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Yang FW, Mai TL, Lin YCJ, Chen YC, Kuo SC, Lin CM, Lee MH, Su JC. Multipathway regulation induced by 4-(phenylsulfonyl)morpholine derivatives against triple-negative breast cancer. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2024; 357:e2300435. [PMID: 38314850 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202300435] [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: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Phenotypic drug discovery (PDD) is an effective drug discovery approach by observation of therapeutic effects on disease phenotypes, especially in complex disease systems. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is composed of several complex disease features, including high tumor heterogeneity, high invasive and metastatic potential, and a lack of effective therapeutic targets. Therefore, identifying effective and novel agents through PDD is a current trend in TNBC drug development. In this study, 23 novel small molecules were synthesized using 4-(phenylsulfonyl)morpholine as a pharmacophore. Among these derivatives, GL24 (4m) exhibited the lowest half-maximal inhibitory concentration value (0.90 µM) in MDA-MB-231 cells. To investigate the tumor-suppressive mechanisms of GL24, transcriptomic analyses were used to detect the perturbation for gene expression upon GL24 treatment. Followed by gene ontology (GO) analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, multiple ER stress-dependent tumor suppressive signals were identified, such as unfolded protein response (UPR), p53 pathway, G2/M checkpoint, and E2F targets. Most of the identified pathways triggered by GL24 eventually led to cell-cycle arrest and then to apoptosis. In summary, we developed a novel 4-(phenylsulfonyl)morpholine derivative GL24 with a strong potential for inhibiting TNBC cell growth through ER stress-dependent tumor suppressive signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan-Wei Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Te-Lun Mai
- Department of Life Science, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Chung Jimmy Lin
- Department of Life Science, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Plant Biology, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shang-Che Kuo
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ming Lin
- Department of Life Science, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Hsuan Lee
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Chen Su
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Magalhães CM, Pereira RB, Erbiai EH, González-Berdullas P, da Silva JCGE, Pereira DM, da Silva LP. Comparative investigation into the anticancer activity of analogs of marine coelenterazine and coelenteramine. Bioorg Chem 2024; 144:107083. [PMID: 38219477 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.107083] [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: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Cancer is still one of the most challenging diseases to treat, making the pursuit for novel molecules with potential anticancer activity an important research topic. Herein, we have performed a comparative investigation into the anticancer activity of analogs of marine coelenterazine and coelenteramine. The former is a well-known bioluminescent substrate, while the latter is a metabolic product of the resulting bioluminescent reaction. While both types of analogs showed anticancer activity toward lung and gastric cancer cell lines, we have obtained data that highlight relevant differences between the activity of these two types of compounds. More specifically, we observed relevant differences in structure-activity relationships between these types of compounds. Also, coelenteramine analogs showed time-dependent activity, while coelenterazine-based compounds usually present time-independent activity. Coelenterazine analogs also appear to be relatively safer toward noncancer cells than coelenteramine analogs. There was also seen a correlation between the activity of the coelenterazine-based compounds and their light-emission properties. Thus, these results further indicate the potential of the marine coelenterazine chemi-/bioluminescent system as a source of new molecules with anticancer activity, while providing more insight into their modes of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla M Magalhães
- Centro de Investigação em Química (CIQUP), Instituto de Ciências Moleculares (IMS), Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Renato B Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - El Hadi Erbiai
- Centro de Investigação em Química (CIQUP), Instituto de Ciências Moleculares (IMS), Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Patricia González-Berdullas
- Centro de Investigação em Química (CIQUP), Instituto de Ciências Moleculares (IMS), Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joaquim C G Esteves da Silva
- Centro de Investigação em Química (CIQUP), Instituto de Ciências Moleculares (IMS), Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; LACOMEPHI, GreenUPorto, Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - David M Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Luís Pinto da Silva
- Centro de Investigação em Química (CIQUP), Instituto de Ciências Moleculares (IMS), Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; LACOMEPHI, GreenUPorto, Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
