Synthesis of dendritic bisphosphonates as bone targeting ligands

A dendritic bisphosphonate carrying three bisphosphonate (BP) units in close proximity was designed as a ligand to conjugate large therapeutic molecules for their bone selective delivery. The Bu₃P-catalyzed conjugate addition of nitromethane to vinylidene bisphosphonate was effective to construct a quaternary carbon center carrying BP units. Owing to multivalent interactions, the dendritic bisphosphonate showed considerable affinity for the bone mineral hydroxyapatite even in the presence of a competitor, demonstrating potential as a bone targeting ligand.     

ROS‐Responsive N‐Alkylaminoferrocenes for Cancer‐Cell‐Specific Targeting of Mitochondria

Mitochondrial membrane potential is more negative in cancer cells than in normal cells, allowing cancer targeting by delocalized lipophilic cations (DLCs). However, as the difference is rather small, these drugs affect also normal cells. Now a concept of pro‐DLCs is proposed based on an N‐alkylaminoferrocene structure. These prodrugs are activated by the reaction with reactive oxygen species (ROS) forming ferrocenium‐based DLCs. Since ROS are overproduced in cancer, the high‐efficiency cancer‐cell‐specific targeting of mitochondria could be achieved as demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy in combination with two fluorogenic pro‐DLCs in vitro and in vivo. We prepared a conjugate of another pro‐DLC with a clinically approved drug carboplatin and confirmed that its accumulation in mitochondria was higher than that of the free drug. This was reflected in the substantially higher anticancer effect of the conjugate.     

Intracellular transport and localization of microsomal cytochrome P450

The cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes are mainly localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where they function within catalytic complexes metabolizing xenobiotics and some endogenous substrates. However, certain members of families 1–3 were also found in other subcellular compartments, such as mitochondria, plasma membrane, and lysosomes. The physiological function of these enzymes in non-ER locations is not known, although plasma-membrane-associated P450s have been described to be catalytically active and to participate in immune-mediated reactions with autoantibody formation that can trigger drug-induced hepatitis. Several retention/retrieval mechanisms are active in the ER retention of the P450s and inverse integration of the translated P450 into the ER membrane appears to be responsible for transport to the plasma membrane. Furthermore, hydrophilic motifs in the NH₂-terminal part have been suggested to be important for mitochondrial import. Phosphorylation of P450s has been described to be important for increased rate of degradation as well as for targeting into mitochondria. It was also suggested that the mitochondria-targeted P450s from families 1–3 could be active in drug metabolism using an alternative electron transport chain. In this review we present an update of the field emphasizing studies concerning localization, posttranslational modification, such as phosphorylation, and intracellular transport of microsomal P450s.     

新型哌啶-查尔酮类衍生物的设计、合成及抗宫颈癌和逆转顺铂耐药活性

本文采用活性亚结构拼接原理,设计并合成了15个新型含哌啶的查尔酮类衍生物,利用¹H NMR、¹³C NMR和HR-MS对结构进行表征,并初步评价了其抗宫颈癌和抗顺铂耐药宫颈癌活性作用。结果表明,化合物6g具有一定的抗肿瘤活性和逆转顺铂耐药作用;并采用Elisa法、联合顺铂用药、Western Blot和分子对接对化合物6g与VEGFR-2和P-gp靶点进行了初步的研究。本研究为基于VEGFR-2和P-gp双靶点新型分子靶向查尔酮类衍生物的设计提供了一条思路。     

基于点击化学反应的半乳糖糖基化马蹄金素衍生物的合成及抗HBV活性

以D-半乳糖和二缩三乙二醇为原料,经乙酰化、糖基化和叠氮化钠取代等反应合成了带叠氮连接臂的半乳糖配基,通过点击化学反应将其与炔丙基修饰的马蹄金素(MTS)衍生物进行连接,设计合成了6个具有潜在肝靶向性的半乳糖糖基化MTS衍生物.通过1H NMR,13C NMR,1H-1H COSY,HMQC,DEPT和ESI-MS对其结构进行了表征;采用Hep G2 2.2.15细胞模型初步评价了目标化合物的抗乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)活性.结果表明,所有目标化合物对HBV DNA的复制均有抑制作用,且具有一定的量效关系;化合物15f在50μg/m L浓度下对Hep G2 2.2.15细胞株的抑制率为83%,具有进一步研究的价值.     

Dual‐Targeting Nanovesicles for In Situ Intracellular Imaging of and Discrimination between Wild‐type and Mutant p53

p53 is a tumor‐suppressor protein related to the cell cycle and programmed cell apoptosis. Herein, dual‐targeting nanovesicles are designed for in situ imaging of intracellular wild‐type p53 (WTp53) and mutant p53 (MUp53). Nanovesicle‐encapsulated plasmonic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were functionalized with consensus DNA duplexes, and a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‐marked anti‐MUp53 antibody was conjugated to the nanovesicle surface. After entering the cytoplasm, the released AuNPs aggregated through recognition of WTp53 and the double‐stranded DNA. The color changes of AuNPs were observed using dark‐field microscopy, which showed the intracellular WTp53 distribution. The MUp53 location was detected though the immunological recognition between FITC‐labeled anti‐MUp53 and MUp53. Thus, a one‐step incubation method for the in situ imaging of intracellular WTp53 and MUp53 was obtained; this was used to monitor the p53 level under a drug treatment.     

