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Zhang L, Liu P, Jiang Y, Fan D, He X, Zhang J, Luo B, Sui J, Luo Y, Fu X, Yang T. Exploration of novel isoxazole-fused quinone derivatives as anti-colorectal cancer agents through inhibiting STAT3 and elevating ROS level. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 272:116448. [PMID: 38704936 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116448] [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: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is trending to be a major health problem throughout the world. Therapeutics with dual modes of action have shown latent capacity to create ideal anti-tumor activity. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been proved to be a potential target for the development of anti-colon cancer drug. In addition, modulation of tumor redox homeostasis through deploying exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS)-enhancing agents has been widely applied as anti-tumor strategy. Thus, simultaneously targeting STAT3 and modulation ROS balance would offer a fresh avenue to combat CRC. In this work, we designed and synthesized a novel series of isoxazole-fused quinones, which were evaluated for their preliminary anti-proliferative activity against HCT116 cells. Among these quinones, compound 41 exerted excellent in vitro anti-tumor effect against HCT116 cell line with an IC50 value of 10.18 ± 0.4 nM. Compound 41 was proved to bind to STAT3 by using Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI) assay, and can significantly inhibit phosphorylation of STAT3. It also elevated ROS of HCT116 cells by acting as a substrate of NQO1. Mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest, which was caused by compound 41, might be partially due to the inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation and ROS production induced by 41. Moreover, it exhibited ideal anti-tumor activity in human colorectal cancer xenograft model and good safety profiles in vivo. Overall, this study provided a novel quinone derivative 41 with excellent anti-tumor activity by inhibiting STAT3 and elevating ROS level, and gave insights into designing novel anti-tumor therapeutics by simultaneously modulation of STAT3 and ROS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidan Zhang
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Pingxian Liu
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yunhan Jiang
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Dongmei Fan
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xinlian He
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jiangnan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Baozhu Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jing Sui
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Youfu Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Xinyuan Fu
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Tao Yang
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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2
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Eum DY, Jeong M, Park SY, Kim J, Jin Y, Jo J, Shim JW, Lee SR, Park SJ, Heo K, Yun H, Choi YJ. AM-18002, a derivative of natural anmindenol A, enhances radiosensitivity in mouse breast cancer cells. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296989. [PMID: 38625901 PMCID: PMC11020960 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296989] [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] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural anmindenol A isolated from the marine-derived bacteria Streptomyces sp. caused potent inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase without any significant cytotoxicity. This compound consists of a structurally unique 3,10-dialkylbenzofulvene skeleton. We previously synthesized and screened the novel derivatives of anmindenol A and identified AM-18002, an anmindenol A derivative, as a promising anticancer agent. The combination of AM-18002 and ionizing radiation (IR) improved anticancer effects, which were exerted by promoting apoptosis and inhibiting the proliferation of FM3A mouse breast cancer cells. AM-18002 increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and was more effective in inducing DNA damage. AM-18002 treatment was found to inhibit the expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), cancer cell migration and invasion, and STAT3 phosphorylation. The AM-18002 and IR combination synergistically induced cancer cell death, and AM-18002 acted as a potent anticancer agent by increasing ROS generation and blocking MDSC-mediated STAT3 activation in breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Young Eum
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Busan, Republic of Korea
- College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Myeonggyo Jeong
- College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Drug Development, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Soon-Yong Park
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jisu Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Yunho Jin
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeyun Jo
- College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Woong Shim
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Seoung Rak Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Drug Development, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong-Joon Park
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyu Heo
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwayoung Yun
- College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Drug Development, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoo-Jin Choi
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Busan, Republic of Korea
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Grenier D, Audebert S, Preto J, Guichou JF, Krimm I. Linkers in fragment-based drug design: an overview of the literature. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2023; 18:987-1009. [PMID: 37466331 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2234285] [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: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In fragment-based drug design, fragment linking is a popular strategy where two fragments binding to different sub-pockets of a target are linked together. This attractive method remains challenging especially due to the design of ideal linkers. AREAS COVERED The authors review the types of linkers and chemical reactions commonly used to the synthesis of linkers, including those utilized in protein-templated fragment self-assembly, where fragments are directly linked in the presence of the protein. Finally, they detail computational workflows and software including generative models that have been developed for fragment linking. EXPERT OPINION The authors believe that fragment linking offers key advantages for compound design, particularly for the design of bivalent inhibitors linking two distinct pockets of the same or different subunits. On the other hand, more studies are needed to increase the potential of protein-templated approaches in FBDD. Important computational tools such as structure-based de novo software are emerging to select suitable linkers. Fragment linking will undoubtedly benefit from developments in computational approaches and machine learning models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Grenier
- Team Small Molecules for Biological Targets, Centre de Recherche En Cancérologie (CRCL) - INSERM 1052 - CNRS 5286 - Centre Léon Bérard - Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut Convergence Plascan, Lyon, France
| | - Solène Audebert
- Centre de Biologie Structurale, CNRS, INSERM, Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jordane Preto
- Team Small Molecules for Biological Targets, Centre de Recherche En Cancérologie (CRCL) - INSERM 1052 - CNRS 5286 - Centre Léon Bérard - Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut Convergence Plascan, Lyon, France
| | - Jean-François Guichou
- Centre de Biologie Structurale, CNRS, INSERM, Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Isabelle Krimm
- Team Small Molecules for Biological Targets, Centre de Recherche En Cancérologie (CRCL) - INSERM 1052 - CNRS 5286 - Centre Léon Bérard - Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut Convergence Plascan, Lyon, France
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4
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Zhang C, Yang L, Yang X, Gao Q, Qu Y, Wu L. Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel napabucasin-melatonin hybrids as potent STAT3 inhibitors. Bioorg Chem 2023; 136:106541. [PMID: 37062104 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
The current work developed diverse novel napabucasin-melatonin hybrids as potent STAT3 inhibitors. Several biological studies have suggested many compounds demonstrating potent inhibition against different tumor cells. Among these, compound 7e depicted enhanced inhibition against HepG2, MDA-MB-231, and A549 cells than napabucasin, with IC50 values of 1.06, 1.38, and 1.3 µM, respectively. Based on fluorescence polarization analysis, compound 7e was bound to the SH2 domain in STAT3, with an IC50 value of 12.95 µM. Molecular docking further confirmed the 7e binding mode inside the SH2 domain of STAT3. Further mechanistic studies indicated that 7e inhibited the activation of STAT3 (Y705), and thus reduced the expression of STAT3 downstream genes (CyclinD1, Bcl-2 and c-Myc) instead of affecting p-STAT1 expression. Meanwhile, the phosphorylation levels of its upstream kinases JAK2 and bypass kinase Erk1/2 remain unaffected. Simultaneously, 7e induced cancer cell apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Significantly, 20 mg/kg (i.p.) compound 7e suppressed the mouse HepG2 xenograft development in vivo without body weight loss, suggesting that it could be an effective antitumor agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Limin Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Xiaojuan Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Qinghe Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China.
| | - Yan Qu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China.
| | - Liqiang Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China.
