Furthermore, the antiproliferative effects of these derivatives were evaluated. Compound 7 g exhibited the most potent anti-VEGFR-2 activity, with an IC50 value of 0.072 µM, and demonstrated excellent dose-dependent inhibitory activity against both MCF-7 and HepG2 cancer cells with IC50 values of 19.35 and 27.89 µM, respectively. Notably, compound 7 g exhibited high selectivity indices of 2.6 and 1.8 against MCF-7 and HepG2 cells, respectively. Compound 7 g induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest, promoted apoptosis, and boosted immunomodulation by downregulating TNF-α expression and upregulating IL-2 levels in MCF-7 cells. The molecular docking analysis revealed that compound 7 g could bind effectively to the active site of VEGFR-2, and molecular dynamic simulations confirmed the stability of the VEGFR-2/compound 7 g complex. Furthermore, ADME and toxicity profiling indicated the potential suitability of these compounds as drug candidates. In summary, compound 7 g hold promise as a VEGFR-2 inhibitor.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohammed S Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A Elkady
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Elsayed G E Elsakka
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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3
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Sobh EA, Dahab MA, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Ibrahim IM, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Computer aided drug discovery (CADD) of a thieno[2,3- d]pyrimidine derivative as a new EGFR inhibitor targeting the ribose pocket. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:2369-2391. [PMID: 37129193 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2204500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Depending on the pharmacophoric characteristics of EGFR inhibitors, a new thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative has been developed. Firstly, the potential inhibitory effect of the designed compound against EGFR has been proven by docking experiments that showed correct binding modes and excellent binding energies of -98.44 and -88.00 kcal/mol, against EGFR wild-type and mutant type, respectively. Furthermore, MD simulations studies confirmed the precise energetic, conformational, and dynamic alterations that occurred after binding to EGFR. The correct binding was also confirmed by essential dynamics studies. To further investigate the general drug-like properties of the developed candidate, in silico ADME and toxicity studies have also been carried out. The thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative was synthesized following the earlier promising findings. Fascinatingly, the synthesized compound (4) showed promising inhibitory effects against EGFRWT and EGFRT790M with IC50 values of 25.8 and 182.3 nM, respectively. Also, it exhibited anticancer potentialities against A549 and MCF-7cell lines with IC50 values of 13.06 and 20.13 µM, respectively. Interestingly, these strong activities were combined with selectivity indices of 2.8 and 1.8 against the two cancer cell lines, respectively. Further investigations indicated the ability of compound 4 to arrest the cancer cells' growth at the G2/M phase and to increase early and late apoptosis percentages from 2.52% and 2.80 to 17.99% and 16.72%, respectively. Additionally, it was observed that compound 4 markedly increased the levels of caspase-3 and caspase-9 by 4 and 3-fold compared to the control cells. Moreover, it up-regulated the level of BAX by 3-fold and down-regulated the level of Bcl-2 by 3-fold affording a BAX/Bcl-2 ratio of 9.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman A Sobh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Menoufia University, Shibin-Elkom, Menoufia, Egypt
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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4
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Yousef RG, Eissa IH, Elkady H, Eldehna WM, Mehany ABM, Nabeeh A, Ibrahim IM, Elwan A, El-Zahabi MA. New nicotinamide derivatives as potential anticancer agents targeting VEGFR-2: design, synthesis, in vitro, and in silico studies. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-18. [PMID: 38100580 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2294170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Herin, new nicotinamide candidates were designed and synthesized as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. In vitro antiproliferative activities were assessed against MCF-7, HepG-2 and HCT-116 cancer cell lines. The top cytotoxic members 15a, 15b, 16, 18a, and 18b were estimated against their selected target (VEGFR-2). Further mechanistic tests were studied for the most potent cytotoxic candidate 18a, these studies revealed the ability of compound 18a to hinder the progression of HCT-116 cells at S and Pre-G1phases besides boosting early and late apoptosis. Also compound 18a was found to significantly decrease the levels immunomodulatory proteins TNF-α and IL-6 while showing a four-fold rise in an apoptotic marker caspase-3 when compared to control cells. The therapeutic index of the designed derivatives was evaluated by computational ADMET and toxicity calculations as well as their potentiality to occupy the VEGFR-2 active site was signposted by molecular docking assessments. Finally, molecular dynamic simulation studies of compound 18a-VEGFR-2 complex indicated the high steadiness of compound 18a in the VEGFR-2 active site. This study presents compound 18a as a lead candidate that can be optimized to get a strong VEGFR-2 inhibitor.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wagdy M Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Ahmed B M Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Nabeeh
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Ayman El-Zahabi
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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5
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Abdel-Fattah MM, Abo-El Fetoh ME, Afify H, Ramadan LAA, Mohamed WR. Probenecid ameliorates testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia: Implications of PGE-2 on ADAM-17/EGFR/ERK1/2 signaling cascade. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 2023; 37:e23450. [PMID: 37352135 DOI: 10.1002/jbt.23450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most prevalent clinical disorders in the elderly. Probenecid (Prob) is a well-known FDA-approved therapy for gout owing to its uricosuric effect. The present study evaluated the use of Prob for BPH as a COX-2 inhibitor. Prob (100 and 200 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected into male Wistar rats daily for 3 weeks. In the second week, testosterone (3 mg/kg) was subcutaneously injected to induce BPH. Compared with BPH-induced rats, Prob treatment reduced prostate weight and index and improved histopathological architecture. The protease activity of ADAM-17/TACE and its ligands (TGF-α and TNF-α) were regulated by prob, which in turn abolished EGFR phosphorylation, and several inflammatory mediators (COX-2, PGE2, NF-κB (p65), and IL-6) were suppressed. By reducing the nuclear import of extracellular regulated kinase protein 1/2 (ERK1/2), Prob helped re-establish the usual equilibrium between antiapoptotic proteins like Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 and proapoptotic proteins like Bax. All of these data point to Prob as a promising treatment for BPH because of its ability to inhibit COX-2-syntheiszed PGE2 and control the ADAM-17/TGF-α-induced EGFR/ERK1/2 signaling cascade. These findings might help to repurpose Prob for the treatment of BPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha M Abdel-Fattah
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Mohammed E Abo-El Fetoh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian-Russian University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hassan Afify
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian-Russian University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Laila A A Ramadan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian-Russian University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wafaa R Mohamed
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
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6
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Elkady H, El-Dardir OA, Elwan A, Taghour MS, Mahdy HA, Dahab MA, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk BA, Ibrahim IM, Husein DZ, Hafez EE, Darwish AMG, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Synthesis, biological evaluation and computer-aided discovery of new thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives as potential antitumor VEGFR-2 inhibitors. RSC Adv 2023; 13:27801-27827. [PMID: 37731835 PMCID: PMC10508263 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra05689a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, novel VEGFR-2-targeting thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives with potential anticancer properties were designed and synthesized. The ability of the designed derivatives to inhibit VEGFR-2 and stop the growth of three different cancer cell types (HT-29, A-549, and HCT-116) was examined in vitro. The IC50 value of compound 15, 0.081 μM, demonstrated the best anti-VEGFR-2 potency. Additionally, compound 15 showed remarkable anti-proliferative activities against the tested cancer cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 13.56 to 17.8 μM. Additional flow cytometric investigations showed that compound 15 increased apoptosis in HT-29 cancer cells (from 3.1% to 31.4%) arresting their growth in the S phase. Furthermore, compound 15's apoptosis induction in the same cell line was confirmed by increasing the levels of BAX (4.8-fold) and decreasing Bcl-2 (2.8-fold). Also, compound 15 noticeably increased caspase-8 and caspase-9 levels by 1.7 and 3.2-fold, respectively. Computational methods were used to perform molecular analysis of the VEGFR-2-15 complex. Molecular dynamics simulations and molecular docking were utilized to analyze the complex's kinetic and structural characteristics. Protein-ligand interaction profiler analysis (PLIP) determined the 3D interactions and binding conformation of the VEGFR-2-15 complex. DFT analyses also provided insights into the 3D geometry, reactivity, and electronic characteristics of compound 15. Computational ADMET and toxicity experiments were conducted to determine the potential of the synthesized compounds for therapeutic development. The study's findings suggest that compound 15 might be an effective anticancer lead compound and could guide future attempts to develop new drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Osama A El-Dardir
- Undergraduate Student, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Mohammed S Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University Riyadh 13713 Saudi Arabia
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University P.O. Box 84428 Riyadh 11671 Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University Giza 12613 Egypt
| | - Dalal Z Husein
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, New Valley University El-Kharja 72511 Egypt
| | - Elsayed E Hafez
- Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis, ALCRI, City of scientific research and technological applications New Borg El-Arab City Alexandria 21934 Egypt
| | - Amira M G Darwish
- Food Industry Technology Program, Faculty of Industrial and Energy Technology, Borg Al Arab Technological University Alexandria Egypt
- Food Technology Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City) Alexandria 21934 Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
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7
