μM For HepG2 Research Articles

A versatile inhibitory approach and molecular mechanism on cancer cells and cholinesterase enzymes: Synthesis, DFT, ADMET and molecular docking of thiadiazole and oxadiazole derivatives

This study presents a multi-routed research design featuring thiadiazole/ oxadiazole based Schiff base derivatives as potential inhibitors, targeting cancer and Alzheimer. Among thiadiazole based Schiff base derivatives, the excellent inhibition was exhibited by compound 1 (IC50 = 20.10 ± 1.1, 22.21 ± 1.03 and 26.23 ± 2.2 µM for HepG2 (liver cancer), MCF-7 (breast cancer) and W138 (lung cancer), respectively) in comparison to the standard Doxorubicin. Oxadiazole based compound 9 was also found with spellbinding efficacy (IC50 =15.20 ± 2.5, 19.13 ± 2.2 and 12.33 ± 3.4 µM for HepG2, MCF-7 and W138, respectively). Both compounds 1(IC50=3.10 ± 0.20 and 3.70 ± 0.10 µM against AChE and BuChE) and 9 (IC50=2.20 ± 0.10 and 2.80 ± 0.50 µM against AChE and BuChE) were also found as excellent anti-Alzheimer agents in comparison to reference donepezil. The outcomes of in vitro biological activity were further studied in silico via molecular docking, DFT and ADMET to elucidate the binding interactions, stability, reactivity and pharmacokinetic profiles of potent compounds.

Myricetin inhibits CYP3A4, GST, and MRP1 in hepatic cancer cells

AbstractHerbal and nutritional supplements are widely used to prevent and treat many diseases, including cancer. Tumor cells modify metabolic enzyme systems like CYP3A4 and GST. They also overexpress MRP1, an ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily G (ABCG2) member. Drug efflux may increase, reducing tumor cell drug accumulation and developing drug resistance that leads to significant obstacles in cancer care. Natural products' ability to overcome cancer's multidrug resistance is interesting. Their ability to affect several targets makes them valuable in addressing drug resistance from diverse approaches. The potential of natural flavonoid; Myricetin (MYR) to modulate CYP3A4, GST, and MRP1 activity and expression in hepatic cancer cells was evaluated to prove its targeting and preventing these pathways of multidrug resistance. The cell proliferation of MYR was determined using an MTT assay. Specific enzyme assays, efflux assay, and gene expression using RT-PCR were used to evaluate MYR effect in hepatic cell lines HepG-2 and Huh-7. MYR has a noteworthy cytotoxic effect compared to doxorubicin (DOX) with IC50 > 100 μM in HepG-2 and Huh-7 cells. MYR showed potent inhibition of CYP3A4 and GST enzyme activity and MRP1 efflux function and downregulated their gene expression in a dose-dependent manner in both cells. MYR100 dose was the most significant effective dose. MRY100 decreased CYP3A4 activity by 67.5% (P < 0.05) and 55% (P < 0.01) and downregulated the gene by 0.2-fold (P < 0.001) and 0.3-fold (P < 0.001) in HepG-2 and Hub-7 cells, respectively. After treatment with MRY100, GST activity decreased significantly in both cells, reaching 47.6% (P < 0.001) and 33.2% and GST gene downregulation was 0.12 and 0.21-fold (P < 0.001). MRY100 inhibited MRP1 efflux pump 2.3 times (P < 0.001) and 1.9 times (P < 0.001) more effectively than PC, resulting in a 0.23-fold and 0.12-fold downregulation of MRP1 genes in HepG-2 and Hub-7 cells. The result will validate the use of MYR to interact with the metabolism phases and could be used as adjuvant therapy in cancer prevention and treatment approaches.