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5
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Yu W, Zhao Y, Ye H, Wu N, Liao Y, Chen N, Li Z, Wan N, Hao H, Yan H, Xiao Y, Lai M. Structure-Based Design of a Dual-Targeted Covalent Inhibitor Against Papain-like and Main Proteases of SARS-CoV-2. J Med Chem 2022; 65:16252-16267. [PMID: 36503248 PMCID: PMC9762420 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The two proteases, PLpro and Mpro, of SARS-CoV-2 are essential for replication of the virus. Using a structure-based co-pharmacophore screening approach, we developed a novel dual-targeted inhibitor that is equally potent in inhibiting PLpro and Mpro of SARS-CoV-2. The inhibitor contains a novel warhead, which can form a covalent bond with the catalytic cysteine residue of either enzyme. The maximum rate of the covalent inactivation is comparable to that of the most potent inhibitors reported for the viral proteases and covalent inhibitor drugs currently in clinical use. The covalent inhibition appears to be very specific for the viral proteases. The inhibitor has a potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and is also well tolerated by mice and rats in toxicity studies. These results suggest that the inhibitor is a promising lead for development of drugs for treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenying Yu
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
| | - Yucheng Zhao
- Department
of Resources Science of Traditional Chinese Medicines and State Key
Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
| | - Hui Ye
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
- Jiangsu
Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
| | - Nanping Wu
- State
Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases,
National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310003, China
- First
Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310003, China
| | - Yixian Liao
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
| | - Nannan Chen
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
| | - Zhiling Li
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
| | - Ning Wan
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
- Jiangsu
Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
| | - Haiping Hao
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
- Jiangsu
Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
| | - Honggao Yan
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
- Department
of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing310003, China
| | - Yibei Xiao
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
- Department
of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing310003, China
| | - Maode Lai
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China
Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
- State
Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases,
National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310003, China
- School
of Basic Medical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing210009, China
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6
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Moinul M, Khatun S, Amin SA, Jha T, Gayen S. Recent trends in fragment-based anticancer drug design strategies against different targets: A mini-review. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 206:115301. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.115301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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7
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Structure—Activity (Analgesic) Relationship of a Series of N-Substituted 3,5-Dibromo(H)Anthranilic Acid Amides and Hydrazides Studied Using an Experimental Model in Mice and Molecular Docking of Cyclooxygenases 1 and 2. Pharm Chem J 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11094-022-02723-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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8
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Liu P, Fan D, Qiao W, He X, Zhang L, Jiang Y, Yang T. SAR Study and Molecular Mechanism Investigation of Novel Naphthoquinone-furan-2-cyanoacryloyl Hybrids with Antitumor Activity. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14102104. [PMID: 36297539 PMCID: PMC9609996 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102104] [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: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
A series of novel naphthoquinone-furan-2-cyanoacryloyl hybrids were designed; they were synthesized and preliminarily evaluated for their anti-proliferative activities in vitro against several cancer cell lines and normal cells. The most potent compound, 5c, inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells (IC50 value of 3.10 ± 0.02 μM) and colony survival, and it induced apoptosis while having relatively weaker effects on normal cells. Compound 5c also triggered ROS generation and accumulation, thus partially contributing to the observed cell apoptosis. A Western blotting analysis demonstrated that compound 5c inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3. Furthermore, a biolayer interferometry (BLI) analysis confirmed that compound 5c had a direct effect on STAT3, with a KD value of 13.0 μM. Molecular docking showed that 5c specifically occupied the subpockets in the SH2 domain, thereby blocking the whole transmission signaling process. Overall, this study provides an important structural reference for the development of effective antitumor agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingxian Liu
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Dongmei Fan
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Wenliang Qiao
- Laboratory of Lung Cancer, Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xinlian He
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Lidan Zhang
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yunhan Jiang
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Tao Yang
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Correspondence:
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9
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Wang F, Cao XY, Lin GQ, Tian P, Gao D. Novel inhibitors of the STAT3 signaling pathway: an updated patent review (2014-present). Expert Opin Ther Pat 2022; 32:667-688. [PMID: 35313119 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2022.2056013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION STAT3 is a critical transcription factor that transmits signals from the cell surface to the nucleus, thus influencing the transcriptional regulation of some oncogenes. The inhibition of the activation of STAT3 is considered a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Numerous STAT3 inhibitors bearing different scaffolds have been reported to date, with a few of them having been considered in clinical trials. AREAS COVERED This review summarizes the advances on STAT3 inhibitors with different structural skeletons, focusing on the structure-activity relationships in the related patent literature published from 2014 to date. EXPERT OPINION Since the X-ray crystal structure of STAT3β homo dimer bound to DNA was solved in 1998, the development of STAT3 inhibitors has gone through a boom in recent years. However, none of them have been approved for marketing, probably due to the complex biological functions of the STAT3 signaling pathway, including its character and the poor drug-like physicochemical properties of its inhibitors. Nonetheless, targeting STAT3 continues to be an exciting field for the development of anti-tumor agents along with the emergence of new STAT3 inhibitors with unique mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- The Research Center of Chiral Drugs, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology and Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, Xuhui, China
| | - Xin-Yu Cao
- The Research Center of Chiral Drugs, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology and Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, Xuhui, China
| | - Guo-Qiang Lin
- The Research Center of Chiral Drugs, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology and Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, Xuhui, China
| | - Ping Tian
- The Research Center of Chiral Drugs, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology and Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, Xuhui, China
| | - Dingding Gao
- The Research Center of Chiral Drugs, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Chemical Biology and Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, Xuhui, China
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10
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Maurya A, Patel UK, Yadav JK, Singh VP, Agarwal A. Challenges and Recent Advances of Novel Chemical Inhibitors in Medulloblastoma Therapy. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2423:123-140. [PMID: 34978695 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1952-0_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is a common term used for the juvenile malignant brain tumor, and its treatment is exciting due to different genetic origins, improper transportation of drug across the blood-brain barrier, and chemo-resistance with various side effects. Currently, medulloblastoma divided into four significant subsections (Wnt, Shh, Group 3, and Group 4) is based on their hereditary modulation and histopathological advancement. In this chapter, we tried to combine several novel chemical therapeutic agents active toward medulloblastoma therapy. All these compounds have potent activity to inhibit the medulloblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Maurya
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Upendra Kumar Patel
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Jitendra Kumar Yadav
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Virender Pratap Singh
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Alka Agarwal
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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11
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Wang Z, Hui C, Xie Y. Natural STAT3 inhibitors: A mini perspective. Bioorg Chem 2021; 115:105169. [PMID: 34333418 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.105169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays pivotal role in several cellular processes such as cell proliferation and survival and has been found to be aberrantly activated in many cancers. STAT3 is largely believed to be one of the key oncogenes and crucial therapeutic targets. Much research has suggested the leading mechanisms for regulating the STAT3 pathway and its role in promoting tumorigenesis. Therefore, intensive efforts have been devoted to develop potent STAT3 inhibitors and several of them are currently undergoing clinical trials. Nevertheless, many natural products were identified as STAT3 inhibitors but attract less attention compared to the small molecule counterpart. In this review, the development of natural STAT3 inhibitors with an emphasis on their biological profile and chemical synthesis are detailed. The current state of STAT3 inhibitors and the future directions and opportunities for STAT3 inhibitor are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Wang
- Southern University of Science and Technology, School of Medicine, Shenzhen 518055, People's Republic of China.
| | - Chunngai Hui
- Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yusheng Xie
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
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12
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Ren Y, Li S, Zhu R, Wan C, Song D, Zhu J, Cai G, Long S, Kong L, Yu W. Discovery of STAT3 and Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Dual-Pathway Inhibitors for the Treatment of Solid Cancer. J Med Chem 2021; 64:7468-7482. [PMID: 34043359 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, simultaneous inhibition of multiple targets through drug combination is an important anticancer strategy owing to the complex mechanism behind tumorigenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that the inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) will lead to compensated activation of a notorious cancer-related drug target, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), in breast cancer through a cascade, which probably limits the anti-proliferation effect of HDAC inhibitors in solid tumors. By incorporating the pharmacophore of the HDAC inhibitor SAHA (vorinostat) into the STAT3 inhibitor pterostilbene, a series of potent pterostilbene hydroxamic acid derivatives with dual-target inhibition activity were synthesized. An excellent hydroxamate derivate, compound 14, inhibited STAT3 (KD = 33 nM) and HDAC (IC50 = 23.15 nM) with robust potency in vitro. Compound 14 also showed potent anti-proliferation ability in vivo and in vitro. Our study provides the first STAT3 and HDAC dual-target inhibitor for further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhao Ren
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Shanshan Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Ren Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, Hubei Engineering Research Center for Advanced Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, 206 1st Rd Optics Valley, East Lake New Technology Development District, Wuhan, Hubei 430205, China
| | - Chengying Wan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongmei Song
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiawen Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Guiping Cai
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Sihui Long
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, Hubei Engineering Research Center for Advanced Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, 206 1st Rd Optics Valley, East Lake New Technology Development District, Wuhan, Hubei 430205, China
| | - Lingyi Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenying Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China
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13
