Preparation of Thermocleavable Conjugates Based on Ansamitocin and Superparamagnetic Nanostructured Particles by a Chemobiosynthetic Approach

A combination of mutasynthesis, precursor‐directed biosynthesis and semisynthesis provides access to new ansamitocin derivatives including new nanostructured particle–drug conjugates. These conjugates are based on the toxin ansamitocin and superparamagnetic iron oxide–silica core shell particles. New ansamitocin derivatives that are functionalized either with alkynyl‐ or azido groups in the ester side chain at C‐3 are attached to nanostructured iron oxide core–silica shell particles. Upon exposure to an oscillating electromagnetic field these conjugates heat up and the ansamitocin derivatives are released by a retro‐Diels–Alder reaction. For example, one ansamitocin derivative exerts strong antiproliferative activity against various cancer cell lines in the lower nanomolar range while the corresponding nanostructured particle‐drug conjugate is not toxic. Therefore, these new conjugates can serve as dormant toxins that can be employed simultaneously in hyperthermia and chemotherapy when external inductive heating is applied.     

Development of a Novel Covalent Folate‐Albumin‐Photosensitizer Conjugate

There is considerable interest in the development of novel and more efficient delivery systems for improving the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT). The authors in this highlighted issue describe the synthesis and the photobiological characterizations of two photosensitizer (PS) conjugates based on β‐carboline derivatives covalently conjugated to folic acid (FA) coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a carrier system specifically targeting cancer cells overexpressing FA receptor alpha (FRα). Accordingly, only the FA–BSA–β‐carboline conjugates are internalized specifically in FRα‐positive cells and are proved to be phototoxic. On the other hand, albumin–β‐carboline conjugates without FA or β‐carboline derivatives alone are not internalized and nontoxic. This conjugate is among the first to produce a conjugate composed of a PS and FA molecules that are directly conjugated to BSA. In addition, the in vitro studies are the first evidence that directly conjugated FA‐BSA can be used as carriers to selectively enhance cytotoxicity by PDT relative to unmodified PS or nontargeted BSA‐PS. This strategy is a positive step forward for the covalent design and construction of a photodynamic nanomedicine for FR‐positive tumors.     

Synthesis and antiproliferative evaluation of oxime,methyloxime, and amide‐containing quinazolinones

Certain oxime, methyloxime, and amide‐containing quinazolinone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their antiproliferative activities against a panel of human cancer cell lines including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC‐TW01), lung carcinoma (NCI‐H226), and leukemia (Jurkat). Quinazolinone 2 was inactive against all three cell lines tested, while quinazolinone 4 was weakly active against both Jurkat and H226 cancer cells with IC₅₀ values of 6.55 and 12.27 μM, respectively, indicating that the oxime derivative 4 is more favorable than its ketone precursor 2 . Our results have also indicated that quinazolinone 8g and its biphenyl counterpart 8f exhibited more potent antiproliferative activities than the positive control methotrexate against all three cancer cell lines tested. Among these quinazolinone derivatives, 8g was the most active against NPC‐TW01 with an IC₅₀ value of 4.78 μM. Further study on NPC‐TW01 cell cycle distribution indicated that the compound 8g induced cell arrest at the G1/G0 phase in a time‐ and concentration‐dependent manner. Moreover, a characteristic hypo‐diploid DNA content peak (sub‐G1) was found to increase from 1 to 4% in NPC‐TW01 cells treated with 8g for 72 hr. These results indicate that 8g can induce cells arrest in the G1/G0 phase and cause cell death. Further structural optimization of 8g and detailed study of its antiproliferative mechanism are going on.     

Bioguided Isolation and Antiproliferative Activity of Constituents from Smilax korthalsii A.D.C. Leaves

