Anti-prostate Cancer Activity Research Articles

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of ring A modified 11-keto-boswellic acid derivatives as Pin1 inhibitors with remarkable anti-prostate cancer activity

Pin1 (Protein interaction with never in mitosis A1) is a validated molecular target for anticancer drug discovery. Herein, we reported the design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationship study of novel ring A modified AKBA (3-acetyl-11-keto-boswellic acid) derivatives as Pin1 inhibitors. Most compounds showed superior Pin1 inhibitory activities to AKBA. One of the most promising compounds, 10a, potently inhibited Pin1 with IC50 value of 0.46 μM, while it displayed excellent anti-proliferative effect against prostate cancer cells PC-3 with GI50 value of 1.82 μM. Structure-activity relationship indicated that reasonable structural modifications in ring A had significant impact on improving activity. Further mechanism research revealed that 10a decreased the level of Cyclin D1 and caused cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase in PC-3 cancer cells. Thus, compound 10a may serve as potential anti-prostate cancer agent for further investigation through Pin1 inhibition.

Anti-prostate cancer activity of 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxaldehyde-thiosemicarbazide copper complexes in vivo by bioluminescence imaging.

Copper 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxaldehyde-thiosemicarbazide complex (CuHQTS) is a copper complex with strong anticancer activity against cisplatin-resistant neuroblastoma and prostate cancer cells in vitro by cell proliferation assay or fluorescent microscopic imaging. This study aimed to evaluate anti-prostate cancer activity of CuHQTS in vivo by bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and tumor size measurement, using athymic nu/nu mice implanted with prostate cancer cells carrying luciferase reporter gene (Luc-PC3). Growth of Luc-PC3 cells (1 × 105 cells) implanted in athymic nu/nu mice treated with CuHQTS for 2weeks was suppressed by measurement of luciferase signals (6.18 × 107 to 5.36 × 107p/s/cm2/sr) with BLI, compared with luciferase signals of Luc-PC3 cells (4.66 × 107 to 1.51 × 108 p/s/cm2/sr, p < 0.05) in the mice treated with normal saline of placebo control. Moreover, the size of PC-3 xenograft tumor (126.5 ± 34.2mm3) in athymic nu/nu mice treated with CuHQTS was significantly smaller than the size of PC-3 xenograft tumor (218.6 ± 48.0mm3, p < 0.05) in athymic nu/nu mice treated with normal saline of placebo control, suggesting in vivo tumor growth inhibition activity of CuHQTS on prostate cancer. The findings of this study support further investigation of CuHQTS as a promising new anticancer agent for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer refractory to anticancer drugs currently available.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel 1, 3- thiazolidine-2, 4-diones as Anti-prostate Cancer Agents.

Androgen receptor is an attractive target for the treatment of prostate cancer. The 1,3- thiazolidine-2,4-diones possess a wide diversity of important biochemical effects and interesting pharmacological properties. The aim of the study is to find the experimental and computational methods to investigate the interference of 1,3-thiazolidine-2,4-diones with androgen receptor against prostate cancer. Structural modification and molecular docking-based virtual screening approaches were imposed to identify the novel 1,3-thiazolidine-2,4-diones by using Schrödinger (Maestro 9.5). The best fit molecules (3-12 & 23-31) were synthesized and characterized using spectroscopic techniques, then in vitro antioxidant and antiprostate cancer activities were evaluated. Further, the structure of the intermediate (18) was confirmed by single crystal XRD analysis. The mechanism studies were performed through the gene expression for the compounds, 29, 30, and 31, the standards, dihydrotestosterone and R-bicalutamide. The compounds, 29, 30 and 31 showed comparatively significant antioxidant activity and better antiproliferative activity against PC-3 and LNCaP cell lines. Also, very low cytotoxicity was observed in the noncancerous cell (3T3). The compounds, 29, 30 and 31 significantly decreased the mRNA expression of ARstimulated genes, PSA and TMPRSS2, which demonstrated their anti-prostate cancer activities. ADME/T properties prediction of the compounds (3-12 and23-31) showed the promising drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic parameters without toxicity. Moreover, DFT calculations apparently confirmed the stable conformer of the compound, 31. These findings may provide the essential information for the development of anti-prostate cancer agents.