Design and synthesis of novel JNK inhibitors targeting liver pyruvate kinase for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises a broad range of liver disease including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with is no FDA-approved drug. Liver pyruvate kinase (PKL) is a major regulator of metabolic flux and ATP generation in liver presenting a potential target for the treatment of NAFLD. Based on our recent finding of JNK-5A's effectiveness in inhibiting PKLR expression through a drug repositioning pipeline, this study aims to improve its efficacy further. We synthesized a series of JNK-5A analogues with targeted modifications, guided by molecular docking studies. These compounds were evaluated for their activities on PKL expression, cell viability, triacylglyceride (TAG) levels, and the expressions of steatosis-related proteins in the human HepG2 cell line. Subsequently, the efficacy of these compounds was assessed in reducing TAG level and toxicity. Compounds 40 (SET-151) and 41 (SET-152) proved to be the most efficient in reducing TAG levels (11.51 ± 0.90 % and 10.77 ± 0.67 %) and demonstrated lower toxicity (61.60 ± 5.00 % and 43.87 ± 1.42 %) in HepG2 cells. Additionally, all synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-cancer properties revealing that compound 74 (SET-171) exhibited the highest toxicity in cell viability with IC50 values of 8.82 µM and 2.97 µM in HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines, respectively. To summarize, compounds 40 (SET-151) and 41 (SET-152) show potential for treating NAFLD, while compound 74 (SET-171) holds potential for HCC therapy.

Nitrate reductase involves in selenite reduction in Rahnella aquatilis HX2 and the characterization and anticancer activity of the biogenic selenium nanoparticles

BackgroundBiogenic selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) show numerous advantages including their high stability, low toxicity, and high bioactivity. While metabolism of SeNPs remains not well studied and need more investigation to reveal the process. PurposeThe objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between nitrate reductase and selenite reduction in Rahnella aquatilis HX2, characterize the properties of HX2 produced SeNPs, and explore their potential applications, particularly their anticancer activity. ProceduresSelenium species were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma - Mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). Transcription level of nitrate reductase was determined by Real-time quantitative PCR. Morphology, particle size, crystal structure and surface chemistry of SeNPs were determined by electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering method, Raman scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Anti cancer cell activity was measured by CCK-8 assay. Main findingsSeNP production in R. aquatilis HX2 was correlated with the cell growth. The products of selenite reduction in HX2 detected by HPLC-ICP-MS included SeNPs, selenocysteine (SeCys), Se-Methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys), and 7 unknown compounds. Nitrate addition experiments suggested the involvement of nitrate reductase in selenite reduction in HX2. Both the cellular membrane and cytoplasm of HX2 exhibited selenite-reducing ability, indicating that membrane-associated nitrate reductase was not the sole selenite reductase in HX2. Characterization of the biogenic SeNPs revealed a spherical morphology and amorphous structure of them. Surface chemistry analysis implicated the binding of extracellular polymeric substances to the biogenic SeNPs, and the presence of Se0, Se2-, and electron-rich Se atoms on the surface of SeNPs. Finally, the IC50 values of the biogenic SeNPs were 36.49 μM for HepG2 and 3.70 μM for HeLa cells. ConclusionsThe study first revealed that the nitrate reductase is involving in selenite reduction in R. aquatilis HX2. The biogenic SeNPs coordinated with organic substances in the surface. And SeNPs produced by R. aquatilis HX2 showed excellent anticancer activities on HepG2 and HeLa cells.

İsatinin HepG2 ve AML12 hücre hatları üzerindeki moleküler etkilerinin araştırılması

