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Jiang C, Zhao X, Jeong T, Kang JY, Park JH, Kim IS, Kim HS. Novel Specific Pyruvate Kinase M2 Inhibitor, Compound 3h, Induces Apoptosis and Autophagy through Suppressing Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway in LNCaP Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010265. [PMID: 36612260 PMCID: PMC9818605 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is a key enzyme involved in the regulation of glycolysis. Although PKM2 is overexpressed in various tumor tissues, its functional role in cancer chemotherapy remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of a new PKM2 inhibitor, compound 3h, through the cell metabolism and associated signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells. To evaluate the molecular basis of specific PKM2 inhibitors, the interactions of compounds 3h and 3K with the PKM2 protein were assessed via molecular docking. We found that, compared to compound 3K, compound 3h exhibited a higher binding affinity for PKM2. Moreover, compound 3h significantly inhibited the pyruvate kinase activity and PKM2 expression. Cytotoxicity and colony formation assays revealed the potent anticancer activity of compound 3h against LNCaP cells. Compound 3h significantly increased the apoptotic and autophagic cell death in LNCaP cells. In addition, compound 3h induced AMPK activation along with the inhibition of the mTOR/p70S6K pathway. Furthermore, compound 3h significantly inhibited glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration, as determined by analyzing the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) production. Our results revealed that compound 3h caused apoptotic and autophagic cell death in LNCaP cells by inhibiting cancer cell metabolism. Therefore, blocking glycolytic pathways using specific PKM2 inhibitors can target cancer cell metabolism in PKM2-overexpressed prostate cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunxue Jiang
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Xiaodi Zhao
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Taejoo Jeong
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Ju Young Kang
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Hyeon Park
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - In Su Kim
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung Sik Kim
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-31-290-7789; Fax: +82-31-290-7748
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El-Far AH, Al Jaouni SK, Li X, Fu J. Cancer metabolism control by natural products: Pyruvate kinase M2 targeting therapeutics. Phytother Res 2022; 36:3181-3201. [PMID: 35794729 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Glycolysis is the primary source of energy for cancer growth and metastasis. The shift in metabolism from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis is called the Warburg effect. Cancer progression due to aerobic glycolysis is often associated with the activation of oncogenes or the loss of tumor suppressors. Therefore, inhibition of glycolysis is one of the effective strategies in cancer control. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is a key glycolytic enzyme overexpressed in breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, and liver cancers. Here, we discuss published studies regarding PKM2 inhibitors from natural products that are promising drug candidates for cancer therapy. We have highlighted the potential of natural PKM2 inhibitors for various cancer types. Moreover, we encourage researchers to evaluate the combinational effects between natural and synthetic PKM2 inhibitors. Also, further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali H El-Far
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | - Soad K Al Jaouni
- Department of Hematology/Pediatric Oncology, Yousef Abdulatif Jameel Scientific Chair of Prophetic Medicine Application, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xiaotao Li
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, the Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.,School of Arts and Sciences, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, China.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Junjiang Fu
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, the Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
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Kusuma M, Arora S, Kalra S, Chaturvedi A, Heuser M, Kumar R. Rationalization of the Activity Profile of Pyruvate Kinase Isozyme M2 (PKM2) Inhibitors using 3D QSAR. Curr Top Med Chem 2021; 21:2258-2271. [PMID: 34348626 DOI: 10.2174/1568026621666210804124555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pyruvate kinase isozyme M2 (PKM2) was observed to be overexpressed and play a key role in cell growth and cancer cells' metabolism. During the past years, phytochemicals have been developed as new treatment options for chemoprevention and cancer therapy. The natural resources, like shikonin (naphthoquinone) and its derivatives, have emerged to be high potential therapeutics in cancer treatment. <P> Methods: Our study aimed to design novel anti-tumour agents (PKM2 inhibitors) focusing on the shikonin scaffold with a better activity using computational methods. We applied a three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) approach using Field-Based QSAR. <P> Results:The comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) were performed on a series of forty shikonin derivatives, including shikonin, to develop robust models and rationalize the PKM2 inhibitory activity profile by building a correlation between structural features and activity. <P> Conclusion: These predictive computational models will further help the design and synthesis of potent PKM2 inhibitors and their fast biological assessment at low cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merugumala Kusuma
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. India
| | - Sahil Arora
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. India
| | - Sourav Kalra
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology (Process Chemistry), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali. India
| | - Anuhar Chaturvedi
- Department of Hematology, Hemostasis, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover. Germany
| | - Michael Heuser
- Department of Hematology, Hemostasis, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover. Germany
| | - Raj Kumar
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. India
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Ning X, Qi H, Li R, Jin Y, McNutt MA, Yin Y. Synthesis and antitumor activity of novel 2, 3-didithiocarbamate substituted naphthoquinones as inhibitors of pyruvate kinase M2 isoform. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2017; 33:126-129. [PMID: 29185365 PMCID: PMC6010099 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2017.1404591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) is a potential antitumor therapeutic target. In this study, we designed and synthesised a series of 2, 3-didithiocarbamate substituted naphthoquinones as PKM2 inhibitors based on the lead compound 3k that we previously reported. Among them, compound 3f (IC50 = 1.05 ± 0.17 µM) and 3h (IC50 = 0.96 ± 0.18 µM) exhibited potent inhibition of PKM2, and their inhibitory activities are superior to compound 3k (IC50 = 2.95 ± 0.53 µM) and the known PKM2 inhibitor shikonin (IC50 = 8.82 ± 2.62 µM). In addition, we evaluated in vitro antiproliferative effects of target compounds using MTS assay. Most target compounds exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity with IC50 values in nanomolar concentrations against HCT116, MCF7, Hela, H1299 and B16 cells. These small molecule PKM2 inhibitors not only provide candidate compounds for cancer therapy, but also offer a tool to probe the biological effects of PKM2 inhibition on cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianling Ning
- a Institute of Systems Biomedicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems Biology, Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China.,b Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China
| | - Hailong Qi
- a Institute of Systems Biomedicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems Biology, Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China.,c Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China
| | - Ridong Li
- a Institute of Systems Biomedicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems Biology, Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China.,b Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China
| | - Yan Jin
- a Institute of Systems Biomedicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems Biology, Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China.,d Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China
| | - Michael A McNutt
- a Institute of Systems Biomedicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems Biology, Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China.,d Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China
| | - Yuxin Yin
- a Institute of Systems Biomedicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems Biology, Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China.,c Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China.,d Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences , Peking University Health Science Center , Beijing , China
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