Conjugates of 3,5-Bis(arylidene)-4-piperidone and Sesquiterpene Lactones Have an Antitumor Effect via Resetting the Metabolic Phenotype of Cancer Cells

In recent years, researchers have often encountered the significance of the aberrant metabolism of tumor cells in the pathogenesis of malignant neoplasms. This phenomenon, known as the Warburg effect, provides a number of advantages in the survival of neoplastic cells, and its application is considered a potential strategy in the search for antitumor agents. With the aim of developing a promising platform for designing antitumor therapeutics, we synthesized a library of conjugates of 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidone and sesquiterpene lactones. To gain insight into the determinants of the biological activity of the prepared compounds, we showed that the conjugates of 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidone and sesquiterpene lactones, which are cytotoxic agents, demonstrate selective activity toward a number of tumor cell lines with glycolysis-inhibiting ability. Moreover, the results of molecular and in silico screening allowed us to identify these compounds as potential inhibitors of the pyruvate kinase M2 oncoprotein, which is the rate-determining enzyme of glycolysis. Thus, the results of our work indicate that the synthesized conjugates of 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidone and sesquiterpene lactones can be considered a promising platform for designing selective cytotoxic agents against the glycolysis process, which opens new possibilities for researchers involved in the search for antitumor therapeutics among compounds containing piperidone platforms.

Design of Conjugates Based on Sesquiterpene Lactones with Polyalkoxybenzenes by "Click" Chemistry to Create Potential Anticancer Agents

Using the methodology of "click" chemistry, a singular method has been developed for the synthesis of unique conjugates based on sesquiterpene lactones: dehydrocostuslactone and alantolactone with polyalkoxybenzenes. To expand the structural range of the resulting conjugates, the length of the 1,2,3-triazole spacer was varied. For all synthesized compounds, the cytotoxic profile was determined on the cell lines of tumor origin (SH-SY5Y, HeLa, Hep-2, A549) and normal Hek 293 cells. It was found that the compounds based on alantolactone 7a-d with a long spacer and substances containing dehydrocostuslactone 10a-d with a short spacer have the greatest toxic effect. The decrease in cell survival under the action of these conjugates may be due to their ability to cause dissipation of the transmembrane potential of mitochondria and inhibit the process of glycolysis, leading to cell death. The obtained results confirm the assumption that the development of conjugates based on sesquiterpene lactones and polyalkoxybenzenes can be considered as a promising strategy for the search for potential antitumor agents.

Modification of Sesquiterpene Lactones—Dehydrocostus Lactone and Alantolactone—by Click Chemistry Method. Cytotoxic Activity of the Obtained Conjugates

Abstract

A method for modifying sesquiterpene lactones using the click chemistry methodology has been developed. A series of conjugates of alantolactone and dehydrocostus lactone with alkoxy substituted benzylazides was obtained and their cytotoxic profile with respect to tumor cells of the A549, SH-SY5Y, Hep-2 and HeLa lines was evaluated. It has been shown that derivatives containing dehydrocostus lactone motif in their structure exhibit the highest cytotoxic activity.