Isatin is an indole-derived organic compound. It is a natural component of the Couroupita guianensis plant. It is also the metabolic derivative of the human body hormone adrenaline. Studies have shown the anti-tumoral effects of isatin derivatives. In this study, the cytotoxic effects of isatin on HepG2, a hepatocellular cancer cell line was investigated. Additionally, its cytotoxic and protective-proliferative effects on AML12, a healthy liver cell line was investigated. This evaluation was conducted using MTT, fluorescent staining, wound healing, and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. The IC50 values for 48 hours of isatin application were calculated as 186.23 µM for HepG2 and 7.05 mM for AML12. The analysis of wound healing and fluorescent staining at varying doses of HepG2 application revealed suppression of proliferation and triggered apoptosis in HepG2 cells. In contrast, AML12 cells exhibited promoted proliferation under similar conditions. Moreover, the observed upregulation of oxidative stress genes CuZn/Mn-SOD and mitochondrial apoptotic pathway genes Bax, cleaveled-Cas3, APAF1, and p53 in HepG2 cells contrasted with their decreased expression in AML12 cell lines. These results suggest the potential of natural isatin as a promising anti-cancer agent for liver cancer cell lines and as a protective supplement for healthy liver cells.

Design, synthesis, molecular modeling, and biological evaluations of novel chalcone based 4-Nitroacetophenone derivatives as potent anticancer agents targeting EGFR-TKD

A series of chalcone-based 4-Nitroacetophenone derivatives were designed and synthesized by the single-step condensation method. These compounds were identified by 1H NMR,13C NMR, MS, and FTIR analysis. Further, the derivatives were evaluated against four cancer cell lines H1299, MCF-7, HepG2, and K526. The IC50 value of potent compounds NCH-2, NCH-4, NCH-5, NCH-6, NCH-8, and NCH-10 was 4.5–11.4 μM in H1299, 4.3–15.7 μM in MCF-7, 2.7–4.1 μM in HepG2 and 4.9–19.7 μM in K562. To assess the toxicity against healthy cells all potent molecules were evaluated against the HEK-293T cell line, and IC50 values exhibited by NCH-2, and NCH-3 were 77.8, 74.3, and other molecules showed IC50 values > 100 μM. The EGFR expression was determined by using rabbit anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody and significant EGFR expression was knocked down observed in H1299 treated with NCH-10 as well as erlotinib. The underlying mechanism behind cell death was investigated through bioinformatics. First, the molecules were optimized and docked to the binding site of the EGFR kinase domain. The best complexes were simulated for 100-ns and compounds NCH-2, NCH-4, and NCH-10 achieved stability similar to the erlotinib bound kinase domain. The free energy binding (ΔG bind) of NCH-10 was found to be more negative −226.616 ± 2.148 kJ/mol calculated by Molecular Mechanics Poisson Boltzmann’s Surface Area (MM-PBSA) method. Both in vitro and in silico results conclude that the present class of chalcone-based 4-Nitroacetophenone derivatives are potent anti-cancer agents targeting EGFR-TKD and are 39 folds more effective against H1299, MCF-7, HepG2, and K562 carcinoma cell lines than healthy HEK-293T cell lines. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

New Anthranilic Acid Hydrazones as Fenamate Isosteres: Synthesis, Characterization, Molecular Docking, Dynamics & in silico ADME, in vitro Anti-inflammatory and Anti-cancer Activity Studies.

In this study, twenty new anthranilic acid hydrazones 6-9 (a-e) were synthesizedand their structures were characterized by Fourier-transform Infrared (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR - 13C NMR), and High-resolution Mass Spectroscopy (HRMS). The inhibitory effects of thecompounds against COX-II were evaluated. IC50 values of the compounds were found in the range of >200 - 0.32 µM and compounds 6e, 8d, 8e, 9b, 9c, and 9e were determined to be the most effective inhibitors. Cytotoxic effects of the most potent compounds were investigated against human hepatoblastoma (Hep-G2) and human healthy embryonic kidney (Hek-293) cell lines. Doxorubicin (IC50: 8.68 ± 0.16 µM for Hep-G2, 55.29 ± 0.56 µM for Hek-293) was used as standard.8e is the most active compound, with low IC50against Hep-G2 (4.80 ± 0.04 µM), high against Hek-293 (159.30 ± 3.12), and high selectivity (33.15). Finally, molecular docking and dynamics studies were performed to understand ligand-protein interactions between the most potent compounds and COX II, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), and Transforming Growth Factor beta II (TGF-βII). The docking scores were calculated in the range of -10.609 - -6.705 kcal/mol for COX-II, -8.652 - -7.743 kcal/mol for EGFR and -10.708 - -8.596 kcal/mol for TGF-βII.