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Sobh EA, Dahab MA, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk BA, Ibrahim IM, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. A novel thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2: A story of computer-aided drug discovery. Drug Dev Res 2023; 84:1247-1265. [PMID: 37232504 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.22083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Following the pharmacophoric features of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) inhibitors, a novel thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative has been designed and its activity against VEGFR-2 has been demonstrated by molecular docking studies that showed an accurate binding mode and an excellent binding energy. Furthermore, the recorded binding was confirmed by a series of molecular dynamics simulation studies, which also revealed precise energetic, conformational, and dynamic changes. Additionally, molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation and polymer-induced liquid precursors studies were conducted and verified the results of the MD simulations. Next, in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity studies have also been conducted to examine the general drug-like nature of the designed candidate. According to the previous results, the thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative was synthesized. Fascinatingly, it inhibited VEGFR-2 (IC50 = 68.13 nM) and demonstrated strong inhibitory activity toward human liver (HepG2), and prostate (PC3) cell lines with IC50 values of 6.60 and 11.25 µM, respectively. As well, it was safe and showed a high selectivity index against normal cell lines (WI-38). Finally, the thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative arrested the growth of the HepG2 cells at the G2/M phase inducing both early and late apoptosis. These results were further confirmed through the ability of the thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative to induce significant changes in the apoptotic genes levels of caspase-3, caspase-9, Bcl-2 associated X-protein, and B-cell lymphoma 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman A Sobh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Shibin-Elkom, Egypt
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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8
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Graur A, Sinclair P, Schneeweis AK, Pak DT, Kabbani N. The human acetylcholinesterase C-terminal T30 peptide activates neuronal growth through alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and the mTOR pathway. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11434. [PMID: 37454238 PMCID: PMC10349870 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38637-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a highly conserved enzyme responsible for the regulation of acetylcholine signaling within the brain and periphery. AChE has also been shown to participate in non-enzymatic activity and contribute to cellular development and aging. In particular, enzymatic cleavage of the synaptic AChE isoform, AChE-T, is shown to generate a bioactive T30 peptide that binds to the ⍺7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) at synapses. Here, we explore intracellular mechanisms of T30 signaling within the human cholinergic neural cell line SH-SY5Y using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Proteomic analysis of cells exposed to (100 nM) T30 for 3-days reveals significant changes within proteins important for cell growth. Specifically, bioinformatic analysis identifies proteins that converge onto the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway signaling. Functional experiments confirm that T30 regulates neural cell growth via mTOR signaling and ⍺7 nAChR activation. T30 was found promote mTORC1 pro-growth signaling through an increase in phosphorylated elF4E and S6K1, and a decrease in the autophagy LC3B-II protein. These findings are corroborated in hippocampal neurons and show that T30 promotes dendritic arborization. Taken together, our findings define mTOR as a novel pathway activated by T30 interaction with the nAChR and suggest a role for this process in human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru Graur
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA
| | - Patricia Sinclair
- Interdiscplinary Program in Neuroscience, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA
| | - Amanda K Schneeweis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Daniel T Pak
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Nadine Kabbani
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA.
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9
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Elbatrawy OR, Hagras M, El Deeb MA, Agili F, Hegazy M, El-Husseiny AA, Mokhtar MM, Elkhawaga SY, Eissa IH, El-Kalyoubi S. Discovery of New Uracil and Thiouracil Derivatives as Potential HDAC Inhibitors. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:966. [PMID: 37513878 PMCID: PMC10384246 DOI: 10.3390/ph16070966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) are a relatively new class of potential drugs for treating cancer. Aim: Discovery of new anticancer agents targeting HDAC. Methods: New uracil and thiouracil derivatives panels were designed and synthesized as HDAC inhibitors. The synthesized compounds were tested against MCF-7, HepG2, and HCT-116. HDAC1 and HDAC4 inhibitory activities of these compounds were tested. The most active member was tested for its potential against cell cycle, apoptosis, caspase-3, and caspase-8. Docking studies were carried out against HDAC1. Results: Compounds 5a, 5b, 5f, 5i, 5k, and 5m exhibited promising cytotoxic activities. HDAC1 and HDAC4 inhibitory activities of these compounds were tested. Regarding the HDAC1 inhibitory activity, compound 5m was the most potent member (IC50 = 0.05 µg/mL) compared to trichostatin A (IC50 = 0.0349 µg/mL). For HDAC4, compound 5m showed superior activity (IC50 = 2.83 µg/mL) than trichostatin A (IC50 = 3.349 µg/mL). Compound 5m showed a high potential to arrest the HCT116 cell cycle at the G0-G1 phase. In addition, it showed an almost 17 times apoptotic effect (37.59%) compared to the control cells (2.17%). Furthermore, Compound 5m showed significant increases in the levels of caspase-3 and caspase-8. Finally, the uracil and thiouracil derivatives showed accepted binding mods against HDAC. Conclusions: Compound 5m has potential anticancer activity targeting HDAC with a significant apoptotic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omnia R Elbatrawy
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11823, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Hagras
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Moshira A El Deeb
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11823, Egypt
| | - Fatimah Agili
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science (Female Section), Jazan University, Jazan 82621, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maghawry Hegazy
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed A El-Husseiny
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Badr City 11829, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud Mohamed Mokhtar
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Samy Y Elkhawaga
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Samar El-Kalyoubi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Port Said University, Port Said 42511, Egypt
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10
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Sobh EA, Dahab MA, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Ibrahim IM, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Discovery of new thieno[2,3- d]pyrimidines as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors for cancer treatment. Future Med Chem 2023; 15:1167-1184. [PMID: 37529910 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2023-0086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: EGFR has been considered a vital molecular target in cancer management. Aim: The discovery of new thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Methods: Nine derivatives were designed, synthesized and subjected to in vitro and in silico studies. Results: Compound 7a significantly inhibited the growth of HepG2 and PC3 cells for both EGFR wild-type and EGFRT790M. Compound 7a caused a significant apoptotic effect, arresting HepG2 cells' growth in the S and G2/M phases. Docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies confirmed the correct and stable binding modes of the synthesized compounds against the active sites. Conclusion: Compound 7a is a promising dual EGFR inhibitor for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman A Sobh
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, PO Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, 12613, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy & Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research & Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, 21934, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
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11
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Mahdy HA, Elkady H, Taghour MS, Elwan A, Dahab MA, Elkady MA, Elsakka EG, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk BA, Ibrahim IM, Eissa IH, Metwaly AM. New theobromine derivatives inhibiting VEGFR-2: design, synthesis, antiproliferative, docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Future Med Chem 2023; 15:1233-1250. [PMID: 37466069 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2023-0089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: VEGFR-2 is one of the most effective targets in cancer treatment. Aim: The design and semi-synthesis of new theobromine derivatives as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Methods: In vitro and in silico evaluation of the synthesized compounds. Results: Compound 5b demonstrated excellent antiproliferative and VEGFR-2 inhibitory effects with significant apoptotic activity. It modulated the immune response by increasing IL-2 and reducing TNF-α levels. Docking and molecular dynamics simulations revealed the compound's binding affinity with VEGFR-2. Lastly, computational absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity studies indicated the high potential of compound 5b for drug development. Conclusion: Compound 5b could be a promising anticancer agent targeting VEGFR-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohammed S Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A Elkady
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Elsayed Ge Elsakka
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, PO Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, 12613, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy & Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research & Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, 21934, Egypt
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12
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Elbatrawy OR, El Deeb MA, Hagras M, Agili F, Hegazy M, El-Husseiny AA, Elkady MA, Eissa IH, El-Kalyoubi S. New thiouracil derivatives as histone deacetylase inhibitors and apoptosis inducers: design, synthesis and anticancer evaluation. Future Med Chem 2023; 15:1019-1035. [PMID: 37492951 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2023-0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have good contributions in cancer management. Aim: To introduce new active HDAC inhibitors. Methods: Design and synthesis of 16 thiouracil derivatives with deep biological and computational investigation. Results: Compounds 7a, 7c, 7d, 7e, 8a and 8f showed the highest antiproliferative effects against MCF7, HepG2 and HCT116 cell lines. Compound 7e exhibited the highest activities against HDAC1 and HDAC4. Compound 7e arrested the cell cycle of HCT116 cells at G0-G1 with significant apoptotic effect. In addition, treatment with compound 7e was associated with a significant increase in the levels of caspase-3 and caspase-8. The docking studies gave good insight about the binding patterns of the synthesized compounds against HDAC1. Conclusion: Compound 7e has a promising anticancer activity targeting HDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omnia R Elbatrawy
