Viral infections trigger the integrated stress response (ISR) in eukaryotic cells that leads to the activation of eIF2α kinases, the elevation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) phosphorylation, and thereby the shutdown of global protein synthesis that viruses rely on to replicate. Coronaviruses and other viruses have evolved various subversion mechanisms to counteract the antiviral ISR. These intricate host-virus interactions may be exploited by pharmacologically activating the host ISR for the development of host-directed antivirals (HDAs), an increasingly relevant area of research. In this study, we have discovered a new class of flavonoid-based ISR activators that exhibit potent antiviral activity against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV). PEDV and PDCoV are animal coronaviruses of great veterinary and economic importance, for which there are currently no effective therapeutics. The mechanistic study indicated that lead compounds 1-B and 1-C inhibit PEDV and PDCoV replication via upregulating eIF2α phosphorylation and thereby downregulating global protein synthesis in host cells, suggesting they are HDA antivirals.
{"title":"Targeting host integrated stress response: lead discovery of flavonoid compounds active against coronaviruses PEDV and PDCoV.","authors":"Liang Yi, Yishuai Wang, Jiehuang Wang, Yihan Chen, Weixue Huang, Ying Liao, Qingwen Zhang","doi":"10.1039/d4md00846d","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00846d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Viral infections trigger the integrated stress response (ISR) in eukaryotic cells that leads to the activation of eIF2α kinases, the elevation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) phosphorylation, and thereby the shutdown of global protein synthesis that viruses rely on to replicate. Coronaviruses and other viruses have evolved various subversion mechanisms to counteract the antiviral ISR. These intricate host-virus interactions may be exploited by pharmacologically activating the host ISR for the development of host-directed antivirals (HDAs), an increasingly relevant area of research. In this study, we have discovered a new class of flavonoid-based ISR activators that exhibit potent antiviral activity against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV). PEDV and PDCoV are animal coronaviruses of great veterinary and economic importance, for which there are currently no effective therapeutics. The mechanistic study indicated that lead compounds 1-B and 1-C inhibit PEDV and PDCoV replication <i>via</i> upregulating eIF2α phosphorylation and thereby downregulating global protein synthesis in host cells, suggesting they are HDA antivirals.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11667242/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142897155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Debora Iaculli, Jade Montgomery, Arthur Lamouroux, Anne Caufriez, Rafael Gozalbes, Mathieu Vinken, Filippo Molica, Brenda R Kwak, Steven Ballet
A peptide segment that is 10 residues long at the C-terminal (CT) region of Cx43 is known to be involved in interactions, both with the Cx43 protein itself and with other proteins, that result in hemichannel (HC) activity regulation. Previously reported mimetic peptides based on this region (e.g., αCT1, CT10) have been revealed to be promising therapeutic agents in the context of cardiovascular diseases. In this work, novel approaches, such as C- and N-terminal modification and cyclization, to improve the proteolytic stability and bioavailability of the CT10 peptide are presented. These efforts resulted in a set of unprecedented potent cyclic inhibitors of HC-mediated ATP release with a half-life largely exceeding 24 hours. Additionally, the introduction of a lipophilic moiety with different solubilizing linkers led to the generation of a novel series of water-soluble and lipidated peptides that exhibited high inhibitory capacity in in vitro assays at submicromolar concentrations. A cardiac endothelium targeting strategy was also adopted, exploiting the ability of the CRPPR peptide to selectively deliver the peptides to endothelial cells.