Synthesis, in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation and mechanism of 5′ monosubstituted chalcone derivatives as antitumor agents

A series of 5′ monosubstituted chalcone derivatives were synthesized to explore their antitumor activity and mechanism of action in vitro. The structures of 5′ monosubstituted chalcone derivatives synthesized by reactions such as Suzuki coupling were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS, and the target compounds were not reported in the literature. The antitumor activity of the aimed compounds was tested by MTT colorimetric method in vitro. Compound 5c has an IC50 value of 1.97 μM for K562 and a value of 2.23 μM for HepG2. Further investigation of the mechanism of action of compound 5c was found to have effects on K562 cell morphology, proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and wound healing of HepG2 cells. The results showed that compound 5c has research value in antitumor activity and mechanism of action in vitro.

Structural Characterization, Functional Profiling, and Mechanism Study of Four Antimicrobial Peptides for Antibacterial and Anticancer Applications.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are potent compounds for treating bacterial infection and cancer, drawing ever-increasing interest. However, the function and mechanism of most AMPs remain to be explored. In this research, we focused on investigating the antibacterial and anticancer activities of four AMPs (Dhvar4, Lasioglossin-III, Macropin 1, and Temporin La) and the possible corresponding mechanisms. All four AMPs are cationic α-helical with moderate hydrophobicity and high helicity. They have broad-spectrum antibacterial capacities, among which the antibacterial activities of Dhvar4 and Temporin La are not as effective as Lasioglossin-III and Macropin 1. Macropin 1 exhibited the highest antibacterial effect with a pretty low minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2-8 μM. Meanwhile, Lasioglossin-III exhibited the strongest anticancer activities, displaying the IC50 of 26.36 μM for A549 and 7.75 μM for HepG2. Although Dhvar4 possessed the highest positive charge and entered the bacterial and animal cells in large amounts, it displayed the lowest bactericidal and anticancer activities which might be ascribed to its lowest hydrophobicity and thus the weakest cell membrane damage capability. It seems that the positive charge and cell internalization play a supporting rather than a determined role in antibacterial and anticancer activities of AMPs. All the four AMPs damaged the bacterial cell membrane with Macropin 1 damaging the cell membrane of Escherichia coli the most and Lasioglossin-III destroying the cell membrane of Staphylococcus aureus the worst. In addition, the animal cellular internalization of the four peptides was temperature-dependent and mainly mediated by caveolae-mediated endocytosis, and they were distributed in lysosomes once inside the cells. These findings expand our knowledge on the function and mechanism of AMPs, laying the fundamental theoretical basis for designing and engineering AMPs for infection and cancer treatment.

Curcumin based pyrazole-thiazole hybrids as antiproliferative agents: Synthesis, pharmacokinetic, photophysical properties, and docking studies

A series of new curcumin pyrazole-thiazole hybrids (C1-C8) were synthesized and characterized by fundamental spectral analysis. The synthesized compounds were tested for antiproliferative activity against the colorectal cancer cell line (COLO-205), breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), liver cancer cell line (HepG-2), lung cancer cell line (A549), and cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) using cisplatin as a positive control. The compounds C7 (IC50 values of 8.57 ± 1.09 µM for COLO-205, 9.22 ± 0.73 µM for MCF-7, 16.95 ± 1.16 µM for HepG-2, 8.48 ± 1.36 µM for A549, and 7.22 ± 1.08 µM for HeLa), C2, and C5 displayed the most potent antiproliferative activity against the growth of all tested cell lines. For the three compounds (C2, C5, and C7), which were shown to have high in vitro anti-cancer activity, we have carried out a kinase inhibitory assay against the EGFR and HER2, where the compound C7 has exhibited double inhibitory potency towards the EGFR when compared to reference erlotinib. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking studies on EGFR (PDB ID: 4HJ0) and HER2 (PDB ID: 3P0Z) proteins revealed that the potent ligands exhibited higher affinity with an active pocket of receptors showing strong hydrogen bond interactions. The compounds C5 and C2 showed potent antioxidant activity. In addition, the drug-likeness of the hybrids was assessed by predicting their physicochemical, pharmacokinetic (ADME), toxicity profiles, and photophysical properties.