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11754, Egypt
| | - Moshira A El Deeb
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11754, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Hagras
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Fatimah Agili
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science (Female Section), Jazan University, Jazan, 82621, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maghawry Hegazy
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed A El-Husseiny
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Badr City, 11829, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A Elkady
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Samar El-Kalyoubi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Port Said University, 42511, Port Said, Egypt
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13
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Abdallah AE, Eissa IH, Mehany AB, Sakr H, Atwa A, El-Adl K, El-Zahabi MA. Immunomodulatory quinazoline-based thalidomide analogs: Design, synthesis, apoptosis and anticancer evaluations. J Mol Struct 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2023.135164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
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14
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Gaber AA, Sobhy M, Turky A, Eldehna WM, El-Sebaey SA, El-Metwally SA, El-Naggar AM, Ibrahim IM, Elkaeed EB, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. New [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]quinazolines as intercalative Topo II inhibitors: Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and in silico studies. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0274081. [PMID: 36716311 PMCID: PMC9886266 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fifteen quinazoline derivatives were designed and synthesized as DNA intercalators. The cytotoxicity of the designed members was assessed against HCT-116 and HepG2 cancer cell lines. In addition, the topoisomerase II (Topo II) inhibitory effect was assessed. Compound 16 was the most cytotoxic and Topo II inhibitor with low cytotoxicity against Vero cells. Compounds 16, 17, and 18 showed significant DNA binding affinities. Compound 16 showed Topo II catalytic inhibitory effect at a concentration of 10 μM. Further mechanistic investigations revealed the capability of compound 16 to induce apoptosis in HCT-116 cells and arrest the growth at the S and G2/M phases. Also, compound 16 showed a significant increase in the level of BAX (2.18-fold) and a marked decrease in the level of Bcl-2 (1.9-fold) compared to the control cells. In silico studies revealed the ability of the synthesized members to bind to the DNA-Topo II complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A. Gaber
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Sobhy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Abdallah Turky
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wagdy M. Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Samiha A. El-Sebaey
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Souad A. El-Metwally
- Department of Basic Science, Higher Technological institute, 10th of Ramadan City, Egypt
| | - Abeer M. El-Naggar
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abassia, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M. Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Ad Diriyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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15
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Abo-El Fetoh ME, Abdel-Fattah MM, Mohamed WR, Ramadan LAA, Afify H. Cyclooxygenase-2 activates EGFR-ERK1/2 pathway via PGE2-mediated ADAM-17 signaling in testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia. Inflammopharmacology 2023; 31:499-516. [PMID: 36586043 PMCID: PMC9958186 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-022-01123-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN Prostatic inflammation is the driving force in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This work investigated the potential modulatory effect of COX-2 inhibition on ADAM-17/EGFR/ERK1/2 axis. MATERIALS OR SUBJECTS Adult male Wistar rats were used. TREATMENT Celecoxib (10 and 20 mg/kg; i.p.) was injected i.p. daily for three weeks. Testosterone (TST) (3 mg/kg; s.c.) was used to induce BPH. METHODS Prostatic inflammation and hyperplasia were assessed by organ weight and histopathology. Inflammatory mediators were measured using ELISA technique. Protein analysis was performed using western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Gene expression analysis was performed using qRT-PCR. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test. RESULTS Testosterone-treated rats had a marked increase in COX-2, prostate weight, and index. Moreover, TST-induced COX-2 was inferred from cytoskeletal changes and was attributable to the overexpression of PGE2, NF-κB (p65), and IL-6. COX-2-derived PGE2 increased the activity of ADAM-17, TGF-α, and TNF-α. Consequently, EGFR-ERK1/2 pathway was over-activated, disrupting anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, cyclin D1, and pro-apoptotic Bax. Celecoxib reversed these effects. CONCLUSION COX-2 stimulates the ERK1/2 pathway via PGE2-ADAM-17-catalyzed shedding of TGF-α in testosterone-induced BPH. The results indicate a functional correlation between inflammation and hyperplasia in BPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed E. Abo-El Fetoh
- grid.442695.80000 0004 6073 9704Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Maha M. Abdel-Fattah
- grid.411662.60000 0004 0412 4932Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514 Egypt
| | - Wafaa R. Mohamed
- grid.411662.60000 0004 0412 4932Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514 Egypt
| | - Laila A. A. Ramadan
- grid.442695.80000 0004 6073 9704Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hassan Afify
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Cairo, Egypt.
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16
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Taghour MS, Mahdy HA, Gomaa MH, Aglan A, Eldeib MG, Elwan A, Dahab MA, Elkaeed EB, Alsfouk AA, Khalifa MM, Eissa IH, Elkady H. Benzoxazole derivatives as new VEGFR-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers: design, synthesis, in silico studies, and antiproliferative evaluation. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2022; 37:2063-2077. [PMID: 35875937 PMCID: PMC9327782 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2103552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, a set of novel benzoxazole derivatives were designed, synthesised, and biologically evaluated as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Five compounds (12d, 12f, 12i, 12l, and 13a) displayed high growth inhibitory activities against HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines and were further investigated for their VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities. The most potent anti-proliferative member 12 l (IC50 = 10.50 μM and 15.21 μM against HepG2 and MCF-7, respectively) had the most promising VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity (IC50 = 97.38 nM). A further biological evaluation revealed that compound 12l could arrest the HepG2 cell growth mainly at the Pre-G1 and G1 phases. Furthermore, compound 12l could induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells by 35.13%. likely, compound 12l exhibited a significant elevation in caspase-3 level (2.98-fold) and BAX (3.40-fold), and a significant reduction in Bcl-2 level (2.12-fold). Finally, docking studies indicated that 12l exhibited interactions with the key amino acids in a similar way to sorafenib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed S Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Maher H Gomaa
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Aglan
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud Gomaa Eldeib
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Aisha A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed M Khalifa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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17
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Synthesis, antitumor, and apoptosis-inducing activities of novel 5-arylidenethiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives: Histone deacetylases inhibitory activity and molecular docking study. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 244:114827. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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18
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Yousef RG, Elwan A, Gobaara IMM, Mehany ABM, Eldehna WM, El-Metwally SA, A Alsfouk B, Elkaeed EB, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Anti-cancer and immunomodulatory evaluation of new nicotinamide derivatives as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers: in vitro and in silico studies. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2022; 37:2206-2222. [PMID: 35980113 PMCID: PMC9466619 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2110868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
New nicotinamide derivatives 6, 7, 10, and 11 were designed and synthesised based on the essential features of the VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Compound 10 revealed the highest anti-proliferative activities with IC50 values of 15.4 and 9.8 µM against HCT-116 and HepG2, respectively compared to sorafenib (IC50 = 9.30 and 7.40 µM). Compound 7 owned promising cytotoxic activities with IC50 values of 15.7 and 15.5 µM against the same cell lines, respectively. Subsequently, the VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities were assessed for the titled compounds to exhibit VEGFR-2 inhibition with sub-micromolar IC50 values. Moreover, compound 7 induced the cell cycle cessation at the cycle at %G2-M and G0-G1phases, and induced apoptosis in the HCT-116. Compounds 7 and 10 reduced the levels of TNF-α by 81.6 and 84.5% as well as IL-6 by 88.4 and 60.9%, respectively, compared to dexamethasone (82.4 and 93.1%). In silico docking, molecular dynamics simulations, ADMET, and toxicity studies were carried out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda G Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibraheem M M Gobaara
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed B M Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wagdy M Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Souad A El-Metwally
- Department of Basic Science, Higher Technological institute, 10th of Ramadan City, Egypt
| | - Bshra A Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.,Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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19
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Gaber AA, Sobhy M, Turky A, Abdulwahab HG, Al-Karmalawy AA, Elhendawy MA, Radwan MM, Elkaeed EB, Ibrahim IM, Elzahabi HSA, Eissa IH. Discovery of new 1 H-pyrazolo[3,4- d]pyrimidine derivatives as anticancer agents targeting EGFR WT and EGFR T790M. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2022; 37:2283-2303. [PMID: 36000168 PMCID: PMC9466626 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2112575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
