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Chen X, Ma R, Wu W, Gao R, Shu Y, Dong M, Guo M, Tang D, Li D, Ji S. Wighteone, a prenylated flavonoid from licorice, inhibits growth of SW480 colorectal cancer cells by allosteric inhibition of Akt. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 330:118195. [PMID: 38641080 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Licorice is a frequently used herbal medicine worldwide, and is used to treat cough, hepatitis, cancer and influenza in clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Modern pharmacological studies indicate that prenylated flavonoids play an important role in the anti-tumor activity of licorice, especially the tumors in stomach, lung, colon and liver. Wighteone is one of the main prenylated flavonoids in licorice, and its possible effect and target against colorectal cancer have not been investigated. AIM OF THE STUDY This study aimed to investigate the anti-colorectal cancer effect and underlying mechanism of wighteone. MATERIALS AND METHODS SW480 human colorectal cancer cells were used to evaluate the in vitro anti-colorectal cancer activity and Akt regulation effect of wighteone by flow cytometry, phosphoproteomic and Western blot analysis. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay, molecular docking and dynamics simulation, and kinase activity assay were used to investigate the direct interaction between wighteone and Akt. A nude mouse xenograft model with SW480 cells was used to verify the in vivo anti-colorectal cancer activity of wighteone. RESULTS Wighteone inhibited phosphorylation of Akt and its downstream kinases in SW480 cells, which led to a reduction in cell viability. Wighteone had direct interaction with both PH and kinase domains of Akt, which locked Akt in a "closed" conformation with allosteric inhibition, and Gln79, Tyr272, Arg273 and Lys297 played the most critical role due to their hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions with wighteone. Based on Akt overexpression or activation in SW480 cells, further mechanistic studies suggested that wighteone-induced Akt inhibition led to cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagic death of SW480 cells. Moreover, wighteone exerted in vivo anti-colorectal cancer effect and Akt inhibition activity in the nude mouse xenograft model. CONCLUSION Wighteone could inhibit growth of SW480 cells through allosteric inhibition of Akt, which led to cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagic death. The results contributed to understanding of the anti-tumor mechanism of licorice, and also provided a rationale to design novel Akt allosteric inhibitors for the treatment of colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
| | - Ruili Ma
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
| | - Weiguo Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
| | - Ran Gao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
| | - Yikang Shu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
| | - Mingxin Dong
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
| | - Mengzhe Guo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
| | - Daoquan Tang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
| | - Danhua Li
- Department of Pathology, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
| | - Shuai Ji
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
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Doi T, Takahashi S, Aoki D, Yonemori K, Hara H, Hasegawa K, Takehara K, Harano K, Yunokawa M, Nomura H, Shimoi T, Horie K, Ogasawara A, Okame S. A first-in-human phase I study of TAS-117, an allosteric AKT inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2024; 93:605-616. [PMID: 38411735 PMCID: PMC11129975 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-023-04631-7] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE TAS-117 is a highly potent and selective, oral, allosteric pan-AKT inhibitor under development for advanced/metastatic solid tumors. The safety, clinical pharmacology, pharmacogenomics and efficacy were investigated. METHODS This phase I, open-label, non-randomized, dose-escalating, first-in-human study enrolled patients with advanced/metastatic solid tumors and comprised three phases (dose escalation phase [DEP], regimen modification phase [RMP], and safety assessment phase [SAP]). The SAP dose and regimen were determined in the DEP and RMP. Once-daily and intermittent dosing (4 days on/3 days off, 21-day cycles) were investigated. The primary endpoints were dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) in Cycle 1 of the DEP and RMP and incidences of adverse events (AEs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the SAP. Secondary endpoints included pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenomics, and antitumor activity. RESULTS Of 66 enrolled patients, 65 received TAS-117 (DEP, n = 12; RMP, n = 10; SAP, n = 43). No DLTs were reported with 24-mg/day intermittent dosing, which was selected as a recommended dose in SAP. In the SAP, 98.5% of patients experienced both AEs and ADRs (grade ≥ 3, 67.7% and 60.0%, respectively). In the dose range tested (8 to 32 mg/day), TAS-117 pharmacokinetics were dose proportional, and pharmacodynamic analysis showed a reduction of phosphorylated PRAS40, a direct substrate of AKT. Four patients in the SAP had confirmed partial response. CONCLUSION Oral doses of TAS-117 once daily up to 16 mg/day and intermittent dosing of 24 mg/day were well tolerated. TAS-117 pharmacokinetics were dose proportional at the doses evaluated. Antitumor activity may occur through AKT inhibition. TRIAL REGISTRATION jRCT2080222728 (January 29, 2015).
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihiko Doi
- National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan.
| | - Shunji Takahashi
- Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daisuke Aoki
- Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Akasaka Sannou Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan
- International University of Health and Welfare Graduate School, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | - Kosei Hasegawa
- Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka, Japan
| | | | | | - Mayu Yunokawa
- Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Nomura
- Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
| | | | - Koji Horie
- Saitama Cancer Center, Kita-Adachi, Japan
| | - Aiko Ogasawara
- Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka, Japan
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Etikyala U, Reddyrajula R, Vani T, Kuchana V, Dalimba U, Manga V. An in silico approach to identify novel and potential Akt1 (protein kinase B-alpha) inhibitors as anticancer drugs. Mol Divers 2024:10.1007/s11030-024-10887-9. [PMID: 38796797 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-024-10887-9] [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: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Akt1 (protein kinase B) has become a major focus of attention due to its significant functionality in a variety of cellular processes and the inhibition of Akt1 could lead to a decrease in tumour growth effectively in cancer cells. In the present work, we discovered a set of novel Akt1 inhibitors by using multiple computational techniques, i.e. pharmacophore-based virtual screening, molecular docking, binding free energy calculations, and ADME properties. A five-point pharmacophore hypothesis was implemented and validated with AADRR38. The obtained R2 and Q2 values are in the acceptable region with the values of 0.90 and 0.64, respectively. The generated pharmacophore model was employed for virtual screening to find out the potential Akt1 inhibitors. Further, the selected hits were subjected to molecular docking, binding free energy analysis, and refined using ADME properties. Also, we designed a series of 6-methoxybenzo[b]oxazole analogues by comprising the structural characteristics of the hits acquired from the database. Molecules D1-D10 were found to have strong binding interactions and higher binding free energy values. In addition, Molecular dynamic simulation was performed to understand the conformational changes of protein-ligand complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umadevi Etikyala
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad, 500076, India
| | - Rajkumar Reddyrajula
- Central Research Facility, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangalore, 575025, India
| | - T Vani
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad, 500076, India
| | - Vinutha Kuchana
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad, 500076, India
| | - Udayakumar Dalimba
- Organic Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangalore, 575025, India
| | - Vijjulatha Manga
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad, 500076, India.
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Su R, Shao Y, Huang M, Liu D, Yu H, Qiu Y. Immunometabolism in cancer: basic mechanisms and new targeting strategy. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:236. [PMID: 38755125 PMCID: PMC11099033 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-02006-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Maturing immunometabolic research empowers immune regulation novel approaches. Progressive metabolic adaptation of tumor cells permits a thriving tumor microenvironment (TME) in which immune cells always lose the initial killing capacity, which remains an unsolved dilemma even with the development of immune checkpoint therapies. In recent years, many studies on tumor immunometabolism have been reported. The development of immunometabolism may facilitate anti-tumor immunotherapy from the recurrent crosstalk between metabolism and immunity. Here, we discuss clinical studies of the core signaling pathways of immunometabolism and their inhibitors or agonists, as well as the specific functions of these pathways in regulating immunity and metabolism, and discuss some of the identified immunometabolic checkpoints. Understanding the comprehensive advances in immunometabolism helps to revise the status quo of cancer treatment. An overview of the new landscape of immunometabolism. The PI3K pathway promotes anabolism and inhibits catabolism. The LKB1 pathway inhibits anabolism and promotes catabolism. Overactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and IDO, IL4I1, ACAT, Sirt2, and MTHFD2 promote immunosuppression of TME formation, as evidenced by increased Treg and decreased T-cell proliferation. The LKBI-AMPK pathway promotes the differentiation of naive T cells to effector T cells and memory T cells and promotes anti-tumor immunity in DCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranran Su
- State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Yingying Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Manru Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Donghui Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Haiyang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
| | - Yuling Qiu
- School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
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Rajendran P, Sekar R, Dhayasankar PS, Ali EM, Abdelsalam SA, Balaraman S, Chellappan BV, Metwally AM, Abdallah BM. PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway Mediated Autophagy in Oral Carcinoma - A Comprehensive Review. Int J Med Sci 2024; 21:1165-1175. [PMID: 38774756 PMCID: PMC11103401 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.94566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Oral cancer is the most heterogeneous cancer at clinical and histological levels. PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was identified as one of the most commonly modulated signals in oral cancer, which regulates major cellular and metabolic activity of the cell. Thus, various proteins of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were used as therapeutic targets for oral cancer, to design more specific drugs with less off-target toxicity. This review sheds light on the regulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and its role in controlling autophagy and associated apoptosis during the progression and metastasis of oral squamous type of malignancy (OSCC). In addition, we reviewed in detail the upstream activators and the downstream effectors of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling as potential therapeutic targets for oral cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peramaiyan Rajendran
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
- Centre of Molecular Medicine and Diagnostics (COMManD), Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College & Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600 077, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Ramya Sekar
- Centre of Molecular Medicine and Diagnostics (COMManD), Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College & Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600 077, Tamil Nadu, India
- Department of Oral Pathology & Oral Microbiology, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, MAHER, Alapakkam Main Road, Maduravoyal, Chennai-600095, India
| | - Prabhu Shankar Dhayasankar
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, MAHER, Alapakkam Main Road, Maduravoyal, Chennai-600095, India
| | - Enas M Ali
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, 12613, Egypt
| | - Salaheldin Abdelraouf Abdelsalam
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, 71515, Egypt
| | - Sabarinath Balaraman
- Department of Oral Pathology & Oral Microbiology, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, MAHER, Alapakkam Main Road, Maduravoyal, Chennai-600095, India
| | | | - Ashraf M. Metwally
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71516, Egypt
| | - Basem M Abdallah
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
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Li Z, Napolitano A, Fedele M, Gao X, Napolitano F. AI identifies potent inducers of breast cancer stem cell differentiation based on adversarial learning from gene expression data. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae207. [PMID: 38701411 PMCID: PMC11066897 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae207] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells within tumors that exhibit stem-like properties and represent a potentially effective therapeutic target toward long-term remission by means of differentiation induction. By leveraging an artificial intelligence approach solely based on transcriptomics data, this study scored a large library of small molecules based on their predicted ability to induce differentiation in stem-like cells. In particular, a deep neural network model was trained using publicly available single-cell RNA-Seq data obtained from untreated human-induced pluripotent stem cells at various differentiation stages and subsequently utilized to screen drug-induced gene expression profiles from the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCS) database. The challenge of adapting such different data domains was tackled by devising an adversarial learning approach that was able to effectively identify and remove domain-specific bias during the training phase. Experimental validation in MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells demonstrated the efficacy of five out of six tested molecules among those scored highest by the model. In particular, the efficacy of triptolide, OTS-167, quinacrine, granisetron and A-443654 offer a potential avenue for targeted therapies against breast CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongxiao Li
- Computer Science Program, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Antonella Napolitano
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology “G. Salvatore” (IEOS), National Research Council (CNR), Via De Amicis, 95 - 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Monica Fedele
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology “G. Salvatore” (IEOS), National Research Council (CNR), Via De Amicis, 95 - 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Xin Gao
- Computer Science Program, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Francesco Napolitano