Extraction, Purification, and Elucidation of Six Ginkgol Homologs from Ginkgo biloba Sarcotesta and Evaluation of Their Anticancer Activities.

Ginkgols are active constituents from Ginkgo biloba L. (GB) and have pharmacological activities, such as antibacterial and antioxidant activities. In our previous report, only five ginkgols were separated. However, ginkgol C17:1 had two isomers, for which their separation, identification, and bioactivities have not yet been investigated. Hence, this research reports the successful isolation of six ginkgol homologs with alkyl substituents-C17:1-Δ12, C15:1-Δ8, C13:0, C17:2, C17:1-Δ10, and C15:0-for the first time using HPLC. This was followed by the identification of their chemical structures using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ultraviolet (UV), gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis. The results showed that two ginkgol isomers, C17:1-Δ12 and C17:1-Δ10, were obtained simultaneously from the ginkgol C17:1 mixture and identified entirely for the first time. That aside, the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that the six ginkgol homologs possessed significant antiproliferation effects against HGC and HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the ginkgols with unsaturated side chains (C17:2, C15:1-Δ8, C17:1-Δ12, and C17:1-Δ10) exhibited more potent inhibitory effects than ginkgols with saturated side chains (C13:0, C15:0). In addition, unsaturated ginkgol C15:1-Δ8 showed the most potent cytotoxicity on HepG2 and HGC cells, of which the half-maximal inhibition concentrations (IC50) were 18.84 ± 2.58 and 13.15 ± 2.91 μM, respectively. The IC50 for HepG2 and HGC cells for the three unsaturated ginkgols (C17:1-Δ10, C17:2 and C17:1-Δ12) were ~59.97, ~60.82, and ~68.97 μM for HepG2 and ~30.97, ~33.81, and ~34.55 μM for HGC cells, respectively. Comparing the ginkgols' structure-activity relations, the findings revealed that the position and number of the double bonds of the ginkgols with 17 side chain carbons in length had no significant difference in anticancer activity.

Syntheses, Structures, and Biological Activities of Pd(II) and Pt(II) Complexes with some 1-picolinoyl-4-substituted Thiosemicarbazides

Reactions of three 1-picolinoyl-4-substituted thiosemicarbazides H2L, namely H2LEt, H2LCy, and H2LPh, with equimolar amounts of common Pd(II) or Pt(II) complexes [M(PPh3)2Cl2] (M = Pd, Pt) bring about the formation of stable heteroleptic complexes with the compositions [M(L)(PPh3)] (M = Pd, Pt). Their molecular structures show mononuclear square planar complexes in which the acyl thiosemicarbazides are doubly deprotonated and serve as tridentate ligands bonded to the metal ion center via (Npyridine, N1, S) donor sets. The organic ligands H2LEt and H2LPh as well as all of their metal complexes show only weak inhibitory effects on microbial strains examined, whereas the metal complexes of H2LCy exhibit good inhibition towards B. subtilis and L. fermentum with MIC values lower than those of ampicillin. Furthermore, the in vitro cytotoxicity of H2L and the complexes were tested against cancerous cell lines MCF7 and HepG2. The organic ligands exhibit moderate antiproliferative effects with the increasing order of activity H2LEt < H2LCy < H2LPh for both cell lines. Surprisingly, except for the Pt(II) complex of H2LCy, the other metal complexes are highly toxic with IC50 in the range of 4.22±0.37 – 16.0±1.05 μM for HepG2 and 3.26±0.41 – 20.6±2.12 μM for MCF7. Most IC50 values of the metal-based compounds are comparable with those of cisplatin under the same condition.

