Design and Synthesis of Novel Near-Infrared Fluorescence Probes Based on an Open Conformation of a Cytochrome P450 1B1 Complex for Molecular Imaging of Colorectal Tumors.

Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) is induced during the early stage of cancer and is universally overexpressed in tumors. Thus, it was considered as a potential biomarker for the monitoring of cancer. In this study, we designed and synthesized CYP1B1-targeted near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence molecular probes based on the latest reported open conformation of the CYP1B1-α-naphthoflavone (ANF) complex. According to the architecture of the open channel, we introduced linkers and a Cy5.5 fragment at the 5' position of ANF derivatives with strong CYP1B1 inhibitory activity to obtain probes 19-21. Then, in vitro cell-based studies showed that the probes could be enriched in tumor cells by binding to CYP1B1. During in vivo and ex vivo imaging in a xenograft mouse model, probe 19 with the best binding affinity was proven to be able to identify tumor sites in both fluorescence imaging and photoacoustic imaging modes.

Discovery of Dimethyl Shikonin Oxime 5a, a Potent, Selective Bombesin Receptor Subtype-3 Agonist for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BB3, BRS-3) is an orphan Gαq protein-coupled receptor. The characterization of novel synthetic ligands for BB3 is an alternative and attractive strategy to study its diverse physiological functions. Here, we uncovered the intimate pairing of DMAKO-00 and its derivatives with BB3. Dimethyl shikonin oxime 5a (DSO-5a) was identified as the most potent agonist for BB3 (pEC50 = 8.422 in IP-1 accumulation), which was 898-fold more potent than DMAKO-00. Importantly, without brain penetration, DSO-5a improved glucose tolerance in C57BL/6 mice through BB3 and ameliorated glucose homeostasis in diabetic db/db mice. We further revealed that DSO-5a upregulated PPAR-gamma activity via BB3 through a quantitative proteomics approach. Collectively, our study demonstrated that DSO-5a, a representative compound of DMAKO-00 derivatives, is a potent, selective, and low-brain-penetrating agonist for BB3, and BB3 is a promising treatment target for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Design, Synthesis and In Vivo Fluorescence Imaging Study of a Cytochrome P450 1B1 Targeted NIR Probe Containing a Chelator Moiety.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1B1 has been found to be overexpressed specifically in tumor tissues at an early stage, which makes it a potential cancer biomarker for molecular imaging. Multimodal imaging combines different imaging modalities and offers more comprehensive information. Thus, imaging probes bearing more than one kind of signal fragment have been extensively explored and display great promise. Herein, we developed a near infrared (NIR) probe with a chelator moiety targeting CYP1B1 by conjugating α-naphthoflavone (ANF) derivatives with both an NIR dye and a chelator for potential application in bimodal imaging. Enzymatic inhibitory studies demonstrated inhibitory activity against CYP1B1 and selectivity among CYP1 were successfully retained after chemical modification. Cell-based saturation studies indicated nanomolar range binding affinity between the probe and CYP1B1 overexpressed cancer cells. In vitro competitive binding assays monitored by confocal microscopy revealed that the probe could specifically accumulate in tumor cells. In vivo and ex vivo imaging studies demonstrated that the probe could effectively light-up the tumor tissues as early as 2 hours post-injection. In addition, the fluorescence was significantly blocked by co-injection of CYP1B1 inhibitor, which indicated the probe accumulation in tumor sites was due to specific binding to CYP1B1.

A regioselective synthesis of 7-methyl juglone and its derivatives.

7-Methyl juglone as a naturally occurring naphthoquinone showed striking antibacterial, antifungal, antivirus and anticancer activity. Its derivatives had also been characterized as key intermediates in the preparation of natural naphthoquinones and anthraquinones. Herein, we reported a regioselective synthesis of 7-methyl juglone via the construction of fused polycyclic systems. The key steps of the strategy involved Stobbe condensation of 2,5-dimethoxy benzaldehyde with diethyl succinate, intramolecular cyclization, reduction, acid-facilitated debenzylation and further cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate-mediated oxidation. Compared with the reported methods employing Birch conditions in liquid ammonia or Friedel-Crafts cycloacylation with melting heat of aluminum salts, the reaction conditions in the new synthetic route were milder and suitable for large scale preparations. In addition, all of the starting materials in the synthesis were readily available. It has great implications for the design and synthesis of structurally asymmetric naphthoquinones derivatives.

Design, Synthesis and Binding Affinity Evaluation of Cytochrome P450 1B1 Targeted Chelators.