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Science and Technology, University of Sannio, Via dei Mulini 74, 82100 Benevento, Italy
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Tang K, Lin W, Wang D, Hu X, Chen Z, Chen J, Liang B, Zhang L, Qin P, Wu D. Potential Role of MAP3K14 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Study Based on Comprehensive Bioinformatical Analysis and Validation. J Cancer 2024; 15:2731-2745. [PMID: 38577603 PMCID: PMC10988307 DOI: 10.7150/jca.95322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
According to reports, MAP3K14 is considered an oncogene and is aberrantly expressed in various types of tumor cells. Its abnormal expression is closely associated with the occurrence and progression of various cancers. MAP3K14 also plays a significant role in the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-related hepatocellular carcinoma and its connection to tumor stem cells. The prognostic value of MAP3K14 in HCC, as well as its potential functions and roles, requires further elucidation. We evaluated the potential role of MAP3K14 in HCC based on data mining from a range of public databases. The bioinformatics analysis of TCGA, GEO, TIMER, cBioportal, Kaplan-Meier plotter, MethSurv, ENCORI and CellMiner databases was carried out. The expression of MAP3K14 protein in HCC was detected by immunohistochemical method. The mRNA and protein expression levels of MAP3K14 in tumor tissues were higher than those in normal tissues (p < 0.05). The expression of MAP3K14 was correlated with Pathologic T stage (p=0.026), Pathologic stage (p=0.032), Tumor status (p=0.024) and AFP (p=0.002). HCC patients with high expression of MAP3K14 had poor overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS) and recurrence free survival (RFS). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the Pathologic stage (p < 0.001) and MAP3K14 expression levels (p < 0.05) is an independent prognostic factor affecting the survival of patients with liver cancer. GO/KEGG analysis suggested that key biological processes (PI3K-Akt signaling pathway) may be the mechanism promoting HCC development. In addition, MAP3K14 was significantly correlated with the infiltrating levels of B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells (p < 0.05). MAP3K14 is up-regulated in HCC and is closely related to the prognosis of HCC patients. MAP3K14 may serve as a potential biomarker for poor prognosis of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Tang
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan City, 523808, China
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou City, 510440, China
| | - Weiquan Lin
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou City, 510440, China
| | - Dedong Wang
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou City, 510440, China
| | - Xiangzhi Hu
- Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou City, 510632, China
| | - Zhitao Chen
- Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou City, 510632, China
| | - Jinbin Chen
- Guangzhou key laboratory for clinical rapid diagnosis and early warning of infectious diseases, KingMed School of Laboratory Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou City, 510180, China
| | - Boheng Liang
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou City, 510440, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou City, 510440, China
| | - Pengzhe Qin
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou City, 510440, China
| | - Di Wu
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan City, 523808, China
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou City, 510440, China
- The State Key Lab of Respiratory Disease, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Xinzao Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 511436, China
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Fujita H, Arai S, Arakawa H, Hamamoto K, Kato T, Arai T, Nitta N, Hotta K, Hosokawa N, Ohbayashi T, Takahashi C, Inokuma Y, Tamai I, Yano S, Kunishima M, Watanabe Y. Drug-drug conjugates of MEK and Akt inhibitors for RAS-mutant cancers. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 102:117674. [PMID: 38457912 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117674] [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: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Controlling RAS mutant cancer progression remains a significant challenge in developing anticancer drugs. Whereas Ras G12C-covalent binders have received clinical approval, the emergence of further mutations, along with the activation of Ras-related proteins and signals, has led to resistance to Ras binders. To discover novel compounds to overcome this bottleneck, we focused on the concurrent and sustained blocking of two major signaling pathways downstream of Ras. To this end, we synthesized 25 drug-drug conjugates (DDCs) by combining the MEK inhibitor trametinib with Akt inhibitors using seven types of linkers with structural diversity. The DDCs were evaluated for their cell permeability/accumulation and ability to inhibit proliferation in RAS-mutant cell lines. A representative DDC was further evaluated for its effects on signaling proteins, induction of apoptosis-related proteins, and the stability of hepatic metabolic enzymes. These in vitro studies identified a series of DDCs, especially those containing a furan-based linker, with promising properties as agents for treating RAS-mutant cancers. Additionally, in vivo experiments in mice using the two selected DDCs revealed prolonged half-lives and anticancer efficacies comparable to those of trametinib. The PK profiles of trametinib and the Akt inhibitor were unified through the DDC formation. The DDCs developed in this study have potential as drug candidates for the broad inhibition of RAS-mutant cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikaru Fujita
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan.
| | - Sachiko Arai
- Division of Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0934, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Arakawa
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Kana Hamamoto
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Kato
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Tsubasa Arai
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Nanaka Nitta
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Kazuki Hotta
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Natsuko Hosokawa
- Department of Rheumatology, Kanazawa University Hospital, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0934, Japan
| | - Takako Ohbayashi
- Department of Rheumatology, Kanazawa University Hospital, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0934, Japan
| | - Chiaki Takahashi
- Division of Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0934, Japan
| | - Yasuhide Inokuma
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628 Japan; Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University, Kita 21, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 001-0021 Japan
| | - Ikumi Tamai
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Seiji Yano
- Division of Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0934, Japan
| | - Munetaka Kunishima
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan; Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kobe Gakuin University, 1-1-3 Minatojima, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-8586, Japan.
| | - Yoshihiro Watanabe
- Innovative Clinical Research Center, Kanazawa University Hospital, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0934, Japan.
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D’Orazi G, Cirone M. Cancer Chemotherapy: Combination with Inhibitors (Volume I). Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:607. [PMID: 38339356 PMCID: PMC10854667 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16030607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the major causes of death globally, accounting for 10 million deaths in 2020 [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella D’Orazi
- Unit of Cellular Networks, Department of Research, IRCCS Regina Elena Cancer National Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy
- Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. D’Annunzio, 00131 Chieti, Italy
| | - Mara Cirone
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy;
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10
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Zhang G, Mi W, Wang C, Li J, Zhang Y, Liu N, Jiang M, Jia G, Wang F, Yang G, Zhang L, Wang J, Fu Y, Zhang Y. Targeting AKT induced Ferroptosis through FTO/YTHDF2-dependent GPX4 m6A methylation up-regulating and degradating in colorectal cancer. Cell Death Discov 2023; 9:457. [PMID: 38102129 PMCID: PMC10724184 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01746-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Ferroptosis is a new type of iron-dependent programmed cell death induced by lipid peroxidation. However, the underlying mechanisms and function in tumor therapy still remain undisclosed especially in post-transcription regulation. Here, we found that targeting AKT significantly induced GPX4 dependent ferroptosis and suppressed colorectal cancer growth both in vitro and in vivo. During this process, demethylase FTO was downregulated, which increased the m6A methylation level of GPX4, subsequently recognized by YTHDF2 and degraded. Prediction results showed that there are three potential methylated sites (193/647/766), and 193 site was identified as the right one, which was demethylated by FTO and read by YTHDF2. In parallel, AKT inhibition caused the accumulation of ROS which had a negative feedback on GPX4 expression. In addition, protective autophagy was initiated by MK2206 stimulation, while blocking autophagy further increased ferroptosis and markedly enhanced the anti-tumor activity of MK2206. In a word, inhibiting AKT activated ferroptosis through FTO/YTHDF2/GPX4 axis to suppress colon cancer progression, which raised FTO/GPX4 as potential biomarkers and targets in colorectal cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Zhang
- Department of Health Management, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Wunan Mi
- Department of Health Management, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
- Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC Transplant Institute, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Chuyue Wang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Jiehan Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Yizheng Zhang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Nannan Liu
- Department of Health Management, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Meimei Jiang
- Department of Health Management, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Guiyun Jia
- Department of Health Management, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Tenth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200072, China
| | - Ge Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China
| | - Jiangang Wang
- Department of Health Management, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
| | - Yang Fu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
| | - Yingjie Zhang
- Department of Health Management, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China.
- Department of Gastroenterology, Huadong Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, PR China.
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11
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Hayashi D, Shirai T, Terauchi R, Tsuchida S, Mizoshiri N, Mori Y, Shimomura S, Mazda O, Takahashi K. A Natural Organic Compound "Decursin" Has Both Antitumor and Renal Protective Effects: Treatment for Osteosarcoma. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2023; 2023:5445802. [PMID: 38130464 PMCID: PMC10735716 DOI: 10.1155/2023/5445802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor that commonly occurs in children. Anticancer drugs, for example, cisplatin, aid in postsurgery recovery but induce side effects such as renal damage, affecting the life prognosis of patients. Decursin which is one of the bioactive components has been reported for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects, but the effect on osteosarcoma is unexplained. In this study, the research theme was to examine the sensitizing effect of decursin and its influence on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. The cell viability and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), apoptosis induction, and effect on cell cycle and Akt pathways were examined. In vivo, we examine the effects of decursin on tumors and mice bodies. Additionally, the effects of the cisplatin-decursin combination were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Decursin suppressed cell viability and induced apoptosis via the cell cycle. Decursin also inhibited the Akt pathway by suppressing the phosphorylation of Akt. It enhanced apoptosis induction and lowered cell viability in combination with cisplatin. The increasing tumor volume was suppressed in the decursin-administrated group with further suppression in combination with cisplatin compared to sole cisplatin administration. The decrease in renal function and renal epithelial cell damage caused by cisplatin was improved by the combinatorial treatment with decursin. Therefore, decursin demonstrated an antitumor effect on the osteosarcoma cells and a renal protective effect in combination with cisplatin. Therefore, decursin is a prospective therapeutic agent against osteosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi Hayashi
- Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Toshiharu Shirai
- Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Ryu Terauchi
- Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Shinji Tsuchida
- Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Naoki Mizoshiri
- Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Yuki Mori
- Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Seiji Shimomura
- Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Osam Mazda
- Department of Immunology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Kenji Takahashi
- Department of Orthopaedics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
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12
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Karunakaran K, Muniyan R. Identification of allosteric inhibitor against AKT1 through structure-based virtual screening. Mol Divers 2023; 27:2803-2822. [PMID: 36522517 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-022-10582-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
AKT (serine/threonine protein kinase) is a potential therapeutic target for many types of cancer as it plays a vital role in cancer progression. Many AKT inhibitors are already in practice under single and combinatorial therapy. However, most of these inhibitors are orthosteric / pan-AKT that are non-selective and non-specific to AKT kinase and their isoforms. Hence, researchers are searching for novel allosteric inhibitors that bind in the interface between pH and kinase domain. In this study, we performed structure-based virtual screening from the afroDB (a diverse natural compounds library) to find the potential inhibitor targeting the AKT1. These compounds were filtered through Lipinski, ADMET properties, combined with a molecular docking approach to obtain the 8 best compounds. Then we performed molecular dynamics simulation for apoprotein, AKT1 with 8 complexes, and AKT1 with the positive control (Miransertib). Molecular docking and simulation analysis revealed that Bianthracene III (hit 1), 10-acetonyl Knipholonecyclooxanthrone (hit 2), Abyssinoflavanone VII (hit 5) and 8-c-p-hydroxybenzyldiosmetin (hit 6) had a better binding affinity, stability, and compactness than the reference compound. Notably, hit 1, hit 2 and hit 5 had molecular features required for allosteric inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keerthana Karunakaran
- School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014, India
| | - Rajiniraja Muniyan
- School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014, India.
