A Critical Appraisal of the Evolution of N-Nitrosoureas as Anticancer Drugs

Energy Blocker Lonidamine Reverses Nimustine Resistance in Human Glioblastoma Cells through Energy Blockade, Redox Homeostasis Disruption, and O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Downregulation: In Vitro and In Vivo Validation

Tumor resistance seriously hinders the clinical application of chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs), such as O6-methylguanine-DNA methylguanine (MGMT), which can repair O6-alkyl lesions, thereby inhibiting the formation of cytotoxic DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs). Metabolic differences between tumor and normal cells provide a biochemical basis for novel therapeutic strategies aimed at selectively inhibiting tumor energy metabolism. In this study, the energy blocker lonidamine (LND) was selected as a chemo-sensitizer of nimustine (ACNU) to explore its potential effects and underlying mechanisms in human glioblastoma in vitro and in vivo. A series of cell-level studies showed that LND significantly increased the cytotoxic effects of ACNU on glioblastoma cells. Furthermore, LND plus ACNU enhanced the energy deficiency by inhibiting glycolysis and mitochondrial function. Notably, LND almost completely downregulated MGMT expression by inducing intracellular acidification. The number of lethal DNA ICLs produced by ACNU increased after the LND pretreatment. The combination of LND and ACNU aggravated cellular oxidative stress. In resistant SF763 mouse tumor xenografts, LND plus ACNU significantly inhibited tumor growth with fewer side effects than ACNU alone. Finally, we proposed a new "HMAGOMR" chemo-sensitizing mechanism through which LND may act as a potential chemo-sensitizer to reverse ACNU resistance in glioblastoma: moderate inhibition of hexokinase (HK) activity (H); mitochondrial dysfunction (M); suppressing adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent drug efflux (A); changing redox homeostasis to inhibit GSH-mediated drug inactivation (G) and increasing intracellular oxidative stress (O); downregulating MGMT expression through intracellular acidification (M); and partial inhibition of energy-dependent DNA repair (R).

Development and in vitro evaluation of carmustine delivery platform: A hypoxia-sensitive anti-drug resistant nanomicelle with BBB penetrating ability

Glioma is extremely difficult to be completely excised by surgery due to its invasive nature. Thus, chemotherapy still is the mainstay in the treatment of glioma after surgery. However, the natural blood-brain barrier (BBB) greatly restricts the penetration of chemotherapeutic agents into the central nervous system. As a front-line anti-glioma agent in clinical, carmustine (BCNU) exerts antitumor effect by inducing DNA damage at the O6 position of guanine. However, the therapeutic effect of BCNU was largely decreased because of the drug resistance mediated by O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) and insufficient local drug concentrations. To overcome these obstacles, we synthesized a BCNU-loaded hypoxia-responsive nano-micelle with BBB penetrating capacity and AGT inhibitory activity, named as T80-HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs. In this nano-system, Tween 80 (T80) serves as a functional coating on the surface of the micelle, promoting transportation across the BBB. Hyaluronic acid (HA) with active tumor-targeting capability was linked with the hydrophobic O6-benzylguanine (BG) analog via a hypoxia-sensitive azo bond. Under hypoxic tumor microenvironment, the azo bond selectively breaks to release O6-BG as AGT inhibitor and BCNU as DNA alkylating agent. The synthesized T80-HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs showed good stability, favorable biocompatibility and hypoxia-responsive drug-releasing ability. T80 modification improved the transportation of the micelle across an in vitro BBB model. Moreover, T80-HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs exhibited significantly enhanced cytotoxicity against glioma cell lines with high AGT expression compared with traditional combined medication of BCNU plus O6-BG. We expect that the tumor-targeting nano-micelle designed for chloroethylnitrosourea will provide new tools for the development of effective glioma therapy.

Application of three-dimensional cell culture technology in screening anticancer drugs

The drug development process involves a variety of drug activity evaluations, which can determine drug efficacy, strictly analyze the biological indicators after the drug action, and use these indicators as the preclinical drug evaluation criteria. At present, most of the screening of preclinical anticancer drugs mainly relies on traditional 2D cell culture. However, this traditional technology cannot simulate the tumor microenvironment in vivo, let alone reflect the characteristics of solid tumors in vivo, and has a relatively poor ability to predict drug activity. 3D cell culture is a technology between 2D cell culture and animal experiments, which can better reflect the biological state in vivo and reduce the consumption of animal experiments. 3D cell culture can link the individual study of cells with the study of the whole organism, reproduce in vitro the biological phenotype of cells in vivo more greatly, and thus predict the activity and resistance of anti-tumor drugs more accurately. In this paper, the common techniques of 3D cell culture are discussed, with emphasis on its main advantages and application in the evaluation of anti-tumor resistance, which can provide strategies for the screening of anti-tumor drugs.