Abstract A197: Synthesis and in vitro anti-prostate cancer activities of androgen receptor ligand-isothiocyanate hybrid drug

Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common male malignancy in U.S.. In contrast to the localized early-stage disease, prognosis of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), i.e., the relapsed/metastatic advanced disease phenotype, is extremely poor. Because the sustained androgen receptor (AR) signaling remains one of the central driving forces of CRPC, new-generation nonsteroid AR antagonist has been developed in recent years, exemplified by the approval of enzalutamide (Enz) in 2012 for post-chemo and in 2014 for chemotherapy-naïve CRPC. However, drug resistance inevitably develops and survival benefits of Enz in CRPC patients are short-lived. Isothiocyanates (ITCs), e.g., sulforaphane (SFN) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), are active metabolites of dietary glucosinolate from cruciferous vegetables with broad anti-PCa activities, such as suppressing AR expression, downregulating antiapoptotic proteins, inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and inhibiting PCa stem-like cells, etc. SFN-rich extract was recently tested in recurrent PCa patients and notably prolonged PSA doubling time without severe adverse events. By modifying Enz structure, we designed and synthesized AR ligand-ITC hybrid drug, aimed at antagonizing androgen-stimulated AR transcriptional activity and meanwhile downregulating AR expression and inducing other anticancer effects in PCa cells. To increase water solubility, ITCs were further reacted with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) to obtain NAC conjugates. A representative hybrid drug NAC conjugate 2-63 was selected for in vitro study. In PBS buffer (pH 7.4), 2-63 gradually decomposes and releases free ITC with a half-life of about 3.4h. Measured using MTT assay, 2-63 was more tolerable in noncancerous RWPE-1 cell, significant differences were observed between RWPE-1 and PCa LNCaP cells, suggesting NAC conjugate could be a water-soluble carrier of AR ligand-ITC hybrid drug. The slower release of ITC constrains the concentration of electrophilic ITC within limit that is tolerated in healthy tissue. The newly designed hybrid drug chemical scaffold retains AR antagonist activity, evidenced by the inhibition of ARE-regulated luciferase activity in kb2 cell and the suppression of DHT-stimulated proliferation of LNCaP cell. 2-63 also dose- and time-dependently inhibited growth of CRPC VCaP cell and disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential, more effectively than SFN and Enz. Analyzed using Western blot, 2-63 downregulated the expression of full-length AR (fAR) and AR splice variants 7 (AR-V7). The AR downregulating properties were also observed in LNCaP and in 22Rv1 cells carrying different AR mutants. Since AR-V expression is one of the mechanisms causing clinical resistance to Enz treatment, targeting both fAR and AR-Vs using the newly discovered AR ligand-ITC hybrids may provide a new modality to improve the prognosis in CRPC patients. Citation Format: Siyu Ou, Liping Xu, Zhihui Qin. Synthesis and in vitro anti-prostate cancer activities of androgen receptor ligand-isothiocyanate hybrid drug [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A197.

Targeting the NFAT1-MDM2-MDMX Network Inhibits the Proliferation and Invasion of Prostate Cancer Cells, Independent of p53 and Androgen.

The MDM2 and MDMX oncogenes are overexpressed in various types of human cancer and are highly associated with the initiation, progression, metastasis and chemotherapeutic resistance of these diseases, including prostate cancer. The present study was designed to test a natural MDM2 inhibitor, Inulanolide A (InuA), for anti-prostate cancer activity and to determine the underlying mechanism(s) of action. InuA directly bound to the RING domains of both MDM2 and MDMX with high affinity and specificity and disrupted MDM2-MDMX binding, markedly enhancing MDM2 protein degradation. We further discovered that InuA bound to the DNA binding domain of NFAT1, resulting in marked inhibition of MDM2 transcription. InuA inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of prostate cancer cells, regardless of their p53 status and AR responsiveness. Double knockdown of MDM2 and NFAT1 also revealed that the expression of both of these molecules is important for InuA’s inhibitory effects on the proliferation and invasion of prostate cancer cells. In summary, InuA represents a novel class of bifunctional MDM2 inhibitors, and should be further investigated as a candidate lead compound for prostate cancer prevention and therapy.