Ethyl acetate extract of Smilax korthalsii A.D.C. leaves exhibited antiproliferative activity on leukaemia carcinoma K562, hepatic liver cancer cells WRL and colorectal carcinoma with IC₅₀ of 125.20, 46.10 and 160.00 μM respectively. Isolation of the bioactive ethyl acetate extract of Smilax korthalsii A.D.C. leaves gave eight compounds; 3β‐hydroxyspirost‐5‐ene (diosgenin), 1 , β‐sitosterol, 2 , lup‐5,11,20‐trien‐23‐ol, 3 , uneicos‐9‐enoic acid, 4 , ethylheptadecan‐17‐oic‐9‐enoate, 5 , cis‐octadec‐9‐enoic acid, 6 , hexadec9‐enoic acid, 7 and 11‐methyltridec‐12‐en‐1‐ol, 8 . The isolated compounds were tested against four human cancer cell lines: leukaemia carcinoma, K‐562; hepatic liver cancer cells, WRL; colorectal carcinoma, COLO; and breast carcinoma, MCF‐7 using the MTT assay. Diosgenin 1 exhibited significant antiproliferative activity against all four cell lines (IC₅₀; K562=6.25, WRL=14.34, COLO=38.00, MCF‐7=12.40 μM), while compounds 3, 6 and 7 inhibited the growth of K‐562 at 20, 50 and 100 μM concentrations with IC₅₀ of 90.20, 75.92 and 50.72 μM respectively. Other isolated compounds also showed cytotoxic properties against K‐562, WRL and COLO, but showed low inhibition of MCF‐7.     

Regioselective synthesis of folic acid conjugates from diether-type archaeal lipid analogues

A regioselective access to both α- and γ-folic acid conjugates derived from archaeal lipid analogues is described. The synthetic approach is based on conveniently protected glutamates that led first to α- and γ-glutamate derivatives. The final reconstruction of the folic acid moiety was achieved through the reaction of a protected/activated pteroate followed by a simple deprotection step. These α- and γ-folic acid conjugates would permit to establish the importance of a regiocontrolled introduction of folic acid on the folic acid/folate receptor interaction in the case of a targeted drug/gene delivery.     

Synthesis of Novel Amide Derivatives with In Vitro Antiproliferative and Cytotoxic Activity

Some amide derivatives are highly valuable products with antiproliferative and cytotoxic bioactivity. In this paper, 12 novel amide compounds were synthesized correspondingly by boc‐protection glycine, deprotection, and condensation reactions. The antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity of these compounds was also evaluated by human cervical cancer (Hela) and hepatoma carcinoma (SK‐Hep‐1) cancer cell lines. The assay revealed that eight compounds ( 5a–d , 6a–d ) exhibited activity against Hela cancer cells. Four of them ( 5a–d ) also showed activity against SK‐Hep‐1 cancer cells. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 24:9–17, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.21057     

Application of silicon dioxide nanoparticles modified with tumor-targeting ligands for cellular delivery of nucleoside triphosphate analogues

A key advantage of amino-modified SiO₂ nanoparticles for delivery of phosphorylated nucleosides is a broad possibility for functionalization. It can be modified with ligands currently investigated in targeted drug delivery. To improve the efficacy for intracellular delivery, SiO₂ nanoparticles were functionalized with tumor-targeting ligands folic acid, biotin or 5-fluorouracil. Studies of accumulation of these conjugates in HCT116 colon carcinoma cells revealed that the uptake of modified conjugates was significantly bigger compared to unmodified nanoparticles, with the biotinylated conjugate as the preferred compound. The nanocomposites of biotin modified SiO₂ and 2′,3′-dideoxyuridine triphosphate showed a pronounced antiproliferative potency relative to the unmodified nanocomposites. Thus, multi-functionalization of SiO₂ nanoparticle based conjugates has a major potential for delivery of nucleoside triphosphate analogues, therefore tentatively enhancing their bioactivity.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Allobetulon/Allobetulin–Nucleoside Conjugates as AntitumorAgents

Allobetulin is structurally similar tobetulinic acid, inducing the apoptosis of cancer cells with low toxicity. However, both of them exhibited weak antiproliferation against several tumor cell lines. Therefore, the new series of allobetulon/allobetulin–nucleoside conjugates 9a–10i were designed and synthesized for potency improvement. Compounds 9b, 9e, 10a, and 10d showed promising antiproliferative activity toward six tested cell lines, compared to zidovudine, cisplatin, and oxaliplatin based on their antitumor activity results. Among them, compound 10d exhibited much more potent antiproliferative activity against SMMC-7721, HepG2, MNK-45, SW620, and A549 human cancer cell lines than cisplatin and oxaliplatin. In the preliminary study for the mechanism of action, compound 10d induced cell apoptosis and autophagy in SMMC cells, resulting in antiproliferation and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest by regulating protein expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, and LC3. Consequently, the nucleoside-conjugated allobetulin (10d) evidenced that nucleoside substitution was a viable strategy to improve allobetulin/allobetulon’s antitumor activity based on our present study.     

