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Thakur A, Rana M, Mishra A, Kaur C, Pan CH, Nepali K. Recent advances and future directions on small molecule VEGFR inhibitors in oncological conditions. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 272:116472. [PMID: 38728867 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116472] [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: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
"A journey of mixed emotions" is a quote that best describes the progress chart of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors as cancer therapeutics in the last decade. Exhilarated with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of numerous VEGFR inhibitors coupled with the annoyance of encountering the complications associated with their use, drug discovery enthusiasts are on their toes with an unswerving determination to enhance the rate of translation of VEGFR inhibitors from preclinical to clinical stage. The recently crafted armory of VEGFR inhibitors is a testament to their growing dominance over other antiangiogenic therapies for cancer treatment. This review perspicuously underscores the earnest attempts of the researchers to extract the antiproliferative potential of VEGFR inhibitors through the design of mechanistically diverse structural assemblages. Moreover, this review encompasses sections on structural/molecular properties and physiological functions of VEGFR, FDA-approved VEGFR inhibitors, and hurdles restricting the activity range/clinical applicability of VEGFR targeting antitumor agents. In addition, tactics to overcome the limitations of VEGFR inhibitors are discussed. A clear-cut viewpoint transmitted through this compilation can provide practical directions to push the cart of VEGFR inhibitors to advanced-stage clinical investigations in diverse malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandeep Thakur
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
| | - Mandeep Rana
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
| | - Anshul Mishra
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan
| | - Charanjit Kaur
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India
| | - Chun-Hsu Pan
- Ph.D. Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan
| | - Kunal Nepali
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110031, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.
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Malekan M, Haass NK, Rokni GR, Gholizadeh N, Ebrahimzadeh MA, Kazeminejad A. VEGF/VEGFR axis and its signaling in melanoma: Current knowledge toward therapeutic targeting agents and future perspectives. Life Sci 2024; 345:122563. [PMID: 38508233 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122563] [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: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Melanoma is responsible for most skin cancer-associated deaths globally. The progression of melanoma is influenced by a number of pathogenic processes. Understanding the VEGF/VEGFR axis, which includes VEGF-A, PlGF, VEGF-B, VEGF-C, and VEGF-D and their receptors, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3, is of great importance in melanoma due to its crucial role in angiogenesis. This axis generates multifactorial and complex cellular signaling, engaging the MAPK/ERK, PI3K/AKT, PKC, PLC-γ, and FAK signaling pathways. Melanoma cell growth and proliferation, migration and metastasis, survival, and acquired resistance to therapy are influenced by this axis. The VEGF/VEGFR axis was extensively examined for their potential as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers in melanoma patients and results showed that VEGF overexpression can be associated with unfavorable prognosis, higher level of tumor invasion and poor response to therapy. MicroRNAs linking to the VEGF/VEGFR axis were identified and, in this review, divided into two categories according to their functions, some of them promote melanoma angiogenesis (promotive group) and some restrict melanoma angiogenesis (protective group). In addition, the approach of treating melanoma by targeting the VEGF/VEGFR axis has garnered significant interest among researchers. These agents can be divided into two main groups: anti-VEGF and VEGFR inhibitors. These therapeutic options may be a prominent step along with the modern targeting and immune therapies for better coverage of pathological processes leading to melanoma progression and therapy resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Malekan
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
| | | | - Ghasem Rahmatpour Rokni
- Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Nasim Gholizadeh
- Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Ebrahimzadeh
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Armaghan Kazeminejad
- Department of Dermatology, Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences,Sari, Iran
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Meng YQ, Wang ZQ, Li JM, Xu DP, Meng BB, Huang MQ. Synthesis and anti-tumor activity of asiatic acid derivatives targeting VEGFR. JOURNAL OF ASIAN NATURAL PRODUCTS RESEARCH 2023; 25:1205-1216. [PMID: 37081794 DOI: 10.1080/10286020.2023.2202855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
To discovery novel VEGFR inhibitors, 12 novel asiatic acid derivatives were designed by computer-aided drug design (CADD) technology. Then, these novel asiatic acid derivatives were synthesized by introducing active groups at ring A and C-28 positions of asiatic acid. The structures of these novel analogues were confirmed by NMR and MS. Moreover, the anti-tumor activities of these novel asiatic acid derivatives on human hepatoma cells HepG2 and human gastric cancer cells SGC7901 were evaluated by MTT assay. As a result, compounds I2 and II4 showed stronger cytotoxicity on tumor cells than asiatic acid and positive control drugs such as gefitinib and paclitaxel. In conclusion, our study synthesized twelve novel asiatic acid derivatives and determined compounds I2 and II4 had better anti-tumor effect which may be potential candidate compounds for tumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Qiu Meng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
| | - Zhi-Qi Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
| | - Jin-Ming Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
| | - Dong-Ping Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
| | - Bei-Bei Meng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
| | - Mei-Qi Huang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
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Zhang Y, Wu C, Zhang N, Fan R, Ye Y, Xu J. Recent Advances in the Development of Pyrazole Derivatives as Anticancer Agents. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12724. [PMID: 37628906 PMCID: PMC10454718 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612724] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Pyrazole derivatives, as a class of heterocyclic compounds, possess unique chemical structures that confer them with a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities. They have been extensively explored for designing potent and selective anticancer agents. In recent years, numerous pyrazole derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer potential against various cancer cell lines. Structure-activity relationship studies have shown that appropriate substitution on different positions of the pyrazole ring can significantly enhance anticancer efficacy and tumor selectivity. It is noteworthy that many pyrazole derivatives have demonstrated multiple mechanisms of anticancer action by interacting with various targets including tubulin, EGFR, CDK, BTK, and DNA. Therefore, this review summarizes the current understanding on the structural features of pyrazole derivatives and their structure-activity relationships with different targets, aiming to facilitate the development of potential pyrazole-based anticancer drugs. We focus on the latest research advances in anticancer activities of pyrazole compounds reported from 2018 to present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingqian Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; (C.W.); (N.Z.); (R.F.); (Y.Y.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicines of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Engineering Laboratory of Development and Application of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Chenyuan Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; (C.W.); (N.Z.); (R.F.); (Y.Y.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicines of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Engineering Laboratory of Development and Application of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Nana Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; (C.W.); (N.Z.); (R.F.); (Y.Y.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicines of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Engineering Laboratory of Development and Application of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Rui Fan