{"title":"Design and synthesis of cyclic lipidated peptides derived from the C-terminus of Cx43 for hemichannel inhibition and cardiac endothelium targeting.","authors":"Debora Iaculli, Jade Montgomery, Arthur Lamouroux, Anne Caufriez, Rafael Gozalbes, Mathieu Vinken, Filippo Molica, Brenda R Kwak, Steven Ballet","doi":"10.1039/d4md00850b","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00850b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A peptide segment that is 10 residues long at the C-terminal (CT) region of Cx43 is known to be involved in interactions, both with the Cx43 protein itself and with other proteins, that result in hemichannel (HC) activity regulation. Previously reported mimetic peptides based on this region (<i>e.g.</i>, <b>αCT1</b>, <b>CT10</b>) have been revealed to be promising therapeutic agents in the context of cardiovascular diseases. In this work, novel approaches, such as C- and N-terminal modification and cyclization, to improve the proteolytic stability and bioavailability of the <b>CT10</b> peptide are presented. These efforts resulted in a set of unprecedented potent cyclic inhibitors of HC-mediated ATP release with a half-life largely exceeding 24 hours. Additionally, the introduction of a lipophilic moiety with different solubilizing linkers led to the generation of a novel series of water-soluble and lipidated peptides that exhibited high inhibitory capacity in <i>in vitro</i> assays at submicromolar concentrations. A cardiac endothelium targeting strategy was also adopted, exploiting the ability of the CRPPR peptide to selectively deliver the peptides to endothelial cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11740094/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143010524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohamed A Zeidan, Heba F Ashour, Asmaa S A Yassen, Ayman Abo Elmaaty, Ayman B Farag, Marwa Sharaky, Abdullah Yahya Abdullah Alzahrani, Mohammed H Al Mughram, Ahmed A Al-Karmalawy
Many cancers have displayed resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs over the past few decades. EGFR has emerged as a leading target for cancer therapy via inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. Besides, studies strongly suggest that blocking telomerase activity could be an effective way to control the growth of certain cancer cells. Based on the fact that multi-target design rationale can afford candidates with greater treatment effectiveness. Besides, it was evidenced that inhibition of human telomerase enhances the effect of some tyrosine kinase inhibitors. So, in the current work, we aimed to design and synthesize novel 1,2,3-triazole-tethered Schiff bases (5a-l) to act as dual EGFR and telomerase inhibitors. Growth inhibition (GI)% was conducted for the synthesized compounds using a panel of eleven cancer cell lines as well as two normal cell lines. Interestingly, compound 5e displayed the highest mean GI% (76.78%) among the investigated compounds surpassing the mean GI% of the reference drug doxorubicin (65.79%). In addition, compound 5g displayed notably the lowest IC50 values (13.31, 13.31, 12.62, and 31.19 μM) for the four utilized cancer cell lines HNO97, HCT116, A375, and HEPG2, respectively. Interestingly, the investigated compounds exhibited significant inhibitory potential to EGFR and telomerase protein expression; in particular, compound 5g recorded inhibitory potentials of 3.45 and 1.31 ng mL-1, respectively. Hence, protein expression of the apoptosis-related proteins was carried out for compound 5g. Pro-apoptotic proteins (caspases 3, 8, and 9) were upregulated by 1.35, 1.55, and 1.51-fold change, respectively. Meanwhile, the anti-apoptotic proteins (CDK-2, CDK-4, and CDK-6) were downregulated by 2.91, 2.01, and 9.15-fold change, respectively, ensuring the apoptotic potential of compound 5g. Accordingly, compound 5g was selected for further investigation of its effects on cell cycle progression in A375 cancer cells. Obviously, compound 5g prompted cell cycle arrest at the G0-G1 phase. Additionally, the investigated compounds showed eligible pharmacokinetic profiles with feasible oral bioavailability. Consequently, the synthesized compounds can be treated as lead multi-target anticancer ligands for future optimization.