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13
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Huang X, You L, Nepovimova E, Psotka M, Malinak D, Valko M, Sivak L, Korabecny J, Heger Z, Adam V, Wu Q, Kuca K. Inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-related protein kinase family (PIKK). J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:2237209. [PMID: 37489050 PMCID: PMC10392309 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2023.2237209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-related protein kinases (PIKK) are two structurally related families of kinases that play vital roles in cell growth and DNA damage repair. Dysfunction of PIKK members and aberrant stimulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway are linked to a plethora of diseases including cancer. In recent decades, numerous inhibitors related to the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling have made great strides in cancer treatment, like copanlisib and sirolimus. Notably, most of the PIKK inhibitors (such as VX-970 and M3814) related to DNA damage response have also shown good efficacy in clinical trials. However, these drugs still require a suitable combination therapy to overcome drug resistance or improve antitumor activity. Based on the aforementioned facts, we summarised the efficacy of PIKK, PI3K, and AKT inhibitors in the therapy of human malignancies and the resistance mechanisms of targeted therapy, in order to provide deeper insights into cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueqin Huang
- College of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Li You
- College of Physical Education and Health, Chongqing College of International Business and Economics, Chongqing, China
| | - Eugenie Nepovimova
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Psotka
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Research Center, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - David Malinak
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Research Center, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Marian Valko
- Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ladislav Sivak
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Korabecny
- Biomedical Research Center, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Zbynek Heger
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtech Adam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Qinghua Wu
- College of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Kamil Kuca
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Research Center, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
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14
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Li R, Zhou Q, Liu G, Zhu F, Liu Z, Bo H, Fan L. CSNK1G2-AS1 promotes metastasis, colony formation and serves as a biomarker in testicular germ cell tumor cells. J Cancer 2023; 14:2771-2783. [PMID: 37781070 PMCID: PMC10539554 DOI: 10.7150/jca.85640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background/Aim: Some long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to significantly participate in the progression of TGCTs. In comparison to the normal testis, the TGCT tissues showed significantly decreased CSNK1G2-AS1 expression, however, its effect on TGCTs and its mechanism are still unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of CSNK1G2-AS1 on TGCTs and explore the mechanism underlying its effect on TGCTs. Materials and Methods: In this study, to evaluate the expression of CSNK1G2-AS1 in tissue samples from TGCTs, the UCSC and GEPIA databases were applied and qRT-PCR was conducted. The Kaplan-Meier Plotter was applied to analyze the correlation between CSNK1G2-AS1 methylation levels and the prognosis of TGCTs patients. The assays of MTS, clone formation, transwell, and flow cytometry were performed to investigate the effect of CSNK1G2-AS1 overexpression on the proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis of TGCT cells, respectively. Finally, western blotting was conducted to determine the expressions of the proteins associated with EMT and AKT. Results: Our study first found that, compared to the normal testis, TGCTs tissue showed significantly decreased CSNK1G2-AS1 expression, and hypomethylation of CSNK1G2-AS1 was significantly correlated with a better prognosis with TGCTs patients. In vitro, we found that overexpression of CSNK1G2-AS1 dramatically promoted the clone formation, invasion, and migration of TGCT cells, but inhibited apoptosis. And CSNK1G2-AS1 overexpression significantly decreased the expression of EMT-associated proteins ZO-1 but increased the expression and phosphorylation of AKT. Conclusions: CSNK1G2-AS1 may play an essential role in the pathogenesis and metastasis of TGCTs through the EMT- and AKT-mediated signal pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruixue Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
| | - Qianyin Zhou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangmin Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
| | - Fang Zhu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhizhong Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
- Hunan Cancer Hospital, the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Bo
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
- Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
| | - Liqing Fan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
- Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha, 410078, People's Republic of China
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15
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Pan YR, Wu CE, Jung SM, Huang SC, Lin SH, Chou WC, Chang YC, Chen MH, Hung TH, Yu AL, Huang WK, Yeh CN. Mucin 4 Confers Gemcitabine Resistance and an Unfavorable Prognosis in Patients with Cholangiocarcinoma via AKT Activation. Int J Biol Sci 2023; 19:2772-2786. [PMID: 37324940 PMCID: PMC10266071 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.79126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) exhibits aggressive biological behavior and a poor prognosis. Gemcitabine (GEM)-based chemotherapy is the first-line chemotherapy for advanced CCA but has a response rate of only 20-30%. Therefore, investigating treatments to overcome GEM resistance in advanced CCA is crucial. Among mucin (MUC) family members, MUC4 showed the greatest increase in the resistant versus parental sublines. MUC4 was upregulated in whole-cell lysates and conditioned media from gemcitabine-resistant (GR) CCA sublines. MUC4 mediated GEM resistance by activating AKT signaling in GR CCA cells. The MUC4-AKT axis induced BAX S184 phosphorylation to inhibit apoptosis and downregulated GEM transporter human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) expression. The combination of AKT inhibitors and GEM or afatinib overcame GEM resistance in CCA. In vivo, capivasertib (an AKT inhibitor) increased GEM sensitivity in GR cells. MUC4 promoted EGFR and HER2 activation to mediate GEM resistance. Finally, MUC4 expression in patient plasma correlated with MUC4 expression. Paraffin-embedded specimens from non-responders expressed significantly more MUC4 than did those from responders, and this upregulation was associated with poor progression-free survival and overall survival. In GR CCA, high MUC4 expression promotes sustained EGFR/HER2 signaling and AKT activation. The combination of AKT inhibitors with GEM or afatinib might overcome GEM resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ru Pan
- Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Chiao-En Wu
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Ming Jung
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Chiang Huang
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Hsuan Lin
- Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chi Chou
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chan Chang
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Huang Chen
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Department of Oncology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
| | - Tsai-Hsien Hung
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taiwan
| | - Alice L. Yu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taiwan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California in San Diego, San Diego, CA 92103, USA
| | - Wen-Kuan Huang
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Nan Yeh
- Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
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16
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Amiran MR, Taghdir M, Joozdani FA. Molecular insights into the behavior of the allosteric and ATP-competitive inhibitors in interaction with AKT1 protein: A molecular dynamics study. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 242:124853. [PMID: 37172698 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124853] [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: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
AKT1 is a family of serine/threonine kinases that play a key role in regulating cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. Two significant classes of AKT1 inhibitors (allosteric and ATP-competitive) are used in clinical development, and both of them could be effective in specific conditions. In this study, we investigated the effect of several different inhibitors on two conformations of the AKT1 by computational approach. We studied the effects of four inhibitors, including MK-2206, Miransertib, Herbacetin, and Shogaol, on the inactive conformation of AKT1 protein and the effects of four inhibitors, Capivasertib, AT7867, Quercetin, and Oridonin molecules on the active conformation of AKT1 protein. The results of simulations showed that each inhibitor creates a stable complex with AKT1 protein, although AKT1/Shogaol and AKT1/AT7867 complexes showed less stability than other complexes. Based on RMSF calculations, the fluctuation of residues in the mentioned complexes is higher than in other complexes. As compared to other complexes in either of its two conformations, MK-2206 has a stronger binding free energy affinity in the inactive conformation, -203.446 kJ/mol. MM-PBSA calculations showed that the van der Waals interactions contribute more than the electrostatic interactions to the binding energy of inhibitors to AKT1 protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Reza Amiran
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115_111, Iran
| | - Majid Taghdir
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115_111, Iran.
| | - Farzane Abasi Joozdani
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115_111, Iran
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17
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Alam M, Hasan GM, Eldin SM, Adnan M, Riaz MB, Islam A, Khan I, Hassan MI. Investigating regulated signaling pathways in therapeutic targeting of non-small cell lung carcinoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 161:114452. [PMID: 36878052 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114452] [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: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common malignancy worldwide. The signaling cascades are stimulated via genetic modifications in upstream signaling molecules, which affect apoptotic, proliferative, and differentiation pathways. Dysregulation of these signaling cascades causes cancer-initiating cell proliferation, cancer development, and drug resistance. Numerous efforts in the treatment of NSCLC have been undertaken in the past few decades, enhancing our understanding of the mechanisms of cancer development and moving forward to develop effective therapeutic approaches. Modifications of transcription factors and connected pathways are utilized to develop new treatment options for NSCLC. Developing designed inhibitors targeting specific cellular signaling pathways in tumor progression has been recommended for the therapeutic management of NSCLC. This comprehensive review provided deeper mechanistic insights into the molecular mechanism of action of various signaling molecules and their targeting in the clinical management of NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manzar Alam
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Gulam Mustafa Hasan
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 173, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sayed M Eldin
- Center of Research, Faculty of Engineering, Future University in Egypt, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Mohd Adnan
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad Bilal Riaz
- Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdnask, Poland; Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
| | - Asimul Islam
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Ilyas Khan
- Department of Mathematics, College of Science Al-Zulfi, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Md Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India.
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18
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Wang X, Xiao Y, Dong Y, Wang Z, Yi J, Wang J, Wang X, Zhou H, Zhang L, Shi Y. A20 interacts with mTORC2 to inhibit the mTORC2/Akt/Rac1 signaling axis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Cancer Gene Ther 2023; 30:424-436. [PMID: 36411371 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-022-00562-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A20 acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma, especially inhibiting metastasis of the malignant cells. However, the mechanisms whereby A20 plays the inhibitory roles are not understood completely. Rac1 signaling is essential for cell migration in hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis. Nevertheless, it is not known whether and how A20 inhibits Rac1 signaling to suppress the migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cell. Thereby, we analyzed the relationship between A20 and Rac1 activation, as well as the activity of Akt and mTORC2, two signaling components upstream of Rac1, using gain and loss of function experiments. We found that the overexpression of A20 repressed, while the knockdown or knockout of A20 promoted, the activation of Rac1, Akt and mTORC2 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of A20 on the mTORC2/Akt/Rac1 signaling axis was due to the interaction between A20 and mTORC2 complex. The binding of A20 to mTORC2 was mediated by the ZnF7 domain of A20 and M1 ubiquitin chain in the mTORC2 complex. Furthermore, A20 inhibited metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via restraining mTORC2 in a hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft mouse model. These findings revealed the relationship between A20 and mTORC2, and explained the molecular mechanisms of A20 in inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Wang
- Department of Immunology and Shandong Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China
| | - Ying Xiao
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yanlei Dong
- Department of Immunology and Shandong Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China
| | - Zhida Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Jinan, China
| | - Jing Yi
- Department of Immunology and Shandong Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China
| | - Jianing Wang
- Department of Immunology and Shandong Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Department of Immunology and Shandong Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China
| | - Huaiyu Zhou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Lining Zhang
- Department of Immunology and Shandong Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China
| | - Yongyu Shi
- Department of Immunology and Shandong Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China.
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19
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AKT inhibitor Hu7691 induces differentiation of neuroblastoma cells. Acta Pharm Sin B 2023; 13:1522-1536. [PMID: 37139432 PMCID: PMC10150122 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
While neuroblastoma accounts for 15% of childhood tumor-related deaths, treatments against neuroblastoma remain scarce and mainly consist of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs. Currently, maintenance therapy of differentiation induction is the standard of care for neuroblastoma patients in clinical, especially high-risk patients. However, differentiation therapy is not used as a first-line treatment for neuroblastoma due to low efficacy, unclear mechanism, and few drug options. Through compound library screening, we accidently found the potential differentiation-inducing effect of AKT inhibitor Hu7691. The protein kinase B (AKT) pathway is an important signaling pathway for regulating tumorigenesis and neural differentiation, yet the relation between the AKT pathway and neuroblastoma differentiation remains unclear. Here, we reveal the anti-proliferation and neurogenesis effect of Hu7691 on multiple neuroblastoma cell lines. Further evidence including neurites outgrowth, cell cycle arrest, and differentiation mRNA marker clarified the differentiation-inducing effect of Hu7691. Meanwhile, with the introduction of other AKT inhibitors, it is now clear that multiple AKT inhibitors can induce neuroblastoma differentiation. Furthermore, silencing AKT was found to have the effect of inducing neuroblastoma differentiation. Finally, confirmation of the therapeutic effects of Hu7691 is dependent on inducing differentiation in vivo, suggesting that Hu7691 is a potential molecule against neuroblastoma. Through this study, we not only define the key role of AKT in the progression of neuroblastoma differentiation but also provide potential drugs and key targets for the application of differentiation therapies for neuroblastoma clinically.