Enhanced drug loading on magnetic nanoparticles by layer-by-layer assembly using drug conjugates: blood compatibility evaluation and targeted drug delivery in cancer cells

Drug targeting using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) under the action of an external magnetic field constitutes an important mode of drug delivery. Low cargo capacity, particularly in hydrophobic drugs, is one limitation shown by MNPs. This article describes a simple strategy to enhance the drug-loading capacity of MNPs. The approach was to use polymer-drug conjugates to modify MNPs by layer-by-layer assembly (LbL). Curcumin (CUR) has shown remarkably high cytotoxicity toward various cancer cell lines. However, the drug shows low anticancer activity in vivo because of its reduced systemic bioavailability acquired from its poor aqueous solubility and instability. To address this issue, we synthesized cationic and anionic CUR conjugates by anchoring CUR onto poly(vinylpyrroidone) (PVP-Cur) and onto hyaluronic acid (HA-Cur). We used these oppositely charged conjugates to modify MNPs by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. Six double layers of curcumin conjugates were constructed on positively charged amino-terminated magnetic nanoparticles, TMSPEDA@MNPs. Finally, HA was coated onto the outer surface to form HA (HA-Cur/PVP-Cur)(6)@MNPs. Cellular viability studies showed the dose-dependent antiproliferative effect of HA (HA-Cur/PVP-Cur)(6)@MNPs in two cancer cell lines (glioma cells and Caco-2 cells). HA (HA-Cur/PVP-Cur)(6)@MNPs exhibited more cytotoxicity than did free curcumin, which was attributed to the enhanced solubility along with better absorption via hyaluronic acid receptor-mediated endocytosis. Flow cytometry showed enhanced intake of the modified MNPs by cells. Confocal microscope images also confirmed the uptake of HA (HA-Cur/PVP-Cur)(6)@MNPs with greater efficacy. Thus, the strategy that we adopted here appears to have substantial potential in carrying enhanced payloads of hydrophobic drugs to specified targets.     

Synthesis of novel xanthone and acridone carboxamides with potent antiproliferative activities

Several new amino-substituted acridone and xanthone derivatives have been designed and synthesized, using an efficient methodology from suitable acridone- or xanthone-carboxylic acid intermediates. The antiproliferative activity of the target compounds has been evaluated against four cancer cell lines, namely breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7, acute lymphocytic leukemia CCRF-CEM, and its doxorubicin-resistant variant CEM/ADR5000 and prostate cancer PC-3 cell lines. Selected derivatives have also been tested against the urinary bladder T24 and metastatic melanoma WM266-4 cancer cell lines. Two nitro substituted acridones, bearing a basic side chain as well, were endowed with a remarkable profile against the majority of the cell lines tested, with IC₅₀ values in the low micromolar range. Both compounds cause accumulation at G0/G1 phase, induce apoptosis, and act as potent autophagy inhibitors in PC-3 cells, suggesting their further evaluation in various pathophysiological environments, conditions, and regimens.     

Novel 5‐Methyl‐2‐[(un)substituted phenyl]‐4‐{4,5‐dihydro‐ 3‐[(un)substituted phenyl]‐5‐(1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline‐2‐yl)pyrazol‐1‐yl}‐oxazole Derivatives: Synthesis and Anticancer Activity

Eleven novel 5‐methyl‐2‐[(un)substituted phenyl]‐4‐{4,5‐dihydro‐3‐[(un)substituted phenyl]‐5‐(1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline‐2‐yl)pyrazol‐1‐yl}‐oxazole derivatives were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, ESI‐MS, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. All of the compounds have been screened for their antiproliferative activities against PC‐3 cell (human prostate cancer) and A431 cell (human epidermoid carcinoma cancer) lines in vitro. The results revealed that compounds 4g , 4j and 4k exhibited the strong inhibitory activities against the PC‐3 cell lines (with IC₅₀ values of 2.8±0.11, 3.1±0.10 and 3.0±0.06 μg/mL, respectively).     

