RESUMO
The characterization of two cyclooxygenase isoforms (COX), the rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) from arachidonic acid, has allowed the development of COX-2 selective inhibitors as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with significant gastric tolerability. However, PGs are also important in cancer pathogenesis. Thus, there is an increasing interest in studying COX-2 inhibitors as potential drugs aimed at the prevention and treatment of cancer, especially colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine the inhibitory effects of some representative 4-thiazolidinones, already widely investigated as potential NSAIDs, on the growth of five human colon carcinoma cell lines with a different COX-2 expression, and to correlate them with COX-2 inhibitory properties. Our results preliminarily revealed that 2-phenylimino derivative 3 and 2,4-thiazolidindione 4 were the most active compounds. In particular, 3 mainly inhibited the HT29 cell line characterized by a high COX-2 expression, whereas 4 showed antiproliferative properties on all tested cell lines, suggesting molecular targets other than COX-2 inhibition.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/química , Neoplasias do Colo/tratamento farmacológico , Inibidores de Ciclo-Oxigenase/química , Tiazolidinedionas/química , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias do Colo/patologia , Ciclo-Oxigenase 1 , Ciclo-Oxigenase 2 , Inibidores de Ciclo-Oxigenase 2 , Inibidores de Ciclo-Oxigenase/farmacologia , Ensaios de Seleção de Medicamentos Antitumorais , Humanos , Concentração Inibidora 50 , Proteínas de Membrana , Prostaglandina-Endoperóxido Sintases/efeitos dos fármacos , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Tiazolidinedionas/farmacologiaRESUMO
The synthesis and pharmacological activity of 5-arylidene-2-imino-4-thiazolidinones (3a-8a) are described. All derivatives exhibited significant activity levels in models of acute inflammation such as carrageenan-induced paw and pleurisy edema in rats. In particular, 5-(3-methoxyphenylidene)-2-phenylimino-3-propyl-4-thiazolidinone (3a) displayed high levels of carrageenan-induced paw edema inhibition comparable to those of indomethacin. In addition the ability of such a new class of anti-inflammatory agents to inhibit COX isoforms was assessed in murine monocyte/macrophage J774 cell line assay. 5-(4-Methoxyphenylidene)-2-phenylimino-3-propyl-4-thiazolidinone (6a), the most interesting compound in such an experiment, was docked in the known active site of COX-2 protein and showed that its 4-methoxyarylidene moiety can easily occupy the COX-2 secondary pocket considered as the critical interaction for COX-2 selectivity.
