Non-small molecule PROTACs (NSM-PROTACs): Protein degradation kaleidoscope

The proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology has been rapidly developed since its birth in 2001, attracting rapidly growing attention of scientific institutes and pharmaceutical companies. At present, a variety of small molecule PROTACs have entered the clinical trial. However, as small molecule PROTACs flourish, non-small molecule PROTACs (NSM-PROTACs) such as peptide PROTACs, nucleic acid PROTACs and antibody PROTACs have also advanced considerably over recent years, exhibiting the unique characters beyond the small molecule PROTACs. Here, we briefly introduce the types of NSM-PROTACs, describe the advantages of NSM-PROTACs, and summarize the development of NSM-PROTACs so far in detail. We hope this article could not only provide useful insights into NSM-PROTACs, but also expand the research interest of NSM-PROTACs.

Research progress on stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonists / 中国药科大学学报

@#Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is an important factor in the auto-immune response of our bodies.Considering the mechanism of activating CD8+ T cells after the activation of STING protein, the combination of STING agonists and immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of tumor immunotherapy has good clinical application prospect.In this paper, the research progress of molecular types, mechanism of action and structural modifications of STING agonists were reviewed.The developing tendency were outlined to provide some references for further investigation.

Advances of inhibitors targeting MLL1-WDR5 protein-protein interaction / 中国药科大学学报

@#Mixed lineage leukemia 1(MLL1) is a member of the "SET" histone methyltransferases family.MLL1 methyltransferase complex, consisting of MLL1, WDR5, RbBP5, Ash2L and DPY-30, regulates methylation level of histone H3 lysine 4 and is essential for the development of human hematopoietic system and self-renewal of blood cells.As an oncogenic protein produced by the translocation of MLL1 gene, the MLL1 fusion protein has been found in some patients with leukemia.Complete MLL1 enzyme complex is required to perform histone demethylation effect, therefore, targeting the protein-protein interaction of MLL1-WDR5 has become a potential strategy for the treatment of leukemia induced by MLL1 fusion protein.This review systematically summarizes the biological mechanism, structural information and inhibitors of MLL1-WDR5 protein-protein interaction, with a perspective based on previously reported data, aiming to provide some reference for further investigation.

Apoptosis-inducing activity of synthetic hydrocarbon-stapled peptides in H358 cancer cells expressing KRAS

Lung cancers are the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and pose a grave threat to human life and health. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent malignancy occupying 80% of all lung cancer subtypes. Except for other mutations (

Process improvement on the synthesis of atomoxetine / 中国药科大学学报

@#Atomoxetine is a highly selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. Based on the analysis of the literature methods, the synthesis process of atomoxetine was improved. Using 3-chloropropiophenone-1 as the raw material, optically pure target product was obtained by asymmetric reduction, Mitsunobu reaction and condensation reaction in three steps, with a total yield of 26%. The third-step methylation sealing operation was changed to the reaction under normal pressure, which increased the feasibility of industrialization. The improved process operation was simplified and the reaction conditions were mild, which would provide a new method for the preparation of atomoxetine.

Design, synthesis and biological application of affinity-based small molecular probe for Hsp90 endoplasmic reticulum paralogue of Grp94 / 中国药科大学学报

@#Glucose-regulated protein 94(Grp94), an endoplasmic reticulum resident Hsp90 paralog, has a limited set of client proteins. Selective inhibition of Grp94 has emerged as a new direction for the development of drugs targeting the Hsp90 chaperone system. Now Grp94-Probe, an affinity-based probe of Grp94, was designed and synthesized based on DDO-5813, a most potent Grp94-selective inhibitor we found previously. Using fluorescence polarization(FP)assay and double staining assay with ER-Red in cells, we confirmed the binding of Grp94-Probe with ER Grp94. The FR results showed that the probe exhibited high affinity for Grp94N(EC50=117. 9 nmol/L)without exhibiting obvious Hsp90α inhibition, Moreover, as a fluorescence probe molecule, Grp94-Probe could better distinguish the inhibitory activity of compounds for Grp94N. The results of fluorescence analysis in cells showed that Grp94-Probe could co-stain with ER-Red in the endoplasmic reticulum, and the fluorescence did not decay rapidly with time after 4 h of staining, which further indicated the binding of Grp94-Probe with Grp94 in cells. This Grp94 selective probe can be further used for biology evaluation of Grp94 inhibitor and exploration of Grp94 biological functions.

Design, synthesis and antitumor activities of oxazolo[5, 4-d] pyrimidine derivatives / 中国药科大学学报

A series of oxazole[5,4-d] pyrimidine derivatives were designed and synthesized to discover novel compounds with antitumor activity.Compounds 8a-8m were synthesized using acetamidine hydrochloride as the start material.The structures of synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR,1H NMR,EI-MS and elemental analysis.The antiangiogenesis activities of the synthesized compounds were determined by MTT in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC).The in vitro antitumor activities of the synthesized compounds were determined by MTT assay in A549,HepG2 and U251.Compounds 8c,8d,8g,8i and 8l were found to inhibit the proliferation of all the tested cell lines.Compound 8l exhibited noteworthy activities in A549,HepG2 and U251 cell lines with IC50value lower than the positive reference sunitinib,suggesting that compound 8l might be the promising antitumor agent for further investigation.