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Chen X, Pan L, Wei J, Zhang R, Yang X, Song J, Bai RY, Fu S, Pierson CR, Finlay JL, Li C, Lin J. LLL12B, a small molecule STAT3 inhibitor, induces growth arrest, apoptosis, and enhances cisplatin-mediated cytotoxicity in medulloblastoma cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6517. [PMID: 33753770 PMCID: PMC7985203 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85888-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor and an oncogene product, which plays a pivotal role in tumor progression. Therefore, targeting persistent STAT3 signaling directly is an attractive anticancer strategy. The aim of this study is to test the efficacy of a novel STAT3 small molecule inhibitor, LLL12B, in suppressing medulloblastoma cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. LLL12B selectively inhibited the induction of STAT3 phosphorylation by interleukin-6 but not induction of STAT1 phosphorylation by INF-γ. LLL12B also induced apoptosis in human medulloblastoma cells. In addition, LLL12B exhibited good oral bioavailability in vivo and potent suppressive activity in tumor growth of medulloblastoma cells in vivo. Besides, combining LLL12B with cisplatin showed greater inhibition of cell viability and tumorsphere formation as well as induction of apoptosis comparing to single agent treatment in medulloblastoma cells. Furthermore, LLL12B and cisplatin combination exhibited greater suppression of medulloblastoma tumor growth than monotherapy in vivo. The present study supported that LLL12B is a novel therapeutic agent for medulloblastoma and the combination of LLL12B with a chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin may be an effective approach for medulloblastoma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Li Pan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Jia Wei
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Ruijie Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Xiaozhi Yang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Jinhua Song
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Ren-Yuan Bai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
| | - Shengling Fu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Christopher R Pierson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Department of Pathology and Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy, The College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Jonathan L Finlay
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and BMT, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Research Institute At Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Chenglong Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
| | - Jiayuh Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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14
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Dong Z, Chen C, Wang J, Xu J, Yang Z. Dual roles of bisphosphines and epoxides: Rh-catalyzed highly chemoselective and diastereoselective (3 + 2) transannulations of 1,2,3-thiadiazoles with cyanoepoxides. Org Chem Front 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1qo01220g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Dual roles of bisphosphines and epoxides are demonstrated in highly chemoselective and diastereoselective (3 + 2) transannulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Dong
- Department of Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
| | - Cunzhi Chen
- Department of Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
| | - Jiaxi Xu
- Department of Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
| | - Zhanhui Yang
- Department of Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
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15
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Wang F, Feng KR, Zhao JY, Zhang JW, Shi XW, Zhou J, Gao D, Lin GQ, Tian P. Identification of novel STAT3 inhibitors bearing 2-acetyl-7-phenylamino benzofuran scaffold for antitumour study. Bioorg Med Chem 2020; 28:115822. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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16
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Li N, Ou J, Bao N, Chen C, Shi Z, Chen L, Sun J. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel plumbagin derivatives as potent antitumor agents with STAT3 inhibition. Bioorg Chem 2020; 104:104208. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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17
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Feng KR, Wang F, Shi XW, Tan YX, Zhao JY, Zhang JW, Li QH, Lin GQ, Gao D, Tian P. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel potent STAT3 inhibitors based on BBI608 for cancer therapy. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 201:112428. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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18
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Zhao C, Yang L, Zhou F, Yu Y, Du X, Xiang Y, Li C, Huang X, Xie C, Liu Z, Lin J, Wang L, Liang G, Cui R. Feedback activation of EGFR is the main cause for STAT3 inhibition-irresponsiveness in pancreatic cancer cells. Oncogene 2020; 39:3997-4013. [PMID: 32242147 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-1271-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is one of the world's leading causes of cancer-related death. Activation of STAT3 has been reported as a major contributor in pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis and chemoresistance. However, treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer patients with STAT3 inhibitors often meets drug resistance and heterogeneous response. We found that EGFR activation is a main cause for resistance to STAT3 inhibitors in pancreatic cancer cells, regardless of KRAS mutation status. Mechanistically, inhibition of STAT3 promotes STAT1- and STAT4-mediated TGF-α expression, leading to activation of the EGFR pathway. Combined treatment of pancreatic cancer cells with EGFR and STAT3 inhibitors persistently blocks EGFR and STAT3 signaling, and exerts synergistic antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo, with or without KRAS mutation. Our results indicate that reciprocal cross-talk between STAT3 and EGFR pathways is a key molecular mechanism leading to resistance in pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, the study shows that combined inhibition of both EGFR and STAT3 might overcome drug resistance encountered during treatment with single agent alone. This study suggests an improved therapeutic strategy, through combined treatment with STAT3 and EGFR inhibitors, for pancreatic cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengguang Zhao
- Cancer and Anticancer Drug Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China.,Wenzhou University-Wenzhou Medical University Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lehe Yang
- Cancer and Anticancer Drug Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Feng Zhou
- Cancer and Anticancer Drug Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yun Yu
- Cancer and Anticancer Drug Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaojing Du
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Youqun Xiang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chenglong Li
- College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Xiaoying Huang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Congying Xie
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhiguo Liu
- Cancer and Anticancer Drug Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiayuh Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Liangxing Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Guang Liang
- Cancer and Anticancer Drug Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China. .,Wenzhou University-Wenzhou Medical University Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Ri Cui
- Cancer and Anticancer Drug Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China. .,The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China. .,Wenzhou University-Wenzhou Medical University Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China.
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19
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Huang R, Jing X, Huang X, Pan Y, Fang Y, Liang G, Liao Z, Wang H, Chen Z, Zhang Y. Bifunctional Naphthoquinone Aromatic Amide-Oxime Derivatives Exert Combined Immunotherapeutic and Antitumor Effects through Simultaneous Targeting of Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase and Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3. J Med Chem 2020; 63:1544-1563. [PMID: 31999451 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) are important targets in the tumor microenvironment for cancer therapy. In the present study, a set of naphthoquinone aromatic amide-oxime derivatives were designed, which stimulated the immune response via IDO1 inhibition and simultaneously displayed powerful antitumor activity against three selected cancer cell lines through suppressing STAT3 signaling. The representative compound 8u bound effectively to IDO1, with greater inhibitory activity relative to the commercial IDO1 inhibitor 4-amino-N-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-N'-hydroxy-1,2,5-oxadiazole-3-carboximidamide (IDO5L) in addition to the efficient suppression of nuclear translocation of STAT3. Consistently, in vivo assays demonstrated a higher antiproliferative activity of compound 8u in both wild-type B16-F10 isograft tumors and an athymic HepG2 xenograft model relative to 1-methyl-l-tryptophan (1-MT) and doxorubicin (DOX). This bifunctional compound with dual immunotherapeutic and anticancer efficacy may represent a new generation of highly efficacious drug candidates for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rizhen Huang
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China) , School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Guangxi Normal University , Guilin 541004 , China.,School of Pharmacy , Guilin Medical University , Guilin 541004 , China.,Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Southeast University , Nanjing 211189 , China
| | - Xiaoteng Jing
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China) , School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Guangxi Normal University , Guilin 541004 , China
| | - Xiaochao Huang
- Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Southeast University , Nanjing 211189 , China
| | - Yingming Pan
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China) , School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Guangxi Normal University , Guilin 541004 , China
| | - Yilin Fang
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China) , School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Guangxi Normal University , Guilin 541004 , China
| | - Guibin Liang
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China) , School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Guangxi Normal University , Guilin 541004 , China
| | - Zhixin Liao
- Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Southeast University , Nanjing 211189 , China
| | - Hengshan Wang
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China) , School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Guangxi Normal University , Guilin 541004 , China
| | - Zhenfeng Chen
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China) , School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Guangxi Normal University , Guilin 541004 , China
| | - Ye Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China) , School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Guangxi Normal University , Guilin 541004 , China.,School of Pharmacy , Guilin Medical University , Guilin 541004 , China
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20
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Gu Y, Mohammad IS, Liu Z. Overview of the STAT-3 signaling pathway in cancer and the development of specific inhibitors. Oncol Lett 2020; 19:2585-2594. [PMID: 32218808 PMCID: PMC7068531 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.11394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins represent novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer. In particular, STAT-3 serves critical roles in several cellular processes, including the cell cycle, cell proliferation, cellular apoptosis and tumorigenesis. Persistent activation of STAT-3 has been reported in a variety of cancer types, and a poor prognosis of cancer may be associated with the phosphorylation level of STAT-3. Furthermore, elevated STAT-3 activity has been demonstrated in a variety of mammalian cancers, both in vitro and in vivo. This indicates that STAT-3 serves an important role in the progression of numerous cancer types. A significant obstacle in developing STAT-3 inhibitors is the demonstration of the antitumor efficacy in in vivo systems and the lack of animal models for human tumors. Therefore, it is crucial to determine whether available STAT-3 inhibitors are suitable for clinical trials. Moreover, further preclinical studies are necessary to focus on the impact of STAT-3 inhibitors on tumor cells. When considering STAT-3 hyper-activation in human cancer, selective targeting to these proteins holds promise for significant advancement in cancer treatment. In the present study, advances in our knowledge of the structure of STAT-3 protein and its regulatory mechanisms are summarized. Moreover, the STAT-3 signaling pathway and its critical role in malignancy are discussed, in addition to the development of STAT-3 inhibitors in various cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Gu
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China.,College of Pharmacy, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
| | - Imran Shair Mohammad
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, P.R. China
| | - Zhe Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China.,College of Pharmacy, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
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21
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Revisiting the development of small molecular inhibitors that directly target the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) domains. Life Sci 2020; 242:117241. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.117241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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22
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Abstract
Tyrosine phosphorylation is a critical component of signal transduction for multicellular organisms, particularly for pathways that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. While tyrosine kinase inhibitors have become FDA-approved drugs, inhibitors of the other important components of these signaling pathways have been harder to develop. Specifically, direct phosphotyrosine (pTyr) isosteres have been aggressively pursued as inhibitors of Src homology 2 (SH2) domains and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). Medicinal chemists have produced many classes of peptide and small molecule inhibitors that mimic pTyr. However, balancing affinity with selectivity and cell penetration has made this an extremely difficult space for developing successful clinical candidates. This review will provide a comprehensive picture of the field of pTyr isosteres, from early beginnings to the current state and trajectory. We will also highlight the major protein targets of these medicinal chemistry efforts, the major classes of peptide and small molecule inhibitors that have been developed, and the handful of compounds which have been tested in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Cerulli
- Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA
| | - Joshua A Kritzer
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA.
