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Quaglio D, Infante P, Cammarone S, Lamelza L, Conenna M, Ghirga F, Adabbo G, Pisano L, Di Marcotullio L, Botta B, Mori M. Exploring the Potential of Anthraquinone-Based Hybrids for Identifying a Novel Generation of Antagonists for the Smoothened Receptor in HH-Dependent Tumour. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202302237. [PMID: 37565343 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202302237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Natural products (NPs) are highly profitable pharmacological tools due to their chemical diversity and ability to modulate biological systems. Accessing new chemical entities while retaining the biological relevance of natural chemotypes is a fundamental goal in the design of novel bioactive compounds. Notably, NPs have played a crucial role in understanding Hedgehog (HH) signalling and its pharmacological modulation in anticancer therapy. However, HH antagonists developed so far have shown several limitations, thus growing interest in the design of second-generation HH inhibitors. Through smart manipulation of the NPs core-scaffold, unprecedented and intriguing architectures have been achieved following different design strategies. This study reports the rational design and synthesis of a first and second generation of anthraquinone-based hybrids by combining the rhein scaffold with variously substituted piperazine nuclei that are structurally similar to the active portion of known SMO antagonists, the main transducer of the HH pathway. A thorough functional and biological investigation identified RH2_2 and RH2_6 rhein-based hybrids as valuable candidates for HH inhibition through SMO antagonism, with the consequent suppression of HH-dependent tumour growth. These findings also corroborated the successful application of the NPs-based hybrid design strategy in the development of novel NP-based SMO antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Quaglio
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Infante
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Cammarone
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Lara Lamelza
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Marilisa Conenna
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Ghirga
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Gennaro Adabbo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Pisano
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Di Marcotullio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161, Rome, Italy
- Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Botta
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Mori
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
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