Chalcone Methoxy Derivatives Exhibit Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Activity on Canine Lymphoma and Leukemia Cells

The effect of novel nitrogen-based chalcone analogs on colorectal cancer cells: Insight into the molecular pathways

In colorectal cancer (CRC), aberrations in KRAS are associated with aggressive tumorigenesis and an overall low survival rate because of chemoresistance and adverse effects. Ergo, complementary, and integrative medicines are being considered for CRC treatment. Among which is the use of natural chalcones that are known to exhibit anti-tumor activities in KRAS mutant CRC subtypes treatment regimens. Consequently, we examine the effect of two novel compounds (DK13 and DK14) having chalcones with nitrogen mustard moiety on CRC cell lines (HCT-116 and LoVo) with KRAS mutation. These compounds were synthesized in our lab and previously reported to exhibit potent activity against breast cancer cells. Our data revealed that DK13 and DK14 treatment suppress cell growth, disturb the progression of cell cycle, and trigger apoptosis in CRC cell lines. Besides, treatment with both compounds impedes cell invasion and colony formation in both cell lines as compared to 5-FU; this is accompanied by up and down regulations of E-cadherin and Vimentin, respectively. At the molecular level, both compounds deregulate the expression and phosphorylation of β-catenin, Akt and mTOR, which are the main likely molecular mechanisms underlying these biological occurrences. Our findings present DK13 and DK14 as novel chemotherapies against CRC, through β-catenin/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways.

A fluorene derivative inhibits human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by ROS-mediated apoptosis, anoikis and autophagy

Fluorene was previously reported to have anticancer activity against human cancer cells. In this study, we examined the in vitro function of 9-methanesulfonylmethylene-2, 3-dimethoxy-9 H -fluorene (MSDF), a novel fluorene derivative, its anticancer potential in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and its underlying molecular mechanism. The disruption of cellular homeostasis caused by MSDF was found to promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, leading to the activation of cellular apoptosis. As a survival strategy, cells undergo autophagy during oxidative stress. MSDF-induced apoptosis occurred through both receptor-mediated extrinsic and mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic routes. The development of acidic vesicular organelles and the accumulation of LC3-II protein suggest an increase in the autophagic process. Apoptosis was detected by double staining. The MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways were indeed suppressed during treatment. Along with elevated ROS generation and apoptosis, MSDF also caused anoikis and cell death by causing cells to lose contact with their extracellular matrix. ROS production was induced by MSDF and sustained by an NAC scavenger. MSDF-induced apoptosis led to increased autophagy, as shown by the suppression of apoptosis by Z-VAD-FMK. However, inhibition of autophagy by inhibitor 3-MA increased MSDF-induced apoptosis. More evidence shows that MSDF downregulated the expression of immune checkpoint proteins, suggesting that MSDF could be used in the future as an adjuvant to improve the effectiveness of HCC immunotherapy. Altogether, our results highlight the potential of MSDF as a multitarget drug for the treatment of HCC.

Studying the DNA damage response pathway in hematopoietic canine cancer cell lines, a necessary step for finding targets to generate new therapies to treat cancer in dogs

Background

Dogs present a significant opportunity for studies in comparative oncology. However, the study of cancer biology phenomena in canine cells is currently limited by restricted availability of validated antibody reagents and techniques. Here, we provide an initial characterization of the expression and activity of key components of the DNA Damage Response (DDR) in a panel of hematopoietic canine cancer cell lines, with the use of commercially available antibody reagents.

Materials and methods

The techniques used for this validation analysis were western blot, qPCR, and DNA combing assay.

Results

Substantial variations in both the basal expression (ATR, Claspin, Chk1, and Rad51) and agonist-induced activation (p-Chk1) of DDR components were observed in canine cancer cell lines. The expression was stronger in the CLBL-1 (B-cell lymphoma) and CLB70 (B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia) cell lines than in the GL-1 (B-cell leukemia) cell line, but the biological significance of these differences requires further investigation. We also validated methodologies for quantifying DNA replication dynamics in hematopoietic canine cancer cell lines, and found that the GL-1 cell line presented a higher replication fork speed than the CLBL-1 cell line, but that both showed a tendency to replication fork asymmetry.

Conclusion

These findings will inform future studies on cancer biology, which will facilitate progress in developing novel anticancer therapies for canine patients. They can also provide new knowledge in human oncology.