Advances in the HIF-1α/p300 protein-protein interaction inhibitors / 中国药科大学学报

Hypoxia induced factor-1 α (HIF-1α) is a key regulation factor that helps tumor adapt itself to the hypoxia microenvironment.It regulates the expression of more than 100 target genes that control cell proliferation and survival,metabolism,angiogenesis,invasion and metastasis.HIF-1α/p300,a core complex that regulates downstream genes expression,is considered as a potential antitumor target.This review summarizes HIF-1 α signal pathway,the binding mode of HIF-1α/p300 protein-protein interaction and recent development on the HIF-1α/ p300 protein-protein interaction inhibitors,which provides reference to the design of this kind of inhibitors.

Design, synthesis and anti-tumor activity of novel 5-amino-2-(benzylthio) thia-zole-4-carboxamide derivatives / 中国药科大学学报

A series of 5-amino-2-( benzylthio ) thiazole-4-carboxamide derivatives were designed and synthesized to discover novel compounds with anti-tumor activity. Compounds DDO-5401-DDO-5416 were synthesized using 2-amino-2-cyanoacetamide as the start material. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, 1 H NMR and ESI-MS. The in vitro anti-tumor activities of the synthesized compounds were determined by MTT assay in HCT116 , HepG2 , A549 , MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines. Target compounds showed good anti-tumor activity especially in A549 cell line. SAR study showed that electron donating groups were more favorable than electron absorption ones. Compound DDO-5413 exhibited noteworthy activity in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines with IC50 value lower than the positive reference dasatinib. It suggested that DDO-5413 might be the candidate for further investigation.

Synthesis and biological activity of chalcone derivatives as potent activators of Nrf2 / 中国药科大学学报

@#To obtain ARE-Nrf2 potent activators through modifying the structure of the lead compound CPUY191001. 17 compounds were synthesized by aldol condensation, their cytotoxicity were tested using MTT assay, and ARE inductivity of these target compounds were analyzed by luciferase reporter gene assay. The biological evaluation results showed that most synthesized chalcone derivatives nearly had no cytotoxicity, and compounds 2, 3, 10 conducted better activity and in concentration-dependent manner. Compounds 2, 3, 10 are potential agents in the development of anti-inflammatory and chemoprevention, suggesting that compounds 2, 3, 10 are worth for further investigation.

Advances in small-molecule inhibitors targeting Hsp90-Cdc37 protein-protein interaction / 中国药科大学学报

@#Heat shock protein 90(Hsp90)which is a molecular chaperone that integrates multiple oncogenic pathways, is an important target in cancer therapy. The present research and development of the traditional N-terminal and C-terminal inhibitors has been restricted while targeting Hsp90 and cell division cycle protein Cdc37 has become the new direction of inhibiting Hsp90. Previous studies have demonstrated that various protein kinases rely on Cdc37 to load onto Hsp90 to complete their correct folding. Thus targeting Hsp90-Cdc37 is a promising strategy to inhibit protein kinases and alleviate the side effects. The interaction mechanism between Hsp90 and Cdc37 has become clearer in recent studies and many natural products have been reported to possess the ability to disassociate Hsp90-Cdc37. In this review, current knowledge on these small molecule inhibitors are summarized. The mode of action is also discussed as the references for the development of novel Hsp90 inhibitors.

Progress in research of the structural optimization of natural product-like Garcinia caged xanthones / 药学学报

Designing of natural product-like compounds using natural products as template structures is an important strategy for the discovery of new drugs. Gambogic acid (GA), which is a Garcinia natural product with a unique caged xanthone scaffold, inhibits potent antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. This review summarized the researches on the identification of the antitumor pharmacophore of GA, and the design, structural optimization and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of natural product-like caged xanthones based on it.

Synthesis and antitumor activity of novel tetrahydro-beta-carboline derivatives as KSP inhibitors / 药学学报

Inhibitors of kinesin spindle protein (KSP) are a promising class of anticancer agents that cause mitotic arrest and induce apoptosis of tumor cells. A series of novel tetrahydro-beta-carboline derivatives were synthesized as kinesin spindle protein inhibitor and evaluated as potential antitumor agents. All compounds showed promising KSP inhibitiory activity. Compounds 8 and 9 exhibited better antitumor activity (Lung/A549, Stomach/AGS) than CK0106023 with GI50/IC50 values (1.07/1.62 and 1.46/3.27 micromol x L(-1), 1.09/>10 and 1.22/6.33 micromol x L(-1), respectively).