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) is specifically expressed in a variety of tumors which makes it a promising imaging target of tumor. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to design and synthesize CYP1B1 targeted chelators for the potential application in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of tumor. METHODS: 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4-diiacetic acid (NODA) was connected to the CYP1B1 selective inhibitor we developed before through polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers with different lengths. The inhibitory activities of chelators 6a-c against CYP1 family were evaluated by 7-ethoxyresorufin o-deethylation (EROD) assay. The manual docking between the chelators and the CYP1B1 was conducted subsequently. To determine the binding affinities of 6a-c to CYP1B1 in cells, we further performed a competition study at the cellular level. RESULTS: Among three chelators, 6a with the shortest linker showed the best inhibitory activity against CYP1B1. In the following molecular simulation study, protein-inhibitor complex of 6a showed the nearest F-heme distance which is consistent with the results of enzymatic assay. Finally, the cell based competitive assay proved the binding affinity of 6a-c to CYP1B1 enzyme. CONCLUSION: We designed and synthesized a series of chelators which can bind to CYP1B1 enzyme in cancer cells.To our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to construct CYP1B1 targeted chelators for radiolabeling and we hope it will prompt the application of CYP1B1 imaging in tumor detection.

Anticancer Natural Products with Collateral Sensitivity: A Review.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the resistance of cancer cells against a variety of currently used antineoplastic agents with diverse structural scaffolds and different anticancer mechanisms. It has been recognized as one of the major impediments to the successful treatment of cancer, leading to the metastasis and relapse of malignant diseases. INTRODUCTION: Collateral sensitivity (CS) is the characteristic of certain chemicals to kill the drugresistant sublines selectively over the parental cell lines from which the resistant cells were generated. The research and development of new drug candidates with collateral sensitivity will be an efficient approach to conquer multidrug resistance in cancer. We aim to provide an update on the discovery of natural products with collateral sensitivity. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The review focused on the characterized anticancer natural products and their derivatives with collateral sensitivity, their working mechanisms, and related structure-activity relationships, emphasizing recently identified CS compounds. According to their structural features, these MDR-targeting compounds were mainly classified into the following categories: flavonoids, terpenoids, stilbenes, alkaloids and quinones. The exploration of molecular mechanisms of collateral sensitivity and structural features of anticancer agents with collateral sensitivity provided an effective approach for the clinic treatment of MDR in cancer.

Discovery of heterocycle-containing α-naphthoflavone derivatives as water-soluble, highly potent and selective CYP1B1 inhibitors.

Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) has been well validated as an attractive target for cancer prevention and drug resistance reversal. In continuation of our interest in this area, herein, a set of forty-six 6,7,10-trimethoxy-α-naphthoflavone derivatives varying in B ring was synthesized and screened against CYP1 enzymes, leading to the identification of fluorine-containing compound 15i as the most potent and selective CYP1B1 inhibitor (IC50 value of 0.07 nM), being 84-fold more potent than that of the template molecule ANF. Alternatively, the amino-substituted derivative 13h not only possessed a potent inhibitory effect on CYP1B1 (IC50 value of 0.98 nM), but also had a substantially increased water solubility as compared with the lead ANF (311 µg/mL for 13h and <5 µg/mL for ANF). The current study expanded the structural diversity of CYP1B1 inhibitors, and compound 13h could be considered as a promising starting point with great potential for further studies.

The Role of NIR Fluorescence in MDR Cancer Treatment: From Targeted Imaging to Phototherapy.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug Resistance (MDR) is defined as a cross-resistance of cancer cells to various chemotherapeutics and has been demonstrated to correlate with drug efflux pumps. Visualization of drug efflux pumps is useful to pre-select patients who may be insensitive to chemotherapy, thus preventing patients from unnecessary treatment. Near-Infrared (NIR) imaging is an attractive approach to monitoring MDR due to its low tissue autofluorescence and deep tissue penetration. Molecular NIR imaging of MDR cancers requires stable probes targeting biomarkers with high specificity and affinity. OBJECTIVE: This article aims to provide a concise review of novel NIR probes and their applications in MDR cancer treatment. RESULTS: Recently, extensive research has been performed to develop novel NIR probes and several strategies display great promise. These strategies include chemical conjugation between NIR dyes and ligands targeting MDR-associated biomarkers, native NIR dyes with inherent targeting ability, activatable NIR probes as well as NIR dyes loaded nanoparticles. Moreover, NIR probes have been widely employed for photothermal and photodynamic therapy in cancer treatment, which combine with other modalities to overcome MDR. With the rapid advancing of nanotechnology, various nanoparticles are incorporated with NIR dyes to provide multifunctional platforms for controlled drug delivery and combined therapy to combat MDR. The construction of these probes for MDR cancers targeted NIR imaging and phototherapy will be discussed. Multimodal nanoscale platform which integrates MDR monitoring and combined therapy will also be encompassed. CONCLUSION: We believe these NIR probes project a promising approach for diagnosis and therapy of MDR cancers, thus holding great potential to reach clinical settings in cancer treatment.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of α-naphthoflavone derivatives as CYP1B1 inhibitors.