Design, Synthesis and Molecular Docking of Novel Quinazolinone Hydrazide Derivatives as EGFR Inhibitors.

A series of novel quinazolinone hydrazide derivatives were designed and synthesized as EGFR inhibitors. The results indicated that most of the aimed compounds had potential anti-tumor cell proliferation and EGFR inhibitory activities. In the comprehensive analysis of all the tested compounds, the target compound 9c showed the best anti-tumor cell proliferation activity, (IC50 =1.31 μM for MCF-7, IC50 =1.89 μM for HepG2, IC50 =2.10 μM for SGC), and IC50 =0.59 μM for the EGFR inhibitory activity. Docking results showed that compound 9c could ideally insert the active site and interact with the critical amino acid residues (Val702, Lys721, Met769, Asp831) in the active site.

Synthesis and biological activity of new indole based derivatives as potent anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial agents

Indoles have very critical roles to design new biologically active molecules in medicinal chemistry. They display higher biological activities or create new biological properties when compared to the other heteroaromatic compounds. In the present study, 1-ethyl-2-phenyl-3-(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-indole (3), 8-ethyl-8H-benzo[a]thieno[3,2-c]carbazole (4), 1-ethyl-2-phenyl-3-(5-(phenylethynyl)thiophen-2-yl)-1H-indole (6) and 1-ethyl-3-(furan-2-yl)-2-phenyl-1H-indole (7) are prepared via Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and iodocyclization reactions. It was determined that compound 3 and 7 were also seemed to be better drug candidates at the end of in silico evaluation. Furthermore, compound 7 provided the best antibacterial and antifungal activity against the test indicator strains. It showed a potent antifungal effect on Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404 (MIC: 1.17 µg mL−1; MFC: 2.7 µg mL−1). In addition, while compounds 3, 6 and 7 showed significantly high molybdenum reducing activity compared to trolox, 7 exhibited almost the same antioxidant activity (EC50 = 7.1 µM) compared to the trolox standard (EC50 = 5.07 µM).After characterization, the cytotoxic activities of novel indoles were tested against different cancer cell lines and non-cancerous human cell line. Compound 3 and 7 had selective cytotoxic activity towards cancer cells. EC50 values of compound 3 were found to be 248.15 µM for LnCap, 139.81 µM for HepG2, and 164.72 µM for the Caco-2 cell line. Similarly, The EC50 value of 7 was found as 38.725 µM for LnCap, 70.02 µM for HepG2, and 86.98 µM for Caco-2, and 90.97 µM for Hek293 cell line. Moreover, it was revealed that these two compounds showed strong apoptotic properties towards these cancer cell lines as described by image cytometry and real time PCR. Consequently, these results improved that our molecules 3 and 7 could be new candidates as anticancer agents and apoptosis inducers.

Synthesis of glycyrrhetinic acid-modified liposomes to deliver Murrayafoline A for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common type of cancer associated with a high mortality rate. Among several bioactive compounds, Murrayafoline A (MuA) has been proved as a bio substance that exhibits great potentials in treating liver cancer. In order to overcome the high cytotoxicity and low solubility of MuA, a delivery system based on nanocarriers is necessary to deliver MuA towards the desired target. In the present study, 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), which is known as a ligand for liver targeting, was used to construct the cholesterol-poly (ethylene glycol)-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA-PEG-Chol) conjugate and liposome for MuA administration. The compound was then examined for therapeutic efficacy and safety in HUVEC and HepG2 cells in 2D and 3D cell cultures. Results have shown that MuA-loaded liposomes had IC50 value of 2 µM in HepG2 and had the cytosolic absorption of 8.83 ± 0.97 ng/105 cells, while The IC50 value of MuA-loaded liposomes in HUVEC cell lines was 15 µM and the the cytosolic absorption was recorded as 3.62 ± 0.61 cells. The drug test on the 3D cancer sphere platform of the HepG2 cancer sphere showed that MuA-loaded GA liposomes had the highest efficacy at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. In short, these results suggest that MuA-loaded GA liposomes have the potential for maintenance drug delivery and liver targeting.