The Effects of 2'-Hydroxy-3,6'-Dimethoxychalcone on Melanogenesis and Inflammation

In this study, we demonstrated that 2'-hydroxy-3,6'-dimethoxychalcone (3,6'-DMC) alleviated α-MSH-induced melanogenesis and lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced inflammation in mouse B16F10 and RAW 264.7 cells. In vitro analysis results showed that the melanin content and intracellular tyrosinase activity were significantly decreased by 3,6'-DMC, without cytotoxicity, via decreases in tyrosinase and the tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP-1) and TRP-2 melanogenic proteins, as well as the downregulation of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expression through the upregulation of the phosphorylation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)/catenin, and downregulation of the phosphorylation of p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and protein kinase A (PKA). Furthermore, we investigated the effect of 3,6'-DMC on macrophage RAW264.7 cells with LPS stimulation. 3,6'-DMC significantly inhibited LPS-stimulated nitric oxide production. 3,6'-DMC also suppressed the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 on the protein level. In addition, 3,6'-DMC decreased the production of the tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6. Successively, our mechanistic studies revealed that 3,6'-DMC also suppressed the LPS-induced phosphorylation of the inhibitor of IκBα, p38MAPK, ERK, and JNK. The Western blot assay results showed that 3,6'-DMC suppresses LPS-induced p65 translocation from cytosol to the nucleus. Finally, the topical applicability of 3,6'-DMC was tested through primary skin irritation, and it was found that 3,6'-DMC, at 5 and 10 μM concentrations, did not cause any adverse effects. Therefore, 3,6'-DMC may provide a potential candidate for preventing and treating melanogenic and inflammatory skin diseases.

Novel Tetrahydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-a]isoquinoline Chalcones Suppress Breast Carcinoma through Cell Cycle Arrests and Apoptosis

Chalcones are interesting anticancer drug candidates which have attracted much interest due to their unique structure and their extensive biological activity. Various functional modifications in chalcones have been reported, along with their pharmacological properties. In the current study, novel chalcone derivatives with the chemical base of tetrahydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-a]isoquinolin-3-yl)-3-arylprop-2-en-1-one were synthesized, and the structure of their molecules was confirmed through NMR spectroscopy. The antitumor activity of these newly synthesized chalcone derivatives was tested on mouse (Luc-4T1) and human (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cell lines. The antiproliferative effect was evaluated through SRB screening and the MTT assay after 48 h of treatment at different concentrations. Interestingly, among the tested chalcone derivatives, chalcone analogues with a methoxy group were found to have significant anticancer activity and displayed gradient-dependent inhibition against breast cancer cell proliferation. The anticancer properties of these unique analogues were examined further by cytometric analysis of the cell cycle, quantitative PCR, and the caspases-Glo 3/7 assay. Chalcone methoxy derivatives showed the capability of cell cycle arrest and increased Bax/Bcl2 mRNA ratios as well as caspases 3/7 activity. The molecular docking analysis suggests that these chalcone methoxy derivatives may inhibit anti-apoptotic proteins, particularly cIAP1, BCL2, and EGFRK proteins. In conclusion, our findings confirm that chalcone methoxy derivatives could be considered to be potent drug candidates against breast cancer.

Chalcones: Promising therapeutic agents targeting key players and signaling pathways regulating the hallmarks of cancer

The need for innovative anticancer treatments with high effectiveness and low toxicity is urgent due to the development of malignancies that are resistant to chemotherapeutic agents and the poor specificity of existing anticancer treatments. Chalcones are 1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-ones, which are the precursors for flavonoids and isoflavonoids. Chalcones are readily available from a wide range of natural resources and consist of very basic chemical scaffolds. Because the ease with which the synthesis it allows for the production of several chalcone derivatives. Various in-vitro and in-vivo studies indicate that naturally occurring and synthetic chalcone derivatives exhibit promising biological activities against cancer hallmarks such as proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, inflammation, stemness, and regulation of cancer epigenetics. According to their structure and functional groups, chalcones derivatives and their hybrid compounds exert a broad range of biological activities through targeting key elements and signaling molecules relevant to cancer progression. This review will provide valuable insights into the latest updates of chalcone groups as anticancer agents and extensively discuss their underlying molecular mechanisms of action.