Cytochrome P450 1B1(CYP1B1) has been recognized as an important target for cancer prevention and drug resistance reversal. In order to obtain potent and selective CYP1B1 inhibitors, a series of forty-one α-naphthoflavone (ANF) derivatives were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for CYP1B1, CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 inhibitory activities. A closure look into the structure-activity relationship for the inhibitory effects on CYP1B1 indicated that modification of the C ring of ANF would decrease the CYP1B1 inhibitory potency, while incorporation of substituent(s) into the different positions of the B ring yielded analogues with varying CYP1B1 inhibitory capacity. Among these derivatives, compounds 9e and 9j were identified as the most potent two selective CYP1B1 inhibitors with IC50 values of 0.49 and 0.52 nM, respectively, which were 10-fold more potent than the lead compound ANF. In addition, molecular docking and a reasonable 3D-QSAR (three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship) study were performed to provide a better understanding of the key structural features influencing the CYP1B1 inhibitory activity. The results achieved in this study would lay a foundation for future development of selective, potent, low-toxic and water-soluble CYP1B1 inhibitors.

Development of benzochalcone derivatives as selective CYP1B1 inhibitors and anticancer agents.

A series of benzochalcone derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for CYP1 inhibitory activity and cytotoxic properties against wild type cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and drug resistant cell lines (LCC6/P-gp and MCF-7/1B1). All of these compounds were found to have selective inhibition towards CYP1B1 and the most potent two possessed single-digit nanomolar CYP1B1 potency. In addition, some of them showed promising cytotoxic activities not only against wild type cells, but also against drug resistant cells at low micromolar concentrations. More importantly, these multi-functional compounds may surmount drug-drug interactions that frequently occur during the combination of CYP1B1/P-gp inhibitors and anticancer drugs to overcome drug resistance. This study may provide a good starting point for the further development of more potent multi-functional agents with CYP1B1 inhibitory activity and cytotoxic potency in cancer prevention and treatment.

Discovery and synthesis of sulfur-containing 6-substituted 5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone oxime derivatives as new and potential anti-MDR cancer agents.

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) to anticancer drugs is the primary impediment to successful treatment of cancer. Hunting for new compounds with potent anti-MDR activity is an effectual approach to conquer cancer drug resistance. In this work, 33 new sulfur-containing 1,4-naphthoquinone oxime derivatives were prepared and investigated for their cytotoxicity against a panel of tumor cell lines and fibroblast normal cell line. Cell-based assay showed that most of target compounds displayed more potent cytotoxic potency than positive controls. Meanwhile, all of compounds were non-toxic to normal cells. More importantly, the cytotoxic activity of these oxime derivatives toward drug-resistant cancer cell lines was found to be much stronger than that toward drug-susceptible cell lines (anti-drug resistance coefficient (ADRC) > 1). Of these, compound 12 m was identified as the most effective molecule with IC50 values in the range of 0.29 ±â€¯0.01 to 1.33 ±â€¯0.05 µM toward MDR sublines. Further mechanism studies demonstrated that 12 m could inhibit colony formation, cause G1 phase arrest and promote cell apoptosis mediated by augmenting Bax/Bcl-2 ratio of Bel7402/5-FU cells. Our findings provide promising start points for development of sulfur-containing 1,4-naphthoquinone oxime derivatives as potential anti-MDR agents.

DMAKO-20 as a New Multitarget Anticancer Prodrug Activated by the Tumor Specific CYP1B1 Enzyme.