Pyrazole-based compounds in chitosan liposomal emulsion for antimicrobial cotton fabrics

The chemistry of pyrazoles has gained increasing attention due to its diverse pharmacological properties such as antiviral, antagonist, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-prostate cancer, herbicidal, acaricidal and insecticidal activities. 1-Phenyl pyrazole-3, 5-diamine, 4-[2-(4-methylphenyl) diazenyl] and 1H- pyrazole-3 (1), 5-diamine, 4-[2-(4-methylphenyl) diazenyl] (2) were synthesized, characterized and encapsulated into liposomal chitosan emulsions for textile finishing. The chemical modifications of cotton fabrics were demonstrated by infrared analysis. Retention of the fabric mechanical properties was investigated by reporting the tensile strength values. Synthesized pyrazole-based compounds were screened for cytotoxicity against skin fibroblast cell line and showed very limited toxicity for both compounds. Antimicrobial potentials of the treated cotton fabrics were tested against bacterial strains E. coli ATCC 8379 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923.

Iminoenamine based novel androgen receptor antagonist exhibited anti-prostate cancer activity in androgen independent prostate cancer cells through inhibition of AKT pathway

Treatment by androgen receptor (AR) antagonists is one of the regimens for prostate cancer. The prolonged treatment with AR antagonist leads to the expression of point mutation in the ligand binding domain of the AR. This point mutation causes resistance to AR antagonist by converting them into an agonist. The T887A mutated AR was frequently expressed in androgen independent prostate cancer (AIPC) patients. Through literature survey and molecular modelling, we have identified a novel AR antagonist having a bulky β-iminoenamine BF2 complex scaffold. The tested and standard ligands were screened in AR positive (LNCaP, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453), AR negative (PC3), and non-cancerous (3T3) cell lines through anti-proliferation assay. The ligand, ARA3 was the most potent molecule among all the tested ligands and was 7.6 folds selective for AR positive cell lines. The mechanism of anti-prostate cancer activity of ARA3 was confirmed by western blot, qPCR, and apoptotic assays in LNCaP (T887A positive AR) cells. Structural activity relationship was derived by correlating the in-vitro and in-silico data. Consequently, we have identified the essential functional groups that could prevent the resistance concerning mutant AR. The ARA3 induces the apoptosis in AIPC cells by preventing the AR mediated activation of AKT pathway. The bicalutamide did not induce the apoptosis because it failed to prevent the AR mediated activation of AKT.

Anti-Prostate Cancer Activity of 8-Hydroxyquinoline-2-Carboxaldehyde-Thiosemicarbazide Copper Complexes by Fluorescent Microscopic Imaging.

Copper 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxaldehyde-thiosemicarbazide(CuHQTS) and copper 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxaldehyde-4,4-dimethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide (CuHQDMTS) are two copper thiosemicarbazone complexes with potent anticancer activity on cisplatin-resistant neuroblastoma cells. This study aimed to evaluate anti-prostate cancer activity of these two copper complexes in vitro. Both CuHQTS and CuHQDMTS inhibited proliferation of prostate cancer cells and showed cytotoxicity on prostate cancer cells carrying green fluorescent protein (GFP) by fluorescent microscopic imaging. The findings of this study demonstrated anti-prostate cancer activity of CuHQTS and CuHQDMTS and suggested that GFP-carrying prostate cancer cells might be used for testing anticancer activity of copper complexes by fluorescent microscopic imaging.

Structure Based docking studies towards exploring potential anti-androgen activity of selected phytochemicals against Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common malignancy amongst men worldwide. Under PCa maintenance therapy drugs acting as antagonists/partial agonists of hormone receptors against the prostate tissue are used in clinical practices. Prominent drugs being Cyproterone acetate, Flutamide, Bicalutamide, they not only cause acute and long-term toxicity, but also develops drug resistance among patients. Our focus has been on phytochemicals which do not exhibit any cytotoxicity and have significant androgen receptor (AR) inhibition activity. As Protein- Ligand interactions play a key role in structure based drug design, so by using molecular docking, we screened 803 phytochemicals and investigated their binding affinity against AR. The three dimensional (3D) structure of AR was retrieved from Protein Data Bank, and docked with 3D Pubchem structures of 803 phytochemicals using Argus Lab. Molecular docking and drug likeness studies were made using ADMET properties while Lipinski’s rule of five was performed for the phytochemicals to evaluate their anti-prostate cancer activity. The results showed that Isobavachin exhibited best binding affinity of −13.73 kcal/mol with AR followed by Glabranin, Anthocyanin and Eriosemation. Our studies therefore reveal that these four phytochemicals could be promising candidates for further evaluation for PCa prevention or management.

