Divergent Synthesis and Evaluation of the in†vitro Cytotoxicity Profiles of 3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophenyl-2-propen-1-one Analogues.

A new series of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT)-appended propenones were prepared by condensation reaction and their in vitro cytotoxicity effects were evaluated against five human cancer cell lines. Preliminary structure-activity relationships of EDOT-incorporated 2-propenone derivatives were also established. The EDOT-appended enones demonstrated significant cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines. The most active analogue, (E)-3-(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (3 p, GI50 =110 nm), severely inhibited the clonogenic potential of cancer cells, and induced cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and caused an accumulation of HCT116 colon cancer cells with >4 N DNA content. Also, 3 p exhibited weak inhibition of the enzymatic activity of human topoisomerase I. Molecular docking studies indicated preferential binding of the compounds to the ATP-binding pocket of the human checkpoint 2 kinase (Chk2) catalytic domain, thus, identifying a novel diaryl 2-propenone chemotype for the development of potent inhibitors of Chk2.

Novel isothiacalothrixin B analogues exhibit cytotoxic activity on human colon cancer cells in vitro by inducing irreversible DNA damage.

Preliminary cytotoxic analysis of sulphur containing isosteric analogues of calothrixin B identified the useful anti-tumour activity of thia/isothiacalothrixin B which necessitated it's biological evaluation in colon and lung cancer cell lines. The isothia analogues induced cytotoxicity of HCT116 in a time-dependent manner and inhibited the clonogenic survival of HCT116 and NCI-H460 cells in a dose-dependent manner comparable to the standard anti-cancer drug camptothecin. Herein employing flow cytometry, we demonstrate that isothiacalothrixin B analogues inhibited proliferation of colon cancer cells by the arrest of cells in S and G2/M phases over a period of 48 hours at a concentration of 5 µM. Our results also suggest that the cytotoxicity of thia analogues of calothrixin B is partially mediated by induction of cellular DNA strand breaks. The UV-Vis spectroscopic studies with CT-DNA revealed groove binding for calothrixin B and its thia analogues wherein subsequent in silico molecular modelling studies indicated preferential binding to the AT-rich regions of minor groove of DNA. Furthermore, thiacalothrixin B caused transcriptional activation of p21waf1/cip1 promoter and upregulation of its protein levels independent of p53. The induction of DNA damage response pathway leads to apoptosis in isothiacalothrixin B but not in thiacalothrixin B treated cells. The isothia analogues SCAB 4 induced DNA strand breaks and cell cycle arrest even after treatment for a short period (i.e., 4 hours) and the cell cycle effects were irreversible. For the first time, this study provides detailed cellular effects on the potential use of isothiacalothrixin B analogues as cytotoxic agents.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Calothrixins B and their Deoxygenated Analogues.

A series of calothrixin B (2) analogues bearing substituents at the 'E' ring and their corresponding deoxygenated quinocarbazoles lacking quinone unit were synthesized. The cytotoxicities of calothrixins 1, 2, and 15b-p and quinocarbazole analogues were investigated against nine cancer cell lines. The quinocarbazoles 21a and 25a inhibited the catalytic activity of human topoisomerase II. The plasmid DNA cleavage abilities of calothrixins 1, 2, and 15b-p identified compound 15h causing DNA cleavage comparable to that of calothrixin A (1). Calothrixin A (1), 3-fluorocalothrixin 15h and 4-fluoroquinocarbazole 21b induced extensive DNA damage followed by apoptotic cell death. Spectral and plasmid unwinding studies demonstrated an intercalative mode of binding for quinocarbazoles. We identified two promising drug candidates, the 3-fluorocalothrixin B 15h with low toxicity in animal model and its deoxygenated derivative 4-fluoroquinocarbazole 21b as having potent cytotoxicity against NCI-H460 cell line with a GI50 of 1 nM.

Functional characterization of Candida albicans Hos2 histone deacetylase.

Candida albicans is a mucosal commensal organism capable of causing superficial (oral and vaginal thrush) infections in immune normal hosts, but is a major pathogen causing systemic and mucosal infections in immunocompromised individuals. Azoles have been very effective anti-fungal agents and the mainstay in treating opportunistic mold and yeast infections. Azole resistant strains have emerged compromising the utility of this class of drugs. It has been shown that azole resistance can be reversed by the co-administration of a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, suggesting that resistance is mediated by epigenetic mechanisms possibly involving Hos2, a fungal deacetylase. We report here the cloning and functional characterization of  HOS2 (High Osmolarity  Sensitive) , a gene coding for fungal histone deacetylase from  C. albicans. Inhibition studies showed that Hos2 is susceptible to pan inhibitors such as trichostatin A (TSA) and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), but is not inhibited by class I inhibitors such as MS-275. This  in  vitro enzymatic assay, which is amenable to high throughput could be used for screening potent fungal Hos2 inhibitors that could be a potential anti-fungal adjuvant. Purified Hos2 protein consistently deacetylated tubulins, rather than histones from TSA-treated cells. Hos2 has been reported to be a putative NAD+ dependent histone deacetylase, a feature of sirtuins. We assayed for sirtuin activation with resveratrol and purified Hos2 protein and did not find any sirtuin activity.

Synthesis of 2-substituted 17ß-hydroxy/17-methylene estratrienes and their in vitro cytotoxicity in human cancer cell cultures.

Synthesis of various types of 2-(alkylaminomethyl) and 2-(aroyl) 17ß-estradiol analogs are reported. The synthesis of similar types of 2-substituted 17-methylene estratriene analogs was also achieved. Synthesis of chalcone derivatives of 17ß-estradiol and 17-methylene estratriene were also realized. All these 2-substituted estratrienes were tested for their antiproliferative activity by using four different cell lines from colon, lung, glioma and breast cancers. Among the various 2-substituted estratrienes, the compounds 10d, 14a-h and 17e were found to have in vitro antiproliferative activity comparable to that of parent analogs 1-4. Comparison of the SAR pattern of these 2-susbtituted estratriene derivatives confirmed that relatively, 17-methylene estratrienes are more active than that of 17ß-estradiol analogs.