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20
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Huang PH, Duan XB, Tang ZZ, Zou ZX, Song WM, Gao G, Li D, Nie FQ, Yan X, Fu YX, Guo R, Xu YY. Betulinaldehyde exhibits effective anti-tumor effects in A549 cells by regulating intracellular autophagy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:743. [PMID: 36639415 PMCID: PMC9839726 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27580-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
It is of great significance to find new effective drugs for an adjuvant therapy targeting lung cancer to improve the survival rate and prognosis of patients with the disease. Previous studies have confirmed that certain Chinese herbal extracts have clear anti-tumor effects, and in our preliminary study, betulinaldehyde was screened for its potential anti-tumor effects. The current study thus aimed to confirm the anti-tumor effect of betulinaldehyde, using in vitro experiments to explore its underlying molecular mechanism. It was found that betulinaldehyde treatment significantly inhibited the viability, proliferation, and migration of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, betulinaldehyde inhibited the activation of Akt, MAPK, and STAT3 signaling pathways in A549 cells in a time-dependent manner. More importantly, betulinaldehyde also decreased the expression level of SQSTM1 protein, increased the expression level of LC3 II, and increased the autophagy flux in A549 cells. The pretreatment of A549 cells with the autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine, could partially negate the anti-tumor effects of betulinaldehyde. These findings suggest that betulinaldehyde could significantly inhibit the oncological activity of A549 cells by regulating the intracellular autophagy level, making it a potentially effective option for the adjuvant therapy used to treat lung cancer in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan-Hao Huang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Xiang-Bing Duan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.,Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Zi-Zhao Tang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Zhen-Xing Zou
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Wen-Min Song
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Ge Gao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.,Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Dai Li
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410005, Hunan, China
| | - Fang-Qin Nie
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Xin Yan
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Yang-Xia Fu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Ren Guo
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China. .,Center of Clinical Pharmacology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
| | - Yan-Ying Xu
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
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21
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Kurma K, Zeybek Kuyucu A, Roth GS, Sturm N, Mercey-Ressejac M, Abbadessa G, Yu Y, Lerat H, Marche PN, Decaens T, Macek Jilkova Z. Effect of Novel AKT Inhibitor Vevorisertib as Single Agent and in Combination with Sorafenib on Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Cirrhotic Rat Model. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232416206. [PMID: 36555845 PMCID: PMC9784348 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232416206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The AKT pathway is often activated in HCC cases, and a longer exposure to tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as sorafenib may lead to over-activation of the AKT pathway, leading to HCC resistance. Here, we studied the efficacy of a new generation of allosteric AKT inhibitor, vevorisertib, alone or in combination with sorafenib. To identify specific adverse effects related to the background of cirrhosis, we used a diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced cirrhotic rat model. Vevorisertib was tested in vitro on Hep3B, HepG2, HuH7 and PLC/PRF cell lines. Rats were treated weekly with intra-peritoneal injections of DEN for 14 weeks to obtain cirrhosis with fully developed HCC. After that, rats were randomized into four groups (n = 7/group): control, sorafenib, vevorisertib and the combination of vevorisertib + sorafenib, and treated for 6 weeks. Tumor progression was followed by MRI. We demonstrated that the vevorisertib is a highly potent treatment, blocking the phosphorylation of AKT. The tumor progression in the rat liver was significantly reduced by treatment with vevorisertib + sorafenib (49.4%) compared to the control group (158.8%, p < 0.0001). Tumor size, tumor number and tumor cell proliferation were significantly reduced in both the vevorisertib group and vevorisertib + sorafenib groups compared to the control group. Sirius red staining showed an improvement in liver fibrosis by vevorisertib and the combination treatment. Moreover, vevorisertib + sorafenib treatment was associated with a normalization in the liver vasculature. Altogether, vevorisertib as a single agent and its combination with sorafenib exerted a strong suppression of tumor progression and improved liver fibrosis. Thus, results provide a rationale for testing vevorisertib in clinical settings and confirm the importance of targeting AKT in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keerthi Kurma
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5309, INSERM U1209, 38700 Grenoble, France
| | - Ayca Zeybek Kuyucu
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5309, INSERM U1209, 38700 Grenoble, France
| | - Gaël S. Roth
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5309, INSERM U1209, 38700 Grenoble, France
- Hepato-Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, CHU Grenoble Alpes, 38700 Grenoble, France
| | - Nathalie Sturm
- Pathology and Cytology Department, CHU Grenoble Alpes, 38700 Grenoble, France
- T-RAIG, TIMC, University Grenoble-Alpes/CNRS UMR5525, 38700 La Tronche, France
| | - Marion Mercey-Ressejac
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5309, INSERM U1209, 38700 Grenoble, France
- Hepato-Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, CHU Grenoble Alpes, 38700 Grenoble, France
| | | | - Yi Yu
- ArQule Inc., Burlington, MA 01803, USA
| | - Herve Lerat
- Unité Mixte de Service hTAG, Grenoble Alpes University, Inserm US046, CNRS UAR2019, 38700 La Tronche, France
| | - Patrice N. Marche
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5309, INSERM U1209, 38700 Grenoble, France
| | - Thomas Decaens
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5309, INSERM U1209, 38700 Grenoble, France
- Hepato-Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, CHU Grenoble Alpes, 38700 Grenoble, France
| | - Zuzana Macek Jilkova
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR5309, INSERM U1209, 38700 Grenoble, France
- Hepato-Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, CHU Grenoble Alpes, 38700 Grenoble, France
- Correspondence:
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22
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Orujova T, Ece A, Akalın Çiftçi G, Özdemir A, Altıntop MD. A new series of thiazole‐hydrazone hybrids for Akt‐targeted therapy of non‐small cell lung cancer. Drug Dev Res 2022; 84:185-199. [PMID: 36469421 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.22022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In an attempt to identify potent antitumor agents for the fight against non-small cell lung cancer, new thiazolyl hydrazones (2a-n) were synthesized and examined for their in vitro cytotoxic effects on A549 human lung adenocarcinoma and L929 mouse embryonic fibroblast cells by means of the MTT assay. Furthermore, the effects of the most potent anticancer agents on apoptosis and Akt inhibition were investigated. 2-[2-((Isoquinolin-5-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl]-4-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl)thiazole (2k) (IC50 = 1.43 ± 0.12 µM) and 2-[2-((isoquinolin-5-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl]-4-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)thiazole (2l) (IC50 = 1.75 ± 0.07 µM) displayed more pronounced anticancer activity than cisplatin (IC50 = 3.90 ± 0.10 µM) on A549 cell lines; 2-[2-((isoquinolin-5-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl]-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)thiazole (2j) (IC50 = 3.93 ± 0.06 µM) showed anticancer activity close to cisplatin. These compounds were found to induce apoptosis in A549 cells. Compound 2j (IC50 = 3.55 ± 0.64 µM) showed stronger Akt inhibitory activity than GSK690693 (IC50 = 4.93 ± 0.06 µM), while compounds 2k and 2l did not cause Akt inhibition at IC50 concentrations (1.43 and 1.75 µM, respectively). To comprehensively elucidate the binding pose of compound 2j and to provide a detailed understanding on the ligand' binding mechanism, induced-fit docking calculations were also conducted. Both in vitro and in silico studies suggest that compound 2j shows its cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on A549 cell lines via Akt inhibition. However, it is understood that compounds 2k and 2l exert their strong anticancer effects on A549 cells through different pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Turana Orujova
- Graduate School of Health Sciences Anadolu University Eskişehir Turkey
| | - Abdulilah Ece
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy Biruni University Istanbul Turkey
| | - Gülşen Akalın Çiftçi
- Graduate School of Health Sciences Anadolu University Eskişehir Turkey
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy Anadolu University Eskişehir Turkey
| | - Ahmet Özdemir
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy Anadolu University Eskişehir Turkey
| | - Mehlika D. Altıntop
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy Anadolu University Eskişehir Turkey
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23
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Yamazoe M, Ozasa H, Tsuji T, Funazo T, Yoshida H, Hashimoto K, Hosoya K, Ogimoto T, Ajimizu H, Yoshida H, Itotani R, Sakamori Y, Kuninaga K, Aoki W, Hirai T. Yes-associated protein 1 mediates initial cell survival during lorlatinib treatment through AKT signaling in ROS1-rearranged lung cancer. Cancer Sci 2022; 114:546-560. [PMID: 36285485 PMCID: PMC9899615 DOI: 10.1111/cas.15622] [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: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that target the ROS proto-oncogene 1, receptor tyrosine kinase (ROS1) gene have shown dramatic therapeutic effects in patients with ROS1-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, advanced ROS1-rearranged NSCLC is rarely cured as a portion of the tumor cells can survive the initial stages of ROS1-TKI treatment, even after maximum tumor shrinkage. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying initial cell survival during ROS1-TKI treatment is necessary to prevent cell survival and achieve a cure for ROS1-rearranged NSCLC. In this study, we clarified the initial survival mechanisms during treatment with lorlatinib, a ROS1 TKI. First, we established a patient-derived ezrin gene-ROS1-rearranged NSCLC cell line (KTOR71). Then, following proteomic analysis, we focused on yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), which is a major mediator of the Hippo pathway, as a candidate factor involved in cell survival during early lorlatinib treatment. Yes-associated protein 1 was activated by short-term lorlatinib treatment both in vitro and in vivo. Genetic inhibition of YAP1 using siRNA, or pharmacological inhibition of YAP1 function by the YAP1-inhibitor verteporfin, enhanced the sensitivity of KTOR71 cells to lorlatinib. In addition, the prosurvival effect of YAP1 was exerted through the reactivation of AKT. Finally, combined therapy with verteporfin and lorlatinib was found to achieve significantly sustained tumor remission compared with lorlatinib monotherapy in vivo. These results suggest that YAP1 could mediate initial cell resistance to lorlatinib in KTOR71 cells. Thus, combined therapy targeting both YAP1 and ROS1 could potentially improve the outcome of ROS1-rearranged NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masatoshi Yamazoe
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Hiroaki Ozasa
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Takahiro Tsuji
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan,Department of Anatomy and Molecular Cell Biology, Graduate School of MedicineNagoya UniversityNagoyaJapan
| | - Tomoko Funazo
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Hiroshi Yoshida
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Kentaro Hashimoto
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Kazutaka Hosoya
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Tatsuya Ogimoto
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Hitomi Ajimizu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Hironori Yoshida
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Ryo Itotani
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Yuichi Sakamori
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Kiyomitsu Kuninaga
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Wataru Aoki
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of AgricultureKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Toyohiro Hirai
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of MedicineKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
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24
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Yu X, Xu J, Cahuzac KM, Xie L, Shen Y, Chen X, Liu J, Parsons RE, Jin J. Novel Allosteric Inhibitor-Derived AKT Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) Enable Potent and Selective AKT Degradation in KRAS/BRAF Mutant Cells. J Med Chem 2022; 65:14237-14260. [PMID: 36197750 PMCID: PMC9613624 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AKT is an important target for cancer therapeutics. Significant advancements have been made in developing ATP-competitive and allosteric AKT inhibitors. Recently, several AKT proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) derived from ATP-competitive AKT inhibitors have been reported, including MS21. While MS21 potently degraded AKT and inhibited the growth in tumor cells harboring PI3K/PTEN pathway mutation, it was largely ineffective in degrading AKT in KRAS/BRAF mutated cells as a single agent. To overcome the AKT degradation resistance in KRAS/BRAF mutated cells, we developed novel AKT PROTACs derived from an AKT allosteric inhibitor, including degrader 62 (MS15). 62 displayed potent and selective AKT degradation activity and potent antiproliferative activity in KRAS/BRAF mutated cancer cells, in addition to PI3K/PTEN mutated cancer cells. Furthermore, 62 was bioavailable in mice through intraperitoneal administration. Overall, 62 is a valuable chemical tool to degrade AKT in cells harboring KRAS/BRAF mutation and expands the tool box for pharmacologically modulating AKT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Jia Xu
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Kaitlyn M. Cahuzac
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Ling Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
| | - Yudao Shen
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Xian Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
| | - Jing Liu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Ramon E. Parsons
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
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25
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Quan Z, Yang Y, Zheng H, Zhan Y, Luo J, Ning Y, Fan S. Clinical implications of the interaction between PD-1/PD-L1 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in progression and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. J Cancer 2022; 13:3434-3443. [PMID: 36313041 PMCID: PMC9608206 DOI: 10.7150/jca.77619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of immune checkpoints has been well known to provide novel clues for cancer treatments. Immunotherapy against the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) /programmed death-ligand-1 (PD-L1), one of the most popular auxiliary treatments in recent years, has been applied in various tumor treatments, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, inevitable issues such as side effects and drug resistance emerge following the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway may participate in the regulation of PD-L1 expression. Abnormal PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activation results in increased PD-L1 protein translation, whereas PD-L1 overexpression can activate the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inversely. Via downstream proteins, including 4E-BP1, STAT3, NF-κB, c-MYC, and AMPK in aberrant energy status, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway can regulate PD-L1 post-transcription and translation. Besides, the regulation of the PI3K pathway by the PD-1/PD-L1 axis involves both tumor cells and the tumor immune microenvironment. Inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 have been successfully applied in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer and breast cancer. Meanwhile, drug resistance from alternative pathway activation also evidently affects clinical progress. To achieve a better therapeutic effect and quality of survival, the combination of multiple treatment modalities presents great research value. Here we reviewed the interaction between PD-1/PD-L1 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in the progression and treatment of NSCLC and summarized its clinical implications. The intracellular interactions between PD-1/PD-L1 and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway indicate that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have a wide range of potential applications. And we presented the mechanism for combining therapy with monoclonal antibody PD-1/PD-L1 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors in this review, to broaden the therapies for NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Songqing Fan
- ✉ Corresponding author: Songqing Fan, Department of Pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. E-mail address:
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26
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Xu F, Zhang X, Chen Z, He S, Guo J, Yu L, Wang Y, Hou C, Ai-Furas H, Zheng Z, Smaill JB, Patterson AV, Zhang ZM, Chen L, Ren X, Ding K. Discovery of Isoform-Selective Akt3 Degraders Overcoming Osimertinib-Induced Resistance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells. J Med Chem 2022; 65:14032-14048. [PMID: 36173763 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
EGFR inhibitor therapies have brought significant benefit to NSCLC patients. However, all patients gradually progress to acquired resistance via diverse mechanisms. Akt3 overexpression but not Akt1/2 is one of the found molecular events that mediate osimertinib (1) resistance in NSCLC patients. Here, we report 12l as the first bona fide isoform-selective Akt3 degrader which potently induced proteasomal degradation of the target both in vitro and in vivo, whereas its effects on Akt1/2 were minimal. Using 12l as a tool, non-canonical function of Akt3 was validated to contribute greatly to survival of 1-resistant H1975OR NSCLC cells. Degrader 12l potently suppressed the growth of H1975OR as well as several NSCLC cell lines with low nanomolar IC50 values and demonstrated promising in vivo antitumor efficacy in nude mice bearing H1975OR or PC9 NSCLC xenograft models. Selective degradation of Akt3 may be considered as a novel strategy for human cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Xu
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital (Huaqiao Hospital), Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital (Huaqiao Hospital), Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Zhipeng Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology and Key Laboratory of Functional Protein Research of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute of Life and Health Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Sheng He