Abstract B45: Insights into the anti-prostate cancer activity of pterostilbene

Abstract Castration-resistant prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most challenging cancers with limited therapeutic options. Angiogenesis is a key mechanism required for the progression of advanced metastatic stage of PC. Interference with angiogenesis halts prostate tumor progression and metastases. Estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) is upregulated in PC compared to normal tissues. ER-α is implicated in tumor angiogenesis through activating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) transcription. Pterostilbene (PT) is an active component of blueberries that exhibits anti-proliferative and antimetastatic effects in PC. The impact of PT on pro-angiogenic signals is not known. The current study tested the hypothesis that PT exhibits sensitizes prostate cancer (PC) cells to chemotherapy. We also examined the underlying mechanisms by which PT exhibits cytotoxic effects in PC with special emphasis on ER-α, Akt activity and angiogenesis signals. PT is cytotoxic against LNCaP, DU-145 and PC-3 with IC50 of 33.76, 41.17 and 58.9 µM. PT synergized doxorubicin in both LNCaP and PC-3 cells. Molecular docking indicated that PT interacts with ER-α active site with a comparable affinity to estradiol. Since, ER-α is implicated in the progression of PC. The effect of PT on PC migration and invasion was investigated and results showed significant reduction in both functions. PT suppressed ER-α expression, ER-α(Ser-167) and Akt(Ser473) phosphorylations in PC-3 cells. PT opposed the release of the pro-angiogenic growth factors VEGF, IGF-1 and TGF-β by 41.5, 36.5 and 28.8% (P&amp;lt;0.05). Our findings suggest that PT could serve as a promising antiangiogenic therapy/ adjuvant for the management of advanced stage PC. Citation Format: Mai F. Tolba, Hany A. Omar. Insights into the anti-prostate cancer activity of pterostilbene. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translational Control of Cancer: A New Frontier in Cancer Biology and Therapy; 2016 Oct 27-30; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(6 Suppl):Abstract nr B45.

(22β,25R)-3β-Hydroxy-spirost-5-en-7-iminoxy-heptanoic acid exhibits anti-prostate cancer activity through caspase pathway

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Diosgenin and related compounds are potential cytotoxic agents. Twelve diverse analogues of long chain fatty acid/ester of diosgenin-7-ketoxime have been prepared. Six of the analogues exhibited significant anticancer activity against a panel of human cancer cell lines with IC50 ranging from 12 to 35μM. Compound 16, the best representative of the series exerted S phase arrest in DU145 prostate cancer cells and induced apoptosis through caspase pathway. Additionally, these analogues inhibited lipopolysaccharide induced pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) up to 47.7% and 23.3% respectively. Compound 16 was found to be safe in acute oral toxicity in Swiss albino mice up to 300mg/kg dose. The anticancer and antiinflammatory properties of compound 16 are important and can further be optimized for a better anti-prostate cancer candidate.

Design, Synthesis and In-Silico Studies of Novel Chalcones as Anti-Prostate Cancer and Cathepsin B Inhibitors