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Opo FADM, Moulay M, Zari A, Alqaderi A, Alkarim S, Zari T, Bhuiyan MA, Mahmoud MM, Aljoud F, Suhail M, Edris S, Ramadan WS, Kamal MA, Nemmiche S, Ahammad F. Pharmacophore-based virtual screening approaches to identify novel molecular candidates against EGFR through comprehensive computational approaches and in-vitro studies. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1027890. [PMID: 36457709 PMCID: PMC9707641 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1027890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alterations to the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) gene, which primarily occur in the axon 18-21 position, have been linked to a variety of cancers, including ovarian, breast, colon, and lung cancer. The use of TK inhibitors (gefitinib, erlotinib, lapatinib, and afatinib) and monoclonal antibodies (cetuximab, panitumumab, and matuzumab) in the treatment of advanced-stage cancer is very common. These drugs are becoming less effective in EGFR targeted cancer treatment and developing resistance to cancer cell eradication, which sometimes necessitates stopping treatment due to the side effects. One in silico study has been conducted to identify EGFR antagonists using other compounds, databases without providing the toxicity profile, comparative analyses, or morphological cell death pattern. The goal of our study was to identify potential lead compounds, and we identified seven compounds based on the docking score and four compounds that were chosen for our study, utilizing toxicity analysis. Molecular docking, virtual screening, dynamic simulation, and in-vitro screening indicated that these compounds' effects were superior to those of already marketed medication (gefitinib). The four compounds obtained, ZINC96937394, ZINC14611940, ZINC103239230, and ZINC96933670, demonstrated improved binding affinity (-9.9 kcal/mol, -9.6 kcal/mol, -9.5 kcal/mol, and -9.2 kcal/mol, respectively), interaction stability, and a lower toxicity profile. In silico toxicity analysis showed that our compounds have a lower toxicity profile and a higher LD50 value. At the same time, a selected compound, i.e., ZINC103239230, was revealed to attach to a particular active site and bind more tightly to the protein, as well as show better in-vitro results when compared to our selected gefitinib medication. MTT assay, gene expression analysis (BAX, BCL-2, and β-catenin), apoptosis analysis, TEM, cell cycle assay, ELISA, and cell migration assays were conducted to perform the cell death analysis of lung cancer and breast cancer, compared to the marketed product. The MTT assay exhibited 80% cell death for 75 µM and 100µM; however, flow cytometry analysis with the IC50 value demonstrated that the selected compound induced higher apoptosis in MCF-7 (30.8%) than in A549.
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Affiliation(s)
- F A Dain Md Opo
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Moulay
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, Abdelhamid ibn Badis University, Mostaganem, Algeria
| | - Ali Zari
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Afnan Alqaderi
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh Alkarim
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Talal Zari
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Maged Mostafa Mahmoud
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Molecular Genetics and Enzymology Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fadwa Aljoud
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Regenerative Medicine Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd Suhail
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sherif Edris
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Princess Al-Jawhara Al-Brahim Centre of Excellence in Research of Hereditary Disorders (PACER-HD), Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wafaa S. Ramadan
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Amjad Kamal
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Saïd Nemmiche
- Department of Biology, Abdelhamid ibn Badis University, Mostaganem, Algeria
| | - Foysal Ahammad
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
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Pharmacophore-Model-Based Virtual-Screening Approaches Identified Novel Natural Molecular Candidates for Treating Human Neuroblastoma. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:4838-4858. [PMID: 36286044 PMCID: PMC9600652 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44100329] [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: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The mortality of cancer patients with neuroblastoma is increasing due to the limited availability of specific treatment options. Few drug candidates for combating neuroblastoma have been developed, and identifying novel therapeutic candidates against the disease is an urgent issue. It has been found that muc-N protein is amplified in one-third of human neuroblastomas and expressed as an attractive drug target against the disease. The myc-N protein interferes with the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) family proteins. Pharmacologically inhibition of the protein potently depletes MYCN in neuroblastoma cells. BET inhibitors target MYCN transcription and show therapeutic efficacy against neuroblastoma. Therefore, the study aimed to identify potential inhibitors against the BET family protein, specifically Brd4 (brodamine-containing protein 4), to hinder the activity of neuroblastoma cells. To identify effective molecular candidates against the disease, a structure-based pharmacophore model was created for the binding site of the Brd4 protein. The pharmacophore model generated from the protein Brd4 was validated to screen potential natural active compounds. The compounds identified through the pharmacophore-model-based virtual-screening process were further screened through molecular docking, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), toxicity, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approach. The pharmacophore-model-based screening process initially identified 136 compounds, further evaluated based on molecular docking, ADME analysis, and toxicity approaches, identifying four compounds with good binding affinity and lower side effects. The stability of the selected compounds was also confirmed by dynamic simulation and molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation (MM-GBSA) methods. Finally, the study identified four natural lead compounds, ZINC2509501, ZINC2566088, ZINC1615112, and ZINC4104882, that will potentially inhibit the activity of the desired protein and help to fight against neuroblastoma and related diseases. However, further evaluations through in vitro and in vivo assays are suggested to identify their efficacy against the desired protein and disease.
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