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Jing Guo
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Lei Yu
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yongjin Wang
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Caiyun Hou
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Hawaa Ai-Furas
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Zongyao Zheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology and Key Laboratory of Functional Protein Research of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute of Life and Health Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Jeff B Smaill
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Adam V Patterson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Zhi-Min Zhang
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Liang Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology and Key Laboratory of Functional Protein Research of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute of Life and Health Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xiaomei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 210530, China
| | - Ke Ding
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development, Ministry of Education (MOE) of PR China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital (Huaqiao Hospital), Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.,State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 210530, China
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Toson B, Fortes IS, Roesler R, Andrade SF. Targeting Akt/PKB in pediatric tumors: A review from preclinical to clinical trials. Pharmacol Res 2022; 183:106403. [PMID: 35987481 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The serine/threonine kinase Akt is a major player in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, and its modulation impacts multiple cellular processes such as growth, proliferation, and survival. Several abnormalities in this pathway have been documented over the years, and these alterations were shown to have great implications in tumorigenesis and resistance to chemotherapy. Thus, multiple Akt inhibitors have been developed and tested in adult tumors, and some of them are currently undergoing phase I, II, and III clinical trials for distinct cancers that arise during adulthood. Despite that, the impact of these inhibitors is still not fully understood in pediatric tumors, and Akt-specific targeting seems to be a promising approach to treat children affected by cancers. This review summarizes recent available evidence of Akt inhibitors in pediatric cancers, from both preclinical and clinical studies. In short, we demonstrate the impact that Akt inhibition provides in tumorigenesis, and we suggest targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, alone or in combination with other inhibitors, is a feasible tool to achieve better outcomes in pediatric tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Toson
- Cancer and Neurobiology Laboratory, Experimental Research Center, Clinical Hospital (CPE-HCPA), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Isadora S Fortes
- Pharmaceutical Synthesis Group (PHARSG), College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre, RS 90610-000, Brazil
| | - Rafael Roesler
- Cancer and Neurobiology Laboratory, Experimental Research Center, Clinical Hospital (CPE-HCPA), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Saulo F Andrade
- Pharmaceutical Synthesis Group (PHARSG), College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre, RS 90610-000, Brazil.
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Chandrasekera P, Perfetto M, Lu C, Zhuo M, Bahudhanapati H, Li J, Chen WC, Kulkarni P, Christian L, Liu J, Yien YY, Yu C, Wei S. Metalloprotease ADAM9 cleaves ephrin-B ligands and differentially regulates Wnt and mTOR signaling downstream of Akt kinase in colorectal cancer cells. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102225. [PMID: 35780836 PMCID: PMC9358476 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Ephrin-B signaling has been implicated in many normal and pathological processes, including neural crest development and tumor metastasis. We showed previously that proteolysis of ephrin-B ligands by the disintegrin metalloprotease ADAM13 is necessary for canonical Wnt signal activation and neural crest induction in Xenopus, but it was unclear if these mechanisms are conserved in mammals. Here, we report that mammalian ADAM9 cleaves ephrin-B1 and ephrin-B2 and can substitute for Xenopus ADAM13 to induce the neural crest. We found that ADAM9 expression is elevated in human colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and that knockdown (KD) of ADAM9 inhibits the migration and invasion of SW620 and HCT116 CRC cells by reducing the activity of Akt kinase, which is antagonized by ephrin-Bs. Akt is a signaling node that activates multiple downstream pathways, including the Wnt and mTOR pathways, both of which can promote CRC cell migration/invasion. Surprisingly, we also found that KD of ADAM9 downregulates Wnt signaling but has negligible effects on mTOR signaling in SW620 cells; in contrast, mTOR activity is suppressed while Wnt signaling remains unaffected by ADAM9 KD in HCT116 cells. These results suggest that mammalian ADAM9 cleaves ephrin-Bs to derepress Akt and promote CRC migration and invasion; however, the signaling pathways downstream of Akt are differentially regulated by ADAM9 in different CRC cell lines, reflecting the heterogeneity of CRC cells in responding to manipulations of upstream Akt regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Perfetto
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA; Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Pittsburgh Heart, Lung and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute and Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Congyu Lu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Minghui Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | | | - Jiejing Li
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Hospital of KMUST, Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Wei-Chih Chen
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Pallavi Kulkarni
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Laura Christian
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Institute, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Yvette Y Yien
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA; Pittsburgh Heart, Lung and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute and Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Chundong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Shuo Wei
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.
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Zhu CL, Luo X, Tian T, Rao Z, Wang H, Zhou Z, Mi T, Chen D, Xu Y, Wu Y, Che J, Zhou Y, Li J, Dong X. Structure-based rational design enables efficient discovery of a new selective and potent AKT PROTAC degrader. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 238:114459. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Spriano F, Sartori G, Tarantelli C, Barreca M, Golino G, Rinaldi A, Napoli S, Mascia M, Scalise L, Arribas AJ, Cascione L, Zucca E, Stathis A, Gaudio E, Bertoni F. Pharmacologic screen identifies active combinations with BET inhibitors and LRRK2 as a novel putative target in lymphoma. EJHAEM 2022; 3:764-774. [PMID: 36051080 PMCID: PMC9422027 DOI: 10.1002/jha2.535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Inhibitors of the Bromo‐ and Extra‐Terminal domain (BET) family proteins have strong preclinical antitumor activity in multiple tumor models, including lymphomas. Limited single‐agent activity has been reported in the clinical setting. Here, we have performed a pharmacological screening to identify compounds that can increase the antitumor activity of BET inhibitors in lymphomas. The germinal center B‐cell like diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cell lines OCI‐LY‐19 and WSU‐DLCL2 were exposed to 348 compounds given as single agents at two different concentrations and in combination with the BET inhibitor birabresib. The combination partners included small molecules targeting important biologic pathways such as PI3K/AKT/MAPK signaling and apoptosis, approved anticancer agents, kinase inhibitors, epigenetic compounds. The screening identified a series of compounds leading to a stronger antiproliferative activity when given in combination than as single agents: the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors panobinostat and dacinostat, the mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) inhibitor everolimus, the ABL/SRC (ABL proto‐oncogene/SRC proto oncogene) inhibitor dasatinib, the AKT1/2/3 inhibitor MK‐2206, the JAK2 inhibitor TG101209. The novel finding was the benefit given by the addition of the LRRK2 inhibitor LRRK2‐IN‐1, which was validated in vitro and in vivo. Genetic silencing demonstrated that LRRK2 sustains the proliferation of lymphoma cells, a finding paired with the association between high expression levels and inferior outcome in DLBCL patients. We identified combinations that can improve the response to BET inhibitors in lymphomas, and LRRK2 as a gene essential for lymphomas and as putative novel target for this type of tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Spriano
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Giulio Sartori
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Chiara Tarantelli
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Marilia Barreca
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
- Department of Biological Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF) University of Palermo Palermo Italy
| | - Gaetanina Golino
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Andrea Rinaldi
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Sara Napoli
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Michele Mascia
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Lorenzo Scalise
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Alberto J. Arribas
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Luciano Cascione
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Emanuele Zucca
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
- Department of Oncology Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Anastasios Stathis
- Department of Oncology Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale Bellinzona Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Lugano Switzerland
| | - Eugenio Gaudio
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
| | - Francesco Bertoni
- Institute of Oncology Research Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Università della Svizzera Italiana Bellinzona Switzerland
- Department of Oncology Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale Bellinzona Switzerland
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Guha L, Bhat IA, Bashir A, Rahman JU, Pottoo FH. Nanotechnological Approaches for the Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review. Curr Drug Metab 2022; 23:781-799. [PMID: 35676850 DOI: 10.2174/1389200223666220608144551] [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: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women around the world, having a sudden spread nowadays because of the poor sedentary lifestyle of people. Comprising several subtypes, one of the most dangerous and aggressive ones is triple-negative breast cancer or TNBC. Even though conventional surgical approaches like single and double mastectomy and preventive chemotherapeutic approaches are available, they are not selective to cancer cells and are only for symptomatic treatment. A new branch called nanotechnology has emerged in the last few decades that offers various novel characteristics, such as size in nanometric scale, enhanced adherence to multiple targeting moieties, active and passive targeting, controlled release, and site-specific targeting. Among various nanotherapeutic approaches like dendrimers, lipid-structured nanocarriers, carbon nanotubes, etc., nanoparticle targeted therapeutics can be termed the best among all for their specific cytotoxicity to cancer cells and increased bioavailability to a target site. This review focuses on the types and molecular pathways involving TNBC, existing treatment strategies, various nanotechnological approaches like exosomes, carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, lipid, and carbon-based nanocarriers, and especially various nanoparticles (NPs) like polymeric, photodynamic, peptide conjugated, antibody-conjugated, metallic, inorganic, natural product capped, and CRISPR based nanoparticles already approved for treatment or are under clinical and pre-clinical trials for TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lahanya Guha
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Mohali, S.A.S Nagar, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat
- Northern Railway Hospital, Sri Mata Vaishno Devi, Katra, Reasi 182320, India
| | - Aasiya Bashir
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar-190006, J&K, India
| | - Jawad Ur Rahman
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O.BOX 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faheem Hyder Pottoo
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O.BOX 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
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Mortazavi M, Moosavi F, Martini M, Giovannetti E, Firuzi O. Prospects of targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in pancreatic cancer. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2022; 176:103749. [PMID: 35728737 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the worst prognoses among all malignancies. PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, a main downstream effector of KRAS is involved in the regulation of key hallmarks of cancer. We here report that whole-genome analyses demonstrate the frequent involvement of aberrant activations of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway components in PDAC patients and critically evaluate preclinical and clinical evidence on the application of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway targeting agents. Combinations of these agents with chemotherapeutics or other targeted therapies, including the modulators of cyclin-dependent kinases, receptor tyrosine kinases and RAF/MEK/ERK pathway are also examined. Although human genetic studies and preclinical pharmacological investigations have provided strong evidence on the role of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in PDAC, clinical studies in general have not been as promising. Patient stratification seems to be the key missing point and with the advent of biomarker-guided clinical trials, targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway could provide valuable assets for treatment of pancreatic cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motahareh Mortazavi
- Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Moosavi
- Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Miriam Martini
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisa Giovannetti
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Cancer Pharmacology Lab, Fondazine Pisana per la Scienza, Pisa, Italy
| | - Omidreza Firuzi
- Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Zhang B, Liu G, Wang X, Hu X. Identification of Molecular Targets and Potential Mechanisms of Yinchen Wuling San Against Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking. Front Genet 2022; 13:914646. [PMID: 35873484 PMCID: PMC9306494 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.914646] [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: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents one of the most malignant and heterogeneous tumors, and the patients have low 5-year survival. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been demonstrated as an effective complementary and/or alternative therapy for advanced malignancies including HNSCC. It has been noted that several herbs that are used for preparing Yinchen Wuling San (YWLS) have anti-tumor activities, whereas their mechanisms of action remain elusive. In this study, network pharmacology and molecular docking studies were employed to explore the underlying mechanisms of action of YWLS against HNSCC. The 58 active ingredients from six herbs used for YWLS and their 506 potential targets were screened from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction database. A total of 2,173 targets associated with HNSCC were mainly identified from the DisGeNET and GeneCards databases. An active components-targets-disease network was constructed in the Cytoscape. Top 20 hub targets, such as AKT1, EGFR, TNF, ESR1, SRC, HSP90AA1, MAPK3, ERBB2, and CCND1, were identified by a degree in the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. Gene functional enrichment analysis showed that PI3K-AKT, MAPK, Ras, TNF, and EGFR were the main signaling pathways of YWLS in treating HNSCC. There were 48 intersected targets such as EGFR, AKT1, and TNF that were associated with patients’ outcomes by the univariate Cox analysis, and most of them had increased expression in the tumor as compared to normal tissues. The area under curves of receiver operating characteristic indicated their diagnostic potential. Inhibition of these survival-related targets and/or combination with EGFR or AKT inhibitors were promising therapeutic options in HNSCC. The partial active components of YWLS exhibited good binding with the hub targets, and ADME analysis further evaluated the drug-likeness of the active components. These compounds and targets identified in this study might provide novel treatment strategies for HNSCC patients, and the subsequent work is essential to verify the underlying mechanisms of YWLS against HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Genyan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Wang
- School of Medicine, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, China
| | - Xuelei Hu
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, China
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AKT1 Transcriptomic Landscape in Breast Cancer Cells. Cells 2022; 11:cells11152290. [PMID: 35892586 PMCID: PMC9332453 DOI: 10.3390/cells11152290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Overexpression and hyperactivation of the serine/threonine protein kinase B (AKT) pathway is one of the most common cellular events in breast cancer progression. However, the nature of AKT1-specific genome-wide transcriptomic alterations in breast cancer cells and breast cancer remains unknown to this point. Here, we delineate the impact of selective AKT1 knock down using gene-specific siRNAs or inhibiting the AKT activity with a pan-AKT inhibitor VIII on the nature of transcriptomic changes in breast cancer cells using the genome-wide RNA-sequencing analysis. We found that changes in the cellular levels of AKT1 lead to changes in the levels of a set of differentially expressed genes and, in turn, imply resulting AKT1 cellular functions. In addition to an expected positive relationship between the status of AKT1 and co-expressed cellular genes, our study unexpectedly discovered an inherent role of AKT1 in inhibiting the expression of a subset of genes in both unstimulated and growth factor stimulated breast cancer cells. We found that depletion of AKT1 leads to upregulation of a subset of genes—many of which are also found to be downregulated in breast tumors with elevated high AKT1 as well as upregulated in breast tumors with no detectable AKT expression. Representative experimental validation studies in two breast cancer cell lines showed a reasonable concurrence between the expression data from the RNA-sequencing and qRT-PCR or data from ex vivo inhibition of AKT1 activity in cancer patient-derived cells. In brief, findings presented here provide a resource for further understanding of AKT1-dependent modulation of gene expression in breast cancer cells and broaden the scope and significance of AKT1 targets and their functions.
