抗癌药物研究动态简介

癌症是严重危害人类健康的一大顽症,近年来抗癌药物的研究取得了较大的进展,本文就目前抗癌药物研究领域较活跃的几个方面的研究进展进行了综述,内容包括新型的靶向药物、以天然产物为原料的药物、基因工程药物、纳米材料抗癌药物及微量元素与癌症的关系等。     

金属抗癌药物设计的新策略和新趋势*

金属药物有许多其它药物无法比拟的独特性质,以顺铂为代表的铂类抗癌药物在癌症临床化疗中发挥了巨大作用。但是铂类药物的毒副作用严重限制了它们的实际疗效和适用范围,因此需要继续研究具有不同作用机理的新型金属抗癌药物,以改良或补充现有铂类药物的性能。本文重点介绍了近年来设计金属抗癌药物的一些新策略,包括改变铂类药物与DNA的作用模式、改进铂类药物对肿瘤的靶向性、研发非铂类金属抗癌药物和寻找DNA以外的作用靶标等。这些内容体现了该领域的最新发展趋势,为从事金属抗癌药物开发研究的科技人员提供了有益的参考信息。     

基于天然产物的铂类和芳基金属抗癌药物研究进展

临床使用的现代药物超过50%都来自于天然产物,它们不仅能够通过阻止细胞周期进程、抑制癌细胞存活信号通路以及调节免疫细胞等多种生物途径来阻止肿瘤生长及其进程,而且对正常组织表现出较低的毒性。虽然以顺铂为代表的金属抗肿瘤药物广泛用于临床,但是它们存在严重的耐药性和毒副作用,包括肾毒性、神经毒性等。因此,利用天然产物中的优势来改造铂类配合物,有望开发出新型铂类抗癌药物以克服铂药的缺陷。另一方面,芳基金属配合物因其良好的水溶性和对正常组织的低毒性受到了广泛关注,将天然产物与芳基金属配合物相结合,也为开发高效低毒的新型抗癌药物提供了更多可能。结合天然产物和金属各自优势开发基于天然产物的金属配合物作为抗癌剂已成为研究热点,开辟了抗癌的新途径。本文对已经报道的有关天然产物的铂类和芳基金属配合物的研究及作用机理进行了较为全面的综述,并对该领域的未来发展进行了展望。     

硫化镉纳米微粒作探针共振瑞利散射测定某些蒽环类抗癌药物

在pH=5.0—9.0的水溶液中, 硫化镉纳米微粒[(CdS)n]与蒽环类抗生素米托蒽醌(MXT)、 表柔比星(EPI)和柔红霉素(DNR)凭借静电引力及疏水作用力结合, 形成粒径更大的聚集体, 导致共振瑞利散射(RRS)的增强并产生新的RRS光谱, 最大的RRS峰位于292 nm(MXT体系)、 285 nm(DNR体系)和315 nm(EPI体系). 与此同时还观察到二级散射(SOS)和倍频散射(FDS)强度明显提高. 其最大SOS峰位于540 nm(MXT体系)和560 nm(EPI及DNR体系), 而最大的FDS峰分别位于335 nm(MXT体系)、 320 nm(EPI体系)和330 nm(DNR体系). 在一定条件下, 3种散射强度(ΔI)均与药物的浓度成正比, 反应具有高灵敏度, 对于3种药物的检出限在3.6—9.1 ng/mL之间. 其中(CdS)n-MXT体系灵敏度最高, 对MXT的检出限分别为4.1 ng/mL(RRS)、 3.8 ng/mL(SOS)和3.6 ng/mL(FDS). 据此发展了一种用纳米硫化镉作探针, 灵敏、 简便并快速测定蒽环类抗癌药物的共振瑞利散射新方法.     

铂抗癌药物研究进展

综述了铂抗癌药物作用机理及合成进展状况，并对该类药物的发展趋势进行了展望，参考文献31篇。     

Use of Half-Generation PAMAM Dendrimers (G0.5–G3.5) with Carboxylate End-Groups to Improve the DACHPtCl2 and 5-FU Efficacy as Anticancer Drugs