A multi-functional hypoxia/esterase dual stimulus responsive and hyaluronic acid-based nanomicelle for targeting delivery of chloroethylnitrosouea

Carmustine (BCNU), a vital type of chloroethylnitrosourea (CENU), inhibits tumor cells growth by inducing DNA damage at O6 position of guanine and eventually forming dG-dC interstrand cross-links (ICLs). However, the clinical application of BCNU is hindered to some extent by the absence of tumor selectivity, poor stability and O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) mediated drug resistance. In recent years, tumor microenvironment has been widely utilized for advanced drug delivery. In the light of the features of tumor microenvironment, we constructed a multifunctional hypoxia/esterase-degradable nanomicelle with AGT inhibitory activity named HACB NPs for tumor-targeting BCNU delivery and tumor sensitization. HACB NPs was self-assembled from hyaluronic acid azobenzene AGT inhibitor conjugates, in which O6-BG analog acted as an AGT inhibitor, azobenzene acted as a hypoxia-responsive linker and carboxylate ester bond acted as both an esterase-sensitive switch and a connector with hyaluronic acid (HA). The obtained HACB NPs possessed good stability, favorable biosafety and hypoxia/esterase-responsive drug-releasing ability. BCNU-loaded HACB/BCNU NPs exhibited superior cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing ability toward the human uterine cervix carcinoma HeLa cells compared with traditional combined medication of BCNU plus O6-BG. In vivo studies further demonstrated that after a selective accumulation in the tumor site, the micelles could respond to hypoxic tumor tissue for rapid drug release to an effective therapeutic dosage. Thus, this multifunctional stimulus-responsive nanocarrier could be a new promising strategy to enhance the anticancer efficacy and reduce the side effects of BCNU and other CENUs.

QSAR and Chemical Read-Across Analysis of 370 Potential MGMT Inactivators to Identify the Structural Features Influencing Inactivation Potency

O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) constitutes an important cellular mechanism for repairing potentially cytotoxic DNA damage induced by guanine O6-alkylating agents and can render cells highly resistant to certain cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. A wide variety of potential MGMT inactivators have been designed and synthesized for the purpose of overcoming MGMT-mediated tumor resistance. We determined the inactivation potency of these compounds against human recombinant MGMT using [3H]-methylated-DNA-based MGMT inactivation assays and calculated the IC50 values. Using the results of 370 compounds, we performed quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling to identify the correlation between the chemical structure and MGMT-inactivating ability. Modeling was based on subdividing the sorted pIC50 values or on chemical structures or was random. A total of nine molecular descriptors were presented in the model equation, in which the mechanistic interpretation indicated that the status of nitrogen atoms, aliphatic primary amino groups, the presence of O-S at topological distance 3, the presence of Al-O-Ar/Ar-O-Ar/R..O..R/R-O-C=X, the ionization potential and hydrogen bond donors are the main factors responsible for inactivation ability. The final model was of high internal robustness, goodness of fit and prediction ability (R2pr = 0.7474, Q2Fn = 0.7375-0.7437, CCCpr = 0.8530). After the best splitting model was decided, we established the full model based on the entire set of compounds using the same descriptor combination. We also used a similarity-based read-across technique to further improve the external predictive ability of the model (R2pr = 0.7528, Q2Fn = 0.7387-0.7449, CCCpr = 0.8560). The prediction quality of 66 true external compounds was checked using the "Prediction Reliability Indicator" tool. In summary, we defined key structural features associated with MGMT inactivation, thus allowing for the design of MGMT inactivators that might improve clinical outcomes in cancer treatment.

Hypoxia and CD44 receptors dual-targeted nano-micelles with AGT-inhibitory activity for the targeting delivery of carmustine

Carmustine (BCNU) is a typical chemotherapy used for treatment of cerebroma and other solid tumors, which exerts antitumor effect by inducing DNA damage at O6 position of guanine. However, the clinical application of BCNU was extremely limited due to the drug resistance mainly mediated by O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) and absence of tumor-targeting ability. To overcome these limitations, we developed a hypoxia-responsive nanomicelle with AGT inhibitory activity, which was successfully loaded with BCNU. In this nano-system, hyaluronic acid (HA) acts as an active tumor-targeting ligand to bind the overexpressing CD44 receptors on the surface of tumor cells. An azo bond selectively breaks in hypoxic tumor microenvironment to release O6-benzylguanine (BG) as AGT inhibitor and BCNU as DNA alkylating agent. The obtained HA-AZO-BG NPs with shell core structure had an average particle size of 176.98 ± 11.19 nm and exhibited good stability. Meanwhile, HA-AZO-BG NPs possessed a hypoxia-responsive drug release profile. After immobilizing BCNU into HA-AZO-BG NPs, the obtained HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs exhibited obvious hypoxia-selectivity and superior cytotoxicity in T98G, A549, MCF-7 and SMMC-7721 cells with IC50 at 189.0, 183.2, 90.1 and 100.1 μm, respectively, under hypoxic condition. Near-infrared imaging in HeLa tumor xenograft models showed that HA-AZO-BG/DiR NPs could effectively accumulate in tumor site at 4 h of post-injection, suggesting its good tumor-targetability. In addition, in vivo anti-tumor efficacy and toxicity evaluation indicated that HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs was more effective and less harmful compared to the other groups. After treatment, the tumor weight of HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs group was 58.46 % and 63.33 % of the control group and BCNU group, respectively. Overall, HA-AZO-BG/BCNU NPs was expected to be a promising candidate for targeted delivery of BCNU and elimination of chemoresistance.