In vivo Study of Chalcone Loaded Carbon Dots for Enhancement of Anticancer and Bioimaging Potencies

The fluorescent imaging and drug delivery utilizing carbon dots nanomaterials (CDs) have attracted tremendously due to their unique optical ability and outstanding biocompatibility. Herein, we reported a new design of chalcone-loaded carbon dots (Chalcone-APBA-CDs) to serve chalcone transport onto cancer cells and enhance the CDs bioimaging and antitumor activity. The boronic acid was directly introduced to carbon dots (CDs) via pyrolysis process to drive CDs specifically to the cancer cell, and chalcone was mediated on CDs by ultrasonication to perform facile release of the drug delivery model. The successfully synthesized Chalcone-APBA-CDs were proved by their chemical structure, fluorescent activities, in vitro and in vivo analyses, and drug release systems using different pH. In addition, flow cytometry and confocal fluorescent imaging proved CDs' cellular uptake and imaging performance. In vitro analyses further proved that the Chalcone-APBA-CDs exhibited a higher toxicity value than bare CDs and efficiently inhibited the proliferation of the HeLa cells depending on their dose-response. Finally, the performance of Chalcone-APBA-CDs on cancer healing capability was examined in vivo with fibrosarcoma cancer-bearing mice, which showed a remarkable ability to reduce the tumor volume compared with saline (control). This result strongly suggested that the Chalcone-APBA-CDs appear promising simultaneously as cancer cell imaging and drug delivery.

Comparative analysis of an anthraquinone and chalcone derivatives-based virtual combinatorial library. A cheminformatics "proof-of-concept" study

A Laplacian scoring algorithm for gene selection and the Gini coefficient to identify the genes whose expression varied least across a large set of samples were the state-of-the-art methods used here. These methods have not been trialed for their feasibility in cheminformatics. This was a maiden attempt to investigate a complete comparative analysis of an anthraquinone and chalcone derivatives-based virtual combinatorial library. This computational "proof-of-concept" study illustrated the combinatorial approach used to explain how the structure of the selected natural products (NPs) undergoes molecular diversity analysis. A virtual combinatorial library (1.6 M) based on 20 anthraquinones and 24 chalcones was enumerated. The resulting compounds were optimized to the near drug-likeness properties, and the physicochemical descriptors were calculated for all datasets including FDA, Non-FDA, and NPs from ZINC 15. UMAP and PCA were applied to compare and represent the chemical space coverage of each dataset. Subsequently, the Laplacian score and Gini coefficient were applied to delineate feature selection and selectivity among properties, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated the diversity between the datasets by employing Murcko's and the central scaffolds systems, calculating three fingerprint descriptors and analyzing their diversity by PCA and SOM. The optimized enumeration resulted in 1,610,268 compounds with NP-Likeness, and synthetic feasibility mean scores close to FDA, Non-FDA, and NPs datasets. The overlap between the chemical space of the 1.6 M database was more prominent than with the NPs dataset. A Laplacian score prioritized NP-likeness and hydrogen bond acceptor properties (1.0 and 0.923), respectively, while the Gini coefficient showed that all properties have selective effects on datasets (0.81-0.93). Scaffold and fingerprint diversity indicated that the descending order for the tested datasets was FDA, Non-FDA, NPs and 1.6 M. Virtual combinatorial libraries based on NPs can be considered as a source of the combinatorial compound with NP-likeness properties. Furthermore, measuring molecular diversity is supposed to be performed by different methods to allow for comparison and better judgment.

Regiospecific Hydrogenation of Bromochalcone by Unconventional Yeast Strains

This research aimed to select yeast strains capable of the biotransformation of selected 2′-hydroxybromochalcones. Small-scale biotransformations were carried out using four substrates obtained by chemical synthesis (2′-hydroxy-2″-bromochalcone, 2′-hydroxy-3″-bromochalcone, 2′-hydroxy-4″-bromochalcone and 2′-hydroxy-5′-bromochalcone) and eight strains of non-conventional yeasts. Screening allowed for the determination of the substrate specificity of selected microorganisms and the selection of biocatalysts that carried out the hydrogenation of tested compounds in the most effective way. It was found that the position of the bromine atom has a crucial influence on the degree of substrate conversion by the tested yeast strains. As a result of the biotransformation of the 2′-hydroxybromochalcones, the corresponding 2′-hydroxybromodihydrochalcones were obtained. The products obtained belong to the group of compounds with high potential as precursors of sweet substances.