The DACHPtCl₂ compound (trans-(R,R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexanedichloroplatinum(II)) is a potent anticancer drug with a broad spectrum of activity and is less toxic than oxaliplatin (trans-l-diaminocyclohexane oxalate platinum II), with which it shares the active metal fragment DACHPt. Nevertheless, due to poor water solubility, its use as a chemotherapeutic drug is limited. Here, DACHPtCl₂ was conjugated, in a bidentate form, with half-generation PAMAM dendrimers (G0.5–G3.5) with carboxylate end-groups, and the resulting conjugates were evaluated against various types of cancer cell lines. In this way, we aimed at increasing the solubility and availability at the target site of DACHPt while potentially reducing the adverse side effects. DNA binding assays showed a hyperchromic effect compatible with DNA helix’s disruption upon the interaction of the metallodendrimers and/or the released active metallic fragments with DNA. Furthermore, the prepared DACHPt metallodendrimers presented cytotoxicity in a wide set of cancer cell lines used (the relative potency regarding oxaliplatin was in general high) and were not hemotoxic. Importantly, their selectivity for A2780 and CACO-2 cancer cells with respect to non-cancer cells was particularly high. Subsequently, the anticancer drug 5-FU was loaded in a selected metallodendrimer (the G2.5COO(DACHPt)₁₆) to investigate a possible synergistic effect between the two drugs carried by the same dendrimer scaffold and tested for cytotoxicity in A2780cisR and CACO-2 cancer cell lines. This combination resulted in IC₅₀ values much lower than the IC₅₀ for 5-FU but higher than those found for the metallodendrimers without 5-FU. It seems, thus, that the metallic fragment-induced cytotoxicity dominates over the cytotoxicity of 5-FU in the set of considered cell lines.     

Efforts in Bioprospecting Research: A Survey of Novel Anticancer Phytochemicals Reported in the Last Decade

Bioprospecting natural products to find prominent agents for medical application is an area of scientific endeavor that has produced many clinically used bioactive compounds, including anticancer agents. These compounds come from plants, microorganisms, and marine life. They are so-called secondary metabolites that are important for a species to survive in the hostile environment of its respective ecosystem. The kingdom of Plantae has been an important source of traditional medicine in the past and is also enormously used today as an exquisite reservoir for detecting novel bioactive compounds that are potent against hard-to-treat maladies such as cancer. Cancer therapies, especially chemotherapies, are fraught with many factors that are difficult to manage, such as drug resistance, adverse side effects, less selectivity, complexity, etc. Here, we report the results of an exploration of the databases of PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for bioactive anticancer phytochemicals published between 2010 and 2020. Our report is restricted to new compounds with strong-to-moderate bioactivity potential for which mass spectroscopic structural data are available. Each of the phytochemicals reported in this review was assigned to chemical classes with peculiar anticancer properties. In our survey, we found anticancer phytochemicals that are reported to have selective toxicity against cancer cells, to sensitize MDR cancer cells, and to have multitarget effects in several signaling pathways. Surprisingly, many of these compounds have limited follow-up studies. Detailed investigations into the synthesis of more functional derivatives, chemical genetics, and the clinical relevance of these compounds are required to achieve safer chemotherapy.     

A Simple Analytical Method for Monitoring the Total Concentration of Heavy Metal Ions in Environmental Waters

Abstract

A non-sophisticated analytical procedure has been developed for monitoring the sum of heavy metal elements which form stronger EDTA complexes than manganese(II). It is based on complexation of the heavy metals with EDTA and a catalytic indication of its stoichiometry. The equivalence point is determined visually using the substitution reaction between Mn(II)-EDTA and heavy metal ions, followed by the Mn(II)-catalyzed oxidation of Acid Blue 45 dye with hydrogen peroxide. The method has a reasonable accuracy, uses simple test equipment and stable reagents, there are few interferences and it can be carried out by non-technical personnel. Neither preconcentration nor dilution of the sample is required and it is applicable to aqueous samples containing heavy metals down to ppm levels. Some applications to river and groundwaters are shown.     

Insight into the Sorption of 5-Fluorouracil and Methotrexate onto Soil–pH,Ionic Strength,and Co-Contaminant Influence

Nowadays anticancer drugs (ADs), like other pharmaceuticals, are recognized as new emerging pollutants, meaning that they are not commonly monitored in the environment; however, they have great potential to enter the environment and cause adverse effects there. The current scientific literature highlights the problem of their presence in the aquatic environment by publishing more and more results on their analytics and ecotoxicological evaluation. In order to properly assess the risk associated with the presence of ADs in the environment, it is also necessary to investigate the processes that are important in understanding the environmental fate of these compounds. However, the state of knowledge on mobility of ADs in the environment is still very limited. Therefore, the main aim of our study was to investigate the sorption potential of two anticancer drugs, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and methotrexate (MTX), onto different soils. Special attention was paid to the determination of the influence of pH and ionic strength as well as presence of co-contaminants (cadmium (Cd²⁺) and another pharmaceutical—metoprolol (MET)) on the sorption of 5-FU and MTX onto soil. The obtained distribution coefficient values (K_d) ranged from 2.52 to 6.36 L·kg⁻¹ and from 6.79 to 12.94 L·kg⁻¹ for 5-FU and MTX, respectively. Investigated compounds may be classified as slightly or low mobile in the soil matrix (depending on soil). 5-FU may be recognized as more mobile in comparison to MET. It was proved that presence of other soil contaminants may strongly influence their mobility in soil structures. The investigated co-contaminant (MET) caused around 25-fold increased sorption of 5-FU, whereas diminished sorption of MTX. Moreover, the influence of environmental conditions such as pH and ionic strength on their sorption has been clearly demonstrated.     