Pharmacophore generation,atom-based 3D-QSAR,HQSAR and activity cliff analyses of benzothiazine and deazaxanthine derivatives as dual A2A antagonists/MAO‑B inhibitors

Dual inhibition of A_2A and MAO-B is an emerging strategy in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study, atom-based three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship (3D-QSAR) and hologram quantitative structure–activity relationship (HQSAR) models were generated with benzothiazine and deazaxanthine derivatives. Based on activity against A_2A and MAO-B, two statistically signi?cant 3D-QSAR models (r² = 0.96, q² = 0.76 and r² = 0.91, q² = 0.63) and HQSAR models (r² = 0.93, q² = 0.68 and r² = 0.97, q² = 0.58) were developed. In an activity cliff analysis, structural outliers were identified by calculating the Mahalanobis distance for a pair of compounds with A_2A and MAO-B inhibitory activities. The generated 3D-QSAR and HQSAR models, activity cliff analysis, molecular docking and dynamic studies for dual target protein inhibitors provide key structural scaffolds that serve as building blocks in designing drug-like molecules for neurodegenerative diseases.     

In silico characterization of the interaction between LSKL peptide,a LAP-TGF-beta derived peptide,and ADAMTS1

Metalloproteases involved in extracellular matrix remodeling play a pivotal role in cell response by regulating the bioavailability of cytokines and growth factors. Recently, the disintegrin and metalloprotease, ADAMTS1 has been demonstrated to be able to activate the transforming growth factor TGF-β, a major factor in fibrosis and cancer. The KTFR sequence from ADAMTS1 is responsible for the interaction with the LSKL peptide from the latent form of TGF-β, leading to its activation. While the atomic details of the interaction site can be the basis of the rational design of efficient inhibitory molecules, the binding mode of interaction is totally unknown.In this study, we show that recombinant fragments of human ADAMTS1 containing KTFR sequence keep the ability to bind the latent form of TGF-β. The recombinant fragment with the best affinity is modeled to investigate the binding mode of LSKL peptide with ADAMTS1 at the atomic level. Using a combined approach with molecular docking and multiple independent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we provide the binding mode of LSKL peptide with ADAMTS1. The MD simulations starting with the two lowest energy model predicted by molecular docking shows stable interactions characterized by 3 salt bridges (K₃–NH₃⁺ with E₆₂₆–COO⁻; L₄–COO⁻ with K₆₁₉–NH₃⁺; L₁–NH₃⁺ with E₆₂₄–COO⁻) and 2 hydrogen bonds (S₂–OH with E₆₂₃–COO⁻; L₄–NH with E₆₂₃–COO⁻). The knowledge of this interaction mechanism paves the way to the design of more potent and more specific inhibitors against the inappropriate activation of TGF-β by ADAMTS1 in liver diseases.     

Tumor‐Targeting W18O49 Nanoparticles for Dual‐Modality Imaging and Guided Heat‐Shock‐Response‐Inhibited Photothermal Therapy in Gastric Cancer

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is an emerging noninvasive and precise localized therapeutic modality; however, it is deeply limited by its poor tumor accumulation, inadequate photothermal conversion efficiency, and the thermoresistance of cancer cells. Aimed at these shortcomings, tumor‐targeting nanoparticles (iRGD‐W₁₈O₄₉‐17AAG) comprising carboxyl‐group‐functionalized W₁₈O₄₉ nanoparticles, integrin‐targeting peptide iRGD, and HSP90‐inhibitor 17AAG are developed. The W₁₈O₄₉ nanoparticles act as excellent PTT carriers and computed tomography (CT) imaging contrast agents. The ring type polypeptide iRGD promotes the accumulation of nanoparticles in the tumour and further penetration into cancer cells. The introduction of 17AAG can inhibit the heat‐shock response and overcome the thermoresistance, thus increasing the curative effect of PTT and reducing the chance of tumor recurrence. The W₁₈O₄₉ nanoparticles can also be used to monitor and guide the phototherapeutic through CT and near‐infrared fluorescence imaging after modification with Cy5.5. In addition, superior biosafety is also indicated in both preliminary in vitro and in vivo assessments. The potential of iRGD‐W₁₈O₄₉‐17AAG in tumor targeting, dual modality imaging‐guided and remarkable enhanced PTT of gastric cancer with ignorable side effect both in vitro and in vivo, which may be further applied in clinic, is highlighted.     

Design and Synthesis of Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras for Inducing BRD4 Protein Degradation

In this paper, we synthesized a series of proteolysis targeting chimeras(PROTACs) using VHL E3 ligase ligands for BRD4 protein degradation. One of the most promising compound 19g exhibited robust potency of BRD4 inhibition with IC₅₀ value of (18.6±1.3) nmol/L, respectively. Furthermore, compound 19g potently inhibited cell proliferation in BRD4-sensitive cell lines RS4;11 with IC₅₀ value of (34.2±4.3) nmol/L and capable of inducing degradation of BRD4 protein at 0.4—0.6 µmol/L in the RS4;11 leukemia cells. These data show that compound 19g is a highly potent and efficacious BRD4 degrader.