Synthesis,Antiproliferative, and c‐Src Kinase Inhibitory Activities of 4‐Oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran Derivatives

A new class of 4‐oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran derivatives were synthesized and their antiproliferative activity examined against a panel of three human cancer cell lines, that is, breast carcinoma (MDA‐MB‐468), ovarian adenocarcinoma (SK‐OV‐3), and colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT‐29). Two compounds, that is, 3‐hexyl‐7,8‐dihydroxy‐4‐oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran and (E)‐ethyl 3‐(7‐methoxy‐4‐oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran‐3‐yl)acrylate were found to be potent against all three cancer cell lines studied at 50 μM concentration. Also, the inhibitory potency of the compounds was evaluated against active Src kinase. A few of these compounds exhibited modest Src kinase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 52–57 μM). Structure‐activity relationship studies with respect to the nature and position of substituents on the lead compounds could be further exploited for the design and development of more potent antiproliferative agents and/or Src kinase inhibitors.     

Synthesis and Antiproliferative Evaluation of 2′‐Arenesulfonyloxy‐5‐benzylidene‐thiazolidine‐2,4‐diones

A series of 2′‐arenesulfonyloxy‐5‐benzylidene‐thiazolidine‐2,4‐diones (TZDs) were synthesized and examined for their antiproliferative effects on a panel of carcinoma cell lines. Our results indicated that initial synthesis of 5‐[2′‐hydroxybenzylidene]‐2,4‐thiazolidinone (9) by Knoevenagel condensation followed by nucleophilic substitution with arylsulfonyl chlorides exhibited superior efficiency to the alternative synthetic route. Among tested compounds, only 8c and 8e showed significant antiproliferative activity against PC‐3 and BT474 cells with GI₅₀ values of 8.4 and 20.6 μM, respectively. SKHep cells displayed interesting structure‐activity relationships in response to TZD derivatives treatment. Alkyl group‐substituted TZD analogs such as 8a (4‐Me, GI₅₀, 9.4 μM) and 8k (4‐iso‐propyl, GI₅₀, 9.8 μM) revealed better antiproliferative activity than those with bulkier alkyl groups. On the other hand, halogen‐substituted TZD analogs 8c, 8h, and 8i showed better antiproliferative activity against H460 cell line. Together, the new synthesized TZD derivatives 8a , 8b , 8c , 8d , 8e , 8f , 8g , 8h , 8i , 8j , 8k , 8l , 8m , 8n , 8o , 8p exhibited appreciable antiproliferative activity worth for further study.     

Green synthesis of some tetrahydroquinoline derivatives and evaluation as anticancer agents

This study demonstrates the design and synthesis of heterocyclic compounds with diverse biological effects. Using an ionic liquid catalyst, a sonosynthetic approach for the assembly of bis-arylidene cycloalkanone derivatives (bis-chalcones) has been reported. Three cancer cell lines Hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG-2), Breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7), and Lung carcinoma cells (A-549) were utilized to investigate the antiproliferative effects of some selected samples. Many evaluated drugs exhibited good to moderate cytotoxicity against the examined cell lines. Notably, the IC₅₀ values for the S-alkyl derivatives ranged from 2.86 to 13.14 µg/mL.     

Straightforward synthesis,antiproliferative screening,and density functional theory study of some pyrazolylpyrimidine derivatives

Tetrahydropyrimidinone derivative was synthesized through one-pot three components condensation of 1,3-diphenylpyrazole-4-carbaldehyde with pentan-2,4-dione and urea under Biginelli reaction conditions. The corresponding chloro- and hydrazino derivatives were synthesized and utilized for the construction of some valuable N-heterocycles encompassing both pyrazole and pyrimidine cores, such as triazolopyrimidine, tetrazolopyrimidine, pyrazole, and pyrazolone derivatives through condensation with nitrogen nucleophiles and carbon electrophiles. The antiproliferative activity evaluation of the synthesized compounds against four human carcinoma cell lines namely, liver carcinoma (HepG2), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7), prostate cancer (PC3), and colon cancer (HCT-116) cell lines revealed that some of them provided significant potency, as well as the density-functional theory (DFT) was studied. The permeability of various hydrophilic and hydrophobic synthesized compounds across both normal and cancer cells is confirmed via DFT simulation in which the much higher permeability through aquaporin channels revealed the selective cytotoxicity toward cancer cells.     

