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Pinho JO, Matias M, Marques V, Eleutério C, Fernandes C, Gano L, Amaral JD, Mendes E, Perry MJ, Moreira JN, Storm G, Francisco AP, Rodrigues CMP, Gaspar MM. Preclinical validation of a new hybrid molecule loaded in liposomes for melanoma management. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 157:114021. [PMID: 36399831 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.114021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The aggressiveness of melanoma and lack of effective therapies incite the discovery of novel strategies. Recently, a new dual acting hybrid molecule (HM), combining a triazene and a ʟ-tyrosine analogue, was synthesized. HM was designed to specifically be activated by tyrosinase, the enzyme involved in melanin biosynthesis and overexpressed in melanoma. HM displayed remarkable superior antiproliferative activity towards various cancer cell lines compared with temozolomide (TMZ), a triazene drug in clinical use, that acts through DNA alkylation. In B16-F10 cells, HM induced a cell cycle arrest at phase G0/G1 with a 2.8-fold decrease in cell proliferation index. Also, compared to control cells, HM led to a concentration-dependent reduction in tyrosinase activity and increase in caspase 3/7 activity. To maximize the therapeutic performance of HM in vivo, its incorporation in long blood circulating liposomes, containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) at their surface, was performed for passively targeting tumour sites. HM liposomes (LIP HM) exhibited high stability in biological fluids. Preclinical studies demonstrated its safety for systemic administration and in a subcutaneous murine melanoma model, significantly reduced tumour progression. In a metastatic murine melanoma model, a superior antitumour effect was also observed for mice receiving LIP HM, with markedly reduction of lung metastases compared to positive control group (TMZ). Biodistribution studies using 111In-labelled LIP HM demonstrated its ability for passively targeting tumour sites, thus correlating with the high therapeutic effect observed in the two experimental murine melanoma models. Overall, our proposed nanotherapeutic strategy was validated as an effective and safe alternative against melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacinta O Pinho
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mariana Matias
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vanda Marques
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carla Eleutério
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Célia Fernandes
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares and Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela LRS, Portugal
| | - Lurdes Gano
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares and Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela LRS, Portugal
| | - Joana D Amaral
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Eduarda Mendes
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Jesus Perry
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João Nuno Moreira
- Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology (CNC), Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Faculty of Medicine (Polo 1), Rua Larga, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal; University of Coimbra (Univ Coimbra), CIBB, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Gert Storm
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Biomaterial Science and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands; Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | - Ana Paula Francisco
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cecília M P Rodrigues
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - M Manuela Gaspar
- Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal.
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Felber JG, Thorn-Seshold O. 40 Years of Duocarmycins: A Graphical Structure/Function Review of Their Chemical Evolution, from SAR to Prodrugs and ADCs. JACS AU 2022; 2:2636-2644. [PMID: 36590260 PMCID: PMC9795467 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.2c00448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic analogues of the DNA-alkylating cytotoxins of the duocarmycin class have been extensively investigated in the past 40 years, driven by their high potency, their unusual mechanism of bioactivity, and the beautiful modularity of their structure-activity relationship (SAR). This Perspective analyzes how the molecular designs of synthetic duocarmycins have evolved: from (1) early SAR studies, through to modern applications for directed cancer therapy as (2) prodrugs and (3) antibody-drug conjugates in late-stage clinical development. Analyzing 583 primary research articles and patents from 1978 to 2022, we distill out a searchable A0-format "Minard map" poster of ca. 200 key structure/function-tuning steps tracing chemical developments across these three key areas. This structure-based overview showcases the ingenious approaches to tune and target bioactivity, that continue to drive development of the elegant and powerful duocarmycin platform.