Novel chalcone-derived pyrazoles as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is considered to account for approximately one-fifth of all malignant tumor-related deaths worldwide and is therefore one of the most lethal malignancies. Pyrazole scaffold possesses a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities, which play important roles in medicinal chemistry. The present study reports the synthesis and in vitro biological characterization of nine pyrazoles derived from chalcones as potential anticancer agents for non-small cell lung cancer A-549, H226, and H460 cell lines. Most of the compounds efficiently inhibited the growth of all the tested cancer cell lines at micromolar concentrations. One of the most active compounds (PCH-1) was further evaluated for its effect on cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, migration, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and oxidative stress. Furthermore, studies on the mechanism of action revealed that PCH-1 disrupts microtubule assembly, leading to cancer cell death. Molecular modeling studies confirmed the potent interaction of PCH-1 with the vinblastine binding site on tubulin. Overall, this study provides novel opportunities to identify anticancer agents in the pyrazole series.

DNA Damage Response (DDR) proteins in canine cancer as potential research targets in comparative oncology

The DNA damage response (DDR) is a complex signal transduction network that is activated when endogenous or exogenous genotoxins damage or interfere with the replication of genomic DNA. Under such conditions, the DDR promotes DNA repair and ensures accurate replication and division of the genome. High levels of genomic instability are frequently observed in cancers and can stem from germline loss‐of‐function mutations in certain DDR genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and p53, that form the basis of human cancer predisposition syndromes. In addition, mutation and/or aberrant expression of multiple DDR genes are frequently observed in sporadic human cancers. As a result, the DDR is considered to represent a viable target for cancer therapy in humans and a variety of strategies are under investigation. Cancer is also a significant cause of mortality in dogs, a species that offers certain advantages for experimental oncology. Domestic dogs present numerous inbred lines, many of which display predisposition to specific forms of cancer and the study of which may provide insight into the biological basis of this susceptibility. In addition, clinical trials are possible in dogs and may lead to therapeutic insights that could ultimately be extended to humans. Here we review what is known specifically about the DDR in dogs and discuss how this knowledge could be extended and exploited to advance experimental oncology in this species.

Interaction of 4'-methylflavonoids with biological membranes, liposomes, and human albumin

The aim of the study was to compare the impact of three synthesized chemical compounds from a group of methylated flavonoids, i.e. 2'-hydroxy-4-methylchalcone (3), 4'-methylflavanone (4), and 4'-methylflavone (5), on a red blood cell membranes (RBCMs), phosphatidylcholine model membranes (PC), and human serum albumin (HSA) in order to investigate their structure-activity relationships. In the first stage of the study, it was proved that all of the compounds tested do not cause hemolysis of red blood cells and, therefore, do not have a toxic effect. In biophysical studies, it was shown that flavonoids have an impact on the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions of membranes (both RBCMs and PC) causing an increase in packing order of lipid heads and a decrease in fluidity, respectively. Whereas, on the one hand, the magnitude of these changes depends on the type of the compound tested, on the other hand, it also depends on the type of membrane. 4'-Methylflavanone and 4'-methylflavone are located mainly in the hydrophilic part of lipid membranes, while 2'-hydroxy-4-methylchalcone has a greater impact on the hydrophobic area. A fluorescence quenching study proved that compounds (3), (4) and (5) bind with HSA in a process of static quenching. The binding process is spontaneous whereas hydrogen bonding interactions and van der Waals forces play a major role in the interaction between the compounds and HSA.

Chalcone Derivatives: Role in Anticancer Therapy

Chalcones (1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-ones) are precursors for flavonoids and isoflavonoids, which are common simple chemical scaffolds found in many naturally occurring compounds. Many chalcone derivatives were also prepared due to their convenient synthesis. Chalcones as weandhetic analogues have attracted much interest due to their broad biological activities with clinical potentials against various diseases, particularly for antitumor activity. The chalcone family has demonstrated potential in vitro and in vivo activity against cancers via multiple mechanisms, including cell cycle disruption, autophagy regulation, apoptosis induction, and immunomodulatory and inflammatory mediators. It represents a promising strategy to develop chalcones as novel anticancer agents. In addition, the combination of chalcones and other therapies is expected to be an effective way to improve anticancer therapeutic efficacy. However, despite the encouraging results for their response to cancers observed in clinical studies, a full description of toxicity is required for their clinical use as safe drugs for the treatment of cancer. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances of the chalcone family as potential anticancer agents and the mechanisms of action. Besides, future applications and scope of the chalcone family toward the treatment and prevention of cancer are brought out.