在过去的几十年里,许多癌症都表现出对化疗药物的耐药性。通过抑制肿瘤血管生成,EGFR已成为癌症治疗的主要靶点。此外,研究强烈表明,阻断端粒酶活性可能是控制某些癌细胞生长的有效方法。基于多靶点设计原理,可以为候选药物提供更大的治疗效果。此外,有证据表明,抑制人类端粒酶可增强某些酪氨酸激酶抑制剂的作用。因此,在目前的工作中,我们旨在设计和合成新的1,2,3-三唑系结希夫碱(5a-l),作为EGFR和端粒酶的双重抑制剂。用11个癌细胞系和2个正常细胞系对合成的化合物进行了生长抑制(GI)%。有趣的是,化合物5e的平均GI%最高(76.78%),超过参比药阿霉素的平均GI%(65.79%)。此外,化合物5g对HNO97、HCT116、A375和HEPG2的IC50值最低,分别为13.31、13.31、12.62和31.19 μM。有趣的是,所研究的化合物对EGFR和端粒酶蛋白表达表现出显著的抑制潜力;其中,化合物5g的抑制电位分别为3.45和1.31 ng mL-1。因此,我们对化合物5g进行了凋亡相关蛋白的蛋白表达。促凋亡蛋白(caspases 3、8和9)分别上调1.35倍、1.55倍和1.51倍。同时,抗凋亡蛋白CDK-2、CDK-4和CDK-6分别下调2.91倍、2.01倍和9.15倍,保证了化合物5g的凋亡潜能。因此,选择化合物5g进一步研究其对A375癌细胞细胞周期进程的影响。显然,化合物5g使细胞周期阻滞在G0-G1期。此外,所研究的化合物具有合适的药代动力学特征和可行的口服生物利用度。因此,合成的化合物可以作为未来优化的先导多靶点抗癌配体。
{"title":"Dual EGFR and telomerase inhibitory potential of new triazole tethered Schiff bases endowed with apoptosis: design, synthesis, and biological assessments.","authors":"Mohamed A Zeidan, Heba F Ashour, Asmaa S A Yassen, Ayman Abo Elmaaty, Ayman B Farag, Marwa Sharaky, Abdullah Yahya Abdullah Alzahrani, Mohammed H Al Mughram, Ahmed A Al-Karmalawy","doi":"10.1039/d4md00750f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00750f","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many cancers have displayed resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs over the past few decades. EGFR has emerged as a leading target for cancer therapy <i>via</i> inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. Besides, studies strongly suggest that blocking telomerase activity could be an effective way to control the growth of certain cancer cells. Based on the fact that multi-target design rationale can afford candidates with greater treatment effectiveness. Besides, it was evidenced that inhibition of human telomerase enhances the effect of some tyrosine kinase inhibitors. So, in the current work, we aimed to design and synthesize novel 1,2,3-triazole-tethered Schiff bases (5a-l) to act as dual EGFR and telomerase inhibitors. Growth inhibition (GI)% was conducted for the synthesized compounds using a panel of eleven cancer cell lines as well as two normal cell lines. Interestingly, compound 5e displayed the highest mean GI% (76.78%) among the investigated compounds surpassing the mean GI% of the reference drug doxorubicin (65.79%). In addition, compound 5g displayed notably the lowest IC<sub>50</sub> values (13.31, 13.31, 12.62, and 31.19 μM) for the four utilized cancer cell lines HNO97, HCT116, A375, and HEPG2, respectively. Interestingly, the investigated compounds exhibited significant inhibitory potential to EGFR and telomerase protein expression; in particular, compound 5g recorded inhibitory potentials of 3.45 and 1.31 ng mL<sup>-1</sup>, respectively. Hence, protein expression of the apoptosis-related proteins was carried out for compound 5g. Pro-apoptotic proteins (caspases 3, 8, and 9) were upregulated by 1.35, 1.55, and 1.51-fold change, respectively. Meanwhile, the anti-apoptotic proteins (CDK-2, CDK-4, and CDK-6) were downregulated by 2.91, 2.01, and 9.15-fold change, respectively, ensuring the apoptotic potential of compound 5g. Accordingly, compound 5g was selected for further investigation of its effects on cell cycle progression in A375 cancer cells. Obviously, compound 5g prompted cell cycle arrest at the G0-G1 phase. Additionally, the investigated compounds showed eligible pharmacokinetic profiles with feasible oral bioavailability. Consequently, the synthesized compounds can be treated as lead multi-target anticancer ligands for future optimization.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11708207/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142954191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A series of 2-(4-bromobenzyl) tethered 4-amino aryl/alkyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines (7a-7u) were designed, synthesized, characterized and screened against a panel of cancer cell lines. Compound 7a, in particular, emerged as a potent antiproliferative agent against FaDu cells (HTB-43) with an IC50 value of 1.73 μM. 7a induced morphological alterations in FaDu cells were observed via brightfield microscopy and DAPI staining, confirming cytotoxicity. Autophagy and apoptotic effects of 7a were confirmed by acridine orange staining, Rhodamine 123 staining, and western blot analysis, which revealed dose-dependent increases in LC3A/B and cleaved caspase-3 levels, respectively. Further, 7a impaired cell migration and colony formation, as demonstrated by scratch and clonogenic assays. Additionally, 7a reduced oxidative stress and induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 cells. 