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Zhang Y, Hu C. Anticancer activity of bisindole alkaloids derived from natural sources and synthetic bisindole hybrids. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2020; 353:e2000092. [PMID: 32468606 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202000092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The bisindole moiety, as a versatile pharmacophore, is one of the widespread heterocycles in naturally occurring and synthetic bioactive compounds. The bisindole alkaloids derived from natural sources possess structural and mechanistic diversity, and they were found to be generally more active than monoindole alkaloids against various cancer cell lines. Moreover, some bisindole alkaloids such as the tubulin inhibitors, vinorelbine and vinblastine, have already been approved for cancer therapy, suggesting that bisindole alkaloids are a significant source of anticancer agents and lead hits. Bisindole hybrids have the potential to overcome drug resistance, enhance efficiency, and reduce severe side effects. The bisindole-lactam hybrid midostaurin has already been approved for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia who are FLT3 mutation-positive, highlighting the importance of bisindole hybrids in the development of novel anticancer agents. In this review, we present a brief account of the bisindole alkaloids derived from nature and of synthetic hybrids with potential anticancer activity developed in the recent 10 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chunhong Hu
- Department of Oncology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
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Synthesis of an adenine N-3 substituted CBI adduct by alkylation of adenine with a 1-iodomethylindoline seco-CBI precursor. Tetrahedron 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tet.2018.09.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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Kim S, Kim H, Jo DH, Kim JH, Kim SR, Kang D, Hwang D, Chung J. Bispecific anti-mPDGFRβ x cotinine scFv-C κ-scFv fusion protein and cotinine-duocarmycin can form antibody-drug conjugate-like complexes that exert cytotoxicity against mPDGFRβ expressing cells. Methods 2018; 154:125-135. [PMID: 30292795 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody selection for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) has traditionally depended on its internalization into the target cell, although ADC efficacy also relies on recycling of the receptor-ADC complex, endo-lysosomal trafficking, and subsequent linker/antibody proteolysis. In this study, we observed that a bispecific anti-murine platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (mPDGFRβ) x cotinine single-chain variable fragment (scFv)-kappa constant region (Cκ)-scFv fusion protein and cotinine-duocarmycin can form an ADC-like complex to induce cytotoxicity against mPDGFRβ expressing cells. Multiple anti-mPDGFRβ antibody candidates can be produced in this bispecific scFv-Cκ-scFv fusion protein format and tested for their ability to deliver cotinine-conjugated cytotoxic drugs, thus providing an improved approach for antibody selection in ADC development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soohyun Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 00380, Republic of Korea; Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 00380, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyori Kim
- Convergence Medicine Research Center, Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Convergence Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Hyun Jo
- Fight Against Angiogenesis-Related Blindness (FARB) Laboratory, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Hun Kim
- Fight Against Angiogenesis-Related Blindness (FARB) Laboratory, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 00380, Republic of Korea; Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Su Ree Kim
- Department of Life Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongmin Kang
- Department of Life Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Dobeen Hwang
- Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 00380, Republic of Korea.
| | - Junho Chung
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 00380, Republic of Korea; Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 00380, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 00380, Republic of Korea.
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Luciferase-induced photoreductive uncaging of small-molecule effectors. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3539. [PMID: 30166547 PMCID: PMC6117273 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05916-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) is extensively used to study dynamic systems and has been utilized in sensors for studying protein proximity, metabolites, and drug concentrations. Herein, we demonstrate that BRET can activate a ruthenium-based photocatalyst which performs bioorthogonal reactions. BRET from luciferase to the ruthenium photocatalyst is used to uncage effector molecules with up to 64 turnovers of the catalyst, achieving concentrations >0.6 μM effector with 10 nM luciferase construct. Using a BRET sensor, we further demonstrate that the catalysis can be modulated in response to an analyte, analogous to allosterically controlled enzymes. The BRET-induced reaction is used to uncage small-molecule drugs (ibrutinib and duocarmycin) at biologically effective concentrations in cellulo. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) has been mostly employed in imaging applications. Here the authors use BRET to activate a ruthenium-based photocatalyst and perform a bioorthogonal chemical reaction, which can be used to uncage small molecule drugs in a cellular context.