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Pharmacological Properties of 4′, 5, 7-Trihydroxyflavone (Apigenin) and Its Impact on Cell Signaling Pathways. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27134304. [PMID: 35807549 PMCID: PMC9267958 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant bioactive compounds, particularly apigenin, have therapeutic potential and functional activities that aid in the prevention of infectious diseases in many mammalian bodies and promote tumor growth inhibition. Apigenin is a flavonoid with low toxicities and numerous bioactive properties due to which it has been considered as a traditional medicine for decades. Apigenin shows synergistic effects in combined treatment with sorafenib in the HepG2 human cell line (HCC) in less time and statistically reduces the viability of tumor cells, migration, gene expression and apoptosis. The combination of anti-cancerous drugs with apigenin has shown health promoting potential against various cancers. It can prevent cell mobility, maintain the cell cycle and stimulate the immune system. Apigenin also suppresses mTOR activity and raises the UVB-induced phagocytosis and reduces the cancerous cell proliferation and growth. It also has a high safety threshold, and active (anti-cancer) doses can be gained by consuming a vegetable and apigenin rich diet. Apigenin also boosted autophagosome formation, decreased cell proliferation and activated autophagy by preventing the activity of the PI3K pathway, specifically in HepG2 cells. This paper provides an updated overview of apigenin’s beneficial anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer effects, making it a step in the right direction for therapeutics. This study also critically analyzed the effect of apigenin on cancer cell signaling pathways including the PI3K/AKT/MTOR, JAK/STAT, NF-κB and ERK/MAPK pathways.
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Howell SJ, Casbard A, Carucci M, Ingarfield K, Butler R, Morgan S, Meissner M, Bale C, Bezecny P, Moon S, Twelves C, Venkitaraman R, Waters S, de Bruin EC, Schiavon G, Foxley A, Jones RH. Fulvestrant plus capivasertib versus placebo after relapse or progression on an aromatase inhibitor in metastatic, oestrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer (FAKTION): overall survival, updated progression-free survival, and expanded biomarker analysis from a randomised, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol 2022; 23:851-864. [PMID: 35671774 PMCID: PMC9630162 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(22)00284-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Capivasertib, an AKT inhibitor, added to fulvestrant, was previously reported to improve progression-free survival in women with aromatase inhibitor-resistant oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. The benefit appeared to be independent of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) pathway alteration status of tumours, as ascertained using assays available at the time. Here, we report updated progression-free survival and overall survival results, and a prespecified examination of the effect of PI3K/AKT/PTEN pathway alterations identified by an expanded genetic testing panel on treatment outcomes. METHODS This randomised, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial recruited postmenopausal adult women aged at least 18 years with ER-positive, HER2-negative, metastatic or locally advanced inoperable breast cancer and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, who had relapsed or progressed on an aromatase inhibitor, from across 19 hospitals in the UK. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intramuscular fulvestrant 500 mg (day 1) every 28 days (plus a 500 mg loading dose on day 15 of cycle 1) with either capivasertib 400 mg or matching placebo, orally twice daily on an intermittent weekly schedule of 4 days on and 3 days off, starting on cycle 1 day 15. Treatment continued until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, loss to follow-up, or withdrawal of consent. Treatment was allocated by an interactive web-response system using a minimisation method (with a 20% random element) and the following minimisation factors: measurable or non-measurable disease, primary or secondary aromatase inhibitor resistance, PIK3CA status, and PTEN status. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary endpoints shown in this Article were overall survival and safety in the intention-to-treat population, and the effect of tumour PI3K/AKT/PTEN pathway status identified by an expanded testing panel that included next-generation sequencing assays. Recruitment is complete. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01992952. FINDINGS Between March 16, 2015, and March 6, 2018, 183 participants were screened for eligibility and 140 (77%) were randomly assigned to receive fulvestrant plus capivasertib (n=69) or fulvestrant plus placebo (n=71). Median follow-up at the data cut-off of Nov 25, 2021, was 58·5 months (IQR 45·9-64·1) for participants treated with fulvestrant plus capivasertib and 62·3 months (IQR 62·1-70·3) for fulvestrant plus placebo. Updated median progression-free survival was 10·3 months (95% CI 5·0-13·4) in the group receiving fulvestrant plus capivasertib compared with 4·8 months (3·1-7·9) for fulvestrant plus placebo (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0·56 [95% CI 0·38-0·81]; two-sided p=0·0023). Median overall survival in the capivasertib versus placebo groups was 29·3 months (95% CI 23·7-39·0) versus 23·4 months (18·7-32·7; adjusted HR 0·66 [95% CI 0·45-0·97]; two-sided p=0·035). The expanded biomarker panel identified an expanded pathway-altered subgroup that contained 76 participants (54% of the intention-to-treat population). Median progression-free survival in the expanded pathway-altered subgroup for participants receiving capivasertib (n=39) was 12·8 months (95% CI 6·6-18·8) compared with 4·6 months (2·8-7·9) in the placebo group (n=37; adjusted HR 0·44 [95% CI 0·26-0·72]; two-sided p=0·0014). Median overall survival for the expanded pathway-altered subgroup receiving capivasertib was 38·9 months (95% CI 23·3-50·7) compared with 20·0 months (14·8-31·4) for those receiving placebo (adjusted HR 0·46 [95% CI 0·27-0·79]; two-sided p=0·0047). By contrast, there were no statistically significant differences in progression-free or overall survival in the expanded pathway non-altered subgroup treated with capivasertib (n=30) versus placebo (n=34). One additional serious adverse event (pneumonia) in the capivasertib group had occurred subsequent to the primary analysis. One death, due to atypical pulmonary infection, was assessed as possibly related to capivasertib treatment. INTERPRETATION Updated FAKTION data showed that capivasertib addition to fulvestrant extends the survival of participants with aromatase inhibitor-resistant ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. The expanded biomarker testing suggested that capivasertib predominantly benefits patients with PI3K/AKT/PTEN pathway-altered tumours. Phase 3 data are needed to substantiate the results, including in patients with previous CDK4/6 inhibitor exposure who were not included in the FAKTION trial. FUNDING AstraZeneca and Cancer Research UK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sacha J Howell
- The University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Angela Casbard
- Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | | | | | | | - Sian Morgan
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff, UK
| | | | | | - Pavel Bezecny
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool, UK
| | - Sarah Moon
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, Lancaster, UK
| | - Chris Twelves
- University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, Leeds, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Robert H Jones
- Cardiff University and Velindre Cancer Centre, Cardiff, UK.