New 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives were designed and synthesised to act as epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs). The synthesised derivatives were assessed for their in vitro anti-proliferative activities against A549 and HCT-116 cancer cells. Compounds 8, 10, 12a, and 12b showed potent anti-proliferative activities. Compound 12b was the most promising member with IC50 values of 8.21 and 19.56 µM against A549 and HCT-116, respectively. Compounds 8, 10, 12a, and 12b were evaluated for their kinase inhibitory activities against wild EGFR (EGFRWT). Compound 12b was the most potent member showing an IC50 value of 0.016 µM. In addition, compound 12b showed noticeable activity against mutant EGFR (EGFRT790M) (IC50 = 0.236 µM). Flow cytometric analyses revealed that compound 12b is a good apoptotic inducer and can arrest the cell cycle at S and G2/M phases. Furthermore, it produced an 8.8-fold increase in BAX/Bcl-2 ratio. Molecular docking studies were carried out against EGFRWT and EGFRT790M.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A. Gaber
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Sobhy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Abdallah Turky
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hanan Gaber Abdulwahab
- Department of Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed A. Al-Karmalawy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University-Egypt, New Damietta, Egypt
| | - Mostafa. A. Elhendawy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, MS, USA
- Department of Agriculture Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Damietta, Egypt
| | - Mohamed. M. Radwan
- National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim M. Ibrahim
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Heba S. A. Elzahabi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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20
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Sinclair P, Kabbani N. Nicotinic receptor components of amyloid beta 42 proteome regulation in human neural cells. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270479. [PMID: 35960729 PMCID: PMC9374227 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with chronic neurodegeneration often accompanied by elevated levels of the neurotoxic peptide amyloid-beta 1–42 (Aβ42) in the brain. Studies show that extracellular Aβ42 binds to various cell surface receptors including the human α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and activates pathways of neurotoxicity leading to cell death. The α7 nAChR is thus considered a promising drug target for therapy against neurodegenerative disease such as AD. In this study, we use mass spectrometry-based label-free precursor ion quantification to identify proteins and pathways that are changed by a 72-hour treatment with Aβ42 or Aβ42 in the presence of the α7 nAChR blocker, α-bungarotoxin (Bgtx) in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Bioinformatic gene ontology enrichment analysis was used to identify and characterize proteins and pathways altered by Aβ42 presentation. The results support evidence on the involvement of mitochondrial proteins in Aβ42 responses and define potential mechanisms of α7 nAChR mediated amyloid toxicity. These findings can inform pharmacological strategies for drug design and treatment against amyloid disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Sinclair
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States of America
| | - Nadine Kabbani
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States of America
- School of System Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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21
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Elwan A, Abdallah AE, Mahdy HA, Dahab MA, Taghour MS, Elkaeed EB, Mehany ABM, Nabeeh A, Adel M, Alsfouk AA, Elkady H, Eissa IH. Modified Benzoxazole-Based VEGFR-2 Inhibitors and Apoptosis Inducers: Design, Synthesis, and Anti-Proliferative Evaluation. Molecules 2022; 27:5047. [PMID: 35956997 PMCID: PMC9370530 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27155047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
This work is one of our efforts to discover potent anticancer agents. We modified the most promising derivative of our previous work concerned with the development of VEGFR-2 inhibitor candidates. Thirteen new compounds based on benzoxazole moiety were synthesized and evaluated against three human cancer cell lines, namely, breast cancer (MCF-7), colorectal carcinoma (HCT116), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2). The synthesized compounds were also evaluated against VEGFR-2 kinase activity. The biological testing fallouts showed that compound 8d was more potent than standard sorafenib. Such compound showed IC50 values of 3.43, 2.79, and 2.43 µM against the aforementioned cancer cell lines, respectively, compared to IC50 values of 4.21, 5.30, and 3.40 µM reported for sorafenib. Compound 8d also was found to exert exceptional VEGFR-2 inhibition activity with an IC50 value of 0.0554 μM compared to sorafenib (0.0782 μM). In addition, compound 8h revealed excellent cytotoxic effects with IC50 values of 3.53, 2.94, and 2.76 µM against experienced cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, compounds 8a and 8e were found to inhibit VEGFR-2 kinase activity with IC50 values of 0.0579 and 0.0741 μM, exceeding that of sorafenib. Compound 8d showed a significant apoptotic effect and arrested the HepG2 cells at the pre-G1 phase. In addition, it exerted a significant inhibition for TNF-α (90.54%) and of IL-6 (92.19%) compared to dexamethasone (93.15%). The molecular docking studies showed that the binding pattern of the new compounds to VEGFR-2 kinase was similar to that of sorafenib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Abdallah E. Abdallah
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Hazem A. Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohammed A. Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohammed S. Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed B. M. Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Nabeeh
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohammed Adel
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Aisha A. Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
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Azab AE, Alesawy MS, Eldehna WM, Elwan A, Eissa IH. New [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]quinazoline derivatives as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers: Design, synthesis, docking, and antiproliferative evaluation. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2022; 355:e2200133. [PMID: 35822666 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202200133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
In continuation of our previous efforts in the field of design and synthesis of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-2 inhibitors, a new series of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]quinazoline derivatives were designed and synthesized as modified analogs of some reported VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The synthesized compounds were designed to have the essential pharmacophoric features of VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Antiproliferative activities of the synthesized compounds were investigated against two tumor cell lines (HepG2 and HCT-116) using sorafenib as a positive control. Compound 10k emerged as the most promising antiproliferative agent with IC50 values of 4.88 and 5.21 µM against HepG2 and HCT-116 cells, respectively. Also, it showed the highest inhibitory activity against VEGFR-2 with an IC50 value of 53.81 nM compared to sorafenib (IC50 = 44.34 nM). Cell cycle analysis revealed that compound 10k can arrest HepG2 cells at both the S and G2/M phases. In addition, this compound produced a tenfold increase in apoptotic cells compared to the control. Furthermore, the effect of compound 10k on the expression level of BAX, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 was assessed. This compound caused a 3.35-fold increase in BAX expression levels and a 1.25-fold reduction in Bcl-2 expression levels. The BAX/Bcl-2 ratio was calculated to be 4.57, indicating a promising apoptotic effect. It also showed a significant increase in the level of caspase-3 (4.12-fold) compared to the control cells. In silico docking, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity, and toxicity studies were performed for the synthesized compounds to investigate their binding patterns against the proposed biological target (VEGFR-2) and to assess the drug-likeness characters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed E Azab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed S Alesawy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wagdy M Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt.,School of Biotechnology, Badr University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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23
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Yousef RG, Eldehna WM, Elwan A, Abdelaziz AS, Mehany ABM, Gobaara IMM, Alsfouk BA, Elkaeed EB, Metwaly AM, Eissa IH. Design, Synthesis, In Silico and In Vitro Studies of New Immunomodulatory Anticancer Nicotinamide Derivatives Targeting VEGFR-2. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27134079. [PMID: 35807326 PMCID: PMC9268560 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
VEGFR-2, the subtype receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) responsible for angiogenesis, is expressed in various cancer cells. Thus, VEGFER-2 inhibition is an efficient approach for the discovery of new anticancer agents. Accordingly, a new set of nicotinamide derivatives were designed and synthesized to be VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The chemical structures were confirmed using IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The obtained compounds were examined for their anti-proliferative activities against the human cancer cell lines (HCT-116 and HepG2). VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities were determined for the titled compounds. Compound 8 exhibited the strongest anti-proliferative activities with IC50 values of 5.4 and 7.1 µM against HCT-116 and HepG2, respectively. Interestingly, compound 8 was the most potent VEGFR-2 inhibitor with an IC50 value of 77.02 nM (compare to sorafenib: IC50 = 53.65 nM). Treatment of HCT-116 cells with compound 8 produced arrest of the cell cycle at the G0–G1 phase and a total apoptosis increase from 3.05 to 19.82%—6.5-fold in comparison to the negative control. In addition, compound 8 caused significant increases in the expression levels of caspase-8 (9.4-fold) and Bax (9.2-fold), and a significant decrease in the Bcl-2 expression level (3-fold). The effects of compound 8 on the levels of the immunomodulatory proteins (TNF-α and IL-6) were examined. There was a marked decrease in the level of TNF-α (92.37%) compared to the control (82.47%) and a non-significant reduction in the level of IL-6. In silico docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and MM-PBSA studies revealed the high affinity, the correct binding, and the optimum dynamics of compound 8 inside the active site of VEGFR-2. Finally, in silico ADMET and toxicity studies indicated acceptable values of drug-likeness. In conclusion, compound 8 has emerged as a promising anti-proliferative agent targeting VEGFR-2 with significant apoptotic and immunomodulatory effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda G. Yousef
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (R.G.Y.); (A.E.); (A.S.A.)
| | - Wagdy M. Eldehna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt;
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (R.G.Y.); (A.E.); (A.S.A.)
| | - Abdelaziz S. Abdelaziz
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (R.G.Y.); (A.E.); (A.S.A.)
| | - Ahmed B. M. Mehany
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (A.B.M.M.); (I.M.M.G.)
| | - Ibraheem M. M. Gobaara
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (A.B.M.M.); (I.M.M.G.)
| | - Bshra A. Alsfouk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Eslam B. Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt;
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
- Correspondence: (A.M.M.); (I.H.E.)
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt; (R.G.Y.); (A.E.); (A.S.A.)
- Correspondence: (A.M.M.); (I.H.E.)