Quantitative Determination and Environmental Risk Assessment of 102 Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Wastewater-Impacted Rivers Using Rapid Direct-Injection Liquid Chromatography—Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The rapid source identification and environmental risk assessment (ERA) of hundreds of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in river water represent a significant analytical challenge. Herein, a potential solution involving a rapid direct-injection liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantitative determination of 102 CECs (151 qualitatively) in river water is presented and applied across six rivers in Germany and Switzerland at high spatial resolution. The method required an injection volume of only 10 µL of filtered sample, with a runtime of 5.5 min including re-equilibration with >10 datapoints per peak per transition (mostly 2 per compound), and 36 stable isotope-labelled standards. Performance was excellent from the low ng/L to µg/L concentration level, with 260 injections possible in any 24 h period. The method was applied in three separate campaigns focusing on the ERA of rivers impacted by wastewater effluent discharges (1 urban area in the Basel city region with 4 rivers, as well as 1 semi-rural and 1 rural area, each focusing on 1 river). Between 25 and 40 compounds were quantified directly in each campaign, and in all cases small tributary rivers showed higher CEC concentrations (e.g., up to ~4000 ng/L in total in the R. Schwarzach, Bavaria, Germany). The source of selected CECs could also be identified and differentiated from other sources at pre- and post- wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge points, as well as the effect of dilution downstream, which occurred over very short distances in all cases. Lastly, ERA for 41 CECs was performed at specific impacted sites, with risk quotients (RQs) at 1 or more sites estimated as high risk (RQ > 10) for 1 pharmaceutical (diclofenac), medium risk (RQ of 1–10) for 3 CECs (carbamazepine, venlafaxine, and sulfamethoxazole), and low risk (RQ = 0.1–1.0) for 7 CECs (i.e., RQ > 0.1 for 11 CECs in total). The application of high-throughput methods like this could enable a better understanding of the risks of CECs, especially in low flow/volume tributary rivers at scale and with high resolution.     

Simultaneous Determination of Haloacetic Acids in Environmental Waters using Electrospray Ionization Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Negative ionization electrospray liquid chromatography mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous determination of all nine haloacetic acids containing bromine and chlorine. Haloacetic acids were separated on a crosslinked polystyrene resin column using 3% acetic acid dissolved in acetonitrile:water (20:80) as mobile phase. The precision of this method varied from ±2.2 to ±7.1% for nine haloacetic acids. In addition, quantitative results obtained with spiked water samples at three different concentrations are described. The limit of detection of the proposed method using 200 mL of water samples was between 0.003 and 0.070 μg/L. This method was successfully applied to the trace determination of haloacetic acids in waste water, river water, and seawater.     

Synthesis of Non-Symmetrical Nitrogen-Containing Curcuminoids in the Pursuit of New Anticancer Candidates

Curcumin is known to display pronounced anticancer effects and a variety of other biological activities. However, the low bioavailability and fast metabolism of this molecule present an issue of concern with respect to its medicinal applications. To address this issue, structural modifications of the curcumin scaffold can be envisioned as a strategy to improve both the solubility and stability of this chemical entity, without compromising its biological activities. Previous work in our group targeted the synthesis of symmetrical azaheteroaromatic curcuminoids, which showed better solubility and cytotoxicity profiles compared to curcumin. In continuation of that work, we now focused on the synthesis of non-symmetrical nitrogen-containing curcuminoids bearing both a phenolic and an azaheteroaromatic moiety. In that way, we aimed to combine good solubility, antioxidant potential and cytotoxic properties into one molecule. Some derivatives were selected for further chemical modification of their rather labile β-diketone scaffold to the corresponding pyrazole moiety. In this way, thirteen new non-symmetrical aza-aromatic curcuminoids and four pyrazole-based analogues were successfully synthesized in a yield of 11–69 %. All newly synthesized analogues were evaluated for their antioxidant properties, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, water solubility and anticancer activities. Several novel derivatives displayed good cytotoxicity profiles compared to curcumin, in combination with an improved water solubility and stability, and were thus identified as potential hit scaffolds for further optimization studies.     