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Jiang L, Goncharov DA, Shen Y, Lin D, Chang B, Pena A, DeLisser H, Goncharova EA, Kudryashova TV. Akt-Dependent Glycolysis-Driven Lipogenesis Supports Proliferation and Survival of Human Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells in Pulmonary Hypertension. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:886868. [PMID: 35836951 PMCID: PMC9274086 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.886868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyper-proliferation of pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (PAVSMC) is an important pathological component of pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Lipogenesis is linked to numerous proliferative diseases, but its role in PAVSMC proliferation in PAH remains to be elucidated. We found that early-passage human PAH PAVSMC had significant up-regulation of key fatty acids synthesis enzymes ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and fatty acid synthase (FASN), and increased unstimulated proliferation compared to control human PAVSMC. Treatment with an allosteric ACC inhibitor 5-tetradecyloxy-2-furoic acid (TOFA) significantly decreased proliferation and induced apoptosis of human PAH PAVSMC. Intracellular lipid content and proliferation of PAH PAVSMC were not reduced by incubation in lipid-depleted media but suppressed by a non-metabolizable analog of glucose 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) and partially restored by addition of pyruvate. Protein kinase Akt was upregulated in human PAH PAVSMC in a sirtuin 7 (SIRT7)- and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-dependent manner. Pharmacological inhibition of Akt down-regulated ACLY and ACC, significantly reduced intracellular lipid content, inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of human PAH PAVSMC. Taken together, these data demonstrate that human PAH PAVSMC have up-regulated lipogenesis, which is supported in an Akt- and glycolysis-dependent manner and is required for increased proliferation and survival. Our data suggest that there is a mechanistic link between glycolysis, lipogenesis, and the proliferation of human PAH PAVSMC and call for further studies to determine the potential attractiveness of a SIRT7/JNK-Akt-lipogenesis axis as a target pathway to inhibit PAVSMC hyper-proliferation in PAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lifeng Jiang
- Lung Center, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Dmitry A Goncharov
- Lung Center, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Yuanjun Shen
- Lung Center, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Derek Lin
- Lung Center, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Baojun Chang
- Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Andressa Pena
- Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Horace DeLisser
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Elena A Goncharova
- Lung Center, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Tatiana V Kudryashova
- Lung Center, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Zhang J, Liu C, Zhao G, Li M, Ma D, Meng Q, Tang W, Huang Q, Shi P, Li Y, Jiang L, Yu X, Zhu H, Chen G, Zhang X. PM2.5 Synergizes With Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Suppress Alveolar Macrophage Function in Mice Through the mTOR Pathway. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:924242. [PMID: 35800443 PMCID: PMC9253536 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.924242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
High concentrations of PM2.5 in enclosed broiler houses cause respiratory disorders in humans and animals. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic pathogen that can induce severe respiratory disease in animals under stress or with abnormal immune functions. Alveolar macrophages are lung-resident immune cells that play important roles in lung host defence and immune balance. In this study, the mechanism by which PM2.5 synergizes with P. aeruginosa to damage alveolar macrophage function and induce inflammation was investigated. The results will provide a theoretical basis for improving the poultry breeding environment and preventing the recurrence of infection with P. aeruginosa. Alveolar macrophages were stimulated by PM2.5 collected in an enclosed broiler house and P. aeruginosa. Phagocytosis was determined by the neutral red test. The apoptosis rate and cytoskeleton changes were observed by flow cytometry assays and laser scanning confocal microscopy. Protein levels related to autophagy and the mTOR pathway were detected by Western blotting. The results indicated that PM2.5 in combination with P. aeruginosa could decrease phagocytosis, inhibit autophagy, increase apoptosis, and destroy the cytoskeleton in alveolar macrophages. In addition, alveolar macrophages had significantly increased expression of mTOR pathway-related proteins in response to the synergistic stimulation of PM2.5 and P. aeruginosa. The above results confirmed that PM2.5 in poultry houses synergized with P. aeruginosa to impede alveolar macrophage function and caused more severe respiratory system injuries through a process closely related to the activation of the mTOR signalling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianlong Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
- Shandong Breeding Environmental Control Engineering Laboratory, Yantai, China
| | - Chong Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
| | - Guangrong Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
- Shandong Breeding Environmental Control Engineering Laboratory, Yantai, China
| | - Meng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
| | - Di Ma
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
| | - Qingguo Meng
- School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, China
| | - Wenli Tang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
| | - Qingrong Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Yantai Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenetic Microbiology and Immunology, Yantai, China
| | - Peimin Shi
- Linyi Central Blood Station, Linyi, China
| | - Youzhi Li
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
| | - Linlin Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
- Shandong Breeding Environmental Control Engineering Laboratory, Yantai, China
| | - Xin Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
- Yantai Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenetic Microbiology and Immunology, Yantai, China
| | - Hongwei Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Safty Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Animal Products, Ji’nan, China
- Shandong Breeding Environmental Control Engineering Laboratory, Yantai, China
| | - Guozhong Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Breeding Environmental Control Engineering Laboratory, Yantai, China
- Yantai Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenetic Microbiology and Immunology, Yantai, China
| | - Xingxiao Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Breeding Environmental Control Engineering Laboratory, Yantai, China
- Yantai Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogenetic Microbiology and Immunology, Yantai, China
- *Correspondence: Xingxiao Zhang,
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Hydroxytyrosol Alleviated Hypoxia-Mediated PC12 Cell Damage through Activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR-HIF-1α Signaling. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2022; 2022:8673728. [PMID: 35693707 PMCID: PMC9187455 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8673728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Hypoxia exerts pressure on cells and organisms, and this pressure can occur under both pathological and nonpathological conditions. There are many reports confirmed that hydroxytyrosol has good in vitro antioxidant activity, while the research about hydroxytyrosol on hypoxia-mediated cell damage is still unclear. Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of hydroxytyrosol on hypoxia-mediated cell damage. Methods We studied the effects of hydroxytyrosol on the content of reactive oxygen species, the change of antioxidant enzymes activity of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px and the content of oxidation products MDA and GSH, and the changes of cell membrane potential and effect on PI3K/AKT/mTOR-HIF-1α signaling pathway under hypoxia-mediated PC12 cell. Results PC12 cell treated with hydroxytyrosol abated the cell apoptosis and alleviated the oxidative stress through scavenging of reactive oxygen species, improving the enzyme activity and changing the content of oxidation products and alleviating mitochondria damage. Western blotting confirmed that the mechanism maybe related to the PI3K/AKT/mTOR-HIF-1α signaling pathway. The inhibition experiment confirmed that hydroxytyrosol takes part in the expression of protein PI3K and p-mTOR. Conclusion Hydroxytyrosol reduced the oxidative stress and resisted the inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR-HIF-1α signaling pathway caused by hypoxia, improved cell apoptosis, and ameliorated the antihypoxia ability of PC12 cells under hypoxia.
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Abdelnaby RM, El-Malah AA, FakhrEldeen RR, Saeed MM, Nadeem RI, Younis NS, Abdel-Rahman HM, El-Dydamony NM. In Vitro Anticancer Activity Screening of Novel Fused Thiophene Derivatives as VEGFR-2/AKT Dual Inhibitors and Apoptosis Inducers. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15060700. [PMID: 35745619 PMCID: PMC9229165 DOI: 10.3390/ph15060700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein kinases are seen as promising targets in controlling cell proliferation and survival in treating cancer where fused thiophene synthon was utilized in many kinase inhibitors approved by the FDA. Accordingly, this work focused on adopting fused thienopyrrole and pyrrolothienopyrimidine scaffolds in preparing new inhibitors, which were evaluated as antiproliferative agents in the HepG2 and PC-3 cell lines. The compounds 3b (IC50 = 3.105 and 2.15 μM) and 4c (IC50 = 3.023 and 3.12 μM) were the most promising candidates on both cells with good selective toxicity-sparing normal cells. A further mechanistic evaluation revealed promising kinase inhibitory activity, where 4c inhibited VEGFR-2 and AKT at IC50 = 0.075 and 4.60 μM, respectively, while 3b showed IC50 = 0.126 and 6.96 μM, respectively. Moreover, they resulted in S phase cell cycle arrest with subsequent caspase-3-induced apoptosis. Lastly, docking studies evaluated the binding patterns of these active derivatives and demonstrated a similar fitting pattern to the reference ligands inside the active sites of both VEGFR-2 and AKT (allosteric pocket) crystal structures. To conclude, these thiophene derivatives represent promising antiproliferative leads inhibiting both VEGFR-2 and AKT and inducing apoptosis in liver cell carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana M. Abdelnaby
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo 11785, Egypt
- Correspondence: (R.M.A.); (N.M.E.-D.); Tel.: +20-01001797688 or +2-01270551779 (R.M.A.)
| | - Afaf A. El-Malah
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Rasha R. FakhrEldeen
- Biochemistry Department, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, 6th of October City 12585, Egypt;
| | - Marwa M. Saeed
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo 11785, Egypt;
| | - Rania I. Nadeem
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo 11785, Egypt;
| | - Nancy S. Younis
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, Faculty of Clinical Pharmacy, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Al-Hofuf 31982, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Hanaa M. Abdel-Rahman
- Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Cairo 11829, Egypt;
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Nehad M. El-Dydamony
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, 6th of October City 12585, Egypt
- Correspondence: (R.M.A.); (N.M.E.-D.); Tel.: +20-01001797688 or +2-01270551779 (R.M.A.)
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Zhu QW, Yu Y, Zhang Y, Wang XH. VLCAD inhibits the proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular cancer cells through regulating PI3K/AKT axis. Clin Transl Oncol 2022; 24:864-874. [PMID: 35001339 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-021-02733-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) is an essential mediator in fatty acid metabolism. The progression of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is closely associated with the disorder of energy supply. Here, we aimed to investigate the role and underlying molecule mechanism of VLCAD in pathological process of HCC. METHODS In this study, VLCAD was induced silencing and overexpression using small hairpin RNA (shRNA) and lentiviral-mediated vector in HCC cell lines. The proliferation of HCC cells was determined using CCK-8 assay. Transwell assay and lung metastasis were performed to analysis cell metastasis in vitro and in vivo. ECAR and OCR were used to evaluate the activity of glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. RESULTS Our data indicated that VLCAD was downregulated in human HCC tissues and cells. VLCAD overexpression strongly suppressed the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells associating with the decrease of ATP accumulation and glycolysis activity. Importantly, the PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002 strongly abolished the role of shVLCAD in HCC cells. Our results suggested that VLCAD suppressed the growth and metastasis in HCC cells by inhibiting the activities of glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation metabolism via PI3K/AKT pathway. CONCLUSIONS Together, present findings not only demonstrated the protective role of and molecular network of VLCAD in HCC cells but also indicated its and potential use as a target in the therapy of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q W Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Changzhou No. 2 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yue Yu
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Research Unit of Liver Transplantation and Transplant Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - X H Wang
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation (Nanjing Medical University), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
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Chen T, Wang Z, Zhong J, Zhang L, Zhang H, Zhang D, Xu X, Zhong X, Wang J, Li H. Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside induces pyroptosis by activating caspase-1 to cleave GSDMD in colorectal cancer cells. Drug Dev Res 2022; 83:1152-1166. [PMID: 35472101 PMCID: PMC9543314 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is the main component of lignans with various biological activities, including anticancer activity. However, whether SDG has obvious anticancer effects on colorectal cancer (CRC) is unclear. Pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death, has received increasing attention in cancer‐related research. In this study, we aimed to test the anticancer properties and relatecd functional mechanisms of SDG. we found that SDG not only inhibited the cell viability of HCT116 cells, but also induced HCT116 cells to swell with apparent large bubbles, which are typical signs of pyroptosis. Furthermore, SDG induced cell pyroptosis by enhancing cleavage of the N‐terminal fragment of gasdermin D (GSDMD) in CRC cells, accompanied by increased caspase‐1 cleavage. Consistent with this, SDG‐induced GSDMD‐N‐terminal fragment cleavage and pyroptosis were reduced by siRNA‐mediated silencing of caspase‐1 or treatment with the specific caspase‐1 inhibitor VX‐765 treatment, suggesting that active caspase‐1 further induces pyroptosis. A mechanistic study showed that SDG induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and inhibits phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) phosphorylation and increases pyroptosis, while increasing GSDMD and caspase‐1 cleavage and enhancing expression of BCL2‐associated X (BAX), which could be rescued by the ROS scavenger (NAC), suggesting that SDG‐induced GSDME‐dependent pyroptosis is related to the ROS/PI3K/AKT/BAX‐mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In vivo results showed that SDG significantly inhibited tumor growth and induced pyroptosis in the HCT116‐CRC nude mouse model. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the anticancer activity of SDG in CRC is associated with the induction of GSDMD‐dependent pyroptosis by SDG through the generation of ROS/P13K/AKT/BAK‐mitochondrail apoptosis pathway, providing insights into SDG in its potential new application in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuo Chen
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Zigong Fourth People's Hospital, Zigong, Sichuan, China.,Department of Colorectal Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, Sichuan, China
| | - Junbo Zhong
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Zigong Fourth People's Hospital, Zigong, Sichuan, China
| | - Lijun Zhang
- Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Yanzhou Branch of Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Haopeng Zhang
- School of Clinical Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Dayong Zhang
- Department of Urinary Surgery, Zigong Fourth People's Hospital, Zigong, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaofeng Xu
- Department of Urinary Surgery, Zigong Fourth People's Hospital, Zigong, Sichuan, China
| | - Xianfei Zhong
- Department of Gastroenterology, The People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, Sichuan, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Xi'an Medical University School of Stomatolog, Xi'an, Shanxi, China
| | - Hai Li
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