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23
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Orlova A, Wagner C, de Araujo ED, Bajusz D, Neubauer HA, Herling M, Gunning PT, Keserű GM, Moriggl R. Direct Targeting Options for STAT3 and STAT5 in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:E1930. [PMID: 31817042 PMCID: PMC6966570 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11121930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 and STAT5 are important transcription factors that are able to mediate or even drive cancer progression through hyperactivation or gain-of-function mutations. Mutated STAT3 is mainly associated with large granular lymphocytic T-cell leukemia, whereas mutated STAT5B is associated with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and γδ T-cell-derived lymphomas. Hyperactive STAT3 and STAT5 are also implicated in various hematopoietic and solid malignancies, such as chronic and acute myeloid leukemia, melanoma or prostate cancer. Classical understanding of STAT functions is linked to their phosphorylated parallel dimer conformation, in which they induce gene transcription. However, the functions of STAT proteins are not limited to their phosphorylated dimerization form. In this review, we discuss the functions and the roles of unphosphorylated STAT3/5 in the context of chromatin remodeling, as well as the impact of STAT5 oligomerization on differential gene expression in hematopoietic neoplasms. The central involvement of STAT3/5 in cancer has made these molecules attractive targets for small-molecule drug development, but currently there are no direct STAT3/5 inhibitors of clinical grade available. We summarize the development of inhibitors against the SH2 domains of STAT3/5 and discuss their applicability as cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Orlova
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (A.O.); (C.W.); (H.A.N.)
| | - Christina Wagner
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (A.O.); (C.W.); (H.A.N.)
| | - Elvin D. de Araujo
- Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada; (E.D.d.A.); (P.T.G.)
- Centre for Medicinal Chemistry, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Dávid Bajusz
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary; (D.B.); (G.M.K.)
| | - Heidi A. Neubauer
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (A.O.); (C.W.); (H.A.N.)
| | - Marco Herling
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Response and Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Cologne University, 50937 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Patrick T. Gunning
- Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada; (E.D.d.A.); (P.T.G.)
- Centre for Medicinal Chemistry, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - György M. Keserű
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary; (D.B.); (G.M.K.)
| | - Richard Moriggl
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (A.O.); (C.W.); (H.A.N.)
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24
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Huang Q, Zhong Y, Dong H, Zheng Q, Shi S, Zhu K, Qu X, Hu W, Zhang X, Wang Y. Revisiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) as an anticancer target and its inhibitor discovery: Where are we and where should we go? Eur J Med Chem 2019; 187:111922. [PMID: 31810784 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
As a transcription factor, STAT3 protein transduces extracellular signals to the nucleus and then activates transcription of target genes. STAT3 has been well validated as an attractive anticancer target due to its important roles in cancer initiation and progression. Identification of specific and potent STAT3 inhibitors has attracted much attention, while there has been no STAT3 targeted drug approved for clinical application. In this review, we will briefly introduce STAT3 protein and review its role in multiple aspects of cancer, and systematically summarize the recent advances in discovery of STAT3 inhibitors, especially the ones discovered in the past five years. In the last part of the review, we will discuss the possible new strategies to overcome the difficulties of developing potent and specific STAT3 inhibitors and hope to shed light on future drug design and inhibitor optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyao Huang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yan Zhong
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Hui Dong
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Qiyao Zheng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Shuo Shi
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Kai Zhu
- Innovation Practice Center, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Xinming Qu
- Innovation Practice Center, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Wenhao Hu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xiaolei Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Yuanxiang Wang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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25
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Gelain A, Mori M, Meneghetti F, Villa S. Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription Protein 3 (STAT3): An Update on its Direct Inhibitors as Promising Anticancer Agents. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:5165-5206. [PMID: 30027840 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180719122729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Since Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor which plays an important role in multiple aspects of cancer, including progression and migration, and it is constitutively activated in various human tumors, STAT3 inhibition has emerged as a validated strategy for the treatment of several malignancies. The aim of this review is to provide an update on the identification of new promising direct inhibitors targeting STAT3 domains, as potential anticancer agents. METHODS A thorough literature search focused on recently reported STAT3 direct inhibitors was undertaken. We considered the relevant developments regarding the STAT3 domains, which have been identified as potential drug targets. RESULTS In detail, 135 peer-reviewed papers and 7 patents were cited; the inhibitors we took into account targeted the DNA binding domain (compounds were grouped into natural derivatives, small molecules, peptides, aptamers and oligonucleotides), the SH2 binding domain (natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic compounds) and specific residues, like cysteines (natural, semi-synthetic, synthetic compounds and dual inhibitors) and tyrosine 705. CONCLUSION The huge number of direct STAT3 inhibitors recently identified demonstrates a strong interest in the investigation of this target, although it represents a challenging task considering that no drug targeting this enzyme is currently available for anticancer therapy. Notably, many studies on the available inhibitors evidenced that some of them possess a dual mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Gelain
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Universita degli Studi di Milano, via L. Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Matteo Mori
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Universita degli Studi di Milano, via L. Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Fiorella Meneghetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Universita degli Studi di Milano, via L. Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Stefania Villa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Universita degli Studi di Milano, via L. Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Hu YS, Han X, Liu XH. STAT3: A Potential Drug Target for Tumor and Inflammation. Curr Top Med Chem 2019; 19:1305-1317. [PMID: 31218960 DOI: 10.2174/1568026619666190620145052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
STAT (Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription) is a cellular signal transcription factor involved in the regulation of many cellular activities, such as cell differentiation, proliferation, angiogenesis in normal cells. During the study of the STAT family, STAT3 was found to be involved in many diseases, such as high expression and sustained activation of STAT3 in tumor cells, promoting tumor growth and proliferation. In the study of inflammation, it was found that it plays an important role in the anti-inflammatory and repairing of damage tissues. Because of the important role of STAT3, a large number of studies have been obtained. At the same time, after more than 20 years of development, STAT3 has also been used as a target for drug therapy. And the discovery of small molecule inhibitors also promoted the study of STAT3. Since STAT3 has been extensively studied in inflammation and tumor regulation, this review presents the current state of research on STAT3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Sheng Hu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Xu Han
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Xin Hua Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
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Li Y, Gan C, Zhang Y, Yu Y, Fan C, Deng Y, Zhang Q, Yu X, Zhang Y, Wang L, He F, Xie Y, Ye T, Yin W. Inhibition of Stat3 Signaling Pathway by Natural Product Pectolinarigenin Attenuates Breast Cancer Metastasis. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:1195. [PMID: 31649548 PMCID: PMC6796319 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer with considerable metastatic potential, which urges the need for developing novel potential drug candidate to inhibit tumor metastasis. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) have critical roles in cancer growth and metastasis and have been confirmed as a promising anticancer target. Here, we report our finding with pectolinarigenin, a flavonoid compound isolated from the aerial parts of Cirsium chanroenicum. Methods: The role of Pec. in cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and cell migration and invasion in three breast cancer cells (4T1, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7) was investigated. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay, cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry, and protein expression was detected by western blotting. Tumor xenograft mice model and breast tumor metastasis model in vivo were built to further assess the effects of Pec. on 4T1 cells. Results: Intraperitoneal administrations of pectolinarigenin significantly inhibited breast cancer metastasis to lungs without affecting the tumor growth of incubated 4T1 breast cancer cells. Pectolinarigenin could also recruit CD8+ T cells to mediate tumor immune response. Furthermore, pectolinarigenin markedly impaired cancer cell migration and invasion by down-regulating phosphorylated-Stat3, and expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, while up-regulating the expression of TIMP2. We also found that pectolinarigenin inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation and induced apoptosis via mitochondrial-related apoptosis pathway, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and the expression of Bcl-2, increased expression of Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 as well as disturbed the ROS generation. Conclusions: Pectolinarigenin might potentially be a candidate for metastasis of breast cancer by mediating Stat3 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yali Li
