Targeting tumor hypoxia: suppression of breast tumor growth and metastasis by novel carbonic anhydrase IX inhibitors.

Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is a hypoxia and HIF-1-inducible protein that regulates intra- and extracellular pH under hypoxic conditions and promotes tumor cell survival and invasion in hypoxic microenvironments. Interrogation of 3,630 human breast cancers provided definitive evidence of CAIX as an independent poor prognostic biomarker for distant metastases and survival. shRNA-mediated depletion of CAIX expression in 4T1 mouse metastatic breast cancer cells capable of inducing CAIX in hypoxia resulted in regression of orthotopic mammary tumors and inhibition of spontaneous lung metastasis formation. Stable depletion of CAIX in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer xenografts also resulted in attenuation of primary tumor growth. CAIX depletion in the 4T1 cells led to caspase-independent cell death and reversal of extracellular acidosis under hypoxic conditions in vitro. Treatment of mice harboring CAIX-positive 4T1 mammary tumors with novel CAIX-specific small molecule inhibitors that mimicked the effects of CAIX depletion in vitro resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis formation in both spontaneous and experimental models of metastasis, without inhibitory effects on CAIX-negative tumors. Similar inhibitory effects on primary tumor growth were observed in mice harboring orthotopic tumors comprised of lung metatstatic MDA-MB-231 LM2-4(Luc+) cells. Our findings show that CAIX is vital for growth and metastasis of hypoxic breast tumors and is a specific, targetable biomarker for breast cancer metastasis.

Ureido-substituted benzenesulfonamides potently inhibit carbonic anhydrase IX and show antimetastatic activity in a model of breast cancer metastasis.

A series of ureido-substituted benzenesulfonamides was prepared that showed a very interesting profile for the inhibition of several human carbonic anhydrases (hCAs, EC 4.2.1.1), such as hCAs I and II (cytosolic isoforms) and hCAs IX and XII (transmembrane, tumor-associated enzymes). Excellent inhibition of all these isoforms has been observed with various members of the series, depending on the substitution pattern of the urea moiety. Several low nanomolar CA IX/XII inhibitors also showing good selectivity for the transmembrane over the cytosolic isoforms have been discovered. One of them, 4-{[(3'-nitrophenyl)carbamoyl]amino}benzenesulfonamide, significantly inhibited the formation of metastases by the highly aggressive 4T1 mammary tumor cells at pharmacologic concentrations of 45 mg/kg, constituting an interesting candidate for the development of conceptually novel antimetastatic drugs.

Inhibition of ß-carbonic anhydrases with ureido-substituted benzenesulfonamides.

A series of sulfonamides was prepared by reaction of sulfanilamide with aryl/alkyl isocyanates. The ureido-substituted benzenesulfonamides showed a very interesting profile for the inhibition of several carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) such as the human hCA II and three ß-CAs from pathogenic fungal or bacterial species. The Candida albicans enzyme was inhibited with potencies in the range of 3.4-3970 nM, whereas the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzymes Rv1284 and Rv3273 were inhibited with K(i)s in the range of 4.8-6500 nM and of 6.4-6850 nM, respectively. The structure-activity relationship for this class of inhibitors is rather complex, but the main features associated with effective inhibition of both α- and ß-CAs investigated here have been delineated. The nature of the moiety substituting the second ureido nitrogen is the determining factor in controlling the inhibitory power, probably due to the flexibility of the ureido linker and the possibility of this moiety to orientate in different subpockets of the active site cavities of these enzymes.

Selective hydrophobic pocket binding observed within the carbonic anhydrase II active site accommodate different 4-substituted-ureido-benzenesulfonamides and correlate to inhibitor potency.

4-Substituted-ureido benzenesulfonamides showing inhibitory activity against carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) II between 3.3-226 nM were crystallized in complex with the enzyme. Hydrophobic interactions between the scaffold of the inhibitors in different hydrophobic pockets of the enzyme were observed, explaining the diverse inhibitory range of these derivatives.

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: 2-substituted-1,3,4-thiadiazole-5-sulfamides act as powerful and selective inhibitors of the mitochondrial isozymes VA and VB over the cytosolic and membrane-associated carbonic anhydrases I, II and IV.

A series of 2-substituted-1,3,4-thiadiazole-5-sulfamides was prepared and assayed as inhibitors of several carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) isoforms, the cytosolic CA I and II, the membrane-associated CA IV and the mitochondrial CA VA and VB. The new compounds showed weak inhibitory activity against hCA I (K(I)s of 102 nM-7.42 microM), hCA II (K(I)s of 0.54-7.42 microM) and hCA IV (K(I)s of 4.32-10.05 microM) but were low nanomolar inhibitors of hCA VA and hCA VB, with inhibition constants in the range of 4.2-32 nM and 1.3-74 nM, respectively. Furthermore, the selectivity ratios for inhibiting the mitochondrial enzymes over CA II were in the range of 67.5-415, making these sulfamides the first selective CA VA/VB inhibitors.