Covalent Organic Framework (C6N6) as a Drug Delivery Platform for Fluorouracil to Treat Cancerous Cells: A DFT Study

Continuous studies are being carried out to explore new methods and carrier surfaces for target drug delivery. Herein, we report the covalent triazine framework C₆N₆ as a drug delivery carrier for fluorouracil (FU) and nitrosourea (NU) anti-cancer drugs. FU and NU are physiosorbed on C₆N₆ with adsorption energies of -28.14 kcal/mol and -27.54 kcal/mol, respectively. The outcomes of the non-covalent index (NCI) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses reveal that the FU@C₆N₆ and NU@C₆N₆ complexes were stabilized through van der Waals interactions. Natural bond order (NBO) and electron density difference (EDD) analyses show an appreciable charge transfer from the drug and carrier. The FU@C₆N₆ complex had a higher charge transfer (-0.16 e^-) compared to the NU@C₆N₆ complex (-0.02 e^-). Frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis reveals that the adsorption of FU on C₆N₆ caused a more pronounced decrease in the HOMO-LUMO gap (E_H-L) compared to that of NU. The results of the FMO analysis are consistent with the NBO and EDD analyses. The drug release mechanism was studied through dipole moments and pH effects. The highest decrease in adsorption energy was observed for the FU@C₆N₆ complex in an acidic medium, which indicates that FU can easily be off-loaded from the carrier (C₆N₆) to a target site because the cancerous cells have a low pH compared to a normal cell. Thus, it may be concluded that C₆N₆ possesses the therapeutic potential to act as a nanocarrier for FU to treat cancer. Furthermore, the current study will also provide motivation to the scientific community to explore new surfaces for drug delivery applications.

Urea-based anticancer agents. Exploring 100-years of research with an eye to the future

Suramin was the first urea-based drug to be approved in clinic, and in the following century a number of milestone drugs based on this scaffold were developed. Indeed, urea soon became a privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry for its capability to establish a peculiar network of drug−target interactions, for its physicochemical properties that are useful for tuning the druggability of the new chemical entities, and for its structural and synthetic versatility that opened the door to numerous drug design possibilities. In this review, we highlight the relevance of the urea moiety in the medicinal chemistry scenario of anticancer drugs with a special focus on the kinase inhibitors for which this scaffold represented and still represents a pivotal pharmacophoric feature. A general outlook on the approved drugs, recent patents, and current research in this field is herein provided, and the role of the urea moiety in the drug discovery process is discussed form a medicinal chemistry standpoint. We believe that the present review can benefit both academia and pharmaceutical companies’ medicinal chemists to prompt research towards new urea derivatives as anticancer agents.

2-Deoxy-D-glucose increases the sensitivity of glioblastoma cells to BCNU through the regulation of glycolysis, ROS and ERS pathways: In vitro and in vivo validation

Chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs) exert antitumor activity via producing dG-dC interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). However, tumor resistance make it necessary to find novel strategies to improve the therapeutic effect of CENUs. 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) is a well-known glycolytic inhibitor, which can reprogram tumor energy metabolism closely related to tumor resistance. Here, we investigated the chemosensitization effect of 2-DG on l,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) against glioblastoma cells and the underlying mechanisms. We found that 2-DG significantly increased the inhibitory effects of BCNU on tumor cells compared with BCNU alone, while 2-DG showed no obvious enhancing effect on the BCNU-induced cytotoxicity for normal HaCaT and HA1800 cells. Proliferation, migration and invasion determinations presented the same trend as survival on tumor cells. 2-DG plus BCNU increased the energy deficiency through a more effective inhibition of glycolytic pathway. Notably, the combination of 2-DG and BCNU aggravated oxidative stress in glioblastoma cells, along with a significant decrease in glutathione (GSH) levels, and an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Subsequently, we demonstrated that the combination treatment led to increased apoptosis via activating mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) related apoptosis pathways. Finally, we found that the dG-dC level was significantly increased after 2-DG pretreatment compared to BCNU alone by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. Finally, in vivo, 2-DG plus BCNU significantly suppressed tumor growth with lower side effects compared with BCNU alone in tumor-bearing mice. In summary, we proposed that 2-DG may have potential to increase the sensitivity of glioblastoma cells to BCNU by regulating glycolysis, ROS and ERS pathways in clinical setting.

Development and biological evaluation of AzoBGNU: A novel hypoxia-activated DNA crosslinking prodrug with AGT-inhibitory activity

Chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs) are an important family of chemotherapies in clinical treatment of cancers, which exert antitumor activity by inducing the formation of DNA interstrand crosslinks (dG-dC ICLs). However, the drug resistance mediated by O⁶-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) and absence of tumor-targeting ability largely decrease the antitumor efficacy of CENUs. In this study, we synthesized an azobenzene-based hypoxia-activated combi-nitrosourea prodrug, AzoBGNU, and evaluated its hypoxic selectivity and antitumor activity. The prodrug was composed of a CENU pharmacophore and an O⁶-benzylguanine (O⁶-BG) analog moiety masked by a N,N-dimethyl-4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline segment as a hypoxia-activated trigger, which was designed to be selectively reduced via azo bond break in hypoxic tumor microenvironment, accompanied with releasing of an O⁶-BG analog to inhibit AGT and a chloroethylating agent to induce dG-dC ICLs. AzoBGNU exhibited significantly increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing ability toward DU145 cells under hypoxia compared with normoxia, indicating the hypoxia-responsiveness as expected. Predominant higher cytotoxicity was observed in the cells treated by AzoBGNU than those by traditional CENU chemotherapy ACNU and its combination with O⁶-BG. The levels of dG-dC ICLs in DU145 cells induced by AzoBGNU was remarkably enhanced under hypoxia, which was approximately 6-fold higher than those in the AzoBGNU-treated groups under normoxia and those in the ACNU-treated groups. The results demonstrated that azobenzene-based combi-nitrosourea prodrug possessed desirable tumor-hypoxia targeting ability and eliminated chemoresistance compared with the conventional CENUs.