金纳米微粒作探针共振瑞利散射法测定某些蒽环类抗癌药物

在近中性至弱碱性介质中, 金纳米微粒与表柔比星(EPI)、柔红霉素(DNR)和米托蒽醌(MXT)等蒽环类抗癌药物借静电引力、疏水作用力结合, 形成粒径更大的聚集体, 导致共振瑞利散射(RRS)的显著增强并产生新的RRS光谱, 三种结合产物的最大RRS峰均位于313 nm附近, 并在510～610 nm之间有一宽的散射带. 其散射强度(ΔI)与3种抗癌药物的浓度成正比, 对EPI, DNR和MXT的线性范围分别为0.009～0.50, 0.010～0.70 和0.030～1.20 μg•mL^－1, 它们的检出限(3σ)分别为2.7, 3.1和9.0 ng•mL^－1. 研究了反应产物的吸收、荧光和RRS光谱特征, 适宜的反应条件及分析化学性质, 发展了一种用RRS技术灵敏、简便、快速测定蒽环类抗癌药物的新方法.     

CE Analysis of Cephalosporins in Environmental Waters

This study investigates an off-line solid phase extraction (SPE) for improving the sensitivity in the capillary electrophoretic (CE) analysis of four cephalosporins. Two sorbents—LiChrolut-C₁₈ and Oasis HLB—were used in a SPE process to detect cephalosporins in natural waters (tap, river and hospital sewage) and their performances were compared. By using Oasis HLB sorbent higher recoveries for river water were obtained (94–107% when 500 mL of sample were analyzed). The off-line SPE–CZE method was validated for river water with good detection limits (3 μg L⁻¹) and the linearity ranged between 5 and 200 μg L⁻¹.     

Lab-In-Syringe with Bead Injection Coupled Online to High-Performance Liquid Chromatography as Versatile Tool for Determination of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Surface Waters

We report on the hyphenation of the modern flow techniques Lab-In-Syringe and Lab-On-Valve for automated sample preparation coupled online with high-performance liquid chromatography. Adopting the bead injection concept on the Lab-On-Valve platform, the on-demand, renewable, solid-phase extraction of five nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, namely ketoprofen, naproxen, flurbiprofen, diclofenac, and ibuprofen, was carried out as a proof-of-concept. In-syringe mixing of the sample with buffer and standards allowed straightforward pre-load sample modification for the preconcentration of large sample volumes. Packing of ca. 4.4 mg microSPE columns from Oasis HLB^® sorbent slurry was performed for each sample analysis using a simple microcolumn adapted to the Lab-On-Valve manifold to achieve low backpressure during loading. Eluted analytes were injected into online coupled HPLC with subsequent separation on a Symmetry C18 column in isocratic mode. The optimized method was highly reproducible, with RSD values of 3.2% to 7.6% on 20 µg L⁻¹ level. Linearity was confirmed up to 200 µg L⁻¹ and LOD values were between 0.06 and 1.98 µg L⁻¹. Recovery factors between 91 and 109% were obtained in the analysis of spiked surface water samples.     

Redesigning the DNA‐Targeted Chromophore in Platinum–Acridine Anticancer Agents: A Structure–Activity Relationship Study

Platinum–acridine hybrid agents show low‐nanomolar potency in chemoresistant non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but high systemic toxicity in vivo. To reduce the promiscuous genotoxicity of these agents and improve their pharmacological properties, a modular build–click–screen approach was used to evaluate a small library of twenty hybrid agents containing truncated and extended chromophores of varying basicities. Selected derivatives were resynthesized and tested in five NSCLC cell lines representing large cell, squamous cell, and adenocarcinomas. 7‐Aminobenz[c]acridine was identified as a promising scaffold in a hybrid agent ( P1–B1 ) that maintained submicromolar activity in several of the DNA‐repair proficient and p53‐mutant cancer models, while showing improved tolerability in mice by 32‐fold compared to the parent platinum–acridine ( P1–A1 ). The distribution and DNA/RNA adduct levels produced by the acridine‐ and benz[c]acridine‐based analogues in NCI‐H460 cells (confocal microscopy, ICP‐MS), and their ability to bind G‐quadruplex forming DNA sequences (CD spectroscopy, HR‐ESMS) were studied. P1–B1 emerges as a less genotoxic, more tolerable, and potentially more target‐selective hybrid agent than P1–A1 .     