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Abdallah AE, Mabrouk RR, Elnagar MR, Farrag AM, Kalaba MH, Sharaf MH, El-Fakharany EM, Bakhotmah DA, Elkaeed EB, Al Ward MMS. New Series of VEGFR-2 Inhibitors and Apoptosis Enhancers: Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation. Drug Des Devel Ther 2022; 16:587-606. [PMID: 35281317 PMCID: PMC8904266 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s344750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer is still a major world health threat, causing a high rate of mortality. VEGFR-2 inhibitor anticancer agents are of great significance. However, they showed some serious side effects. Purpose To discover new effective and safer anticancer agents, a new series of piperazinylquinoxaline-based derivatives was designed and synthesized on the basis of the pharmacophoric features of VEGFR-2 inhibitor drugs. Methods The new candidates were evaluated against A549 lung cancer cells, HepG-2 hepatoma cells, Caco-2 colon cancer cells, MDA breast cancer cells, and VEGFR-2 kinase. Moreover, cell cycle kinetics and apoptosis rates were studied in HepG-2 cells treated with compound 11, which was the most promising candidate. Results The new derivatives revealed better antitumor results (IC50 from 6.48 to 38.58 µM) against the aforementioned cancer cell lines than sorafenib. Also, the new candidates showed VEGFR-2 inhibition with IC50 values ranging from 0.19 to 0.60 µM compared to 0.08 µM for sorafenib. Compound 11, meanwhile, showed IC50 values equal to 10.61, 9.52, 12.45, 11.52, and 0.19 µM against the cancer cell lines and VEGFR-2, respectively. Moreover, compound 11 raised the apoptosis rate in HepG-2 cells from 5% to 44% and caused 4, 2.3, and 3-fold increases in BAX/Bcl-2 ratio, caspase-3 level, and P53 expression, respectively, compared to control untreated cells. Finally, the new derivatives displayed the correct binding mode into VEGFR-2 kinase pocket, giving interactions with the essential residues. Conclusion This work suggests that compound 11 is a very significant anticancer candidate, and piperazinylquinoxaline is an important scaffold in the development of new potential effective and safer VEGFR-2 inhibitor agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdallah E Abdallah
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Reda R Mabrouk
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohamed R Elnagar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Amel Mostafa Farrag
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed H Kalaba
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohamed H Sharaf
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
| | - Esmail M El-Fakharany
- Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El Arab, Egypt
| | - Dina Abed Bakhotmah
- Chemistry Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Eslam B Elkaeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, 13713, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maged Mohammed Saleh Al Ward
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
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25
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Xiong T, He P, Zhou M, Zhong D, Yang T, He W, Xu Z, Chen Z, Liu YW, Dai SS. Glutamate blunts cell-killing effects of neutrophils in tumor microenvironment. Cancer Sci 2022; 113:1955-1967. [PMID: 35363928 PMCID: PMC9207372 DOI: 10.1111/cas.15355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils are the first defenders of the innate system for injury and infection. They have gradually been recognized as important participants in tumor initiation and development due to their heterogeneity and plasticity. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), neutrophils can exert antitumor and protumor functions, depending on the surroundings. Tumor cells systemically alter intracellular amino acid (AA) metabolism and extracellular AA distribution to meet their proliferation need, leading to metabolic reprogramming and TME reshaping. However, the underlying mechanisms that determine how altered AAs affect neutrophils in TME are less‐explored. Here, we identified that abundant glutamate releasing from tumor cells blunted neutrophils’ cell‐killing effects toward tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Mass spectrometric detection, flow cytometry, and western blot experiments proved that increased levels of pSTAT3/RAB10/ARF4, mediated by glutamate, were accompanied with immunosuppressive phenotypes of neutrophils in TME. We also discovered that riluzole, an FDA‐approved glutamate release inhibitor, significantly inhibited tumor growth by restoring neutrophils’ cell‐killing effects and decreasing glutamate secretion from tumor cells. These findings highlight the importance of tumor‐released glutamate on neutrophil transformation in TME, providing new possible cancer treatments targeting altered glutamate metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Xiong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Ping He
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Mi Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Dan Zhong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Teng Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Wenhui He
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Zhizhen Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Zongtao Chen
- Health Management Center, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Yang-Wuyue Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
| | - Shuang-Shuang Dai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, PR China
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Alsaif NA, Mahdy HA, Alanazi MM, Obaidullah AJ, Alkahtani HM, Al-Hossaini AM, Al-Mehizi AA, Elwan A, Taghour MS. Targeting VEGFR-2 by new quinoxaline derivatives: Design, synthesis, antiproliferative assay, apoptosis induction, and in silico studies. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2021; 355:e2100359. [PMID: 34862634 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202100359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Twelve new triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline-based compounds are reported as anticancer agents with potential effects against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), using sorafenib as a reference molecule. With sorafenib as the positive control, the antiproliferative effects of the synthesized compounds against MCF-7 and HepG2 cells, as well as their VEGFR-2-inhibitory activities, were assessed. The most powerful VEGFR-2 inhibitor was compound 14a, which had an IC50 value of 3.2 nM, which is very close to that of sorafenib (IC50 = 3.12 nM). Furthermore, compounds 14c and 15d showed potential inhibitory activity against VEGFR-2, with IC50 values of 4.8 and 5.4 nM, respectively. Compound 14a caused apoptosis in HepG2 cells and stopped the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. In HepG2 cells, it also increased the levels of the proteases caspase-3 and caspase-9, as well as the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. In silico ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) and toxicity experiments revealed that the synthesized agents had acceptable drug-likeness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawaf A Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Nasr, Egypt
| | - Mohammed M Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamad M Alkahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah M Al-Hossaini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman A Al-Mehizi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Nasr, Egypt
| | - Mohammed S Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Nasr, Egypt
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27
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Alanazi MM, Alaa E, Alsaif NA, Obaidullah AJ, Alkahtani HM, Al-Mehizia AA, Alsubaie SM, Taghour MS, Eissa IH. Discovery of new 3-methylquinoxalines as potential anti-cancer agents and apoptosis inducers targeting VEGFR-2: design, synthesis, and in silico studies. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2021; 36:1732-1750. [PMID: 34325596 PMCID: PMC8330740 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2021.1945591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need to design new anticancer agents that can prevent cancer cell proliferation even with minimal side effects. Accordingly, two new series of 3-methylquinoxalin-2(1H)-one and 3-methylquinoxaline-2-thiol derivatives were designed to act as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The designed derivatives were synthesised and evaluated in vitro as cytotoxic agents against two human cancer cell lines namely, HepG-2 and MCF-7. Also, the synthesised derivatives were assessed for their VEGFR-2inhibitory effect. The most promising member 11e were further investigated to reach a valuable insight about its apoptotic effect through cell cycle and apoptosis analyses. Moreover, deep investigations were carried out for compound 11e using western-plot analyses to detect its effect against some apoptotic and apoptotic parameters including caspase-9, caspase-3, BAX, and Bcl-2. Many in silico investigations including docking, ADMET, toxicity studies were performed to predict binding affinity, pharmacokinetic, drug likeness, and toxicity of the synthesised compounds. The results revealed that compounds 11e, 11g, 12e, 12g, and 12k exhibited promising cytotoxic activities (IC50 range is 2.1 - 9.8 µM), comparing to sorafenib (IC50 = 3.4 and 2.2 µM against MCF-7 and HepG2, respectively). Moreover, 11b, 11f, 11g, 12e, 12f, 12g, and 12k showed the highest VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities (IC50 range is 2.9 - 5.4 µM), comparing to sorafenib (IC50 = 3.07 nM). Additionally, compound 11e had good potential to arrest the HepG2 cell growth at G2/M phase and to induce apoptosis by 49.14% compared to the control cells (9.71%). As well, such compound showed a significant increase in the level of caspase-3 (2.34-fold), caspase-9 (2.34-fold), and BAX (3.14-fold), and a significant decrease in Bcl-2 level (3.13-fold). For in silico studies, the synthesised compounds showed binding mode similar to that of the reference compound (sorafenib).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed M. Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Elwan Alaa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Nawaf A. Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J. Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamad M. Alkahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman A. Al-Mehizia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sultan M. Alsubaie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed S. Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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28
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Alsaif NA, Taghour MS, Alanazi MM, Obaidullah AJ, Al-Mehizia AA, Alanazi MM, Aldawas S, Elwan A, Elkady H. Discovery of new VEGFR-2 inhibitors based on bis([1, 2, 4]triazolo)[4,3- a:3',4'- c]quinoxaline derivatives as anticancer agents and apoptosis inducers. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2021; 36:1093-1114. [PMID: 34056992 PMCID: PMC8168755 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2021.1915303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Herein, a new wave of bis([1, 2, 4]triazolo)[4,3-a:3',4'-c]quinoxaline derivatives have been successfully designed and synthesised. The synthesised derivatives were biologically investigated for their cytotoxic activities against HepG2 and MCF-7. Also, the tested compounds were further examined in vitro for their VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity. The most promising derivative 23j was further investigated for its apoptotic behaviour in HepG2 cell lines using flow cytometric and western-plot analyses. Additional in-silico studies were performed to predict how the synthesised compounds can bind to VEGFR-2 and to determine the drug-likeness profiling of these derivatives. The results revealed that compounds 23a, 23i, 23j, 23l, and 23n displayed the highest antiproliferative activities against the two cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 6.4 to 19.4 µM. Furthermore, compounds 23a, 23d, 23h, 23i, 23j, 23l, 23 m, and 23n showed the highest VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities with IC50 values ranging from 3.7 to 11.8 nM, comparing to sorafenib (IC50 = 3.12 nM). Moreover, compound 23j arrested the HepG2 cell growth at the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis by 40.12% compared to the control cells (7.07%). As well, such compound showed a significant increase in the level of caspase-3 (1.36-fold), caspase-9 (2.80-fold), and BAX (1.65-fold), and exhibited a significant decrease in Bcl-2 level (2.63-fold).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawaf A. Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed S. Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohammed M. Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J. Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman A. Al-Mehizia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manal M. Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh Aldawas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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29