Nitric Oxide Releasing Delivery Platforms: Design, Detection, Biomedical Applications, and Future Possibilities

Gasotransmitters belong to the subfamily of endogenous gaseous signaling molecules, which find a wide range of biomedical applications. Among the various gasotransmitters, nitric oxide (NO) has an enormous effect on the cardiovascular system. Apart from this, NO showed a pivotal role in neurological, respiratory, and immunological systems. Moreover, the paradoxical concentration-dependent activities make this gaseous signaling molecule more interesting. The gaseous NO has negligible stability in physiological conditions (37 °C, pH 7.4), which restricts their potential therapeutic applications. To overcome this issue, various NO delivering carriers were reported so far. Unfortunately, most of these NO donors have low stability, short half-life, or low NO payload. Herein, we review the synthesis of NO delivering motifs, development of macromolecular NO donors, their advantages/disadvantages, and biological applications. Various NO detection analytical techniques are discussed briefly, and finally, a viewpoint about the design of polymeric NO donors with improved physicochemical characteristics is predicted.

Cell Models for Birth Defects Caused by Chloroethyl Nitrosourea-Induced DNA Lesions

ABSTRACT

Birth defects have been linked to administration of alkylating agents during pregnancy. The anti-tumor efficacy of alkylating agents correlate with their ability to induce DNA lesions, especially interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). Yet the role of DNA damages in birth defects remains to be clarified, owing, in part, to a lack of cell models. Here we generate DNA lesions in NIH/3T3 cells to mimic defects in fetus triggered by 3-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU, carmustine). CCK-8 assay suggests that BCNU-induced cell death was dose-dependent. Alkaline comet tests and γ-H2AX staining confirm DNA ICLs and other forms of DNA damages caused by BCNUs. The cell cycle analysis shows cells arrest in G2/M phase until crosslinks repair is complete. Taken together, all these experiments demonstrate we have successfully established normal cell models for birth defects caused by BCNU-mediated DNA damages. The model can not only guide the development of effective and low-toxicity anticancer drugs, but also be of great significance for the study of neonatal malformation triggered by BCNUs.

The relationship between solvatochromic properties and in silico ADME parameters of new chloroethylnitrosourea derivatives with potential anticancer activity and their β-Cyclodextrin complexes

In view of the anticancer effect of nitrosoureas a set of four new N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosourea (CENU) derivatives was synthesized. An in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADME/Tox) prediction study revealed that the CENU derivatives satisfied all the required criteria for oral administration and introduced them as remarkable anticancer candidates in the central nervous system (CNS). A comparative solvatochromic study including the Kamlet-Taft, Catalán and Laurence models indicated that the solvatochromic behavior of the CENUs depended on both, unspecific and specific solvent-solute interactions. In detail, the solvatochromic effect of the solvent polarity on the absorption and emission maxima was significant for all CENUs, whereas the solvatochromic effect of the solvent's ability to donate or accept hydrogen bonds on the absorption and emission maxima was critically dependent on the electron density of the N'-aryl group. From the solvatochromic comparison method, excellent correlations (r ≥ 0.890) were obtained between the ADME parameters and the solvatochromic regression coefficients obtained by the Catalán model. As potential stabilizers, inclusion complexes of the investigated CENU derivatives with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were also explored. The spectrofluorimetric host-guest experiments included double-reciprocal Benesi-Hildebrand plots as well as the molar ratio and continuous variation plots (Job's plots), which established a 1:1 β-CD to CENU binding stoichiometry and relatively high affinities of β-CD for CENU derivatives.

3-Bromopyruvate regulates the status of glycolysis and BCNU sensitivity in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs) are bifunctional antitumor alkylating agents, which exert their antitumor activity through inducing the formation of dG-dC interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) within DNA double strand. However, the complex process of tumor biology enables tumor cells to escape the killing triggered by CENUs, as for instance with the detoxifying activity of O⁶-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) to accomplish DNA damage repair. Considering the fact that most tumor cells highly depend on aerobic glycolysis to provide energy for survival even in the presence of oxygen (Warburg effect), inhibition of aerobic glycolysis may be an attractive strategy to overcome the resistance and improve the chemotherapeutic effects of CENUs. Especially, 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA), a small molecule alkylating agent, has been emerged as an effective glycolytic inhibitor (energy blocker) in cancer treatment. In view of its tumor specificity and inhibition on cellular multiple targets, it is likely to reduce the chemoresistance when chemotherapeutic drugs are combined with 3-BrPA. In this study, we investigated the effects of 3-BrPA on the chemosensitivity of two human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines to the cytotoxic effects of l,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) and the underlying molecular mechanism. The sensitivity of SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells to BCNU was significantly increased by 2 h pretreatment with micromolar dosage of 3-BrPA. Moreover, 3-BrPA decreased the cellular ATP and GSH levels, and extracellular lactate excreted by tumor cells, and the effects were more effective when 3-BrPA was combined with BCNU. Cellular hexokinase-II (HK-II) activity was also reduced after exposure to the treatment of 3-BrPA plus BCNU. Based on the above results, the effects of 3-BrPA on the formation of dG-dC ICLs induced by BCNU was investigated by stable isotope dilution high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The results indicated that BCNU produced higher levels of dG-dC ICLs in SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells pretreated with 3-BrPA compared to that without 3-BrPA pretreatment. Notably, in MGMT-deficient HepG2 cells, the levels of dG-dC ICLs were significantly higher than MGMT-proficient SMMC-7721 cells. In general, these findings revealed that 3-BrPA, as an effective glycolytic inhibitor, may be considered as a potential clinical chemosensitizer to optimize the therapeutic index of CENUs.