7a emerged as a dual topoisomerase I and II inhibitor, and results were supported by molecular docking and simulation studies. In anti-inflammatory studies, 7a exhibited selective inhibition of COX-2 over COX-1, supporting its dual anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
{"title":"2-(4-Bromobenzyl) tethered 4-amino aryl/alkyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-<i>d</i>]pyrimidines: design, synthesis, anticancer assessment <i>via</i> dual topoisomerase-I/II inhibition, and <i>in silico</i> studies.","authors":"Sahil Arora, Bhagyshree Patra, Isha Dhamija, Santosh Kumar Guru, Raj Kumar","doi":"10.1039/d4md00817k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00817k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A series of 2-(4-bromobenzyl) tethered 4-amino aryl/alkyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-<i>d</i>]pyrimidines (7a-7u) were designed, synthesized, characterized and screened against a panel of cancer cell lines. Compound 7a, in particular, emerged as a potent antiproliferative agent against FaDu cells (HTB-43) with an IC<sub>50</sub> value of 1.73 μM. 7a induced morphological alterations in FaDu cells were observed <i>via</i> brightfield microscopy and DAPI staining, confirming cytotoxicity. Autophagy and apoptotic effects of 7a were confirmed by acridine orange staining, Rhodamine 123 staining, and western blot analysis, which revealed dose-dependent increases in LC3A/B and cleaved caspase-3 levels, respectively. Further, 7a impaired cell migration and colony formation, as demonstrated by scratch and clonogenic assays. Additionally, 7a reduced oxidative stress and induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 cells. 7a emerged as a dual topoisomerase I and II inhibitor, and results were supported by molecular docking and simulation studies. In anti-inflammatory studies, 7a exhibited selective inhibition of COX-2 over COX-1, supporting its dual anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11650380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142855228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquaporins (AQPs) are integral membrane proteins responsible for facilitating the transmembrane transport of water and small solutes. Their involvement in diverse physiological functions extends to pathological conditions, including cancer, positioning them as promising targets for anticancer therapy. Tumor cells, particularly those with high metastatic potential, exhibit elevated AQP expression, reinforcing their critical role in tumor biology. Emerging evidence highlights AQPs' involvement in key oncogenic processes such as cell migration, proliferation, and tumor-associated edema, suggesting their potential as novel therapeutic targets. Despite this, the development of selective and potent AQP inhibitors has proven challenging. Efforts to produce small-molecule AQP inhibitors have largely been unsuccessful. However, recent advancements include monoclonal human IgG antibodies targeting extracellular domains of aquaporin-4, offering new therapeutic strategies, particularly in glioblastoma, where AQP-4 is overexpressed. However, recent advancements include monoclonal human IgG antibodies targeting extracellular domains of aquaporin-4, offering new therapeutic strategies, particularly in glioblastoma, where AQP-4 is over expressed. These antibodies hold promise for selectively targeting and eradicating AQP-4-expressing cells in malignant brain tumors. This review discusses the critical role AQPs play in cancer, including their contributions to tumor cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and edema formation. Additionally, we explore innovative therapeutic approaches, such as antibody-based interventions, and outline potential future research directions in AQP-targeted cancer therapies.