Exploring Anticancer Activities and Structure-Activity Relationships of Binuclear Oxidovanadium(IV) Complexes.

Dimeric mixed-ligand oxidovanadium complexes [V2O2(1,3-pdta)(bpy)2]·9H2O (1) and [V2O2(1,3-pdta)(phen)2]·6H2O (2) feature a symmetric binuclear structure bridged by 1,3-pdta, which is different from our previous reported asymmetric binuclear complex [V2O2(edta)(phen)2]·11H2O (3).In this study, a wide range of analytical techniques were carried out to fully characterize the complexes 1 and 2 and further investigate their structural stabilities. Density functional theory calculations of 1 and 2 also suggest that they might have good reactivity with biomolecules as anticancer agents. To assess and screen the antitumor activities of compounds 1-3 together with their four corresponding monomeric complexes [VO(ida)(phen)], [VO(ida)(bpy)], [VO(OH)(phen)2]Cl, and [VO(Hedta)]-, we have performed in vitro experiments with hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cell lines by MTT analyses. Complex 2 was found to have the highest inhibitory potency against the growth of HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells (IC50 = 2.07 ± 0.72 μM for HepG2; 13.00 ± 3.06 μM for SMMC-7721) compared to other compounds. The structure-activity relationship studies showed that the antitumor effect of compound 2 is higher than that of other compounds. After studying the monomeric compounds of 1-3, their effects were also ranked. Moreover, complex 2 displayed stronger binding affinity toward calf thymus DNA (Kb = 5.71 × 104 M-1) and cleavage activities than the other complexes (Kb = 1.34 × 104 M-1 for 1 and 5.22 × 104 M-1 for 3, respectively). We further extended the cellular mechanisms of drug action and found that 2 could block DNA synthesis and cell division of HepG2 and 7721 cells and further induce apoptosis by flow cytometry assays. In short, these results indicate that binuclear oxidovanadium compounds could have potential as simple, effective, and safe antitumor agents.

Induction of apoptosis, cytotoxicity and radiosensitization by novel 3,4-dihydroquinazolinone derivatives

Twenty new quinazolinone derivatives bearing a piperonyl moiety were designed and synthesized. The structures of the target compounds were in agreement with the microanalytical and spectral data. Compounds 4-10, 13, 14 and 17-27 were screened for their cytotoxic activity against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. The target compounds showed IC50 in the range of 2.46–36.85 µM and 3.87–88.93 µM for HepG-2 and MCF-7, respectively. The promising compounds 7, 19, 26 and 27 were selected to measure their EGFR inhibitory activity. The IC50 values of the promising compounds were in the range of 146.9–1032.7 nM for EGFR in reference to Erlotinib (IC50 = 96.6 nM). In further studies on compounds 7, 19, 26 and 27 using HepG-2 cell line, there was significant overexpression of p21 and downregulation of two members of IAPs protein family; Survivin and XIAP, relative to their controls. Annexin V-FITC and caspase-3 analyses have established a significant increase in early apoptosis. Moreover, the four selected compounds have impaired cell proliferation by cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase compared to their respective control. Considering radiotherapy as the primary treatment for many types of solid tumors, the radiosensitizing abilities of compounds 7, 19, 26 and 27 were measured against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cell lines combined with a single dose of 8 Gy gamma radiation. Measurement of the IC50 of the promising compounds after irradiation revealed their ability to sensitize the cells to the lethal effect of gamma irradiation (IC50 = 1.56–4.32 µM and 3.06–5.93 µM for HepG-2 and MCF-7 cells, respectively). Molecular docking was performed to gain insights into the ligand-binding interactions of 7, 19, 26 and 27 inside the EGFR binding sites and revealed their essential interactions, explaining their good activity towards EGFR.