Glycolytic inhibition by 3-bromopyruvate increases the cytotoxic effects of chloroethylnitrosoureas to human glioma cells and the DNA interstrand cross-links formation

DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs) are essential for the antitumor activity of chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs). Commonly, CENUs resistance is mainly considered to be associated with O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) within tumors. Bypassing the MGMT-mediated resistance, to our knowledge, herein, we first utilized a novel glycolytic inhibitor, 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA), to increase the cytotoxic effects of l,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) to human glioma cells based on the hypothesis that blocking energy metabolism renders tumor cells more sensitive to chemotherapy. We found 3-BrPA significantly increased the cell killing by BCNU in human glioma SF763 and SF126 cell lines. Significantly decreased levels of extracellular lactate, cellular ATP and glutathione (GSH) were observed after 3-BrPA treatment, and the effects were more remarkable with 3-BrPA in combination with BCNU. Considering that the role of ATP and GSH in drug efflux, DNA damage repair and drug inactivation, we determined the effect of 3-BrPA on the formation of dG-dC ICLs induced by BCNU using stable isotope dilution high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). As expected, the levels of lethal dG-dC ICLs induced by BCNU were obviously enhanced after 3-BrPA pretreatment. Based on these results, 3-BrPA and related glycolytic inhibitors may be promising to enhance the cell killing effect and reverse the clinical chemoresistance of CENUs and related antitumor agents.

Reductive Activity and Mechanism of Hypoxia- Targeted AGT Inhibitors: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

O⁶-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) is the main cause of tumor cell resistance to DNA-alkylating agents, so it is valuable to design tumor-targeted AGT inhibitors with hypoxia activation. Based on the existing benchmark inhibitor O⁶-benzylguanine (O⁶-BG), four derivatives with hypoxia-reduced potential and their corresponding reduction products were synthesized. A reductase system consisting of glucose/glucose oxidase, xanthine/xanthine oxidase, and catalase were constructed, and the reduction products of the hypoxia-activated prodrugs under normoxic and hypoxic conditions were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The results showed that the reduction products produced under hypoxic conditions were significantly higher than that under normoxic condition. The amount of the reduction product yielded from ANBP (2-nitro-6-(3-amino) benzyloxypurine) under hypoxic conditions was the highest, followed by AMNBP (2-nitro-6-(3-aminomethyl)benzyloxypurine), 2-NBP (2-nitro-6-benzyloxypurine), and 3-NBG (O6-(3-nitro)benzylguanine). It should be noted that although the levels of the reduction products of 2-NBP and 3-NBG were lower than those of ANBP and AMNBP, their maximal hypoxic/normoxic ratios were higher than those of the other two prodrugs. Meanwhile, we also investigated the single electron reduction mechanism of the hypoxia-activated prodrugs using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. As a result, the reduction of the nitro group to the nitroso was proven to be a rate-limiting step. Moreover, the 2-nitro group of purine ring was more ready to be reduced than the 3-nitro group of benzyl. The energy barriers of the rate-limiting steps were 34–37 kcal/mol. The interactions between these prodrugs and nitroreductase were explored via molecular docking study, and ANBP was observed to have the highest affinity to nitroreductase, followed by AMNBP, 2-NBP, and 3-NBG. Interestingly, the theoretical results were generally in a good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to predict the AGT-inhibitory activity of the four prodrugs and their reduction products. In summary, simultaneous consideration of reduction potential and hypoxic selectivity is necessary to ensure that such prodrugs have good hypoxic tumor targeting. This study provides insights into the hypoxia-activated mechanism of nitro-substituted prodrugs as AGT inhibitors, which may contribute to reasonable design and development of novel tumor-targeted AGT inhibitors.

Kinetic and experimental study on the reaction of 3,7-dinitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane in nitric acid

A comprehensive experimental and kinetic study on the reaction of DPT in nitric acid has been performed. The overall yield of the stepwise method for preparing HMX was up to 82.7%, which is a landmark breakthrough for the preparation of HMX from DPT.

In Silico Prediction of O⁶-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitory Potency of Base Analogs with QSAR and Machine Learning Methods

O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), a unique DNA repair enzyme, can confer resistance to DNA anticancer alkylating agents that modify the O⁶-position of guanine. Thus, inhibition of MGMT activity in tumors has a great interest for cancer researchers because it can significantly improve the anticancer efficacy of such alkylating agents. In this study, we performed a quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) and classification study based on a total of 134 base analogs related to their ED50 values (50% inhibitory concentration) against MGMT. Molecular information of all compounds were described by quantum chemical descriptors and Dragon descriptors. Genetic algorithm (GA) and multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis were combined to develop QSAR models. Classification models were generated by seven machine-learning methods based on six types of molecular fingerprints. Performances of all developed models were assessed by internal and external validation techniques. The best QSAR model was obtained with Q²Loo = 0.83, R² = 0.87, Q²ext = 0.67, and R²ext = 0.69 based on 84 compounds. The results from QSAR studies indicated topological charge indices, polarizability, ionization potential (IP), and number of primary aromatic amines are main contributors for MGMT inhibition of base analogs. For classification studies, the accuracies of 10-fold cross-validation ranged from 0.750 to 0.885 for top ten models. The range of accuracy for the external test set ranged from 0.800 to 0.880 except for PubChem-Tree model, suggesting a satisfactory predictive ability. Three models (Ext-SVM, Ext-Tree and Graph-RF) showed high and reliable predictive accuracy for both training and external test sets. In addition, several representative substructures for characterizing MGMT inhibitors were identified by information gain and substructure frequency analysis method. Our studies might be useful for further study to design and rapidly identify potential MGMT inhibitors.