{"title":"Distinctive roles of aquaporins and novel therapeutic opportunities against cancer.","authors":"Dharmendra Kumar Yadav, Desh Deepak Singh, Dongyun Shin","doi":"10.1039/d4md00786g","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00786g","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aquaporins (AQPs) are integral membrane proteins responsible for facilitating the transmembrane transport of water and small solutes. Their involvement in diverse physiological functions extends to pathological conditions, including cancer, positioning them as promising targets for anticancer therapy. Tumor cells, particularly those with high metastatic potential, exhibit elevated AQP expression, reinforcing their critical role in tumor biology. Emerging evidence highlights AQPs' involvement in key oncogenic processes such as cell migration, proliferation, and tumor-associated edema, suggesting their potential as novel therapeutic targets. Despite this, the development of selective and potent AQP inhibitors has proven challenging. Efforts to produce small-molecule AQP inhibitors have largely been unsuccessful. However, recent advancements include monoclonal human IgG antibodies targeting extracellular domains of aquaporin-4, offering new therapeutic strategies, particularly in glioblastoma, where AQP-4 is overexpressed. However, recent advancements include monoclonal human IgG antibodies targeting extracellular domains of aquaporin-4, offering new therapeutic strategies, particularly in glioblastoma, where AQP-4 is over expressed. These antibodies hold promise for selectively targeting and eradicating AQP-4-expressing cells in malignant brain tumors. This review discusses the critical role AQPs play in cancer, including their contributions to tumor cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and edema formation. Additionally, we explore innovative therapeutic approaches, such as antibody-based interventions, and outline potential future research directions in AQP-targeted cancer therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11650210/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142855236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Considering the multifactorial and complex nature of Alzheimer's disease and the requirement of an optimum multifunctional anti-Alzheimer's agent, a series of triazole tethered coumarin-eugenol hybrid molecules was designed as potential multifunctional anti-Alzheimer's agents using donepezil and a template. The designed hybrid molecules were synthesized via a click chemistry approach and preliminarily screened for cholinesterase and Aβ1-42 aggregation inhibition. Among them, AS15 emerged as a selective inhibitor of AChE (IC50 = 0.047 μM) over butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE: IC50 ≥ 10 μM) with desired Aβ1-42 aggregation inhibition (72.21% at 50 μM) properties. In addition, AS15 showed protective effects against DNA damage caused by hydroxyl radicals originating from H2O2. Molecular docking and simulation studies confirmed the favorable interactions of AChE and the Aβ1-42 monomer desired for their inhibition. AS15 exhibited an LD50 value of 300 mg kg-1 and showed significant improvements in memory and learning behavior in scopolamine-induced cognition impairment mouse-based animal models (Y-maze test and Morris water maze test) for behavioral analysis. Overall outcomes suggest AS15 as a potential preclinical multifunctional candidate for the management of Alzheimer's disease, and it serves as a promising lead for further development of potent and safer multifunctional anti-Alzheimer's agents.