Characterization of Locally Excited and Charge-Transfer States of the Anticancer Drug Lapatinib by Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Computational Studies

Lapatinib (LAP) is an anticancer drug, which is metabolized to the N- and O-dealkylated products (N-LAP and O-LAP, respectively). In view of the photosensitizing potential of related drugs, a complete experimental and theoretical study has been performed on LAP, N-LAP and O-LAP, both in solution and upon complexation with human serum albumin (HSA). In organic solvents, coplanar locally excited (LE) emissive states are generated; they rapidly evolve towards twisted intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) states. By contrast, within HSA only LE states are detected. Accordingly, femtosecond transient absorption reveals a very fast switching (ca. 2 ps) from LE (λ_max=550 nm) to ICT states (λ_max=480 nm) in solution, whereas within HSA the LE species become stabilized and live much longer (up to the ns scale). Interestingly, molecular dynamics simulation studies confirm that the coplanar orientation is preferred for LAP (or to a lesser extent N-LAP) within HSA, explaining the experimental results.     

FDA-Approved Small Molecule Compounds as Drugs for Solid Cancers from Early 2011 to the End of 2021

Solid cancers are the most common types of cancers diagnosed globally and comprise a large number of deaths each year. The main challenge currently in drug development for tumors raised from solid organs is to find more selective compounds, which exploit specific molecular targets. In this work, the small molecule drugs registered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for solid cancers treatment between 2011 and 2022 were identified and analyzed by investigating a type of therapy they are used for, as well as their structures and mechanisms of action. On average, 4 new small molecule agents were introduced each year, with a few exceptions, for a total of 62 new drug approvals. A total of 50 of all FDA-approved drugs have also been authorized for use in the European Union by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Our analysis indicates that many more anticancer molecules show a selective mode of action, i.e., 49 targeted agents, 5 hormone therapies and 3 radiopharmaceuticals, compared to less specific cytostatic action, i.e., 5 chemotherapeutic agents. It should be emphasized that new medications are indicated for use mainly for monotherapy and less for a combination or adjuvant therapies. The comprehensive data presented in this review can serve for further design and development of more specific targeted agents in clinical usage for solid tumors.     

Remarkable Anticancer Activity of Triruthenium-Arene Clusters Compared to Tetraruthenium-Arene Clusters

Abstract The in vitro activity of a series of ruthenium clusters, [(η⁶-C₆H₆)(η⁶-C₆Me₆)₂Ru₃(μ-H)₃(μ₃-O)][BF₄], [(η⁶-C₆H₆)(η⁶-1,4-ⁱPrC₆H₄Me)(η⁶-C₆Me₆)Ru₃(μ-H)₃(μ₃-O)][BF₄], [(η⁶-C₆H₆)₄Ru₄(μ-H)₄][BF₄]₂, [(η⁶-C₆H₅Me)₄Ru₄(μ-H)₄][BF₄]₂ and [(η⁶-C₆H₆)₄Ru₄(μ-H)₃(μ-OH)][Cl]₂, has been evaluated against A2780 and A2780cisR ovarian carcinoma cell lines. Both triruthenium clusters are very active compared to ruthenium compounds in general, whereas the tetraruthenium clusters do not display significant cytotoxicities. Since the triruthenium clusters are known to form supramolecular interactions with arenes and other functions, it is possible that such interactions are also important with respect to their mode of biological activity. The X-ray structure analysis of [(η⁶-C₆H₅Me)₄Ru₄(μ-H)₄][PF₆]₂ is also reported. Graphical Abstract The in vitro activity of a series of ruthenium clusters has been evaluated against A2780 and A2780cisR ovarian carcinoma cell lines and their activity compared to cisplatin. The triruthenium clusters are very active, while the tetraruthenium clusters do not display significant cytotoxicities. Dedicated to Professor Dieter Fenske on the occasion of his 65th birthday anniversary     

Advances in Nanodelivery of Green Tea Catechins to Enhance the Anticancer Activity

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. A variety of phenolic compounds display preventative and therapeutic effects against cancers. Green teas are rich in phenolics. Catechins are the most dominant phenolic component in green teas. Studies have shown that catechins have anticancer activity in various cancer models. The anticancer activity of catechins, however, may be compromised due to their low oral bioavailability. Nanodelivery emerges as a promising way to improve the oral bioavailability and anticancer activity of catechins. Research in this area has been actively conducted in recent decades. This review provides the molecular mechanisms of the anticancer effects of catechins, the factors that limit the oral bioavailability of catechins, and the latest advances of delivering catechins using nanodelivery systems through different routes to enhance their anticancer activity.