A combined experimental and DFT mechanistic study for the unexpected nitrosolysis of N-hydroxymethyldialkylamines in fuming nitric acid

The reaction of dimorpholinomethane in fuming HNO₃ was investigated. Interestingly, the major product was identified as N-nitrosomorpholine and a key intermediate N-hydroxymethylmorpholine was detected during the reaction by ¹H-NMR tracking which indicates that the reaction proceeds via an unexpected nitrosolysis process. A plausible nitrosolysis mechanism for N-hydroxymethyldialkylamine in fuming nitric acid involving a HNO₃ redox reaction is proposed, which is supported by both experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The effects of ammonium nitrate and water on the nitrosolysis were studied using different ammonium salts as additives and varying water content, respectively. Observations show the key role of ammonium ions and a small amount of water in promoting the nitrosolysis reaction. Furthermore, DFT calculations reveal an essential point that ammonia, merged from the decomposition of the ammonium salts, acts as a Lewis base catalyst, and the hydroxymethyl group of the substrate participates in a hydrogen-bonding interaction with the NH₃ and H₂O molecules.

N-Hydroxymethyldialkylamines were nitrosolyzed unexpectedly in fuming HNO₃ to give N-nitrosamines. A mechanism involving a redox reaction of HNO₃ was proposed and DFT calculations indicated that the reaction proceeded smoothly with a rigid bicyclic transition state.

tert-Butyl Nitrite-Mediated Synthesis of N-Nitrosoamides, Carboxylic Acids, Benzocoumarins, and Isocoumarins from Amides

This work reports tert-butyl nitrite (TBN) as a multitask reagent for (1) the controlled synthesis of N-nitrosoamide from N-alkyl amides, (2) hydrolysis of N-methoxyamides to carboxylic acids, (3) metal- and oxidant-free benzocoumarin synthesis from ortho-aryl-N-methoxyamides via N-H, C-N, and C-H bond activation, and (4) isocoumarin synthesis using Ru(II)/PEG as a recyclable catalytic system via ortho-C-H activation and TBN as an oxygen source. The sequential functional group interconversion of amide to acid has also been examined using IR spectroscopic analysis. Additionally, this methodology is highly advantageous due to short reaction time, gram scale synthesis, and broad substrate scope.

Synthesis and Antitumor Activities of Chiral Dipeptide Thioureas Containing an Alpha-Aminophosphonate Moiety

Thiourea derivatives demonstrate potent cytotoxic activity against various leukemias and many tumor cell lines. In our previous study, the combination of thiourea and phosphonate has been proven as an effective strategy for developing antitumor agents. Herein, we synthesized and evaluated a series of novel chiral dipeptide thioureas containing an α-aminophosphonate moiety as antitumor agents. Finally, we developed novel dipeptide thioureas 11d and 11f that showed comparable inhibition with that of Cisplatin against BGC-823 and A-549 cells, respectively.

Synthesis and Antitumor Activity Evaluation of a Novel Combi-nitrosourea Prodrug: BGCNU

Chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs) are an important type of alkylating agent employed in the clinical treatment of cancer. However, the anticancer efficacy of CENUs is greatly decreased by a DNA repairing enzyme, O⁶-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT), by preventing the formation of interstrand cross-links (ICLs). In this study, a combi-nitrosourea prodrug, namely, N-(2-chloroethyl)-N'-2-(O⁶-benzyl-9-guanine)ethyl-N-nitrosourea (BGCNU), which possesses an O⁶-benzylguanine (O⁶-BG) derivative and CENU pharmacophores simultaneously, was synthesized and evaluated for its ability to induce ICLs. The target compound is markedly more cytotoxic in human glioma cells than the clinically used CENU chemotherapies ACNU, BCNU, and their respective combinations with O⁶-BG. In the AGT-proficient cells, significantly higher levels of DNA ICLs were observed in the groups treated by BGCNU than those by ACNU and BCNU, which indicated that the activity of AGT was effectively inhibited by the O⁶-BG derivatives released from BGCNU.

N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced schwannomas in male Sprague-Dawley rats with a literature review of inducible and spontaneous lesions

N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) possesses peripheral nervous system carcinogenic activity in rats and induces benign and malignant schwannomas in systemic organs. In this retrospective study, we compared the characteristics of various immunohistochemical markers in MNU-induced schwannomas in male Crj:CD(SD)IGS rats including: vimentin (Vim), S100, p75 nerve growth factor receptor (LNGFR), CD57, pancytokeratin (CK), myoglobin, desmin and α smooth muscle actin (SMA). Single intraperitoneal exposures of 50 or 75mg/kg MNU in male rats at the age of 4 weeks induced schwannomas in 43 surviving and terminated rats up to 30-weeks-old. The incidence rate of neoplastic lesions was 37% (16 of 43 rats). Benign schwannomas (mesentery, pancreas, thymus) and malignant schwannomas (subendocardium, cardiac intramural, thoracic cavity, abdominal cavity, prostate), occurred in nine and seven rats, respectively. All neoplastic lesions were moderately or strongly positive for Vim, S100 and LNGFR proteins. Benign tumors were weakly positive and malignant tumors strongly positive for Ki-67, suggesting a high active proliferation rate of Schwann cell precursors. All lesions were negative for CD57, CK, myoglobin, desmin and SMA. This data may provide useful immunohistochemical information for the investigation of schwannomas in rat chemical carcinogenicity studies.