{"title":"Development of coumarin-inspired bifunctional hybrids as a new class of anti-Alzheimer's agents with potent <i>in vivo</i> efficacy.","authors":"Atamjit Singh, Aman Sharma, Karanvir Singh, Kirandeep Kaur, Pallvi Mohana, Jignesh Prajapati, Uttam Kaur, Dweipayan Goswami, Saroj Arora, Renu Chadha, Preet Mohinder Singh Bedi","doi":"10.1039/d4md00782d","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00782d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Considering the multifactorial and complex nature of Alzheimer's disease and the requirement of an optimum multifunctional anti-Alzheimer's agent, a series of triazole tethered coumarin-eugenol hybrid molecules was designed as potential multifunctional anti-Alzheimer's agents using donepezil and a template. The designed hybrid molecules were synthesized <i>via</i> a click chemistry approach and preliminarily screened for cholinesterase and Aβ<sub>1-42</sub> aggregation inhibition. Among them, AS15 emerged as a selective inhibitor of AChE (IC<sub>50</sub> = 0.047 μM) over butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE: IC<sub>50</sub> ≥ 10 μM) with desired Aβ<sub>1-42</sub> aggregation inhibition (72.21% at 50 μM) properties. In addition, AS15 showed protective effects against DNA damage caused by hydroxyl radicals originating from H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. Molecular docking and simulation studies confirmed the favorable interactions of AChE and the Aβ<sub>1-42</sub> monomer desired for their inhibition. AS15 exhibited an LD<sub>50</sub> value of 300 mg kg<sup>-1</sup> and showed significant improvements in memory and learning behavior in scopolamine-induced cognition impairment mouse-based animal models (Y-maze test and Morris water maze test) for behavioral analysis. Overall outcomes suggest AS15 as a potential preclinical multifunctional candidate for the management of Alzheimer's disease, and it serves as a promising lead for further development of potent and safer multifunctional anti-Alzheimer's agents.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11707525/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142954188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is aberrantly expressed in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Therefore, a diagnostic and therapeutic ERβ probe not only helps to reveal the complex role of ERβ in prostate cancer (PCa), but also promotes ERβ-targeted PCa therapy. Herein, we reported a novel ERβ-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe D3 with both imaging and therapeutic functions, which had the advantages of high ERβ selectivity, good optical performance, and strong anti-interference ability. In addition, it displayed excellent antiproliferative activity in CRPC cells. Finally, D3 was also successfully applied to the in vivo imaging of ERβ in the prostate cancer mouse model. Thus, this ERβ-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe can be used as a potential tool for the study of ERβ-targeted diagnostic and therapeutic PCa.
{"title":"An estrogen receptor β-targeted near-infrared probe for theranostic imaging of prostate cancer.","authors":"Junhong Dai, Yihe Wu, Xiaofei Deng, Hai-Bing Zhou, Chune Dong","doi":"10.1039/d4md00767k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00767k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is aberrantly expressed in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Therefore, a diagnostic and therapeutic ERβ probe not only helps to reveal the complex role of ERβ in prostate cancer (PCa), but also promotes ERβ-targeted PCa therapy. Herein, we reported a novel ERβ-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe D3 with both imaging and therapeutic functions, which had the advantages of high ERβ selectivity, good optical performance, and strong anti-interference ability. In addition, it displayed excellent antiproliferative activity in CRPC cells. Finally, D3 was also successfully applied to the <i>in vivo</i> imaging of ERβ in the prostate cancer mouse model. Thus, this ERβ-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe can be used as a potential tool for the study of ERβ-targeted diagnostic and therapeutic PCa.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758099/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143047838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Some novel sulphonyl thiourea derivatives (7a-m) containing 4,6-diarylpyrimidine rings were designed and synthesized using a one-pot procedure. These compounds exhibited remarkable dual inhibitory activity against human carbonic anhydrase hCA I, hCA II, hCA IX, and XII isoenzymes and some cancer cell lines. Among them, some thioureas had significantly more potent inhibitory activities in the order of 7l > 7c > 7f (against the hCA I isoform), 7f > 7b > 7c (against the hCA II isoform), 7c > 7g > 7a > 7b (against the hCA IX isoform), and 7d > 7c > 7g > 7f (against the hCA XII isoform). The obtained inhibitory activity data against the hCA IX and XII isoforms showed that compound 7c was the most potent inhibitor in this sulphonyl thiourea series against enzyme hCA IX, with KI = 125.1 ± 12.4 nM, while compound 7d was the most potent inhibitor against enzyme hCA XII, with KI = 111.0 ± 12.3 nM. Compound 7c exhibited strong inhibitory activity among all four tested hCA enzymes, while thiourea 7f was a potent inhibitor for enzymes hCA I, II and XII. All these compounds demonstrated non-competitive inhibition of both enzymes. Some selected potential inhibitory compounds, including 7c, 7d, and 7g, exhibited remarkable cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines, including human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), human liver adenocarcinoma (HepG2), human cervical epithelial carcinoma (HeLa), and human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549). These compounds exhibited low cytotoxicity in the WI-38 cell line. The compounds 7c and 7d were the most potent inhibitors against tumour-associated hCA IX and hCA XII isoenzymes. Furthermore, these compounds exhibited remarkable inhibition against some cancer cell lines, such as MCF-7, HepG2, HeLa, and A549. They were subjected to in silico screening for molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The results of in vitro and in silico studies revealed that compounds 7c and 7d were the most promising derivatives in this series owing to their significant effects on the studied hCA IX and hCA XII isoenzymes, respectively. The results showed that the sulphonyl thiourea moiety was deeply accommodated in the active site and interacted with zinc ions in the receptors.
