Expression Dynamics of CA IX Epitope in Cancer Cells under Intermittent Hypoxia Correlates with Extracellular pH Drop and Cell Killing by Ureido-Sulfonamide CA IX Inhibitors

Synthesis and Enzymatic Evaluation of a Small Library of Substituted Phenylsulfonamido-Alkyl Sulfamates towards Carbonic Anhydrase II

A small library of 79 substituted phenylsulfonamidoalkyl sulfamates, 1b-79b, was synthesized starting from arylsulfonyl chlorides and amino alcohols with different numbers of methylene groups between the hydroxyl and amino moieties yielding intermediates 1a-79a, followed by the reaction of the latter with sulfamoyl chloride. All compounds were screened for their inhibitory activity on bovine carbonic anhydrase II. Compounds 1a-79a showed no inhibition of the enzyme, in contrast to sulfamates 1b-79b. Thus, the inhibitory potential of compounds 1b-79b towards this enzyme depends on the substituent and the substitution pattern of the phenyl group as well as the length of the spacer. Bulkier substituents in the para position proved to be better for inhibiting CAII than compounds with the same substituent in the meta or ortho position. For many substitution patterns, compounds with shorter spacer lengths were superior to those with long chain spacers. Compounds with shorter spacer lengths performed better than those with longer chain spacers for a variety of substitution patterns. The most active compound held inhibition constant as low as Ki = 0.67 μM (for 49b) and a tert-butyl substituent in para position and acted as a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme.

Immunophenotypes and Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Macrotrabecular Massive and Vessels Encapsulating Tumor Clusters

BACKGROUND/AIM

Recently, vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) pattern and macrotrabecular massive (MTM) pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been reported as aggressive histological types. These histological patterns showed an immunosuppressive tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Since there have been no reports on the differences of these two subtypes simultaneously, this study examined the immunophenotypes and TIME of MTM-HCC and VETC-HCC immunohistochemically.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Seventy-four cases of previously diagnosed HCC, including 32 MTM-HCCs, 21 VETC-HCCs, and 21 conventional HCCs, were enrolled in immunohistochemical analysis. We conducted immunohistochemical analysis.

RESULTS

We found that MTM-HCC showed less frequent expression of HepPar-1, which is one of the most common hepatocytic markers. In MTM-HCC, the frequency of high expression levels of Keratin19, carbonic anhydrase (CA) IX, and PD-L1 was higher compared to VETC-HCC and conventional HCC. PD-L1 expression was found in 34.4% of MTM-HCC, 0% of VETC-HCC, and 19.0% of conventional HCC. The rate of PD-L1 expression in MTM-HCC was significantly higher than the others (p=0.0015). PD-L1 expression was significantly associated with epithelial cell adhesion molecules and CA IX expression, which are representative markers of tumor stemness and hypoxic conditions, respectively. The CD8 infiltration in VETC-HCC was significantly lower than that in conventional HCC.

CONCLUSION

MTM-HCC had different immunophenotypes and TIMEs compared to HCC with the VETC pattern. Although both had immunosuppressive TIME, the elements forming TIME were quite different. To enhance the immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy, changing TIME from a suppressive to an active form is essential.

Targeting carbonic anhydrases for the management of hypoxic metastatic tumors

INTRODUCTION

Several isoforms of the metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) are connected with tumorigenesis. Hypoxic tumors overexpress CA IX and XII as a consequence of HIF activation cascade, being involved in pH regulation, metabolism, and metastases formation. Other isoforms (CA I, II, III, IV) were also reported to be present in some tumors.

AREAS COVERED

Some CA isoforms are biomarkers for disease progression or response to therapy. Inhibitors, antibodies, and other procedures for targeting these enzymes for the treatment of tumors/metastases are discussed. Sulfonamides and coumarins represent the most investigated classes of inhibitors, but carboxylates, selenium, and tellurium-containing inhibitors were also investigated. Hybrid drugs of CA inhibitors with other antitumor agents for multitargeted therapy were reported.

EXPERT OPINION

Targeting CAs present in solid or hematological tumors with selective, targeted inhibitors is a validated approach, which has been consolidated in the last years. A host of new preclinical data and several clinical trials of antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors are ongoing, which connected with the large number of new chemotypes/procedures discovered to be effective, may lead to a breakthrough in this therapeutic area. The scientific/patent literature has been searched for on PubMed, ScienceDirect, Espacenet, and PatentGuru, from 2018 to 2023.

Nano-based drug delivery system for therapeutics: a comprehensive review

Nanomedicine and nano-delivery systems hold unlimited potential in the developing sciences, where nanoscale carriers are employed to efficiently deliver therapeutic drugs at specifically targeted sites in a controlled manner, imparting several advantages concerning improved efficacy and minimizing adverse drug reactions. These nano-delivery systems target-oriented delivery of drugs with precision at several site-specific, with mild toxicity, prolonged circulation time, high solubility, and long retention time in the biological system, which circumvent the problems associated with the conventional delivery approach. Recently, nanocarriers such as dendrimers, liposomes, nanotubes, and nanoparticles have been extensively investigated through structural characteristics, size manipulation, and selective diagnosis through disease imaging molecules, which are very effective and introduce a new paradigm shift in drugs. In this review, the use of nanomedicines in drug delivery has been demonstrated in treating various diseases with significant advances and applications in different fields. In addition, this review discusses the current challenges and future directions for research in these promising fields as well.