Synthesis and antitumor activity evaluation of a novel combi-nitrosourea prodrug: Designed to release a DNA cross-linking agent and an inhibitor of O(6)-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase

The drug resistance of CENUs induced by O(6)-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT), which repairs the O(6)-alkylated guanine and subsequently inhibits the formation of dG-dC cross-links, hinders the application of CENU chemotherapies. Therefore, the discovery of CENU analogs with AGT inhibiting activity is a promising approach leading to novel CENU chemotherapies with high therapeutic index. In this study, a new combi-nitrosourea prodrug 3-(3-(((2-amino-9H-purin-6-yl)oxy)methyl)benzyl)-1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (6), designed to release a DNA cross-linking agent and an inhibitor of AGT, was synthesized and evaluated for its antitumor activity and ability to induce DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs). The results indicated that 6 exhibited higher cytotoxicity against mer(+) glioma cells compared with ACNU, BCNU, and their respective combinations with O(6)-benzylguanine (O(6)-BG). Quantifications of dG-dC cross-links induced by 6 were performed using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Higher levels of dG-dC cross-link were observed in 6-treated human glioma SF763 cells (mer(+)), whereas lower levels of dG-dC cross-link were observed in 6-treated calf thymus DNA, when compared with the groups treated with BCNU and ACNU. The results suggested that the superiority of 6 might result from the AGT inhibitory moiety, which specifically functions in cells with AGT activity. Molecular docking studies indicated that five hydrogen bonds were formed between the O(6)-BG analogs released from 6 and the five residues in the active pocket of AGT, which provided a reasonable explanation for the higher AGT-inhibitory activity of 6 than O(6)-BG.

Susceptibility to N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced retinal degeneration in different rat strains

To evaluate the potential role of genetic background in the susceptibility to retinal degeneration induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), female rats of the Sprague-Dawley (SD), Long-Evans (LE) and Copenhagen (CH) strains were administered 50 mg/kg MNU or saline at 7 weeks of age. Retina morphology and morphometric analysis of all rats was performed 7 days after MNU administration. Atrophy of both the peripheral and central outer retina occurred in all rat strains exposed to MNU. Decreased photoreceptor cell ratio and increased retinal damage ratio were observed. The severities of the retinal atrophy were similar among all three rat strains. In conclusion, MNU-induced photoreceptor degeneration developed consistently in all three strains regardless of the absence (SD rats) or presence (LE and CH rats) of melanin in the retina, suggesting that genetic and melanin factors did not affect photoreceptor cell death after MNU.

Spectrofluorimetric determination of the antineoplastic agent lomustine based on the sensitizing effect of β-cyclodextrin

The effects of solvent dipolarity/polarizability and solvent-solute hydrogen bonding on the photophysical properties of the antineoplastic drug lomustine were analysed by means of the linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) concept proposed by Kamlet and Taft. The LSER method enabled the overall solvent effects to be quantitatively estimated and separated into specific and non-specific contributions. The molecular encapsulation of lomustine by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) has been studied using fluorescence spectroscopy. The results are discussed in terms of the binding parameter and the effect of the solvent used. It was concluded that β-CD forms a 1:1 inclusional complex with lomustine in acetonitrile solution and its association constant was calculated to be 500 M(-1). In addition, and for the first time, a simple, rapid and high sensitive fluorimetric method for the determination of lomustine was developed based upon the enhancement effect produced through complex formation with β-CD. The new approach for the quantification of lomustine in the presence of β-CD was described in aqueous and organic solutions. Better limits of detection (0.31 µg ml(-1)) and quantification (1.05 µg ml(-1)) were obtained in aqueous solution with respect to those obtained in organic solvent.

DNA repair mechanisms in cancer development and therapy

DNA damage has been long recognized as causal factor for cancer development. When erroneous DNA repair leads to mutations or chromosomal aberrations affecting oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, cells undergo malignant transformation resulting in cancerous growth. Genetic defects can predispose to cancer: mutations in distinct DNA repair systems elevate the susceptibility to various cancer types. However, DNA damage not only comprises a root cause for cancer development but also continues to provide an important avenue for chemo- and radiotherapy. Since the beginning of cancer therapy, genotoxic agents that trigger DNA damage checkpoints have been applied to halt the growth and trigger the apoptotic demise of cancer cells. We provide an overview about the involvement of DNA repair systems in cancer prevention and the classes of genotoxins that are commonly used for the treatment of cancer. A better understanding of the roles and interactions of the highly complex DNA repair machineries will lead to important improvements in cancer therapy.

Influence of the Expression Level of O6-Alkylguanine-DNA Alkyltransferase on the Formation of DNA Interstrand Crosslinks Induced by Chloroethylnitrosoureas in Cells: A Quantitation Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs), which are bifunctional alkylating agents widely used in the clinical treatment of cancer, exert anticancer activity by inducing crosslink within a guanine-cytosine DNA base pair. However, the formation of dG-dC crosslinks can be prevented by O⁶-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT), ultimately leading to drug resistance. Therefore, the level of AGT expression is related to the formation of dG-dC crosslinks and the sensitivity of cells to CENUs. In this work, we determined the CENU-induced dG-dC crosslink in mouse L1210 leukemia cells and in human glioblastoma cells (SF-763, SF-767 and SF-126) containing different levels of AGT using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The results indicate that nimustine (ACNU) induced more dG-dC crosslinks in L1210 leukemia cells than those induced by carmustine (BCNU), lomustine (CCNU) and fotemustine (FTMS). This result was consistent with a previously reported cohort study, which demonstrated that ACNU had a better survival gain than BCNU, CCNU and FTMS for patients with high-grade glioma. Moreover, we compared the crosslinking levels and the cytotoxicity in SF-763, SF-767 and SF-126 cells with different AGT expression levels after exposure to ACNU. The levels of dG-dC crosslink in SF-126 cells (low AGT expression) were significantly higher than those in SF-767 (medium AGT expression) and SF-763 (high AGT expression) cells at each time point. Correspondingly, the cytotoxicity of SF-126 was the highest followed by SF-767 and SF-763. The results obtained in this work provided unequivocal evidence for drug resistance to CENUs induced by AGT-mediated repair of DNA ICLs. We postulate that the level of dG-dC crosslink has the potential to be employed as a biomarker for estimating drug resistance and anticancer efficiencies of novel CENU chemotherapies.