{"title":"Sulphonyl thiourea compounds containing pyrimidine as dual inhibitors of I, II, IX, and XII carbonic anhydrases and cancer cell lines: synthesis, characterization and <i>in silico</i> studies.","authors":"Nguyen Dinh Thanh, Vu Ngoc Toan, Vu Minh Trang","doi":"10.1039/d4md00816b","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00816b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Some novel sulphonyl thiourea derivatives (7a-m) containing 4,6-diarylpyrimidine rings were designed and synthesized using a one-pot procedure. These compounds exhibited remarkable dual inhibitory activity against human carbonic anhydrase <i>h</i>CA I, <i>h</i>CA II, <i>h</i>CA IX, and XII isoenzymes and some cancer cell lines. Among them, some thioureas had significantly more potent inhibitory activities in the order of 7l > 7c > 7f (against the <i>h</i>CA I isoform), 7f > 7b > 7c (against the <i>h</i>CA II isoform), 7c > 7g > 7a > 7b (against the <i>h</i>CA IX isoform), and 7d > 7c > 7g > 7f (against the <i>h</i>CA XII isoform). The obtained inhibitory activity data against the <i>h</i>CA IX and XII isoforms showed that compound 7c was the most potent inhibitor in this sulphonyl thiourea series against enzyme <i>h</i>CA IX, with <i>K</i> <sub>I</sub> = 125.1 ± 12.4 nM, while compound 7d was the most potent inhibitor against enzyme <i>h</i>CA XII, with <i>K</i> <sub>I</sub> = 111.0 ± 12.3 nM. Compound 7c exhibited strong inhibitory activity among all four tested <i>h</i>CA enzymes, while thiourea 7f was a potent inhibitor for enzymes <i>h</i>CA I, II and XII. All these compounds demonstrated non-competitive inhibition of both enzymes. Some selected potential inhibitory compounds, including 7c, 7d, and 7g, exhibited remarkable cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines, including human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), human liver adenocarcinoma (HepG2), human cervical epithelial carcinoma (HeLa), and human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549). These compounds exhibited low cytotoxicity in the WI-38 cell line. The compounds 7c and 7d were the most potent inhibitors against tumour-associated <i>h</i>CA IX and <i>h</i>CA XII isoenzymes. Furthermore, these compounds exhibited remarkable inhibition against some cancer cell lines, such as MCF-7, HepG2, HeLa, and A549. They were subjected to <i>in silico</i> screening for molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The results of <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in silico</i> studies revealed that compounds 7c and 7d were the most promising derivatives in this series owing to their significant effects on the studied <i>h</i>CA IX and <i>h</i>CA XII isoenzymes, respectively. The results showed that the sulphonyl thiourea moiety was deeply accommodated in the active site and interacted with zinc ions in the receptors.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11734695/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143010450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The N/OFQ-NOP receptor is a fascinating peptidergic system with the potential to be exploited for the development of analgesic drugs devoid of side effects associated with classical opioid signalling modulation. To date, up to four X-ray and cryo-EM structures of the NOP receptor in complex with the endogenous peptide agonist N/OFQ and three small molecule antagonists have been solved and released. Despite the available structural information, the details of selective small molecule agonist binding to the NOP receptor in the active state remain elusive. In this study, by leveraging the available structural information and using N/OFQ(1-13)-NH2 as a reference compound, we developed a computational protocol based on docking followed by short molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that can suggest small molecule agonist binding modes at the NOP receptor that are reproducible and stable over time in the solvated membrane-embedded receptor active state and in agreement with known structure-activity relationship (SAR) data.
