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Koltai T, Fliegel L. Dichloroacetate for Cancer Treatment: Some Facts and Many Doubts. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:744. [PMID: 38931411 PMCID: PMC11206832 DOI: 10.3390/ph17060744] [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: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Rarely has a chemical elicited as much controversy as dichloroacetate (DCA). DCA was initially considered a dangerous toxic industrial waste product, then a potential treatment for lactic acidosis. However, the main controversies started in 2008 when DCA was found to have anti-cancer effects on experimental animals. These publications showed contradictory results in vivo and in vitro such that a thorough consideration of this compound's in cancer is merited. Despite 50 years of experimentation, DCA's future in therapeutics is uncertain. Without adequate clinical trials and health authorities' approval, DCA has been introduced in off-label cancer treatments in alternative medicine clinics in Canada, Germany, and other European countries. The lack of well-planned clinical trials and its use by people without medical training has discouraged consideration by the scientific community. There are few thorough clinical studies of DCA, and many publications are individual case reports. Case reports of DCA's benefits against cancer have been increasing recently. Furthermore, it has been shown that DCA synergizes with conventional treatments and other repurposable drugs. Beyond the classic DCA target, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, new target molecules have also been recently discovered. These findings have renewed interest in DCA. This paper explores whether existing evidence justifies further research on DCA for cancer treatment and it explores the role DCA may play in it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Koltai
- Hospital del Centro Gallego de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 2199, Argentina
| | - Larry Fliegel
- Department of Biochemistry, University Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada;
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Li Y, Xie Z, Lei X, Yang X, Huang S, Yuan W, Deng X, Wang Z, Tang G. Recent advances in pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitors: Structures, inhibitory mechanisms and biological activities. Bioorg Chem 2024; 144:107160. [PMID: 38301426 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Metabolism is reprogrammed in a variety of cancer cells to ensure their rapid proliferation. Cancer cells prefer to utilize glycolysis to produce energy as well as to provide large amounts of precursors for their division. In this process, cancer cells inhibit the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) by upregulating the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs). Inhibiting the activity of PDKs in cancer cells can effectively block this metabolic transition in cancer cells, while also activating mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and promoting apoptosis of cancer cells. To this day, the study of PDKs inhibitors has become one of the research hotspots in the field of medicinal chemistry. Novel structures targeting PDKs are constantly being discovered, and some inhibitors have entered the clinical research stage. Here, we reviewed the research progress of PDKs inhibitors in recent years and classified them according to the PDKs binding sites they acted on, aiming to summarize the structural characteristics of inhibitors acting on different binding sites and explore their clinical application value. Finally, the shortcomings of some PDKs inhibitors and the further development direction of PDKs inhibitors are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyang Li
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment Responsive Drug Research, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China
| | - Zhizhong Xie
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment Responsive Drug Research, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China
| | - Xiaoyong Lei
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment Responsive Drug Research, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China
| | - Xiaoyan Yang
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment Responsive Drug Research, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China
| | - Sheng Huang
- Jiuzhitang Co., Ltd, Changsha, Hunan 410007, China
| | - Weixi Yuan
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment Responsive Drug Research, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China
| | - Xiangping Deng
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Pharmacy, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, Hunan, China.
| | - Zhe Wang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Department of Pharmacy, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, Hunan, China.
| | - Guotao Tang
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment Responsive Drug Research, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
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She W, Li H, Wang Z, Liu T, Zhao D, Guo Z, Liu Y, Liu Y. Site-specific controlled-release nanoparticles for immune reprogramming via dual metabolic inhibition against triple-negative breast cancer. J Control Release 2024; 366:204-220. [PMID: 38109945 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.12.022] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic heterogeneity and the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME) of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) hinder therapeutic effectiveness. Although emerging metabolic therapy and immunotherapy show promise, they are limited by off-target effects and immune escape. Here, a redox-activatable, sequentially-releasing nanoparticle (AMANC@M) for tumor-targeted delivery of anticancer agents and CRISPR/Cas9 has been developed. AMANC@M can reverse the TIME through dual metabolic inhibition, thereby enhancing TNBC therapy. AMANC@M demonstrates excellent biosafety and targets tumors precisely through biomimetic hybrid membrane-mediated homologous homing and the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Once internalized into tumor cells, the CRISPR/Cas9 system ("energy nanolock") is released through glutathione (GSH) cleavage and effectively knocks down the expression of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) to suppress glycolysis. After peeling off of the gene editing shell, a newly synthesized targeted drug, CPI-Z2 ("nutrihijacker" and "energy nanolock"), is released in a controlled manner to block the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Nitric oxide (NO) produced from loaded L-arginine enhances the efficiency of CPI-Z2 and reduces drug resistance. Combined with NO therapy, both blockades of nutrients and energy production transform the hypoxia and acidic TIME into an immunocompetent tumor microenvironment (TME) for tumor elimination. Furthermore, AMANC@M offers capabilities for photothermal (PT) therapy and provides clear imaging through PT, photoacoustic (PA), or computed tomography (CT) signals in tumor tissue. Thus, this study provides a new and promising sequentially stimuli-responsive targeting strategy for nanoparticle development, making it a potential treatment candidate for TNBC and other tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyan She
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, PR China
| | - Haimei Li
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, PR China
| | - Zichen Wang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, PR China
| | - Tingting Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Chemistry & School of Material Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, PR China
| | - Dongli Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, PR China
| | - Zhibin Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Chemistry & School of Material Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, PR China
| | - Yujiao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Chemistry & School of Material Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, PR China.
| | - Yi Liu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Chemistry & School of Material Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, PR China; School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, PR China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Radiation Chemistry and Functional Materials, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning 437100, PR China.
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Gan L, Yang Y, Liang Z, Zhang M, He Y, Zhang SL. Targeting the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex/pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDC/PDK) axis to discover potent PDK inhibitors through structure-based virtual screening and pharmacological evaluation. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 264:116008. [PMID: 38056298 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116008] [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: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Proliferating cancer cells are characterized by the Warburg effect, a metabolic alteration in which ATP is generated from cytoplasmic glycolysis instead of oxidative phosphorylation. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex/pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDC/PDK) axis plays a crucial role in this effect and has been identified as a potential target for anticancer drug development. Herein, we present the discovery and pharmacological evaluation of potent PDK inhibitors targeting the PDK/PDC axis. We successfully identified 6 compounds from a small molecule library through a structure-based virtual screening campaign and evaluated their enzymatic inhibitory potencies for PDK1-4. Our results indicated that compound 1 exhibited submicromolar inhibitory activities against PDK1-3 (IC50 = 109.3, 135.8, and 458.7 nM, respectively), but is insensitive to PDK4 (IC50 = 8.67 μM). Furthermore, compound 1 inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells with an EC50 value of 10.7 μM. In addition, compound 1 induced cell apoptosis, arrested the cell cycle at the S phase, and reduced cell invasion and migration, while showing low in vivo toxicity at a high dose. Based on these observations, it can be concluded that compound 1 is a promising anti-PDK1-3 lead that merits further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linling Gan
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Ying Yang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Zizhen Liang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Maojie Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Yun He
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, PR China.
| | - Shao-Lin Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, PR China.
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