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital and Healthy Food Evaluation Research Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Laboratory of Liver Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Cailing Gan
- Laboratory of Liver Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Yange Zhang
- Cosmetic Plastic and Burn Surgery, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yan Yu
- Laboratory of Liver Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Chen Fan
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuanle Deng
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital and Healthy Food Evaluation Research Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qianyu Zhang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital and Healthy Food Evaluation Research Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xi Yu
- Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Yiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Liver Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Liqun Wang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital and Healthy Food Evaluation Research Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Fang He
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital and Healthy Food Evaluation Research Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yongmei Xie
- Laboratory of Liver Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Tinghong Ye
- Laboratory of Liver Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Wenya Yin
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital and Healthy Food Evaluation Research Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Sabanés Zariquiey F, da Souza JV, Estrada-Tejedor R, Bronowska AK. If You Cannot Win Them, Join Them: Understanding New Ways to Target STAT3 by Small Molecules. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:13913-13921. [PMID: 31497709 PMCID: PMC6714540 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b01601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Signal transducer activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is among the most investigated oncogenic transcription factors, as it is highly associated with cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, chemoresistance, and immune evasion. Evidences from both preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that STAT3 plays a critical role in several malignancies associated with poor prognosis such as glioblastoma and triple-negative breast cancer, and STAT3 inhibitors have shown efficacy in inhibiting cancer growth and metastasis. Constitutive activation of STAT3 by mutations occurs frequently in tumor cells and directly contributes to many malignant phenotypes. Unfortunately, detailed structural biology studies on STAT3 as well as target-based drug discovery efforts have been hampered by difficulties in the expression and purification of the full-length STAT3 and a lack of ligand-bound crystal structures. Considering these, molecular modeling and simulations offer an attractive strategy for the assessment of the "druggability" of STAT3 dimers and allow investigations of reported activating and inhibiting STAT3 mutants at the atomistic level of detail. In the present study, we focused on the effects exerted by reported STAT3 mutations on the protein structure, dynamics, DNA-binding, and dimerization, thus linking structure, dynamics, energetics, and the biological function. By employing atomistic molecular dynamics and umbrella-sampling simulations to a series of human STAT3 dimers, which comprised wild-type protein and four mutations, we explained the modulation of STAT3 activity by these mutations. Counter-intuitively, our results show that the D570K inhibitory mutation exerts its effect by enhancing rather than weakening STAT3-DNA interactions, which interfere with the DNA release by the protein dimer and thus inhibit STAT3 function as a transcription factor. We mapped the binding site and characterized the binding mode of a clinical candidate napabucasin/BBI-608 at STAT3, which resembles the effect of a D570K mutation. Our results contribute to understanding the activation/inhibition mechanism of STAT3, to explain the molecular mechanism of STAT3 inhibition by BBI-608. Alongside the characterization of the BBI-608 binding mode, we also discovered a novel binding site amenable to bind small-molecule ligands, which may pave the way to design novel STAT3 inhibitors and to suggest new strategies for pharmacological interventions to combat cancers associated with poor prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesc Sabanés Zariquiey
- Chemistry,
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU Newcastle, United Kingdom
| | - João V. da Souza
- Chemistry,
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU Newcastle, United Kingdom
| | - Roger Estrada-Tejedor
- IQS
School of Engineering(IQS)—Universitat
Ramon Llull (URL), 08017 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Agnieszka K. Bronowska
- Chemistry,
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU Newcastle, United Kingdom
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Ji XL, He M. Sodium cantharidate targets STAT3 and abrogates EGFR inhibitor resistance in osteosarcoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2019; 11:5848-5863. [PMID: 31422383 PMCID: PMC6710037 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Overactive EGFR signaling is frequently seen in osteosarcoma cells, and represents a potential therapeutic target. However, feedback activation of STAT3 after EGFR inhibition is linked to treatment resistance, suggesting that combined EGFR/STAT3 inhibition may be needed to overcome this effect. Cantharidin and its analogues have shown strong anticancer effects, including STAT3 inhibition, in several tumor cells. Therefore, we investigated the effects of sodium cantharidate (SC), either as monotherapy and in combination with the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib, on STAT3 activation and osteosarcoma cell growth. Cell viability, migration, and apoptosis assays were performed in human MG63 and U2OS cells, and MG63 xenografts were generated in nude mice to verify the suppression of tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to verify the STAT3 and EGFR phosphorylation statuses in xenografts. We found that SC repressed cell viability and migration and induced apoptosis in vitro, while combined SC and erlotinib treatment enhanced osteosarcoma growth suppression by preventing feedback activation of STAT3. These data support further development of cantharidin-based combination therapies for metastatic and recurrent/refractory osteosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Lu Ji
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming He
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, People's Republic of China
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30
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Alcolea V, Karelia DN, Pandey MK, Plano D, Singh P, Palop JA, Amin S, Sanmartín C, Sharma AK. Identification of a Novel Quinoxaline-Isoselenourea Targeting the STAT3 Pathway as a Potential Melanoma Therapeutic. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20030521. [PMID: 30691132 PMCID: PMC6386884 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The prognosis for patients with metastatic melanoma remains very poor. Constitutive signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation has been correlated to metastasis, poor patient survival, larger tumor size, and acquired resistance against vemurafenib (PLX-4032), suggesting its potential as a molecular target. We recently designed a series of isoseleno- and isothio-urea derivatives of several biologically active heterocyclic scaffolds. The cytotoxic effects of lead isoseleno- and isothio-urea derivatives (compounds 1 and 3) were studied in a panel of five melanoma cell lines, including B-RAFV600E-mutant and wild-type (WT) cells. Compound 1 (IC50 range 0.8–3.8 µM) showed lower IC50 values than compound 3 (IC50 range 8.1–38.7 µM) and the mutant B-RAF specific inhibitor PLX-4032 (IC50 ranging from 0.4 to >50 µM), especially at a short treatment time (24 h). These effects were long-lasting, since melanoma cells did not recover their proliferative potential after 14 days of treatment. In addition, we confirmed that compound 1 induced cell death by apoptosis using Live-and-Dead, Annexin V, and Caspase3/7 apoptosis assays. Furthermore, compound 1 reduced the protein levels of STAT3 and its phosphorylation, as well as decreased the expression of STAT3-regulated genes involved in metastasis and survival, such as survivin and c-myc. Compound 1 also upregulated the cell cycle inhibitor p21. Docking studies further revealed the favorable binding of compound 1 with the SH2 domain of STAT3, suggesting it acts through STAT3 inhibition. Taken together, our results suggest that compound 1 induces apoptosis by means of the inhibition of the STAT3 pathway, non-specifically targeting both B-RAF-mutant and WT melanoma cells, with much higher cytotoxicity than the current therapeutic drug PLX-4032.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Alcolea
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, Irunlarrea 1, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Irunlarrea 3, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Deepkamal N Karelia
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Cancer Institute, CH72, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA.
| | - Manoj K Pandey
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Cancer Institute, CH72, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA.
| | - Daniel Plano
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, Irunlarrea 1, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Irunlarrea 3, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Parvesh Singh
- School of Chemistry and Physics, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN), Westville Campus, Durban 4000, South Africa.
| | - Juan Antonio Palop
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, Irunlarrea 1, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Irunlarrea 3, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Shantu Amin
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Cancer Institute, CH72, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA.
| | - Carmen Sanmartín
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, Irunlarrea 1, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Irunlarrea 3, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Arun K Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Cancer Institute, CH72, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA.