{"title":"Probing non-peptide agonists binding at the human nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor: a molecular modelling study.","authors":"Matteo Gozzi, Davide Malfacini, Valentina Albanese, Salvatore Pacifico, Delia Preti, Remo Guerrini, Girolamo Calò, Antonella Ciancetta","doi":"10.1039/d4md00747f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00747f","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The N/OFQ-NOP receptor is a fascinating peptidergic system with the potential to be exploited for the development of analgesic drugs devoid of side effects associated with classical opioid signalling modulation. To date, up to four X-ray and cryo-EM structures of the NOP receptor in complex with the endogenous peptide agonist N/OFQ and three small molecule antagonists have been solved and released. Despite the available structural information, the details of selective small molecule agonist binding to the NOP receptor in the active state remain elusive. In this study, by leveraging the available structural information and using N/OFQ(1-13)-NH<sub>2</sub> as a reference compound, we developed a computational protocol based on docking followed by short molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that can suggest small molecule agonist binding modes at the NOP receptor that are reproducible and stable over time in the solvated membrane-embedded receptor active state and in agreement with known structure-activity relationship (SAR) data.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11707527/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142954196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Isabella A Riha, Miguel A Campos, Xiaokang Jin, Fiona Y Wang, Chenlu Zhang, Sara F Dunne, Benjamin F Cravatt, Xiaoyu Zhang
Traditional small molecule drugs often target protein activity directly, but challenges arise when proteins lack suitable functional sites. An alternative approach is targeted protein degradation (TPD), which directs proteins to cellular machinery for proteolytic degradation. Recent studies have identified additional E3 ligases suitable for TPD, expanding the potential of this approach. Among these, DCAF16 has shown promise in facilitating protein degradation through both PROTAC and molecular glue mechanisms. In this study, we developed a homogeneous time resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assay to discover new DCAF16 binders. Using an in-house electrophile library, we identified two diastereomeric compounds, with one engaging DCAF16 at cysteines C177-179 and another reducing its expression. We demonstrated that the compound covalently engaging DCAF16 can be transformed into a PROTAC capable of degrading FKBP12.
{"title":"Exploiting the DCAF16-SPIN4 interaction to identify DCAF16 ligands for PROTAC development.","authors":"Isabella A Riha, Miguel A Campos, Xiaokang Jin, Fiona Y Wang, Chenlu Zhang, Sara F Dunne, Benjamin F Cravatt, Xiaoyu Zhang","doi":"10.1039/d4md00681j","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4md00681j","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Traditional small molecule drugs often target protein activity directly, but challenges arise when proteins lack suitable functional sites. An alternative approach is targeted protein degradation (TPD), which directs proteins to cellular machinery for proteolytic degradation. Recent studies have identified additional E3 ligases suitable for TPD, expanding the potential of this approach. Among these, DCAF16 has shown promise in facilitating protein degradation through both PROTAC and molecular glue mechanisms. In this study, we developed a homogeneous time resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assay to discover new DCAF16 binders. Using an in-house electrophile library, we identified two diastereomeric compounds, with one engaging DCAF16 at cysteines C177-179 and another reducing its expression. We demonstrated that the compound covalently engaging DCAF16 can be transformed into a PROTAC capable of degrading FKBP12.</p>","PeriodicalId":21462,"journal":{"name":"RSC medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11647575/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142847590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}