Antitumor sulfonylhydrazines: design, structure-activity relationships, resistance mechanisms, and strategies for improving therapeutic utility

1,2-Bis(sulfonyl)-1-alkylhydrazines (BSHs) were conceived as more specific DNA guanine O-6 methylating and chloroethylating agents lacking many of the undesirable toxicophores contained in antitumor nitrosoureas. O(6)-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (MGMT) is the sole repair protein for O(6)-alkylguanine lesions in DNA and has been reported to be absent in 5-20% of most tumor types. Many BSHs exhibit highly selective cytotoxicity toward cells deficient in MGMT activity. The development of clinically useful MGMT assays should permit the identification of tumors with this vulnerability and allow for the preselection of patient subpopulations with a high probability of responding. The BSH system is highly versatile, permitting the synthesis of many prodrug types with the ability to incorporate an additional level of tumor-targeting due to preferential activation by tumor cells. Furthermore, it may be possible to expand the spectrum of activity of these agents to include tumors with MGMT activity by combining them with tumor-targeted MGMT inhibitors.

Nitric oxide release by N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosoureas: a rarely discussed mechanistic path towards their anticancer activity

Our work shows that NO release is a feasible pathway of action for aromatic and heterocyclic N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosoureas and faster NO release may not lead to higher cytotoxicity.

Recent applications of the hetero Diels–Alder reaction in the total synthesis of natural products

The synthetic utility and potential power of the Diels–Alder (D–A) reaction in organic chemistry is evident.

Biological evaluation of new potential anticancer agent for tumour imaging and radiotherapy by two methods: 99mTc-radiolabelling and EPR spectroscopy

Recently, a new class of in vitro and ex vivo radiotracers/radioprotectors, the nitroxyl-labelled agent 1-ethyl-1-nitroso-3-[4-(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl)]-urea (SLENU), has been discovered. Our previous investigations demonstrated that SLENU is a low-molecular-weight stable free radical which is freely membrane permeable, easily crosses the blood brain barrier and exhibited in/ex vivo the lowest general toxicity and higher anticancer activity against some experimental tumour models. Further investigation was aimed to develop a 99mTc-labelled SLENU (97%) as a chelator and evaluate its labelling efficiency and potential use as a tumour seeking agent and for early diagnosis. Tissue biodistribution of 99mTc-SLENU was determined in normal mice at 1, 2 and 24 h (n = 4/time interval, route of administration i.v.). The distribution data were compared using male albino non-inbred mice and electron paramagnetic resonance investigation. The imaging characteristics of 99mTc-SLENU conjugate examined in BALB/c mice grafted with Ehrlich Ascitis tumour in the thigh of hind leg demonstrated major accumulation of the radiotracer in the organs and tumour. Planar images and auto-radiograms confirmed that the tumours could be visualized clearly with 99mTc-SLENU. Blood kinetic study of radio-conjugate showed a bi-exponential pattern, as well as quick reduced duration in the blood circulation. This study establishes nitroxyls as a general class of new spin-labelled diagnostic markers that reduce the negative lateral effects of radiotherapy and drug damages, and are appropriate for tumour-localization.

Quantification of DNA interstrand crosslinks induced by ACNU in NIH/3T3 and L1210 cells using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

Chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs) are important alkylating agents employed for the clinical treatment of cancer. The cellular toxicity of CENUs is primarily due to induction of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), which has been characterized as l-(3-deoxycytidyl), 2-(l-deoxyguanosinyl)ethane (dG-dC). However, the formation of dG-dC crosslinks can be prevented by O(6) -alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT), which removes the O(6) -chloroethyl group from O(6) -chloroethylguanine (O(6) -ClEt-Gua), and ultimately its increased expression can result in drug resistance. Differing levels of AGT expression can lead to varying amounts of dG-dC crosslinking, which influences the sensitivity of cells to CENUs.

METHODS

In this work, a sensitive method for the quantitation of dG-dC crosslinks in cellular DNA has been established using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS).

RESULTS

The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of the method were determined to be 2 fmol and 8 fmol on-column, respectively, and the recovery ranged from 96% to 105% with the relative standard deviation (RSD) below 5%. Using this method, the levels of dG-dC crosslink induced by 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride (ACNU) were determined in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts cells (high level of expression of AGT) and L1210 leukemia cells (low level of expression of AGT). The time-course profile indicated that the levels of dG-dC crosslink uniformly increased in the early incubation period and reached the maximum at 12 h. Subsequently, the amount of dG-dC crosslinking decreased to very low levels presumably owing to the repair of O(6) -ClEt-Gua by AGT. The crosslinking levels in L1210 cells were significantly higher than those in NIH/3T3 cells at each time point. This provides strong evidence that high express of AGT in CENU-resistant cells inhibits the formation of dG-dC crosslinks.

CONCLUSIONS

This work will contribute to the further understanding of the drug resistance of CENUs, and will provide a means to evaluate the anticancer activity of new bifunctional anticancer agents.