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Zheng H, Yang L, Kang Y, Chen M, Lin S, Xiang Y, Li C, Dai X, Huang X, Liang G, Zhao C. Alantolactone sensitizes human pancreatic cancer cells to EGFR inhibitors through the inhibition of STAT3 signaling. Mol Carcinog 2019; 58:565-576. [PMID: 30520143 DOI: 10.1002/mc.22951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hailun Zheng
- Chemical Biology Research Center; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Lehe Yang
- Chemical Biology Research Center; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine; The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Heart and Lung; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
- Department of Respiratory Medicine; Affiliated Yueqing Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Yanting Kang
- Chemical Biology Research Center; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
- Department of Ultrasonography; Yichun People's Hospital; Yichun Jiangxi China
| | - Min Chen
- Chemical Biology Research Center; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Shichong Lin
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine; The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Heart and Lung; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Youqun Xiang
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine; The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Heart and Lung; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Caleb Li
- Coffman High School; Dublin Ohio USA
| | - Xuanxuan Dai
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine; The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Heart and Lung; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Xiaoying Huang
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine; The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Heart and Lung; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Guang Liang
- Chemical Biology Research Center; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
| | - Chengguang Zhao
- Chemical Biology Research Center; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
- Department of Respiratory Medicine; Affiliated Yueqing Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University; Wenzhou Zhejiang China
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Li C, Chen C, An Q, Yang T, Sang Z, Yang Y, Ju Y, Tong A, Luo Y. A novel series of napabucasin derivatives as orally active inhibitors of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). Eur J Med Chem 2019; 162:543-554. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.10.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Mboge MY, Chen Z, Wolff A, Mathias JV, Tu C, Brown KD, Bozdag M, Carta F, Supuran CT, McKenna R, Frost SC. Selective inhibition of carbonic anhydrase IX over carbonic anhydrase XII in breast cancer cells using benzene sulfonamides: Disconnect between activity and growth inhibition. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207417. [PMID: 30452451 PMCID: PMC6242694 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) have been linked to tumor progression, particularly membrane-bound CA isoform IX (CA IX). The role of CA IX in the context of breast cancer is to regulate the pH of the tumor microenvironment. In contrast to CA IX, expression of CA XII, specifically in breast cancer, is associated with better outcome despite performing the same catalytic function. In this study, we have structurally modeled the orientation of bound ureido-substituted benzene sulfonamides (USBs) within the active site of CA XII, in comparison to CA IX and cytosolic off-target CA II, to understand isoform specific inhibition. This has identified specific residues within the CA active site, which differ between isoforms that are important for inhibitor binding and isoform specificity. The ability of these sulfonamides to block CA IX activity in breast cancer cells is less effective than their ability to block activity of the recombinant protein (by one to two orders of magnitude depending on the inhibitor). The same is true for CA XII activity but now they are two to three orders of magnitude less effective. Thus, there is significantly greater specificity for CA IX activity over CA XII. While the inhibitors block cell growth, without inducing cell death, this again occurs at two orders of magnitude above the Ki values for inhibition of CA IX and CA XII activity in their respective cell types. Surprisingly, the USBs inhibited cell growth even in cells where CA IX and CA XII expression was ablated. Despite the potential for these sulfonamides as chemotherapeutic agents, these data suggest that we reconsider the role of CA activity on growth potentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mam Y. Mboge
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Zhijuan Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Alyssa Wolff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - John V. Mathias
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Chingkuang Tu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Kevin D. Brown
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Murat Bozdag
- University of Florence, NEUROFARBA Department, Sezione di Farmaceutica e Nutraceutica, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), Italy
| | - Fabrizio Carta
- University of Florence, NEUROFARBA Department, Sezione di Farmaceutica e Nutraceutica, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), Italy
| | - Claudiu T. Supuran
- University of Florence, NEUROFARBA Department, Sezione di Farmaceutica e Nutraceutica, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), Italy
| | - Robert McKenna
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Susan C. Frost
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Yamanaka K, Eldeiry M, Aftab M, Ryan TJ, Roda G, Meng X, Weyant MJ, Cleveland JC, Fullerton DA, Reece TB. Pretreatment With Diazoxide Attenuates Spinal Cord Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Through Signaling Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Pathway. Ann Thorac Surg 2018; 107:733-739. [PMID: 30395862 DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2018.09.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Delayed paraplegia remains a feared complication of thoracoabdominal aortic intervention. Pharmacologic preconditioning with diazoxide (DZ), an adenosine 5'-triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel opener, results in neuroprotection against ischemic insult. However, the effects of DZ in spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury have not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that DZ attenuates spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury through the signaling transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 pathway. METHODS Adult male C57/BL6 mice received DZ (20 mg/kg) by oral gavage. Spinal cords were harvested at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 hours after administration of DZ. The expression of phosphorylated STAT3 was assessed by Western blot analysis. Five groups were studied: DZ (DZ pretreatment, n = 8), ischemic control (phosphate-buffered saline pretreatment, n = 11), DZ + STAT3 inhibitor LY5 (DZ pretreatment + LY5, n = 8), LY5 (phosphate-buffered saline pretreatment + LY5, n = 8), and sham (without cross-clamping, n = 5). Spinal cord ischemia was induced by 4 minutes of thoracic aortic cross-clamp. Functional scoring (Basso Mouse Score) was done at 12-hour intervals until 48 hours, and spinal cords were harvested for the evaluation of B-cell lymphoma 2 expression and histologic changes. RESULTS The expression of phosphorylated STAT3 was significantly upregulated 36 hours after the administration of DZ. The motor function in the DZ group was significantly preserved compared with all other groups. The expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 in the DZ group was significantly higher than in the ischemic control, DZ + LY5, and LY5 groups 48 hours after reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS DZ preserves motor function in spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury by the STAT3 pathway. DZ may be beneficial clinically for use in spinal protection in aortic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsuhiro Yamanaka
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.
| | - Mohamed Eldeiry
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Muhammad Aftab
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Thomas J Ryan
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Gavriel Roda
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Xianzhong Meng
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Michael J Weyant
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Joseph C Cleveland
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - David A Fullerton
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - T Brett Reece
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
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Two decades of research in discovery of anticancer drugs targeting STAT3, how close are we? Pharmacol Ther 2018; 191:74-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Zhang W, Yu W, Cai G, Zhu J, Zhang C, Li S, Guo J, Yin G, Chen C, Kong L. A new synthetic derivative of cryptotanshinone KYZ3 as STAT3 inhibitor for triple-negative breast cancer therapy. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:1098. [PMID: 30368518 PMCID: PMC6204138 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-018-1139-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Silencing STAT3 is confirmed as a promising therapeutic strategy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) therapy to address the issue of its poor prognosis. In this study, the natural product cryptotanshinone was firstly remodeled and modified as a more effective STAT3 inhibitor by structure-based strategy. The synthetic derivative KYZ3 had 22-24-fold increase in antitumor activity than cryptotanshinone on two TNBC cell lines but had little effect on normal breast epithelial MCF-10A cells. Further investigation showed that KYZ3 inhibited persistent STAT3 phosphorylation. It also prevented the STAT3 protein nuclear translocation to regulate the expressions of the target oncogenes including Bax and Bcl-2. Furthermore, KYZ3 inhibited TNBC cell metastasis by decreasing the levels of MMP-9 which were directly regulated by activated STAT3. A STAT3 plasmid transfecting assay suggested that KYZ3 induced tumor cell apoptosis mainly by targeting STAT3. Finally, KYZ3 suppressed the growth of tumors resulting from subcutaneous implantation of MDA-MB-231 cells in vivo. Taken together, KYZ3 may be a promising cancer therapeutic agent for TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenda Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Wenying Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China.
| | - Guiping Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiawen Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Shanshan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Jianpeng Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Guoping Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Chen Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Lingyi Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, 210009, Nanjing, China.
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37
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Garden OA, Volk SW, Mason NJ, Perry JA. Companion animals in comparative oncology: One Medicine in action. Vet J 2018; 240:6-13. [PMID: 30268334 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2018.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Comparative oncology is poised to have a far-reaching impact on both animals and human beings with cancer. The field is gaining momentum and has repeatedly proven its utility in various aspects of oncology, including study of the genetics, development, progression, immunology and therapy of cancer. Companion animals provide many advantages over both traditional rodent models and human beings for studying cancer biology and accelerating the development of novel anti-cancer therapies. In this review, several examples of the ability of companion animals with spontaneous cancers to fill a unique niche in the field of oncology are discussed. In addition, potential caveats of the use of companion animals in research are reviewed, as well as ethical considerations and efforts to standardize veterinary clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- O A Garden
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - S W Volk
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - N J Mason
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - J A Perry
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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38
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A high-throughput fluorescence polarization assay for discovering inhibitors targeting the DNA-binding domain of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). Oncotarget 2018; 9:32690-32701. [PMID: 30220975 PMCID: PMC6135694 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Anti-cancer drug discovery efforts to directly inhibit the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) have been active for over a decade following the discovery that 70% of cancers exhibit elevated STAT3 activity. The majority of research has focused on attenuating STAT3 activity through preventing homo-dimerization by targeting the SH2 or transcriptional activation domains. Such dimerization inhibitors have not yet reached the market. However, an alternative strategy focussed on preventing STAT3 DNA-binding through targeting the DNA-binding domain (DBD) offers new drug design opportunities. Currently, only EMSA and ELISA-based methods have been implemented with suitable reliability to characterize STAT3 DBD inhibitors. Herein, we present a new orthogonal, fluorescence polarization (FP) assay suitable for high-throughput screening of molecules. This assay, using a STAT3127-688 construct, was developed and optimized to screen molecules that attenuate the STAT3:DNA association with good reliability (Z’ value > 0.6) and a significant contrast (signal-to-noise ratio > 15.0) at equilibrium. The assay system was stable over a 48 hour period. Significantly, the assay is homogeneous and simple to implement for high-throughput screening compared to EMSA and ELISA. Overall, this FP assay offers a new way to identify and characterize novel molecules that inhibit STAT3:DNA association.