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; (C.W.); (N.Z.); (R.F.); (Y.Y.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicines of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Engineering Laboratory of Development and Application of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Yang Ye
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; (C.W.); (N.Z.); (R.F.); (Y.Y.)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicines of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Engineering Laboratory of Development and Application of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Jun Xu
- College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
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Zhang LN, Zhang H, Chen SY, Liu YZ, Yang XH, Xiang FF, Liu YH, Li K, Yu XQ. γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase and pH based "AND" logic gate fluorescent probe for orthotopic breast tumor imaging. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:2795-2798. [PMID: 36789681 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc06568a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
An "AND" logic gate-based NIR fluorescent probe Si-NH2-Glu was developed based on novel meso-amine Si-Rhodamine, which combined γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and pH dual-responsive sites. The features of Si-NH2-Glu enable it to be applied in orthotopic tumor imaging and fluorescence-guided surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Na Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Hong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Shan-Yong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Yan-Zhao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Xiao-Hua Yang
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Fei-Fan Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Yan-Hong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Kun Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Xiao-Qi Yu
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China. .,Asymmetric Synthesis and Chiral Technology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Chemistry, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
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Chen S, Xu J, Yin S, Wang H, Liu G, Jin X, Zhang J, Wang H, Wang H, Li H, Liang J, He Y, Zhang C. Identification of a Two-Gene Signature and Establishment of a Prognostic Nomogram Predicting Overall Survival in Diffuse-Type Gastric Cancer. Curr Oncol 2022; 30:171-183. [PMID: 36661663 PMCID: PMC9857582 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30010014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is widely acknowledged that the molecular biological characteristics of diffuse-type gastric cancer are different from intestinal-type gastric cancer. Notwithstanding that significant progress in high-throughput sequencing technology has been made, there is a paucity of effective prognostic biomarkers for diffuse gastric cancer for clinical practice. METHODS We downloaded four GEO datasets (GSE22377, GSE38749, GSE47007 and GSE62254) to establish and validate a prognostic two-gene signature for diffuse gastric cancer. The TGCA-STAD dataset was used for external validation. The optimal gene signature was established by using Cox regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methodology was used to find the best prognostic model. Gene set enrichment analysis was used to analyze the possible signaling pathways of the two genes (MEF2C and TRIM15). RESULTS A total of four differently expressed genes (DEGs) (two upregulated and two downregulated) were identified. After a comprehensive analysis, two DEGs (MEF2C and TRIM15) were utilized to construct a prognostic model. A prognostic prediction model was constructed according to T stage, N stage, M stage and the expression of MEF2C and TRIM15. The area under the time-dependent receiver operator characteristic was used to evaluate the performance of the prognosis model in the GSE62254 dataset. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that MEF2C and TRIM15 might be key genes. We also established a prognostic nomogram based on the two-gene signature that yielded a good performance for predicting overall survival in diffuse-type gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songyao Chen
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Jiannan Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Songcheng Yin
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Huabin Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Guangyao Liu
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Xinghan Jin
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Junchang Zhang
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Huijin Wang
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Han Wang
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Huan Li
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Jianming Liang
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Yulong He
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
- Gastrointestinal Surgery Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Changhua Zhang
- Digestive Medicine Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
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ALKBH family members as novel biomarkers and prognostic factors in human breast cancer. Aging (Albany NY) 2022; 14:6579-6593. [PMID: 35980268 PMCID: PMC9467415 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common lethal carcinoma worldwide and better targeted therapies are still worthy of exploration, having had some great successes already. Abnormal expression of ALKBH members were found in various cancers, and the roles played by it were the focus of attention. The ALKBH gene family encodes nine homologous enzymes (ALKBH1-8 and FTO) to repair DNA or RNA depending on Fe2+ and α-ketoglutarate (α-KG), which is related to carcinogenesis. In this study, we applied several databases to explore the roles of ALKBHs in breast cancer. We found that ALKBH members were abnormal expression in breast cancer and associated with tumor stage and subclasses. Higher alteration rates of ALKBH family were found in breast cancer. Function enrichment revealed that several cancer-associated signal pathways were related to ALKBH family such as PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and axon guidance. Infiltration of immune cells (Eosinophiles, NK CD56bright cells, mast cells, T helper cells and so on) were strongly related to ALKBHs. Moreover, we further found that there was strong correlation between ALKBH7 and higher age, later T stage, ER/PR positive and post-menopause of breast cancer patients, and patients with higher ALKBH7 expression had shorter overall survival (OS) and post progression survival (PPS). In conclusion, our findings may provide novel insights into ALKBH-targeted therapy for breast cancer patients, and ALKBH7 may be a potential prognostic biomarker.
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