Antitumor activity of novel tetrahydro-beta-carboline derivatives as KSP inhibitors / 药学学报

Inhibitors of kinesin spindle protein (KSP) are a promising class of anticancer agents that cause mitotic arrest and induce apoptosis of tumor cells. A series of novel tetrahydro-beta-carboline derivatives were synthesized as kinesin spindle protein inhibitor and evaluated as potential antitumor agents. All compounds showed promising KSP inhibitiory activity. Compounds 8 and 9 exhibited better antitumor activity (Lung/A549, Stomach/AGS) than CK0106023 with GI50/IC50 values (1.07/1.62 and 1.46/3.27 micromol x L(-1), 1.09/>10 and 1.22/6.33 micromol x L(-1), respectively).

Synthesis and antiangiogenic properties of 2-methoxestradiol-RGD peptide conjugates / 中国药科大学学报

A series of 2-methoxyestradiol (2-MeO-E2) RGD peptide conjugates with coupling RGD peptides to 3- position or 17-position of 2-MeO-E2 through space linker were synthesized. Their antiangiogenic properties were preliminarily evaluated by cell migration scratch assays against HUVECs. Compound 26c binding RGDV peptide showed the best inhibitory effect. In addition, all 2-MeO-E2 RGD peptide conjugates exhibited obvious activity. These results demonstrate that conjugates with RGD peptides represent a promising means for targeting angiogenesis in cancer therapy.

Design, synthesis, and biological activities of histone deacetylase inhibitors with diketo ester as zinc binding group / 药学学报

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibition causes hyperacetylation of histones leading to growth arrest, differentiation and apoptosis of tumor cells, representing a new strategy in cancer therapy. Many of previously reported HDACs inhibitors are hydroxamic acid derivatives, which could chelate the zinc ion in the active site in a bidentate fashion. However, hydroxamic acids occasionally have produced problems such as poor pharmacokinetics, severe toxicity and low selectivity. Herein we describe the identification of a new series of non-hydroxamate HDACs inhibitors bearing diketo ester moieties as zinc binding group. HDACs inhibition assay and antiproliferation assays in vitro against multiple cancer cell lines were used for evaluation. These compounds displayed low antiproliferative activity against solid tumor cells, while good antiproliferative activity against human leukemic monocyte lymphoma cell line U937. Compound CPUYS707 is the best with GI50 value of 0.31 micromol x L(-1) against U937 cells, which is more potent than SAHA and MS-275. HDACs inhibition activity of these compounds is lower than that expected, further evaluation is needed.

The research practice of anti-arrhythmic agents targeting on potassium ion channel / 药学学报

Due to the complicated pathogenesis of cardiac arrhythmia, the safe and effective therapeutic strategies for cardiac arrhythmia remain an urgent medical problems in the recent years. In this paper, we introduced the research practice of anti-arrhythmic agents targeting on potassium ion channel. The research progress of anti-arrhythmic agents in up-to-date literatures were also reviewed and prospected.

Tandem Claisen rearrangement/Diels-Alder reaction in ionic liquid / 中国药科大学学报

Aim: The tandem Claisen rearrangement/Diels-Alder reaction in ionic liquid was carried out to find better changes for the conversion. Methods: The synthesis started with replaced benzoic acid via acylation, cycli-zation, demethylation, allylation and then tandem Claisen rearrangement/Diels-Alder reaction in trational solvent and ionic liquid separately. Results: BmimBF_4 raised the yield of the target compound and shortened the reaction time compared with the traditional solvent Conclusion: BmimBF_4 can promote the tandem Claisen rearrange-ment/Diels-Alder reaction.

Research advances in wogonin's anti-tumor effects / 中国药科大学学报

Latest researches have indicated that wogonin, a naturally occurring flavonoid, could sensitize tumor cells to apoptosis, selectively induce apoptosis in the malignant tumor cells, inhibit tumor angiogenesis, reverse drug resistance as well as promote tumor cell death synergistically with other anti-cancer agents. This paper sum-marizes the involving mechanisms of wogonin's anti-tumor effects.

Fragment-based drug discovery / 中国药科大学学报

A drug is composed of fragments with their functional and structural characteristics. Functional fragments contain structural elements known as pharmacophores which generate the bioactivity of the drugs, while structural fragments assemble the functional fragments into a specific skeleton also crucial for the activity. Although drug molecules possess structural diversity and complexity, the fragments usually have some similarity. They normally have simple texture, low molecular weight and log P. The aim of fragment-based drug discovery is to classify and screen the collections of fragments and subsequently expand, link, or merge them to obtain new chemical entities. This theory refines the traditional structure-based and the high throughput screen-based drug discovery strategy, and facilitates the reduction of molecular size and the improvement of drug-like properties, which will certainly increase the probability of developing new drugs. In this article, we reviewed the concept, methodology of fragment-based drug discovery and detailed a number of examples to illustrate the optimization strategies of this discovery method.