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Alanazi MM, Eissa IH, Alsaif NA, Obaidullah AJ, Alanazi WA, Alasmari AF, Albassam H, Elkady H, Elwan A. Design, synthesis, docking, ADMET studies, and anticancer evaluation of new 3-methylquinoxaline derivatives as VEGFR-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2021; 36:1760-1782. [PMID: 34340610 PMCID: PMC8344243 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2021.1956488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) plays a critical role in cancer angiogenesis. Inhibition of VEGFR-2 activity proved effective suppression of tumour propagation. Accordingly, two series of new 3-methylquinoxaline derivatives have been designed and synthesised as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The synthesised derivatives were evaluated in vitro for their cytotoxic activities against MCF-7and HepG2 cell lines. In addition, the VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities of the target compounds were estimated to indicate the potential mechanism of their cytotoxicity. To a great extent, the results of VEGFR-2 inhibition were highly correlated with that of cytotoxicity. Compound 27a was the most potent VEGFR-2 inhibitor with IC50 of 3.2 nM very close to positive control sorafenib (IC50 = 3.12 nM). Such compound exhibited a strong cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 and HepG2, respectively with IC50 of 7.7 and 4.5 µM in comparison to sorafenib (IC50 = 3.51 and 2.17 µM). In addition, compounds 28, 30f, 30i, and 31b exhibited excellent VEGFR-2 inhibition activities (IC50 range from 4.2 to 6.1 nM) with promising cytotoxic activity. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis induction were investigated for the most active member 27a. Also, the effect of 27a on the level of caspase-3, caspase-9, and BAX/Bcl-2 ratio was determined. Molecular docking studies were implemented to interpret the binding mode of the target compounds with the VEGFR-2 pocket. Furthermore, toxicity and ADMET calculations were performed for the synthesised compounds to study their pharmacokinetic profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed M. Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Nawaf A. Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J. Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wael A. Alanazi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah F. Alasmari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hussam Albassam
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alaa Elwan
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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Alsaif NA, Taghour MS, Alanazi MM, Obaidullah AJ, Alanazi WA, Alasmari A, Albassam H, Dahab MA, Mahdy HA. Identification of new [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalines as potent VEGFR-2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors: Design, synthesis, anticancer evaluation, and in silico studies. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 46:116384. [PMID: 34479065 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Tumor angiogenesis is mainly regulated by VEGFR-2. In this study, a new series of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline based-derivatives has been designed and synthesized to develop new anti-proliferative and anti-VEGFR-2 members. Anti-proliferative activities of the synthesized compounds were tested against MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines. Compound 19a exhibited the highest activity towards both MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines (IC50 = 8.2 and 5.4 µM, respectively), compared to sorafenib (IC50 = 3.51 and 2.17 µM, respectively). Additionally, all compounds were screened to evaluate their effect as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Compound 19a (IC50 = 3.4 nM) exhibited good activity compared to sorafenib (IC50 = 3.12 nM). Furthermore, compound 19a disrupted the HepG2 cell cycle by arresting the G2/M phase. Also, marked increase in the percentage apoptotic cells was achieved by compound 19a. The induced apoptotic effect of compound 19a in HepG2 cells was assured by increased pro-apoptotic marker (Bax) expression by 2.33-fold and decreased anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) expression by 1.88-fold, resulting in an elevation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in HepG2 cells. Comparing to the control cells, compound 19a induced an increase in expression of cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9 by 2.44- and 2.69-fold, respectively. Finally, the binding modes of the target derivatives were investigated through docking studies against the proposed molecular target (VEGFR-2, PDB ID: 2OH4).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawaf A Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed S Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Mohammed M Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wael A Alanazi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11541, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Alasmari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11541, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hussam Albassam
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11541, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
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31
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Alanazi MM, Elkady H, Alsaif NA, Obaidullah AJ, Alkahtani HM, Alanazi MM, Alharbi MA, Eissa IH, Dahab MA. New quinoxaline-based VEGFR-2 inhibitors: design, synthesis, and antiproliferative evaluation with in silico docking, ADMET, toxicity, and DFT studies. RSC Adv 2021; 11:30315-30328. [PMID: 35493991 PMCID: PMC9044819 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05925d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A new series of 3-methylquinoxaline-based derivatives having the same essential pharmacophoric features as VEGFR-2 inhibitors have been synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against two human cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and HepG-2. Compounds 15b and 17b demonstrated a significant antiproliferative effect with IC50 ranging from 2.3 to 5.8 μM. An enzymatic assay was carried out for all the tested candidates against VEGFR-2. Compound 17b was the most potent VEGFR-2 inhibitor (IC50 = 2.7 nM). Mechanistic investigation including cell cycle arrest and apoptosis was performed for compound 17b against HepG-2 cells, and the results revealed that 17b induced cell apoptosis and arrested cell cycle in the G2/M phase. Moreover, apoptosis analyses were conducted for compound 17b to evaluate its apoptotic potential. The results showed upregulation in caspase-3 and caspase-9 levels, and improving the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio by more than 10-fold. Docking studies were performed to determine the possible interaction with the VEGFR-2 active site. Further docking studies were carried out for compound 17b against cytochrome P450 to present such compounds as non-inhibitors. In silico ADMET, toxicity, and physico-chemical properties revealed that most of the synthesized members have acceptable values of drug-likeness. Finally, DFT studies were carried out to calculate the thermodynamic, molecular orbital and electrostatic potential properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed M Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University P.O. Box 2457 Riyadh 11541 Saudi Arabia
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Nawaf A Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University P.O. Box 2457 Riyadh 11541 Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University P.O. Box 2457 Riyadh 11541 Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamad M Alkahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University P.O. Box 2457 Riyadh 11541 Saudi Arabia
| | - Manal M Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University P.O. Box 2457 Riyadh 11541 Saudi Arabia
| | - Madhawi A Alharbi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University P.O. Box 2457 Riyadh 11541 Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University Cairo 11884 Egypt
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Ukiya M, Motegi K, Sato D, Kimura H, Satsu H, Koketsu M, Ninomiya M, Myint LM, Nishina A. Effect of Compounds from Moringa oleifera Lam. on in Vitro Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Model System. Chem Biodivers 2021; 18:e2100243. [PMID: 34128328 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202100243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the most common chronic liver disease in the world, with a prevalence of 25 % in many countries. To date, no drug has been approved to treat NAFLD, therefore, the use of phytochemicals to prevent this disease is meaningful. In this study, we focused on the effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. on diabetes, attempted to isolate compounds that regulate NAFLD. Compounds 1 and 2 were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of M. oleifera. Spectral data revealed that they were 1-hydroxy-3-phenylpropan-2-yl benzoate (1) and benzyl benzylcarbamate (2), respectively. The three-dimensional structure of compound 1 was determined by single crystal X-ray structural analysis. Neither compound was toxic to HepG2 cells, and compound 1 was found to have a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on intracellular lipid accumulation induced by stimulation of linoleic acid (LA). As a result of measuring the effects of compound 1 on the intracellular lipid production-related protein, it was found that compound 1 enhanced protein expression that promotes lipolysis. On the other hand, since the action of compound 1 was similar to that of PPARα agonists, it is deduced that compound 1 enhanced the activity of PPARα and further enhanced the expression of lipolytic proteins, which is related to the suppression of intracellular lipid accumulation. Furthermore, as the result of docking simulation, compound 1 had a higher binding affinity to the ligand binding site of PPARα than fenofibrate, which is a PPARα agonist, and thus compound 1 was considered to be promising as an agonist of PPARα.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motohiko Ukiya
- Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, 1-5-1 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 101-0062, Japan
| | - Kazuki Motegi
- Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, 1-5-1 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 101-0062, Japan
| | - Daisuke Sato
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Johnan, Yonezawa, 992-8510, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Kimura
- School of Medical Technology, Faculty of Health Science, Gunma Paz University, 1-7-1 Tonyamachi, Takasaki, Gunma, 370-0006, Japan
| | - Hideo Satsu
- Department of Biotechnology, Maebashi Institute of Technology, 460-1 Kamisadorimachi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-0816, Japan
| | - Mamoru Koketsu
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Masayuki Ninomiya
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Lwin Mon Myint
- FAME Pharmaceuticals Industry Co., Ltd, Mingyi Mahar Min Gaung Street, Yangon, Myamar
| | - Atsuyoshi Nishina
- Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, 1-5-1 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 101-0062, Japan