The high mortality rate in prostate cancer patients could be mainly attributed to the invasiveness and metastasis of advanced prostate cancer. Cathepsin B, a lysosomal cysteine, that proved to play a significant role in the invasion and metastasis of prostate cancer, therefore, the search for selective cathepsin B inhibitors could be considered an active area of research. Chalcones have proved to be effective anticancer agents against most human malignancies, they have also been reported to exhibit significant cathepsin B inhibition. In the present study, a series of novel N-(4-3-(pheny)-1-prop-2-en-1-one phenyl)benzamide derivatives (5a-p) were synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their anti-prostate cancer activities against PC-3 prostate adenocarcinoma cell line using the SRB method. The cathepsin B inhibition potential was further tested by the using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, a pharmacophore model was constructed, a QSAR study was carried out where a model was successfully built from which the physicochemical parameters were correlated to the activity. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were also carried out to determine the binding mode of the active compounds into the active site of Cathepsin B enzyme. The furyl derivative 5p was the most active candidate, (IC50 = 5.597 μΜ), against prostate cancer cell line, PC-3. This derivative also demonstrated 50.4% reduction in concentration of cathepsin B, additionally, compounds 5b and 5m showed 53.2 and 56.6% reduction in concentration of cathepsin B, respectively. In conclusion, compounds 5b, 5m and 5p showed good activity both as antiproliferative and as inhibitors of Cathepsin B production. The developed QSAR model was found statistically significant and has good predictive power. Docking studies of the active derivatives maintained the essential key interactions, specially with the cysteine residue, Cys29.

A Review of the Potential of Phytochemicals from Prunus africana (Hook f.) Kalkman Stem Bark for Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy of Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer remains one of the major causes of death worldwide. In view of the limited treatment options for patients with prostate cancer, preventive and treatment approaches based on natural compounds can play an integral role in tackling this disease. Recent evidence supports the beneficial effects of plant-derived phytochemicals as chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents for various cancers, including prostate cancer. Prunus africana has been used for generations in African traditional medicine to treat prostate cancer. This review examined the potential roles of the phytochemicals from P. africana, an endangered, sub-Saharan Africa plant in the chemoprevention and chemotherapy of prostate cancer. In vitro and in vivo studies have provided strong pharmacological evidence for antiprostate cancer activities of P. africana-derived phytochemicals. Through synergistic interactions between different effective phytochemicals, P. africana extracts have been shown to exhibit very strong antiandrogenic and antiangiogenic activities and have the ability to kill tumor cells via apoptotic pathways, prevent the proliferation of prostate cancer cells, and alter the signaling pathways required for the maintenance of prostate cancer cells. However, further preclinical and clinical studies ought to be done to advance and eventually use these promising phytochemicals for the prevention and chemotherapy of human prostate cancer.

Abstract 272: Metformin enhances the anti-prostate cancer activity of abiraterone and enzalutamide

Abstract The standard treatment for advanced castration sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC) is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), generally in the form of suppression of gonadally produced androgens via medical or surgical castration. The selective inhibitor of androgen biosynthesis Abiraterone (Abi), and the androgen receptor (AR) antagonist Enzalutamide (MDV3100), are second line hormonal therapies used to treat PC patients failing ADT. However, these drugs provide treatment response for a limited duration of time due to the development of resistance to them. Included among the mechanisms leading to resistance to ABI or MDV is the expression of the AR variant AR-V7. Metformin, a widely used oral anti-diabetic drug, has been reported to reduce prostate cancer mortality in PC patients with type II diabetes. In this study, we explored the effects of ABI, MDV and metformin in a pre-clinical model of PC. Both Abi and MDV inhibited cell proliferation and the expression of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells. However, neither induced cell death, and in fact MDV appeared to actually inhibit apoptosis in LNCaP cells. Both agents increased AR and AR-V7 expression, which in part may account for development of resistance to ABI or MDV. In contrast, metformin inhibited AR, AR-V7 and PSA expression in a dose-dependent manner, and induced apoptotic cell death in PC cells. Metformin, in combination with ABI or MDV, further enhanced apoptosis and inhibited expression of PSA than it did as single agent. Interestingly, at near physiological concentrations metformin induced apoptosis in a caspase-independent manner rather than by a caspase-dependent apoptotic program that is reported to occur with high doses of metformin. In conclusion, Abi or MDV inhibits AR signaling and PC cell proliferation, but also induces AR and AR-V7 expression. Metformin decreases AR and AR-V7 expression and induces apoptotic cell death. The combination of metformin with androgen biosynthesis/AR inhibitors results in caspase-independent apoptotic cell death in addition to inhibition of both cell proliferation and AR signaling. Further studies will be needed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of these combination treatments in patients with PC. Citation Format: Yi Xie, Linbo Wang, Arif Hussain. Metformin enhances the anti-prostate cancer activity of abiraterone and enzalutamide. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 272.