H-ferritin suppression and pronounced mitochondrial respiration make Hepatocellular Carcinoma cells sensitive to RSL3-induced ferroptosis

Ferroptosis is a form of regulated cell death dependent on iron, reactive oxygen species and characterized by the accumulation of lipid peroxides. It can be experimentally initiated by chemicals, such as erastin and RSL3, that modulate GPX4 activity, the cellular antioxidant machinery that avert lipid peroxidation. The study aimed to investigate mitochondrial respiration and ferritin function as biomarkers of ferroptosis sensitivity of HepG2 and HA22T/VGH, two Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) cell line models.Cell viability was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, labile iron levels were determined using Calcein-AM fluorescence microscopy, ferritin, glutathione and lipid peroxidation were assayed with commercially available kits. The Seahorse assay was used to investigate mitochondrial function in the cells. The study shows that highly differentiated HepG2 cells were more sensitive to RSL3-induced ferroptosis than the poorly differentiated HA22T/VGH (HCC) cell line (RSL3 IC50 0.07 μM in HepG2 vs 0.3 μM in HA22T/VGH). Interestingly, HepG2 exhibited higher mitochondrial respiration and lower glycolytic activity than HA22T/VGH and were more sensitive to RSL3-induced ferroptosis, indicating a mitochondrial-specific mechanism of action of RSL3. Interestingly, iron metabolism seems to be involved in this different sensitivity, specifically, the downregulation of H-ferritin (but not of L-subunit), makes HA22T/VGH more sensitive toward both RSL3-and iron-induced ferroptosis. Hence only the H-ferritin seems involved in the protection from this cell death process.

Design, Synthesis and Molecular Docking of Chalcone Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

AbstractTwenty derivatives of chalcones were synthesized and their anticancer activities were estimated against both breast and liver cancer besides two human normal cell lines. Out of our candidates, there were five compounds 3 b, 3 d, 3 h, 7 and 10 b that revealed a broad superlative antitumor activity against both HepG2 and MCF7 cell lines. Surprisingly, 3 h showed the most powerful anticancer activity (GI50=5.43±0.170 μM for MCF7 and GI50=1.80±0.50 μM for HepG2) and displayed the most effective inhibition activity on tubulin with IC50=4.51±0.13 μM. 3 h exerted low toxicity toward both normal human, Hs371.T and AML12, cell lines. 3 h revealed arrest of cell cycle at G2/M and induced apoptosis compared to control cells. Docking study of all newly derivatives was achieved to decide the preeminent binding mode. Generally, the outcome of the docking study showed that 3 h had better binding mode.

Design, synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of novel Artemisinin-Thymol

A molecular hybridization of natural products is a new concept in drug discovery and having critical roles to design new molecules with improved biological properties. Hybrid molecules display higher biological activities when compared to the parent drugs. In the present study, two natural products (thymol and artemisinin (ART)) are used for the synthesis of new hybrid thymol-artemisinin. After characterization, the cytotoxic activity of ART-thymol was tested against different cancer cell lines and non-cancerous human cell line. ART-Thymol show the cytotoxic effect with EC50 values 70,96μM for HepG2, 97,31μM for LnCap, 6,03μM for Caco-2, 77,98μM for HeLa and 62,28μM for HEK293 cells, respectively. Moreover, ART-Thymol was checked for drug-likeness, and the kinase inhibitory activity. ART-Thymol is investigated by using molecular docking. The results of qPCR was indicated CDK2 and P38 were inhibited by ART-Thymol. These results improved that thymol-artemisinin may be new candidates as an anticancer agents.