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Stone TW. Relationships and Interactions between Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors and Nicotinic Receptors in the CNS. Neuroscience 2021; 468:321-365. [PMID: 34111447 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Although ionotropic glutamate receptors and nicotinic receptors for acetylcholine (ACh) have usually been studied separately, they are often co-localized and functionally inter-dependent. The objective of this review is to survey the evidence for interactions between the two receptor families and the mechanisms underlying them. These include the mutual regulation of subunit expression, which change the NMDA:AMPA response balance, and the existence of multi-functional receptor complexes which make it difficult to distinguish between individual receptor sites, especially in vivo. This is followed by analysis of the functional relationships between the receptors from work on transmitter release, cellular electrophysiology and aspects of behavior where these can contribute to understanding receptor interactions. It is clear that nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) on axonal terminals directly regulate the release of glutamate and other neurotransmitters, α7-nAChRs generally promoting release. Hence, α7-nAChR responses will be prevented not only by a nicotinic antagonist, but also by compounds blocking the indirectly activated glutamate receptors. This accounts for the apparent anticholinergic activity of some glutamate antagonists, including the endogenous antagonist kynurenic acid. The activation of presynaptic nAChRs is by the ambient levels of ACh released from pre-terminal synapses, varicosities and glial cells, acting as a 'volume neurotransmitter' on synaptic and extrasynaptic sites. In addition, ACh and glutamate are released as CNS co-transmitters, including 'cholinergic' synapses onto spinal Renshaw cells. It is concluded that ACh should be viewed primarily as a modulator of glutamatergic neurotransmission by regulating the release of glutamate presynaptically, and the location, subunit composition, subtype balance and sensitivity of glutamate receptors, and not primarily as a classical fast neurotransmitter. These conclusions and caveats should aid clarification of the sites of action of glutamate and nicotinic receptor ligands in the search for new centrally-acting drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor W Stone
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK; Institute of Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
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34
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Chochkova M, Jiang H, Kyoseva R, Stoykova B, Tsvetanova E, Alexandrova A, Liu R, Li Z, Mitrev Y, Dimitrova-Sbirkova H, Štícha M, Shivachev B. Cinnamoyl-memantine hybrids: Synthesis, X-ray crystallography and biological activities. J Mol Struct 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2021.130147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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35
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Chrestia JF, Bruzzone A, Esandi MDC, Bouzat C. Tyrosine phosphorylation differentially fine-tunes ionotropic and metabotropic responses of human α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:5381-5395. [PMID: 34028590 PMCID: PMC8142877 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03853-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is involved in neurological, neurodegenerative, and inflammatory disorders. It operates both as a ligand-gated cationic channel and as a metabotropic receptor in neuronal and non-neuronal cells. As protein phosphorylation is an important cell function regulatory mechanism, deciphering how tyrosine phosphorylation modulates α7 dual ionotropic/metabotropic molecular function is required for understanding its integral role in physiological and pathological processes. α7 single-channel activity elicited by ACh appears as brief isolated openings and less often as episodes of few openings in quick succession. The reduction of phosphorylation by tyrosine kinase inhibition increases the duration and frequency of activation episodes, whereas the inhibition of phosphatases has the opposite effect. Removal of two tyrosine residues at the α7 intracellular domain recapitulates the effects mediated by tyrosine kinase inhibition. The tyrosine-free mutant receptor shows longer duration-activation episodes, reduced desensitization rate and significantly faster recovery from desensitization, indicating that phosphorylation decreases α7 channel activity by favoring the desensitized state. However, the mutant receptor is incapable of triggering ERK1/2 phosphorylation in response to the α7-agonist. Thus, while tyrosine phosphorylation is absolutely required for α7-triggered ERK pathway, it negatively modulates α7 ionotropic activity. Overall, phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events fine-tune the integrated cell response mediated by α7 activation, thus having a broad impact on α7 cholinergic signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Facundo Chrestia
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca, Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Ariana Bruzzone
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca, Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - María Del Carmen Esandi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca, Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Cecilia Bouzat
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca, Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
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36
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Alanazi MM, Mahdy HA, Alsaif NA, Obaidullah AJ, Alkahtani HM, Al-Mehizia AA, Alsubaie SM, Dahab MA, Eissa IH. New bis([1,2,4]triazolo)[4,3-a:3',4'-c]quinoxaline derivatives as VEGFR-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers: Design, synthesis, in silico studies, and anticancer evaluation. Bioorg Chem 2021; 112:104949. [PMID: 34023640 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.104949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A new series of bis([1,2,4]triazolo)[4,3-a:3',4'-c]quinoxaline derivatives were designed and synthesized to have the main essential pharmacophoric features of VEGFR-2 inhibitors. VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities were assessed for the designed compounds. In addition, cytotoxic activity was evaluated for all derivatives against two human cancer cell lines namely, HepG-2 and MCF-7. The most cytotoxic compound 20 h was subjected to further biological investigations including cell cycle, apoptosis, caspase-3, caspase-9, BAX, and Bcl-2 analyses. Different in silico studies as docking, ADMET and toxicity were carried out. The results exhibited that compounds 20b, 20e, 20h and20mshowed promising VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities with IC50values of 5.7, 6.7, 3.2, and 3.1 µM, respectively. Moreover, these promising members exhibited the highest antiproliferative activities against the two cell lines with IC50values ranging from 3.3 to 14.2 µM, comparing to sorafenib (IC50 = 2.17 and 3.43 µM against HepG2 and MCF-7, respectively). Additionally, compound 20h induced cell cycle arrest of HepG2 cells at G2/M phase. Also, such compound increased the progress of apoptosis by 3.5-fold compared to the control. As well, compound 20h showed a significant increase in the level of caspase-3 (2.07-fold), caspase-9 (1.72-fold), and BAX (1.83-fold), and a significant decrease in Bcl-2 level (1.92-fold). The in silico studies revealed that the synthesized compounds have binding pattern like that of sorafenib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed M Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Nawaf A Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamad M Alkahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman A Al-Mehizia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sultan M Alsubaie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
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Alsaif NA, Dahab MA, Alanazi MM, Obaidullah AJ, Al-Mehizia AA, Alanazi MM, Aldawas S, Mahdy HA, Elkady H. New quinoxaline derivatives as VEGFR-2 inhibitors with anticancer and apoptotic activity: Design, molecular modeling, and synthesis. Bioorg Chem 2021; 110:104807. [PMID: 33721808 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.104807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
New series of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-4(5H)-one and [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline derivatives have been designed, synthesized, and biologically assessed for their anti-proliferative activities against two selected tumor cell lines MCF-7 and HepG2. Comparing to sorafenib (IC50 = 2.17 ± 0.13 and 3.51 ± 0.21 µM against MCF-7 and HepG2, respectively), compound 25d, 25e, 25i, and 27e exhibited the highest activities against the examined cell lines with IC50 values extending from 4.1 ± 0.4 to 11.7 ± 1.1 µM. Furthermore, VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities were assessed for all the synthesized compounds as potential mechanisms for their anti-proliferative activities. Compounds 25d, 25e, 25i, and 27e displayed prominent inhibitory efficiency versus VEGFR-2 kinase with IC50 value ranging from 3.4 ± 0.3 to 6.8 ± 0.5 nM. Fascinatingly, the results of VEGFR-2 inhibitory assays were matched with that of the cytotoxicity data, where the most potent anti-proliferative derivatives exhibited promising VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities. Further studies displayed the ability of compound 25d to induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells and can arrest the growth of such cells at the G2/M phase. Also, compound 25d produced a significant increase in the level of BAX/Bcl-2 ratio (3.8-fold), caspase- 3 (1.8-fold), and caspase-9 (1.9-fold) compared to the control cells. Molecular docking studies were carried out to investigate the possible binding interaction inside the active site of the VEGFR-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawaf A Alsaif
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Mohammed M Alanazi
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J Obaidullah
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman A Al-Mehizia
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manal M Alanazi
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh Aldawas
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Hazem Elkady
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
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Koola MM. Alpha7 nicotinic-N-methyl-D-aspartate hypothesis in the treatment of schizophrenia and beyond. Hum Psychopharmacol 2021; 36:1-16. [PMID: 32965756 DOI: 10.1002/hup.2758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Development of novel treatments for positive, cognitive, and negative symptoms continue to be a high-priority area of schizophrenia research and a major unmet clinical need. Given that all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted to date failed with one add-on medication/mechanism of action, future RCTs with the same approach are not warranted. Even if the field develops a medication for cognition, others are still needed to treat negative and positive symptoms. Therefore, fixing one domain does not completely solve the problem. Also, targeting the cholinergic system, glutamatergic system, and cholinergic plus alpha7 nicotinic and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors failed independently. Hence, targeting other less important pathophysiological mechanisms/targets is unlikely to be successful. Meta-analyses of RCTs targeting major pathophysiological mechanisms have found some efficacy signal in schizophrenia; thus, combination treatments with different mechanisms of action may enhance the efficacy signal. The objective of this article is to highlight the importance of conducting RCTs with novel combination treatments in schizophrenia to develop antischizophrenia treatments. Positive RCTs with novel combination treatments that target the alpha7 nicotinic and NMDA receptors simultaneously may lead to a disease-modifying therapeutic armamentarium in schizophrenia. Novel combination treatments that concurrently improve the three domains of psychopathology and several prognostic and theranostic biomarkers may facilitate therapeutic discovery in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maju Mathew Koola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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Galantamine-Memantine combination in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and beyond. Psychiatry Res 2020; 293:113409. [PMID: 32829072 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia in the elderly population worldwide. Despite the major unmet clinical need, no new medications for the treatment of AD have been approved since 2003. Galantamine is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that is also a positive allosteric modulator at the α4β2 and α7nACh receptors. Memantine is an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor modulator/agonist. Both galantamine and memantine are FDA-approved medications for the treatment of AD. The objective of this review is to highlight the potential of the galantamine-memantine combination to conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in AD. Several studies have shown the combination to be effective. Neurodegenerative diseases involve multiple pathologies; therefore, combination treatment appears to be a rational approach. Although underutilized, the galantamine-memantine combination is the standard of care in the treatment of AD. Positive RCTs with the combination with concurrent improvement in symptoms and biomarkers may lead to FDA approval, which may lead to greater utilization of this combination in clinical practice.