S-equol, a Secondary Metabolite of Natural Anticancer Isoflavone Daidzein, Inhibits Prostate Cancer Growth In Vitro and In Vivo, Though Activating the Akt/FOXO3a Pathway.

Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3a) is a transcription factor with tumor suppressor functions that plays an important role in prostate cancer. Daidzein, one of the soy isoflavones present in soy-based foods, has been shown to exert anti-tumor effects in vitro and in vivo. We herein investigated the inhibitory effects of S-equol, an isoflavandiol metabolized from daidzein by bacterial flora in the intestines, on the LnCaP, DU145 and PC3 human prostate cancer cell lines. Our results showed that S-equol and R-equol inhibited the growth of all three cell lines. Additional studies revealed that S-equol caused cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase in PC3 cells by downregulating Cyclin B1 and CDK1 and upregulating CDK inhibitors (p21 and p27), as well as inducing apoptosis by upregulating Fas ligand (FasL) and the expression of proapoptotic Bim. Additionally, S-equol increased the expression of FOXO3a, decreased the expression of p-FOXO3a and enhanced the nuclear stability of FOXO3a. S-equol also decreased the expression of MDM2, which serves as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for p-FOXO3a, thus preventing p-FOXO3a degradation by the proteasome. Mechanistic studies showed that S-equol targeted the Akt/FOXO3a pathway, which is important for prostate cancer cell survival, cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Moreover, treatment with S-equol inhibited the growth of PC3 xenograft tumors in BALB/c nude mice. Overall, the data from the present study demonstrate that S-equol has significant anti-prostate cancer activities in vitro and in vivo, and indicate that its anticancer effects were likely associated with the activation of FOXO3a via an Akt-specific pathway and inhibitory effects on MDM2 expression. The results not only provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of this unique secondary metabolite of a natural anti-cancer compound, but also provide a basis for the development of daidzein and its analogs as novel anticancer agents.

CoMFA, CoMSIA, HQSAR and Molecular Docking Analysis of Ionone-based Chalcone Derivatives as Antiprostate Cancer Activity.

Androgen receptor has been proved to be effective site for treatment of prostate cancer. Molecular modeling methods performed on forty-three ionone based chalcones derivatives as anti-prostate cancer activity. The designed comparative molecular field analysis, comparative similarity indices analysis and hologram quantitative structure activity relationship models produced statistically significant results with the cross-validated correlation coefficients (q(2)) of 0.527, 0.550 and 0.670, non-cross-validated correlation coefficients (r(2)) 0.636, 0.671 and 0.746 and predicted r(2) (Pred r(2)) of 0.621, 0.563 and 0.732, respectively. Furthermore, bioactive conformation was explored and explained by docking of the potent compound 25 into the binding site of androgen receptor. Present study deals with comparative molecular field analysis, comparative similarity indices analysis and hologram quantitative structure activity relationship and molecular docking studies of the ionone-based chalcones and their derivatives, obtained from literature. The model obtained could be effectively used as a channeling tool for further structure modification and designing of some novel potent anti-prostate cancer compounds.

Cabozantinib Inhibits Abiraterone's Upregulation of IGFIR Phosphorylation and Enhances Its Anti-Prostate Cancer Activity.

Abiraterone improves the overall survival of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, de novo or adaptive resistance to abiraterone limits its activity. Rational combinations of drugs with different mechanisms of action that overcome resistance mechanisms may improve the efficacy of therapy. To that end, we studied the molecular and phenotypic effects of the combination of cabozantinib plus abiraterone. Three prostate cancer cell lines were used to interrogate the in vitro molecular and antiproliferative effects of the single agents and combination of cabozantinib and abiraterone. The in vivo impact of the combination was assessed using the LAPC4-CR xenograft mouse model. In vitro proliferation studies demonstrated single-agent doses between 2 μmol/L and 10 μmol/L for abiraterone and cabozantinib inhibit prostate cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, and the anticancer activity of abiraterone is enhanced when combined with cabozantinib. In vivo LAPC4-CR xenograft mouse studies also showed that cabozantinib can improve the antitumor activity of abiraterone. Cabozantinib, a multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, enhances the ability of abiraterone to inhibit AR activity in a cell line-dependent manner. In addition, our cell line studies demonstrate abiraterone-stimulated insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGFIR) phosphorylation with downstream activation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2, and that this potential adaptive resistance mechanism was inhibited by cabozantinib. Cabozantinib can enhance the efficacy of abiraterone by blocking multiple compensatory survival mechanisms, including IGFIR activation, and supports the assessment of the combination in a clinical trial.