To reduce the pervasive toxicity of natural shikonin, alkannin, and their synthetic analogues and to enhance the selectivity of these chemotherapeutics toward cancer cells, a novel 5,8-dimethyl alkannin oxime derivative (DMAKO-20) was designed, synthesized, and evaluated for its strong antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. It showed potent growth inhibitory effects against HCT-15, HCT-116, and K562 cells (IC50 < 1 µM), moderate antiproliferative activity toward MDA-MB-231, HepG2, PANC, Bel7402, and MGC803 cancer cells (IC50 < 10 µM), and was nontoxic to the human normal VEC and HSF cells. In vivo efficacy studies demonstrated that DMAKO-20 (10 mg/kg, i.v. on every the other day, 8 times in 14 days) resulted in 59.3% reduction in HCT-15 xenograft volume. It was as effective as the toxic antimetabolite 5-FU but revealed neither toxicity nor death in mice. The mechanistic investigations indicated that DMAKO-20 underwent the tumor-specific CYP1B1-catalyzed bioactivation to afford nitric oxide and active naphthoquinone mono-oximes, which exhibited combined anticancer effects. It was defined as a representative of the "Multi-target Anticancer Prodrugs Activated by Specific Enzymes in cancer cells". The produced active metabolites exerted anticancer effects by the direct nucleophilic alkylation and the induction of the apoptosis of cancer cells through activation of the mitochondrial pathway. The discovery of DMAKO-20 and the illustration of its molecular mechanisms may provide a new strategy to overcome the nonselective toxicity of the current chemotherapeutics.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Cytochrome P450 1B1 Targeted Molecular Imaging Probes for Colorectal Tumor Detection.

Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) was found to be universally expressed in various tumors. Herein, we reported near-infrared fluorescent imaging probes for tumor detection via visualizing CYP1B1. After introducing the linker to a CYP1B1 selective inhibitor we found previously, we got the resulting compound 5b which kept strong inhibition ability against CYP1B1 (IC50 = 8.7 ± 1.2 nM) and high selectivity. Then, in vitro microscope studies and cell binding assay of probes indicated that the corresponding probe 6b could specifically be accumulated in CYP1B1 overexpressed colorectal cancer cell HCT-15 and showed satisfying binding affinity to target. During the in vivo noninvasive optical imaging, 6b was proved to rapidly lighten tumor in vivo as early as 6 h after injection. This work is the first attempt to visualize CYP1B1 for noninvasive imaging of tumor which could provide new approach for tumor diagnosis.

Cytotoxicity of Synthesized 1,4-Naphthoquinone Oxime Derivatives on Selected Human Cancer Cell Lines.

In an effort to develop potent and selective antitumor agents, a series of 1,4-naphthoquinone oxime derivatives were designed and synthesized. The cytotoxicity of these compounds were evaluated against five human cancer cell lines (colorectal cancer cell: HCT-15, breast cancer cell: MDA-MB-231, liver cancer cell: BEL-7402, colorectal cancer cell: HCT-116 and ovarian cancer cell: A2780) in vitro. Among them, compound 14 was found to be the most potent cytotoxic compound against three cell lines (MDA-MB-231, BEL-7402 and A2780) with IC50 values of 0.66±0.05, 5.11±0.12 and 8.26±0.22 µM, respectively. Additionally, the length of the side chains and the position of the substituent may also affect the cytotoxic activity of the naphthoquinone oxime derivatives. In general, compound 14 effectively inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation and may become a promising anticancer agent.

Recent Advances in the Development of Indazole-based Anticancer Agents.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of human mortality globally; therefore, intensive efforts have been made to seek new active drugs with improved anticancer efficacy. Indazole-containing derivatives are endowed with a broad range of biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-HIV, antihypertensive, and anticancer activities. In recent years, the development of anticancer drugs has given rise to a wide range of indazole derivatives, some of which exhibit outstanding activity against various tumor types. The aim of this review is to outline recent developments concerning the anticancer activity of indazole derivatives, as well as to summarize the design strategies and structure-activity relationships of these compounds.

The Chemistry and Biological Effects of Thioflavones.

Thioflavone derivatives are the thio analogs of the core constituent of the natural product class of flavones. Based on the position and oxidation level of sulfur, they can be divided into three major categories: 4-thioflavones, 1-thioflavones and 1-thioflavones 1,1-dioxide. In recent years, great efforts have been made to develop an approach for the synthesis of thioflavones, especially 1- thioflavones with high functional group compatibility, high yields, low toxicity as well as proceeding under a mild condition, and a variety of synthetic protocols have been developed, the method of choice being dependent on the nature of substrates. As isosteric analogs of biologically active flavones, thioflavones also exhibit various pharmaceutical properties, such as antimicrobial, anticancer and neuroprotective activities. Replacement of the oxygen atom on flavone skeleton by a sulfur atom resulted in modified biological effects due in most part to the change of the structural properties. However, these varying effects depend on the substituents present and the test species. To provide a comprehensive vision of this class of compounds, this review primarily focuses on the structure, synthetic methods, biological properties as well as structure-activity relationships of thioflavones.

Advance in Anti-tumor Mechanisms of Shikonin, Alkannin and their Derivatives.