Biotransformation of 5,7-Methoxyflavones by Selected Entomopathogenic Filamentous Fungi

5,7-Dimethoxyflavone, a chrysin derivative, occurs in many plants and shows very low toxicity, even at high doses. On the basis of this phenomenon, we biotransformed a series of methoxy-derivatives of chrysin, apigenin, and tricetin obtained by chemical synthesis. We used entomopathogenic fungal strains with the confirmed ability of simultaneous hydroxylation/demethylation and glycosylation of flavonoid compounds. Both the amount and the place of attachment of the methoxy group influenced the biotransformation rate and the product's amount nascent. Based on product and semi-product structures, it can be concluded that they are the result of cascading transformations. Only in the case of 5,7,3',4',5'-pentamethoxyflavone, the strains were able to attach a sugar molecule in place of the methoxy substituent to give 3'-O-β-d-(4″-O-methylglucopyranosyl)-5,7,4',5'-tetramethoxyflavone. However, we observed the tested strains' ability to selectively demethylate/hydroxylate the carbon C-3' and C-4' of ring B of the substrates used. The structures of four hydroxyl-derivatives were determined: 4'-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxyflavone, 3'-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxyflavone, 3'-hydroxy-5,7,4',5'-tetramethoxyflavone, and 5,7-dimethoxy-3',4'-dihydroxyflavone (5,7-dimethoxy-luteolin).

The Newly Synthetized Chalcone L1 Is Involved in the Cell Growth Inhibition, Induction of Apoptosis and Suppression of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition of HeLa Cells

Over the past decades, natural products have emerged as promising agents with multiple biological activities. Many studies suggest the antioxidant, antiangiogenic, antiproliferative and anticancer effects of chalcones and their derivatives. Based on these findings, we decided to evaluate the effects of the newly synthetized chalcone L1 in a human cervical carcinoma cell (HeLa) model. Presented results were obtained by western blot and flow cytometric analyses, live cell imaging and antimigratory potential of L1 in HeLa cells was demonstrated by scratch assay. In the present study, we proved the role of L1 as an effective agent with antiproliferative activity supported by G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, we proved that L1 is involved in modulating Transforming Growth Factor-β1 (TGF-β) signal transduction through Smad proteins and it also modulates other signalling pathways including Akt, JNK, p38 MAPK, and Erk1/2. The involvement of L1 in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition was demonstrated by the regulation of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and MMP-9 levels. Here, we also evaluated the effect of conditioned medium from BJ-5ta human foreskin fibroblasts in HeLa cell cultures with subsequent L1 treatment. Taken together, these data suggest the potential role of newly synthesized chalcone L1 as an anticancer-tumour microenvironment modulating agent.

Rapid umpolung Michael addition of isatin N,N′-cyclic azomethine imine 1,3-dipoles with chalcones

3,3-Disubstituted oxindoles were prepared rapidly in moderate to excellent yields with promising dr values by the t-BuONa-promoted Michael addition.

Special Issue "Flavonoids and Their Disease Prevention and Treatment Potential": Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

In recent years, the interest in flavonoids as dietary bioactives to prevent human diseases, as well as their candidacy as pharmaceutical leads, has exponentially expanded [...].

Highly Effective, Regiospecific Hydrogenation of Methoxychalcone by Yarrowia lipolytica Enables Production of Food Sweeteners

We describe the impact of the number and location of methoxy groups in the structure of chalcones on the speed and efficiency of their transformation by unconventional yeast strains. The effect of substrate concentration on the conversion efficiency in the culture of the Yarrowia lipolytica KCh 71 strain was tested. In the culture of this strain, monomethoxychalcones (2′-hydroxy-2″-, 3″- and 4″-methoxychalcone) were effectively hydrogenated at over 40% to the specific dihydrochalcones at a concentration of 0.5 g/L of medium after just 1 h of incubation. A conversion rate of over 40% was also observed for concentrations of these compounds of 1 g/L of medium after three hours of transformation. As the number of methoxy substituents increases in the chalcone substrate, the rate and efficiency of transformation to dihydrochalcones decreased. The only exception was 2′-hydroxy-2″,5″-dimethoxychalcone, which was transformed into dihydrochalcone by strain KCh71 with a yield comparable to that of chalcone containing a single methoxy group.