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Carta D, Dal Prà M, Grazia Ferlin M. Amidic Coupling in the Synthesis of Pyrroloquinoline 4‐ and 9‐Carboxamides as Potential STAT3 Inhibitors. ChemistrySelect 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201801670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Davide Carta
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological SciencesUniversity of Padova 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Matteo Dal Prà
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological SciencesUniversity of Padova 35131 Padova Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Ferlin
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological SciencesUniversity of Padova 35131 Padova Italy
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40
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Discovery of new benzensulfonamide derivatives as tripedal STAT3 inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 151:752-764. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.03.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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41
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Bian Y, Xie XQS. Computational Fragment-Based Drug Design: Current Trends, Strategies, and Applications. AAPS JOURNAL 2018; 20:59. [PMID: 29633051 DOI: 10.1208/s12248-018-0216-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Fragment-based drug design (FBDD) has become an effective methodology for drug development for decades. Successful applications of this strategy brought both opportunities and challenges to the field of Pharmaceutical Science. Recent progress in the computational fragment-based drug design provide an additional approach for future research in a time- and labor-efficient manner. Combining multiple in silico methodologies, computational FBDD possesses flexibilities on fragment library selection, protein model generation, and fragments/compounds docking mode prediction. These characteristics provide computational FBDD superiority in designing novel and potential compounds for a certain target. The purpose of this review is to discuss the latest advances, ranging from commonly used strategies to novel concepts and technologies in computational fragment-based drug design. Particularly, in this review, specifications and advantages are compared between experimental and computational FBDD, and additionally, limitations and future prospective are discussed and emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuemin Bian
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, USA.,NIH National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, USA.,Drug Discovery Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, USA
| | - Xiang-Qun Sean Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, USA. .,NIH National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, USA. .,Drug Discovery Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, USA. .,Department of Computational Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, USA. .,Department of Structural Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, USA.
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42
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Zhao C, Wang W, Yu W, Jou D, Wang Y, Ma H, Xiao H, Qin H, Zhang C, Lü J, Li S, Li C, Lin J, Lin L. A novel small molecule STAT3 inhibitor, LY5, inhibits cell viability, colony formation, and migration of colon and liver cancer cells. Oncotarget 2017; 7:12917-26. [PMID: 26883202 PMCID: PMC4914331 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is persistently activated in human liver and colon cancer cells and is required for cancer cell viability, survival and migration. Therefore, inhibition of STAT3 signaling may be a viable therapeutic approach for these two cancers. We recently designed a non-peptide small molecule STAT3 inhibitor, LY5, using in silico site-directed Fragment-based drug design (FBDD). The inhibitory effect on STAT3 phosphorylation, cell viability, migration and colony forming ability by LY5 were examined in human liver and colon cancer cells. We demonstrated that LY5 inhibited constitutive Interleukin-6 (IL-6)-induced STAT3 phosphorylation, STAT3 nuclear translocation, decreased STAT3 downstream targeted gene expression and induced apoptosis in liver and colon cancer cells. LY5 had little effect on STAT1 phosphorylation mediated by IFN-γ. Inhibition of persistent STAT3 phosphorylation by LY5 also inhibited colony formation, cell migration, and decreased the viability of liver cancer and colon cancer cells. Furthermore, LY5 inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation and suppressed colon tumor growth in a mouse model in vivo. Our results suggest that LY5 is a potent STAT3 inhibitor and may be a potential drug candidate for liver and colon cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chongqiang Zhao
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China.,Division of Cardiology, Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Wenlong Wang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China.,Division of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Cardiac Center, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Wenying Yu
- Division of State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - David Jou
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Yina Wang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China
| | - Haiyan Ma
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China
| | - Hui Xiao
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Hua Qin
- Division of Gastroenterology, Departments of Internal Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China
| | - Cuntai Zhang
- Departments of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China
| | - Jiagao Lü
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China
| | - Sheng Li
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China
| | - Chenglong Li
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jiayuh Lin
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Li Lin
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China
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43
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Seo B, Kim H, Kim YG, Baek Y, Um K, Lee PH. Synthesis of Bicyclic Isothiazoles through an Intramolecular Rhodium-Catalyzed Transannulation of Cyanothiadiazoles. J Org Chem 2017; 82:10574-10582. [PMID: 28889744 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.7b02077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An intramolecular rhodium-catalyzed transannulation of readily available cyanothiadiazoles containing an ester, amide, or ether as a linker is described. It provides a wide range of bicyclic isothiazoles in good to excellent yields together with the release of molecular nitrogen. These results indicate that the carbon atom in the α-thiavinyl carbene is nucleophilic and that the sulfur atom is electrophilic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boram Seo
- Department of Chemistry, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunseok Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Ya Gob Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Yonghyeon Baek
- Department of Chemistry, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyusik Um
- Department of Chemistry, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Phil Ho Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
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44
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Yu PY, Gardner HL, Roberts R, Cam H, Hariharan S, Ren L, LeBlanc AK, Xiao H, Lin J, Guttridge DC, Mo X, Bennett CE, Coss CC, Ling Y, Phelps MA, Houghton P, London CA. Target specificity, in vivo pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of the putative STAT3 inhibitor LY5 in osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181885. [PMID: 28750090 PMCID: PMC5531494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background STAT3 is a transcription factor involved in cytokine and receptor kinase signal transduction that is aberrantly activated in a variety of sarcomas, promoting metastasis and chemotherapy resistance. The purpose of this work was to develop and test a novel putative STAT3 inhibitor, LY5. Methods and findings An in silico fragment-based drug design strategy was used to create LY5, a small molecule inhibitor that blocks the STAT3 SH2 domain phosphotyrosine binding site, inhibiting homodimerization. LY5 was evaluated in vitro demonstrating good biologic activity against rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma cell lines at high nanomolar/low micromolar concentrations, as well as specific inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation without effects on other STAT3 family members. LY5 exhibited excellent oral bioavailability in both mice and healthy dogs, and drug absorption was enhanced in the fasted state with tolerable dosing in mice at 40 mg/kg BID. However, RNAi-mediated knockdown of STAT3 did not phenocopy the biologic effects of LY5 in sarcoma cell lines. Moreover, concentrations needed to inhibit ex vivo metastasis growth using the PuMA assay were significantly higher than those needed to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation in vitro. Lastly, LY5 treatment did not inhibit the growth of sarcoma xenografts or prevent pulmonary metastasis in mice. Conclusions LY5 is a novel small molecule inhibitor that effectively inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation and cell proliferation at nanomolar concentrations. LY5 demonstrates good oral bioavailability in mice and dogs. However LY5 did not decrease tumor growth in xenograft mouse models and STAT3 knockdown did not induce concordant biologic effects. These data suggest that the anti-cancer effects of LY5 identified in vitro were not mediated through STAT3 inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Y. Yu
- Medical Student Research Program, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Heather L. Gardner
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences and Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ryan Roberts
- Center for Childhood Cancer, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Hakan Cam
- Center for Childhood Cancer, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Seethalakshmi Hariharan
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ling Ren
- Comparative Oncology Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Amy K. LeBlanc
- Comparative Oncology Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Hui Xiao
- Center for Childhood Cancer, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Jiayuh Lin
- Center for Childhood Cancer, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Denis C. Guttridge
- Arthur G. James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Xiaokui Mo
- Center for Biostatistics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Chad E. Bennett
- Medicinal Chemistry Shared Resource, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Christopher C. Coss
- Pharmacoanalytic Shared Resource, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Yonghua Ling
- Pharmacoanalytic Shared Resource, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Mitch A. Phelps
- Pharmacoanalytic Shared Resource, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Peter Houghton
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Cheryl A. London
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences and Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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45
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Qiu HY, Zhu X, Luo YL, Lin HY, Tang CY, Qi JL, Pang YJ, Yang RW, Lu GH, Wang XM, Yang YH. Identification of New Shikonin Derivatives as Antitumor Agents Targeting STAT3 SH2 Domain. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2863. [PMID: 28588262 PMCID: PMC5460289 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02671-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is hyper-activated in diversiform human tumors and has been validated as an attractive therapeutic target. Current research showed that a natural product, shikonin, along with its synthetic analogues, is able to inhibit the activity of STAT3 potently. The potential space of shikonin in developing novel anti-cancer agents encouraged us to carry out the investigation of the probable binding mode with STAT3. From this foundation, we have designed new types of STAT3 SH2 inhibitors. Combined simulations were performed to filter for the lead compound, which was then substituted, synthesized and evaluated by a variety of bioassays. Among the entities, PMM-172 exhibited the best anti-proliferative activity against MDA-MB-231 cells with IC50 value 1.98 ± 0.49 μM. Besides, it was identified to decrease luciferase activity, induce cell apoptosis and reduce mitochondrial transmembrane potential in MDA-MB-231 cells. Also, PMM-172 inhibited constitutive/inducible STAT3 activation without affecting STAT1 and STAT5 in MDA-MB-231 cells, and had no effect in non-tumorigenic MCF-10A cells. Moreover, PMM-172 suppressed STAT3 nuclear localization and STAT3 downstream target genes expression. Overall, these results indicate that the antitumor activity of PMM-172 is at least partially due to inhibition of STAT3 in breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han-Yue Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Xiang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Yue-Lin Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Hong-Yan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Cheng-Yi Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Jin-Liang Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Yan-Jun Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Rong-Wu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Gui-Hua Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China. .,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
| | - Xiao-Ming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China. .,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
| | - Yong-Hua Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU-NJFU Joint Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China. .,Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
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46
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Discovery of monocarbonyl curcumin-BTP hybrids as STAT3 inhibitors for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant breast cancer therapy. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46352. [PMID: 28397855 PMCID: PMC5387716 DOI: 10.1038/srep46352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a well-known antitumor target. Exogenous ROS insult can lead to selective cytotoxicity against cancer cells. A combination of STAT3 inhibition and “oxidation therapy” may be a new strategy to address the multidrug-resistance issue due to their important roles in the survival and drug resistance of cancer cells. Here, a series of novel curcumin-BTP hybrids were designed and evaluated as STAT3 inhibitors with ROS production activity. Compound 6b exerted the best antitumor activity and selectivity for MCF-7 and MCF-7/DOX cells (IC50 = 0.52 μM and 0.40 μM, respectively), while its IC50 value for MCF-10A breast epithelial cells was 7.72 μM. Furthermore, compound 6b suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation and DNA-binding activity and the expression of STAT3 specific oncogenes. Increases in the level of IL-6-induced p-STAT3 were also inhibited by 6b without influencing IFN-γ-induced p-STAT1 expression. Additionally, 6b effectively promoted intracellular ROS accumulation, induced cancer cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, abolished the colony formation ability of breast cancer cells, and inhibited P-gp expression in MCF-7/DOX cells. Finally, 6b suppressed the growth of implanted human breast cancer in vivo. Our findings highlight that 6b may be a promising therapeutic agent for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant breast cancers.