Shikonin, alkannin and their derivatives, the main ingredient of Lithospermum erythrorhizon and Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johnst native to Inner Mongolian and Northwest of China respectively, hold promising potentials for antitumor effects via multiple-target mechanisms. This review will emphasize the importance of their antitumor activity in apoptosis, necroptosis and immunogenic cell death, and expound the relationship of their antitumor activity and naphthoquinone scaffold that could generate ROS and alkylating agent. Meanwhile, the antitumor mechanisms of naturally-occurring shikonin, alkannin and their derivatives, which were divided into the direct interaction involved in alkylating agent, covalently binding the DNA and protein, as well as the indirect interaction mediated by ROS, nonspecifically influencing the mitochondria or multiple signal pathways, will be systematically summarized and discussed.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of sulfur-containing shikonin oxime derivatives as potential antineoplastic agents.

As a continuation of our research on developing potent and potentially safe antineoplastic agents, a set of forty five sulfur-containing shikonin oxime derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against human colon cancer (HCT-15), gastric carcinoma (MGC-803), liver (Bel7402), breast (MCF-7) cancer cells and human skin fibroblast (HSF) cells. All the synthesized compounds exhibited potent cytotoxic activity selectively towards HCT-15 cells and did not display apparent toxicity to the normal HSF cells, some of which were more or comparatively effective to the parent compound against HCT-15, MGC-803 and Bel7402 cells. The most active agent 9m displayed high potency against human cancer cells with IC50 ranging from 0.27 ± 0.02 to 9.23 ± 0.12 µM. The structure-activity relationships (SARs) studies suggested that the nature of substituent group in the side chain is important for antitumor potency in vitro. Additionally, nitric oxide release studies revealed that the amount of nitric oxide generated from these oxime derivatives was relatively low. Furthermore, cellular mechanism investigations indicated that compound 9m could arrest cell cycle at G1 phase and induce a strong apoptotic response in HCT-15 cells. Moreover, western blot studies revealed that compound 9m induced apoptosis through the down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax, caspase 3 and 9. For all these reasons, compound 9m hold promising potential as antineoplastic agent.

Development of 2-arylbenzo[h]quinolone analogs as selective CYP1B1 inhibitors.

The CYP1B1 enzyme is regarded as a potential target for cancer prevention and therapy. Based on the structure of α-naphthoflavone (ANF), diverse 2-arylbenzo[h]quinolone derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as selective CYP1B1 inhibitors. Compared with ANF, although few of the title compounds possessed comparable or slightly higher CYP1B1 inhibitory activity, these compounds displayed a significantly increased selectivity toward CYP1B1 over CYP1A2. Among them compounds 5e, 5g and 5h potently inhibited the activity of CYP1B1 with IC50 values of 3.6, 3.9 and 4.1 nM respectively, paralleled by an excellent selectivity profile. On the basis of predicted clog P values, these target compounds may exhibit improved water-solubility compared to ANF. In particular, 5h showed a great superiority in the reversal of CYP1B1-mediated docetaxel resistance in vitro. The current study may serve as a good starting point for the further development of more potent as well as specific CYP1B1 inhibitors capable of reversing CYP1B1-mediated anticancer-drug resistance.

Prediction and Early Evaluation of Anticancer Therapy Response: From Imaging of Drug Efflux Pumps to Targeted Therapy Response.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) describes the resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy and has been ascribed to the overexpression of drug efflux pumps. Molecular imaging of drug efflux pumps is helpful to identify the patients who may be resistant to the chemotherapy and thus will avoid the unnecessary treatment and increase the therapeutic effectiveness. Imaging probes targeting drug efflux pumps can non-invasively evaluate the Pgp function and play an important role in identification of MDR, prediction of response, and monitoring MDR modulation. On the other hand, new anticancer agents based on molecular targets such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and angiogenic factor receptor may potentially be combined with chemotherapeutic drugs to overcome the MDR. Imaging of molecular targets visualize treatment response of patients at molecular level vividly and help to select right patients for certain targeted anticancer therapy. Among all the imaging modalities, nuclear imaging including positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging has the greatest promise for rapid translation to the clinic and can realize quantitative visualization of biochemical processes in vivo. In this review, we will summarize the nuclear imaging probes utilized for predicting and evaluating the early anticancer therapy response.99mTc labeled agents and PET based radiopharmaceuticals like 18F-Paclitaxel, 11C-Verapamil for drug efflux pumps imaging will be discussed here. Moreover, molecular imaging probes used for targeted therapy response evaluation like 18F-Tamoxifen,89Zr-Trastuzumab will also be introduced in this review.