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Jin J, Park G, Park JB, Kim S, Kim H, Chung J. An anti-EGFR × cotinine bispecific antibody complexed with cotinine-conjugated duocarmycin inhibits growth of EGFR-positive cancer cells with KRAS mutations. Exp Mol Med 2018; 50:1-14. [PMID: 29795377 PMCID: PMC5967348 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-018-0096-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) can selectively deliver cytotoxic agents to tumor cells and are frequently more potent than naked antibodies. However, optimization of the conjugation process between antibodies and cytotoxic agents and characterization of ADCs are laborious and time-consuming processes. Here, we describe a novel ADC platform using a tetravalent bispecific antibody that simultaneously binds to the tumor-associated antigen and a hapten conjugated to a cytotoxic agent. We selected cotinine as the hapten because it is not present in biological systems and is inert and nontoxic. We prepared an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) × cotinine bispecific antibody and mixed it with an equimolar amount of cotinine-conjugated duocarmycin to form the ADC. This ADC showed significant in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity against EGFR-positive, cetuximab-refractory lung adenocarcinoma cells with KRAS mutations. A new method for producing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), pairing anti-cancer drugs with antibodies that deliver them specifically to cancer cells, may help to develop therapies for hard-to-treat cancers. ADCs show promise for treating several cancers, but are difficult to produce. Junho Chung at the Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea and co-workers tested a new way of forming the conjugates, using cotinine, a non-toxic molecule related to nicotine, as a link. They bound cotinine to the anti-cancer drug duocarmycin, then formulated an antibody with two binding sites, one for cotinine, one for tumor cells. Combining the drug−cotinine complex with the antibody resulted in a drug–cotinine-antibody ADC that delivered duocarmycin exclusively to cancer cells and inhibited tumor growth in mice. This simplified method may help develop treatments for other drug-resistant cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyeong Jin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea
| | - Gunwoo Park
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea.,Research Institute, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Bae Park
- Research Institute, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea.,Department of Cancer Biomedical Science, National Cancer Center, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea
| | - Soohyun Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea.,Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyori Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea.,Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea.,Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 05505, Republic of Korea
| | - Junho Chung
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Biomedical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea. .,Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 00380, Republic of Korea.
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Stephenson MJ, Howell LA, O'Connell MA, Fox KR, Adcock C, Kingston J, Sheldrake H, Pors K, Collingwood SP, Searcey M. Solid-Phase Synthesis of Duocarmycin Analogues and the Effect of C-Terminal Substitution on Biological Activity. J Org Chem 2015; 80:9454-67. [PMID: 26356089 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.5b01373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The duocarmycins are potent antitumor agents with potential for use in the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) as well as being clinical candidates in their own right. In this article, we describe the synthesis of a duocarmycin monomer (DSA) that is suitably protected for utilization in solid-phase synthesis. The synthesis was performed on a large scale, and the resulting racemic protected Fmoc-DSA subunit was separated by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) into the single enantiomers; its application to solid-phase synthesis methodology gave a series of monomeric and extended duocarmycin analogues with amino acid substituents. The DNA sequence selectivity was similar to that in previous reports for both the monomeric and extended compounds. Substitution at the C-terminus of duocarmycin caused a decrease in antiproliferative activity for all of the compounds studied. An extended compound containing an alanine at the C-terminus was converted to the primary amide or to an extended structure containing a terminal tertiary amine, but this had no beneficial effects on biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Keith R Fox
- Centre for Biological Sciences, University of Southampton , Life Sciences Building 85, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Adcock
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited , Horsham Research Centre, Wimblehurst Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - Jenny Kingston
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited , Horsham Research Centre, Wimblehurst Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - Helen Sheldrake
- Institute for Cancer Therapeutics, University of Bradford , Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP, United Kingdom
| | - Klaus Pors
- Institute for Cancer Therapeutics, University of Bradford , Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen P Collingwood
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited , Horsham Research Centre, Wimblehurst Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 5AB, United Kingdom
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