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47
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Yu W, Li C, Zhang W, Xia Y, Li S, Lin JY, Yu K, Liu M, Yang L, Luo J, Chen Y, Sun H, Kong L. Discovery of an Orally Selective Inhibitor of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Using Advanced Multiple Ligand Simultaneous Docking. J Med Chem 2017; 60:2718-2731. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b01489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Chenglong Li
- Division
of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | | | | | | | - Jia-yuh Lin
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Keqin Yu
- Water Supply
and Drainage, Nanchang Hangkong University, 696 Fenghe Avenue South, Nanchang 330046, China
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48
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Tian J, Xiao H, Wu R, Cao Y, Li C, Xu R, Pierson CR, Finlay JL, Yang F, Gu N, Lin J. The Antiproliferative and Colony-suppressive Activities of STAT3 Inhibitors in Human Cancer Cells Is Compromised Under Hypoxic Conditions. Anticancer Res 2017; 37:547-553. [PMID: 28179300 DOI: 10.21873/anticanres.11347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Constitutive activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been indicated as a novel cancer drug target, since it plays an important role in diverse oncogenic processes including survival, cell proliferation and migration. Emerging STAT3 inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in cancer cells and animal tumor models. It is well known that most solid tumors are characterized by hypoxia, but it is not clear if hypoxic conditions affect activity of STAT3 inhibitors. To examine this, two STAT3 inhibitors were tested to investigate their inhibitory efficacy in cancer cells grown under hypoxic conditions compared with those without hypoxia. Cell proliferation, colony formation and western blot assays were performed to examine the differences in the cell viability, proliferation and proteins in the STAT3 pathway. Under hypoxic conditions, the half-maximal inhibitory concentration values for both STAT3 inhibitors were increased compared to normoxic conditions in human pancreatic cancer, medulloblastoma and sarcoma cell lines. In addition, the ability of both STAT3 inhibitors to inhibit colony formation in pancreatic cancer, medulloblastoma and sarcoma cell lines was reduced under hypoxic conditions when compared to cells under normoxic conditions. Furthermore, there was an increase in phosphorylated STAT3 levels in cancer cells under hypoxic conditions, suggesting this may be one of the mechanisms of resistance. In summary, the results presented here provide a novel finding of STAT3 inhibitor activity under hypoxic conditions and indicate that under such low oxygen conditions, the anticancer efficacy of STAT3 inhibitors was indeed hampered. These results highlight the need to develop new therapeutic strategies to overcome the resistance of cancer cells to STAT3 inhibitors under hypoxic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jilai Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P.R. China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano-Science and Technology, Suzhou Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Technologies, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A
| | - Hui Xiao
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S.A
| | - Ruohan Wu
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S.A
| | - Yang Cao
- Department of Hematology & Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China
| | - Chenglong Li
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S.A
| | - Ronald Xu
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S.A
| | - Christopher R Pierson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and Departments of Pathology and Biomedical Education & Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S.A
| | - Jonathan L Finlay
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S.A.,Hematology and Oncology, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S.A
| | - Fang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P.R. China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano-Science and Technology, Suzhou Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Technologies, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Ning Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P.R. China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano-Science and Technology, Suzhou Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Technologies, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Jiayuh Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.
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49
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Ye TH, Yang FF, Zhu YX, Li YL, Lei Q, Song XJ, Xia Y, Xiong Y, Zhang LD, Wang NY, Zhao LF, Gou HF, Xie YM, Yang SY, Yu LT, Yang L, Wei YQ. Inhibition of Stat3 signaling pathway by nifuroxazide improves antitumor immunity and impairs colorectal carcinoma metastasis. Cell Death Dis 2017; 8:e2534. [PMID: 28055016 PMCID: PMC5386364 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2016.452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the one of the most common cancers with considerable metastatic potential, explaining the need for new drug candidates that inhibit tumor metastasis. The signal transducers and activators of the transcription 3 (Stat3) signaling pathway has an important role in CRC and has been validated as a promising anticancer target for CRC therapy. In the present study, we report our findings on nifuroxazide, an antidiarrheal agent identified as an inhibitor of Stat3. Our studies showed that nifuroxazide decreased the viability of three CRC cell lines and induced apoptosis of cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, western blot analysis demonstrated that the occurrence of its apoptosis was correlated with the activation of Bax and cleaved caspase-3, and decreased the expression of Bcl-2. In addition, nifuroxazide markedly impaired CRC cell migration and invasion by downregulating phosphorylated-Stat3Tyr705, and also impaired the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9). Furthermore, our studies showed that nifuroxazide also significantly inhibited the tumor metastasis in lung and abdomen metastasis models of colon cancer. Meanwhile, nifuroxazide functionally reduced the proliferation index, induced tumor apoptosis and impaired metastasis. Notably, nifuroxazide reduced the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the blood, spleens and tumors, accompanied by the increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells in the tumors. Importantly, a marked decrease in the number of M2-type macrophages in tumor in the abdomen metastasis model was also observed. Taken together, our results indicated that nifuroxazide could effectively inhibit tumor metastasis by mediating Stat3 pathway and it might have a therapeutic potential for the treatment of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Hong Ye
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Fang-Fang Yang
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yong-Xia Zhu
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ya-Li Li
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qian Lei
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xue-Jiao Song
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yong Xia
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying Xiong
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Pharmacy, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Li-Dan Zhang
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ning-Yu Wang
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Li-Feng Zhao
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hong-Feng Gou
- Department of Abdominal Cancer, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yong-Mei Xie
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Sheng-Yong Yang
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Luo-Ting Yu
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Yang
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yu-Quan Wei
- Department of Liver Surgery and Division of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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50
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Yang YW, Yang L, Zhang C, Gao CY, Ma T, Kong LY. Physagulide Q suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating the ROS-JAK2/Src-STAT3 signaling pathway. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra25032g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Physagulide Q (PQ), a new natural compound, was isolated from Physalis angulata L. in our laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Wei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 210009
- People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 210009
- People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 210009
- People's Republic of China
| | - Cai-Yun Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 210009
- People's Republic of China
| | - Ting Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 210009
- People's Republic of China
| | - Ling-Yi Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 210009
- People's Republic of China
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