Curcumin analog WZ35 induced cell death via ROS-dependent ER stress and G2/M cell cycle arrest in human prostate cancer cells.

BackgroundProstate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among men. The Discovery of new agents for the treatment of prostate cancer is urgently needed. Compound WZ35, a novel analog of the natural product curcumin, exhibited good anti-prostate cancer activity, with an IC50 of 2.2 μM in PC-3 cells. However, the underlying mechanism of WZ35 against prostate cancer cells is still unclear.MethodsHuman prostate cancer PC-3 cells and DU145 cells were treated with WZ35 for further proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and mechanism analyses. NAC and CHOP siRNA were used to validate the role of ROS and ER stress, respectively, in the anti-cancer actions of WZ35.ResultsOur results show that WZ35 exhibited much higher cell growth inhibition than curcumin by inducing ER stress-dependent cell apoptosis in human prostate cells. The reduction of CHOP expression by siRNA partially abrogated WZ35-induced cell apoptosis. WZ35 also dose-dependently induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Furthermore, we found that WZ35 treatment for 30 min significantly induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in PC-3 cells. Co-treatment with the ROS scavenger NAC completely abrogated the induction of WZ35 on cell apoptosis, ER stress activation, and cell cycle arrest, indicating an upstream role of ROS generation in mediating the anti-cancer effect of WZ35.ConclusionsTaken together, this work presents the novel anticancer candidate WZ35 for the treatment of prostate cancer, and importantly, reveals that increased ROS generation might be an effective strategy in human prostate cancer treatment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1851-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Quercetin-6-C-β-D-glucopyranoside, natural analog of quercetin exhibits anti-prostate cancer activity by inhibiting Akt-mTOR pathway via aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Pre-clinical studies suggest mitigating effect of dietary flavonoid quercetin against cancer and other diseases. However, quercetin suffers from poor metabolic stability, which appears to offset its pharmacological efficacy. Recently, we isolated quercetin-6-C-β-D-glucopyranoside (QCG) from Ulmus wallichiana planchon that has greater stability profile over quercetin. In the present study, the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of QCG on prostate cancer cells were assessed. QCG inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation by arresting cells at G0/G1 phase of cell cycle and induces apoptosis as evident from cytochrome c release, cleavage of caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Mechanistic studies revealed that QCG inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and Akt/mTOR cell survival pathways. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) was a critical mediator of QCG action as knockdown of AhR attenuated QCG-induced cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and inhibition of Akt/mTOR pathway in prostate cancer cells. Taken together, our results suggest that QCG exhibits anti-cancer activity against prostate cancer cells via AhR-mediated down regulation of Akt/mTOR pathway in PC-3 cells.

버섯류 추출물이 전립선 암 세포 내 PSA 발현에 미치는 영향

Mushroom have long been valued as highly nutritious and tasty foods in many societies throughout the world. It is known for biological activities including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative potential. However little is known about anticancer property. In this study, we investigated the anti-prostate cancer activity of mushrooms. For that, eight kinds of mushrooms such as, T. matsutake, S. crispa, G. lucidum-US, G. lucidum-AS, C. cardinalis-BR, G. frondosa, P. linteus, U. esculenta were extracted with hot water. Among them, three kinds of mushrooms including T. matsutake, G. lucidum-US and C. militaris-BR extracts inhibited prostate specific antigen (PSA) expression in prostate cancer cell, LNCaP. These results demonstrate that some of mushrooms inhibited PSA expression suggesting that the mushrooms might be a candidate for the treatment of prostate cancer.