N9位芳基取代嘌呤-8-酮类衍生物的合成及抗肿瘤活性

合成了一系列N9位芳基取代嘌呤-8-酮类衍生物, 利用核磁共振氢谱(¹H NMR)、 核磁共振碳谱(¹³C NMR)和高分辨质谱(HRMS)进行了结构确证. 采用四甲基偶氮唑盐(MTT)法测定了目标化合物的体外抗肿瘤细胞增殖活性. 结果表明, 嘌呤酮环的C2位及N9位的取代对活性有较大影响, C2位引入对位由含氮六元环取代的苯胺, N9位引入对三氟甲基苯均有利于提高抗肿瘤活性. 化合物12c对人白血病细胞(K562)、 人前列腺癌细胞(PC-3)、 人乳腺癌细胞(MDA-MB-231)及人结肠癌细胞(HCT116)的抑制效果明显优于阳性对照药R-Roscovitine.     

Antiproliferative effects of zerumbone-pendant derivatives on human T-cell lymphoid cell line Jurkat cells

Zerumbone is the major component of the essential oil of wild ginger, Zingiber zerumbet Smith. It is not only highly reactive but also has diverse bioactivities. Those effects derive from two conjugated double bonds of zerumbone and a carbonyl group in between, and we had already established a synthetic scheme for zerumbone-pendant derivatives without disturbing the conjugation system. Herein, twelve conjugates with salicylic acid or various benzoic acid derivatives were synthesized for evaluations of their antiproliferative effects on Jurkat cells as salicylic acid is bioactive and has a carboxylic group for coupling. Most of them resulted in IC₅₀ values as low as 1–10?μM, validating the utility of this activity-conserving strategy.     

Folic Acid‐Decorated Nanocomposites Prepared by a Simple Solvent Displacement Method

A biodegradable nanocarrier system based on PLGA applicable for FR targeting is described. PEI‐based conjugates with covalently coupled folic acid are synthesized, characterized with regard to their composition and used for DNA complexation. The preparation of composites is performed by a solvent displacement technique, assuming an electrostatic interaction of PEI‐based polyplexes with PLGA. The synthesis of a folic acid‐PEG3kDa‐PEI25kDa conjugate is achieved. Blending of PLGA with polyplexes results in spherical nanoparticles with sizes ≤ 250 nm. Incorporation of polyplexes and the localization of folic acid on the particle surface, performed by antibody binding, is confirmed. The method is suitable for the preparation of nanosized, folic‐acid‐decorated nanoparticles.

     

New Organoselenium (NSAIDs-Selenourea and Isoselenocyanate) Derivatives as Potential Antiproliferative Agents: Synthesis,Biological Evaluation and in Silico Calculations

In this study, we report on the synthesis of new organoselenium derivatives, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) scaffolds and Se functionalities (isoselenocyanate and selenourea), which were evaluated against four types of cancer cell line: SW480 (human colon adenocarcinoma cells), HeLa (human cervical cancer cells), A549 (human lung carcinoma cells), MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma cells). Among these compounds, most of the investigated compounds reduced the viability of different cancer cell lines. The most promising compound 6b showed IC₅₀ values under 10 μM against the four cancer cell lines, particularly to HeLa and MCF-7, with IC₅₀ values of 2.3 and 2.5 μM, respectively. Furthermore, two compounds, 6b and 6f, were selected to investigate their ability to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells via modulation of the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2) and proapoptotic caspase-3 protein. The redox properties of the NSAIDs-Se derivatives were conducted by 2, 2-didiphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), bleomycin-dependent DNA damage and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like assays. Finally, a molecular docking study revealed that an interaction with the active site of thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) predicted the antiproliferative activity of the synthesized candidates. Overall, these results could serve as a promising launch point for further designs of NSAIDs-Se derivatives as potential antiproliferative agents.     

Studies on the Synthesis and Antiproliferative Activities of 13‐cis‐Retinoyl Sugar Derivatives

New retinoyl sugar derivatives of 13‐cis‐retinoic acid were synthesized in three ways in this paper in order to enhance pharmacal effects, especially antiproliferative activities of 13‐cis‐retinoic acid. Their structures were confirmed by IR, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, and MS spectra and their antiproliferative activities were determined in vitro using human cancer lines. Results showed that some compounds possessed potential antitumor activities.