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Chen J, Liu Q, Fan R, Han H, Yang Z, Cui W, Song G, Li MD. Demonstration of critical role of GRIN3A in nicotine dependence through both genetic association and molecular functional studies. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12718. [PMID: 30741440 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine dependence (ND) is a chronic disease with catastrophic effects on individual and public health. The glutamate receptor subunit gene, ionotropic N-methyl-d-aspartate 3A (GRIN3A), encodes a crucial subunit of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), which play an essential role in synaptic plasticity in the brain. Although various variants of GRIN3A have been associated with ND in European-American and African-American samples, no study has been reported for the association between GRIN3A and ND in Chinese Han population. We performed an association study of 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GRIN3A with ND in 2616 Chinese individuals. SNP-based association analysis indicated that SNP rs1323423 was significantly associated with the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) score after correction for multiple testing (P = 0.0026). Haplotype-based association analysis revealed that Block 3, formed by rs1323423-rs10989591, was significantly associated with the FTND score after correction for multiple testing (global P = 0.0183). Furthermore, luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that the DNA region containing rs1323423 was an enhancer element, the activity of which was significantly impacted by rs1323423 genotype. Considering that rs1323423 is located in a potential enhancer region, we performed GRIN3A editing in HEK293T cells with CRISPR/Cas9 and found that the DNA region around rs1323423 has a regulatory function and the expression of GRIN3A affects the expression of other NMDA subunits. Moreover, we demonstrated that nicotine at a concentration of 100 μM decreased expression of GRIN3A in SH-SY5Y and HEK293T cells at the RNA and protein level, respectively. This study provides novel evidence for the involvement of GRIN3A in ND.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesZhejiang University School of Medicine China
| | - Qiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesZhejiang University School of Medicine China
| | - Rongli Fan
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesZhejiang University School of Medicine China
| | - Haijun Han
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesZhejiang University School of Medicine China
| | - Zhongli Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesZhejiang University School of Medicine China
| | - Wenyan Cui
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesZhejiang University School of Medicine China
| | - Guohua Song
- Animal Research CenterShanxi Medical University China
| | - Ming D. Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesZhejiang University School of Medicine China
- Research Center for Air Pollution and HealthZhejiang University China
- Institute of NeuroImmune PharmacologySeton Hall University South Orange New Jersey USA
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Dubey SK, Ram MS, Krishna KV, Saha RN, Singhvi G, Agrawal M, Ajazuddin, Saraf S, Saraf S, Alexander A. Recent Expansions on Cellular Models to Uncover the Scientific Barriers Towards Drug Development for Alzheimer's Disease. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2019; 39:181-209. [PMID: 30671696 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-019-00653-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Globally, the central nervous system (CNS) disorders appear as the most critical pathological threat with no proper cure. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one such condition frequently observed with the aged population and sometimes in youth too. Most of the research utilizes different animal models for in vivo study of AD pathophysiology and to investigate the potency of the newly developed therapy. These in vivo models undoubtably provide a powerful investigation tool to study human brain. Although, it sometime fails to mimic the exact environment and responses as the human brain owing to the distinctive genetic and anatomical features of human and rodent brain. In such condition, the in vitro cell model derived from patient specific cell or human cell lines can recapitulate the human brain environment. In addition, the frequent use of animals in research increases the cost of study and creates various ethical issues. Instead, the use of in vitro cellular models along with animal models can enhance the translational values of in vivo models and represent a better and effective mean to investigate the potency of therapeutics. This strategy also limits the excessive use of laboratory animal during the drug development process. Generally, the in vitro cell lines are cultured from AD rat brain endothelial cells, the rodent models, human astrocytes, human brain capillary endothelial cells, patient derived iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) and also from the non-neuronal cells. During the literature review process, we observed that there are very few reviews available which describe the significance and characteristics of in vitro cell lines, for AD investigation. Thus, in the present review article, we have compiled the various in vitro cell lines used in AD investigation including HBMEC, BCECs, SHSY-5Y, hCMEC/D3, PC-2 cell line, bEND3 cells, HEK293, hNPCs, RBE4 cells, SK-N-MC, BMVECs, CALU-3, 7W CHO, iPSCs and cerebral organoids cell lines and different types of culture media such as SCM, EMEM, DMEM/F12, RPMI, EBM and 3D-cell culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Kumar Dubey
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS-PILANI), Pilani Campus, Rajasthan, India.
| | - Munnangi Siva Ram
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS-PILANI), Pilani Campus, Rajasthan, India
| | - Kowthavarapu Venkata Krishna
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS-PILANI), Pilani Campus, Rajasthan, India
| | - Ranendra Narayan Saha
- Department of Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS-PILANI), Dubai Campus, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Gautam Singhvi
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS-PILANI), Pilani Campus, Rajasthan, India
| | - Mukta Agrawal
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Kohka, Kurud Road, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, 490024, India
| | - Ajazuddin
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Kohka, Kurud Road, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, 490024, India
| | - Swarnlata Saraf
- University Institute of Pharmacy, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, 492 010, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Shailendra Saraf
- University Institute of Pharmacy, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, 492 010, Chhattisgarh, India
- Hemchand Yadav University, Durg, Chhattisgarh, 491 001, India
| | - Amit Alexander
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Kohka, Kurud Road, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, 490024, India.
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Getachew B, Csoka AB, Aschner M, Tizabi Y. Nicotine protects against manganese and iron-induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells: Implication for Parkinson's disease. Neurochem Int 2019; 124:19-24. [PMID: 30557592 PMCID: PMC6369010 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) are trace elements that are essential for proper growth and physiological functions as both play critical role in a variety of enzymatic reactions. At high concentrations, however, they can be toxic and cause neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Parkinson-like syndromes. Nicotine, on the other hand, has been shown to have neuroprotective effects against various endogenous or exogenous toxins that selectively damage the dopaminergic cells. These cells include neuroblastoma-derived SH-SY5Y cells which express significant dopaminergic activity. However, practically no information on possible neuroprotective effects of nicotine against toxicity induced by trace elements is available. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effects of nicotine on toxicity induced by manganese or iron in these cells. Exposure of SH-SY5Y cells for 24 h to manganese (20 μM) or iron (20 μM) resulted in approximately 30% and 35% toxicity, respectively. Pretreatment with nicotine (1 μM) completely blocked the toxicities of Mn and Fe. The effects of nicotine, in turn, were blocked by selective nicotinic receptor antagonists. Thus, dihydro-beta erythroidine (DHBE), a selective alpha 4-beta 2 subtype antagonist and methyllycaconitine (MLA), a selective alpha7 antagonist, as well as mecamylamine, a non-selective nicotinic antagonist all dose-dependently blocked the protective effects of nicotine against both Mn and Fe. These findings provide further support for the potential utility of nicotine or nicotinic agonists in Parkinson's disease-like neurodegenerative disorders, including those that might be precipitated by trace elements, such as Fe and Mn. Moreover, both alpha4-beta2 and alpha7 nicotinic receptor subtypes appear to mediate the neuroprotective effects of nicotine against toxicity induced by these two trace metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruk Getachew
- Department of Pharmacology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Antonei B Csoka
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Yousef Tizabi
- Department of Pharmacology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.
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