Abstract Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive type of lung cancer and accounts for 10% to 15% of all lung cancer cases. The malignancy has a greater tendency to be widely disseminated by the time of diagnosis as well as to develop early resistance to conventional treatments, a cure is difficult to achieve. The current standard therapy for SCLC treatment, either with monotherapy (platinum based drugs) or combination therapy (e.g., cisplatin with irinotecan or topotecan), was shown to cause serious side effects and inevitably evoke drug resistance in a short time period. We have recently synthesized a series of novel bis(hydroxymethyl)indolizino[8,7-b]indole hybrids by fusing β-carboline and bis(hydroxymethyl)pyrrole moieties for antitumor evaluation. These hybrid molecules displayed diverse mechanisms of action involving topoisomerase II (Topo II) inhibition and induction of DNA cross-linking. Our results also showed that they significantly inhibited the cell growth of various human tumor cell lines. Of the tested tumor cell lines, the SCLC cells (H526 and H211) were the most susceptible to compounds BO-2239 and BO-2329. These hybrids induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and triggered tumor cell apoptotic death. Intriguingly, the substituent at N11 (H or Me) played a critical role in modulating Topo II inhibition and DNA cross-linking. Compared to the compounds with N11-Me group, derivatives having N11-H group profoundly increased Topo II inhibition activity but reduced DNA cross-linking activity. Among these hybrids, BO-2239 (with N11-H) was as potent as irinotecan, but more effective than cisplatin, in nude mice bearing SCLC H526 xenografts. Accordingly, hybrid BO-2239 may be further developed as a potential agent for the treatment of SCLC. Citation Format: Sue-Ming Chang, Ming-Hsi Wu, Hima Bindu Pidugu, Tsann-Long Su, Te-Chang Lee. Novel indolizino[8,7-b]indole hybrids with potent activity against small cell lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5126. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5126
Hybrid molecules are composed of two pharmacophores with different biological activities. Here, we conjugated phthalazine moieties (antiangiogenetic pharmacophore) and bis(hydroxymethyl)pyrrole moieties (DNA cross-linking agent) to form a series of bis(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolo[2,1-a]phthalazine hybrids. These conjugates were cytotoxic to a variety of cancer cell lines by inducing DNA damage, arresting cell cycle progression at the G2/M phase, triggering apoptosis, and inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) in endothelial cells. Among them, compound 29d encapsulated in a liposomal formulation (e.g., 29dL) significantly suppressed the growth of small-cell lung cancer cell (H526) xenografts in mice. Based on immunohistochemical staining, the tumor xenografts in mice treated with 29dL showed time-dependent decreases in the intensity of CD31, a marker of blood vessels, whereas the intensity of γ-H2AX, a marker of DNA damage, increased. The present data revealed that the conjugation of antiangiogenic and DNA-damaging agents can generate potential hybrid agents for cancer treatment.
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We developed a facile synthesis to yield orthogonally protected mannose building blocks with high overall yields. The protection/glycosylation steps can be carried out in a successive manner without purification of intermediate products. This developed synthesis led to formation of linear/branched tri-, penta- and heptasaccharides.
Abstract Fucosyltransferases (FucTs) usually catalyze the final step of glycosylation and are critical to many biological processes. High levels of specific FucT activities are often associated with various cancers. Here we report the development of a chemoenzymatic method for synthesizing a library of guanosine diphosphate β‐ L ‐fucose (GDP‐Fuc) derivatives, followed by in situ screening for inhibitory activity against bacterial and human α‐1,3‐FucTs. Several compounds incorporating appropriate hydrophobic moieties were identified from the initial screening. These were individually synthesized, purified and characterized in detail for their inhibition kinetics. Compound 5 had a K i of 29 nM for human FucT‐VI, and is 269 and 11 times more selective than for Helicobacter pylori FucT ( K i =7.8 μM) and for human FucT‐V ( K i =0.31 μM).
Infecting about one-half of the global human population, Helicobacter pylori is well established as the primary cause of gastritis, duodenal ulcer, and gastric cancer. Currently there is no clear information regarding if and how host cells interact with H. pylori , and if such interactions are dependent on the type of gastric disease. Using fluorescently labeled fucose-containing glycoconjugates, we provide evidence observing both the uptake of l -fucose from gastric cancer cells to H. pylori and that human α- l -fucosidase 2 (FUCA2) is secreted only under coculture conditions (i.e., host cells infected with H. pylori ). Upon depletion of FUCA2 by RNA interference and detection of translocated CagA (a virulence factor of H. pylori ) in host cells, FUCA2 was found to be essential for H. pylori adhesion, in particular to the gastric cancer- and duodenal ulcer-specific strains. Additionally FUCA2 was shown to significantly enhance the expression of Lewis x antigen in H. pylori , which is critical for bacterial cell adhesion in the pathogenesis and defense strategy to escape host surveillance. These findings not only demonstrate an important connection between FUCA2 and the adhesion, growth, and pathogenicity of H. pylori , but also support the idea that FUCA2 is a potential target for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of H. pylori -related diseases.