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Qin C, Wu M, Wang X, Zhang W, Qi G, Wu NY, Liu X, Lu Y, Zhang J, Chai Y. Study on the mechanism of Danshen-Guizhi drug pair in the treatment of ovarian cancer based on network pharmacology and in vitro experiment. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13148. [PMID: 35411258 PMCID: PMC8994495 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Our study aims to explore the active components and mechanisms of the Danshen-Guizhi drug pair in treating ovarian cancer by network pharmacology and in vitro experiment. The "component-target-pathway" diagram of the Danshen-Guizhi drug pair was established by network pharmacology, and the effective active components, important targets as well as potential mechanisms of the Danshen-Guizhi drug pair were analyzed. The predicted results were verified by molecular docking and in vitro experiments. The main active components of the Danshen-Guizhi drug pair in the treatment of ovarian cancer are salviolone, luteolin, β-sitosterol and tanshinone IIA. The main core target is PTGS2. The pathways involved mainly include the cancer pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and IL-17 signaling pathway. The molecular docking results showed that salviolone and tanshinone IIA had good binding ability to the target. The expression of PTGS2 mRNA and PGE2 in ovarian cells were significantly inhibited by salviolone. The mechanism of the Danshen-Guizhi drug pair in the treatment of ovarian cancer may be regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis and tumor immunity. This provides a theoretical basis for the clinical development and application of the Danshen-Guizhi drug pair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chongzhen Qin
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Menglin Wu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xinru Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wenda Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Guangzhao Qi
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Na-Yi Wu
- Hunan Cancer Hospital, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiaoting Liu
- The Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, China
| | - Yaoyao Lu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jingmin Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yuna Chai
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Yu X, Xu J, Shen Y, Cahuzac KM, Park KS, Dale B, Liu J, Parsons RE, Jin J. Discovery of Potent, Selective, and In Vivo Efficacious AKT Kinase Protein Degraders via Structure-Activity Relationship Studies. J Med Chem 2022; 65:3644-3666. [PMID: 35119851 PMCID: PMC8900464 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c02165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
We recently reported a potent, selective, and in vivo efficacious AKT degrader, MS21, which is a von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)-recruiting proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) based on the AKT inhibitor AZD5363. However, no structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies that resulted in this discovery have been reported. Herein, we present our SAR studies that led to the discovery of MS21, another VHL-recruiting AKT degrader, MS143 (compound 20) with similar potency as MS21, and a novel cereblon (CRBN)-recruiting PROTAC, MS5033 (compound 35). Compounds 20 and 35 induced rapid and robust AKT degradation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner via hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Compound 20 suppressed cell growth more effectively than AZD5363 in multiple cancer cell lines. Furthermore, 20 and 35 displayed good plasma exposure levels in mice and are suitable for in vivo efficacy studies. Lastly, compound 20 effectively suppressed tumor growth in vivo in a xenograft model without apparent toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yudao Shen
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Kaitlyn M. Cahuzac
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Kwang-su Park
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Brandon Dale
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Jing Liu
- Corresponding Authors: Jing Liu – Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States; , Ramon E. Parsons – Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States; , Jian Jin – Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States;
| | - Ramon E. Parsons
- Corresponding Authors: Jing Liu – Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States; , Ramon E. Parsons – Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States; , Jian Jin – Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States;
| | - Jian Jin
- Corresponding Authors: Jing Liu – Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States; , Ramon E. Parsons – Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States; , Jian Jin – Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States;
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van der Westhuizen L, Weisner J, Taher A, Landel I, Quambusch L, Lindemann M, Uhlenbrock N, Müller MP, Green IR, Pelly SC, Rauh D, van Otterlo WAL. Covalent allosteric inhibitors of Akt generated using a click fragment approach. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202100776. [PMID: 35170857 PMCID: PMC9311865 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202100776] [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: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Akt is a protein kinase that has been implicated in the progression of cancerous tumours. A number of covalent allosteric Akt inhibitors are known, and based on these scaffolds, a small library of novel potential covalent allosteric imidazopyridine‐based inhibitors was designed. The envisaged compounds were synthesised, with click chemistry enabling a modular approach to a number of the target compounds. The binding modes, potencies and antiproliferative activities of these synthesised compounds were explored, thereby furthering the structure activity relationship knowledge of this class of Akt inhibitors. Three novel covalent inhibitors were identified, exhibiting moderate activity against Akt1 and various cancer cell lines, potentially paving the way for future covalent allosteric inhibitors with improved properties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jörn Weisner
- TU Dortmund: Technische Universitat Dortmund, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, GERMANY
| | - Abu Taher
- Stellenbosch University, Chemistry and Polymer Science, SOUTH AFRICA
| | - Ina Landel
- TU Dortmund: Technische Universitat Dortmund, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, GERMANY
| | - Lena Quambusch
- TU Dortmund: Technische Universitat Dortmund, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, GERMANY
| | - Marius Lindemann
- TU Dortmund: Technische Universitat Dortmund, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, GERMANY
| | - Niklas Uhlenbrock
- TU Dortmund: Technische Universitat Dortmund, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, GERMANY
| | - Matthias P Müller
- TU Dortmund: Technische Universitat Dortmund, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, GERMANY
| | - Ivan R Green
- Stellenbosch University, Chemistry and Polymer Science, SOUTH AFRICA
| | | | - Daniel Rauh
- TU Dortmund: Technische Universitat Dortmund, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, GERMANY
| | - Willem A L van Otterlo
- Stellenbosch University, Department of Chemistry and Polymer Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Polyme, Merriman Street, 7602, Stellenbosch, SOUTH AFRICA
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46
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Han W, Wang N, Kong R, Bao W, Lu J. Ligand-activated PPARδ expression promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by regulating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. J Transl Med 2022; 20:86. [PMID: 35151320 PMCID: PMC8840031 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03288-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-beta/delta (PPARδ) was considered as the key regulator involved in the evolution of various tumors. Given that PPARδ potential role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still obscure, we comprehensively assessed its expression pattern, prognosis, functions and correlation with tumor microenvironment in HCC using public database data and in vitro studies. Methods Transcriptional data and clinical data in the TCGA and GEO database were analyzed in R software. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression level of related RNA and proteins. The malignant biological characteristics were explored by cell counting Kit-8 (CCK8), 5-Ethynyl-2ʹ-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay and wound healing assay. Results Our results illustrated that PPARδ expression was significantly higher in HCC tissues and HCC cell lines. Elevated expression of PPARδ suggested poor clinical staging and prognosis in HCC. Ligand-activated PPARδ expression promoted the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells via PDK1/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway. The expression of PPARδ was closely related to the HCC tumor microenvironment. Conclusions PPARδ plays an important part in HCC progression, penetrating investigation of the related regulatory mechanism may shed light upon further biological and pharmacological value.
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Abdel Ghany LMA, El-Dydamony NM, Helwa AA, Abdelraouf SM, Abdelnaby RM. Coumarin-acetohydrazide derivatives as novel antiproliferative agents via VEGFR-2/AKT axis inhibition and apoptosis triggering. NEW J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2nj02436e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The VEGFR-2/AKT pathway is a crucial axis in tumor survival where it is highly dysregulated in many cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina M. A. Abdel Ghany
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, 6th of October City, Egypt
| | - Nehad M. El-Dydamony
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, 6th of October City, Egypt
| | - Amira A. Helwa
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, 6th of October City, Egypt
| | - Sahar M. Abdelraouf
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of pharmacy, Misr International University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Rana M. Abdelnaby
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo, Egypt
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Xu J, Yu X, Martin TC, Bansal A, Cheung K, Lubin A, Stratikopoulos E, Cahuzac KM, Wang L, Xie L, Zhou R, Shen Y, Wu X, Yao S, Qiao R, Poulikakos PI, Chen X, Liu J, Jin J, Parsons R. AKT Degradation Selectively Inhibits the Growth of PI3K/PTEN Pathway-Mutant Cancers with Wild-Type KRAS and BRAF by Destabilizing Aurora Kinase B. Cancer Discov 2021; 11:3064-3089. [PMID: 34301793 PMCID: PMC9056008 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-20-0815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Using a panel of cancer cell lines, we characterized a novel degrader of AKT, MS21. In mutant PI3K-PTEN pathway cell lines, AKT degradation was superior to AKT kinase inhibition for reducing cell growth and sustaining lower signaling over many days. AKT degradation, but not kinase inhibition, profoundly lowered Aurora kinase B (AURKB) protein, which is known to be essential for cell division, and induced G2-M arrest and hyperploidy. PI3K activated AKT phosphorylation of AURKB on threonine 73, which protected it from proteasome degradation. A mutant of AURKB (T73E) that mimics phosphorylation and blocks degradation rescued cells from growth inhibition. Degrader-resistant lines were associated with low AKT phosphorylation, wild-type PI3K/PTEN status, and mutation of KRAS/BRAF. Pan-cancer analysis identified that 19% of cases have PI3K-PTEN pathway mutation without RAS pathway mutation, suggesting that these patients with cancer could benefit from AKT degrader therapy that leads to loss of AURKB. SIGNIFICANCE MS21 depletes cells of phosphorylated AKT (pAKT) and a newly identified AKT substrate, AURKB, to inhibit tumor growth in mice. MS21 is superior to prior agents that target PI3K and AKT due to its ability to selectively target active, pAKT and sustain repression of signaling to deplete AURKB. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2945.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Xu
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Xufen Yu
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Tiphaine C. Martin
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ankita Bansal
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kakit Cheung
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Abigail Lubin
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Elias Stratikopoulos
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M. Cahuzac
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ling Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Royce Zhou
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Yudao Shen
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Xuewei Wu
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Shen Yao
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ruifang Qiao
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Poulikos I. Poulikakos
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Xian Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jing Liu
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jian Jin
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ramon Parsons
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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Coleman N, Moyers JT, Harbery A, Vivanco I, Yap TA. Clinical Development of AKT Inhibitors and Associated Predictive Biomarkers to Guide Patient Treatment in Cancer Medicine. Pharmgenomics Pers Med 2021; 14:1517-1535. [PMID: 34858045 PMCID: PMC8630372 DOI: 10.2147/pgpm.s305068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The serine/threonine kinase AKT is a critical effector of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling cascade and has a pivotal role in cell growth, proliferation, survival, and metabolism. AKT is one of the most commonly activated pathways in human cancer and dysregulation of AKT-dependent pathways is associated with the development and maintenance of a range of solid tumors. There are multiple small-molecule inhibitors targeting different components of the PI3K/AKT pathway currently at various stages of clinical development, in addition to new combination strategies aiming to boost the therapeutic efficacy of these drugs. Correlative and translational studies have been undertaken in the context of clinical trials investigating AKT inhibitors, however the identification of predictive biomarkers of response and resistance to AKT inhibition remains an unmet need. In this review, we discuss the biological function and activation of AKT, discuss its contribution to tumor development and progression, and review the efficacy and toxicity data from clinical trials, including both AKT inhibitor monotherapy and combination strategies with other agents. We also discuss the promise and challenges associated with the development of AKT inhibitors and associated predictive biomarkers of response and resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niamh Coleman
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Justin T Moyers
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Alice Harbery
- Division of Cancer Therapeutics, Institute of Cancer Research, London, SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Igor Vivanco
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Timothy A Yap
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Khalifa Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Ye J, Mao L, Xie L, Zhang R, Liu Y, Peng L, Yang J, Li Q, Yuan M. Discovery of a Series of Theophylline Derivatives Containing 1,2,3-Triazole for Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:753676. [PMID: 34764872 PMCID: PMC8576520 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.753676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotherapy is the most common clinical treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but low efficiency and high toxicity of current chemotherapy drugs limit their clinical application. Therefore, it is urgent to develop hypotoxic and efficient chemotherapy drugs. Theophylline, a natural compound, is safe and easy to get, and it can be used as a modified scaffold structure and hold huge potential for developing safe and efficient antitumor drugs. Herein, we linked theophylline with different azide compounds to synthesize a new type of 1,2,3-triazole ring-containing theophylline derivatives. We found that some theophylline1,2,3-triazole compounds showed a good tumor-suppressive efficacy. Especially, derivative d17 showed strong antiproliferative activity against a variety of cancer cells in vitro, including H460, A549, A2780, LOVO, MB-231, MCF-7, OVCAR3, SW480, and PC-9. It is worth noting that the two NSCLC cell lines H460 H and A549 are sensitive to compound d17 particularly, with IC50 of 5.929 ± 0.97 μM and 6.76 ± 0.25 μM, respectively. Compound d17 can significantly induce cell apoptosis by increasing the ratio of apoptotic protein Bax/Bcl-2 by downregulating the expression of phosphorylated Akt protein, and it has little toxicity to normal hepatocyte cells LO2 at therapeutic concentrations. These data indicate that these theophylline acetic acid-1,2,3-triazole derivatives may be potential drug candidates for anti-NSCLC and are worthy of further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Ye
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Longfei Mao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Engineering Research Center of Chiral Hydroxyl Pharmaceutical, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Luoyijun Xie
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Rongjun Zhang
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yulin Liu
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lizeng Peng
- Institute of Agro-Food Science and Technology Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Processing Technology of Shandong Province, Key Laboratory of Novel Food Resources Processing Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
| | - Jianxue Yang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Qingjiao Li
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Miaomiao Yuan
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
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