Stilbenoid derivatives as potent inhibitors of HIF-1α-centric cancer metabolism under hypoxia.

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α is a crucial transcription factor associated with cancer metabolism and is regarded as a potent anticancer therapeutic strategy within the hypoxic microenvironment of cancer. In this study, stilbenoid derivatives were designed, synthesized, and assessed for their capacity to inhibit HIF-1α-associated cancer metabolism and evaluated for inhibition of cancer cell viability and HIF activation. Through the structure-activity relationship studies, compound 28e was identified as the most potent derivative. Specifically, under the hypoxic condition, 28e reduced the accumulation of HIF-1α protein and the expression of its target genes related to glucose metabolism without affecting the expression of HIF-1α mRNA. Furthermore, 28e inhibited glucose uptake, glycolytic metabolism, and mitochondrial respiration, decreasing cellular ATP production under hypoxic conditions. In addition, 28e displayed significant anti-tumor effects and effectively suppressed the accumulation of HIF-1α protein in tumor tissue in vivo xenograft model. These findings suggest that our stilbenoid derivatives exert their anticancer effects by targeting HIF-1α-centered cancer metabolism under hypoxic conditions.

Discovery of thienothiazolocarboxamide analogues as novel anti-tubercular agent.

In order to identify anti-tubercular agents with a novel scaffold, commercial libraries of small organic compounds were screened against a fluorescent strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, using a dual phenotypic assay. Compounds were assessed against bacteria replicating in broth medium, as well as inside macrophages, and thienothiazolocarboxamide (TTCA) scaffold was identified as hit in both assays, with submicromolar inhibitory concentrations. Derivatives of TTCA were further synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory effects on M.tuberculosis H37Rv. In the present study we report the structure-activity relationship of these TTCA derivatives. Compounds 28, 32 and 42 displayed good anti-tubercular activities, as well as favorable ADME and PK properties. Compound 42 exhibited excellent oral bioavailability in mice with high distribution to lungs, within 1 h. It was found to be efficacious in a dose dependent manner in a murine model of M. tuberculosis infection. Hence, compound 42 is now under evaluation as a potential lead candidate for treatment of tuberculosis.

2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl (R)-3-methoxy-3-oxo-2-stearamidopropyl phosphate enhances thrombopoietin-induced megakaryocytic differentiation and plateletogenesis.

We have previously reported the effects of 2-(trimethylammonium) ethyl (R)-3-methoxy-3-oxo-2-stearamidopropyl phosphate [(R)-TEMOSPho], a synthetic phospholipid, on megakaryocytic differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells. Here, we demonstrate that (R)-TEMOSPho enhances megakaryopoiesis and plateletogenesis from primary hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) induced by thrombopoietin (TPO). Specifically, we demonstrate at sub-saturation levels of TPO, the addition of (R)-TEMOSPho enhances differentiation and maturation of megakaryocytes (MKs) from murine HSCs derived from fetal liver. Furthermore, we show that production of platelets with (R)-TEMOSPho in combination with TPO is also more efficient than TPO alone and that platelets generated in vitro with these two agents are as functional as those from TPO alone. TPO can thus be partly replaced by or supplemented with (R)-TEMOSPho, and this in turn implies that (R)-TEMOSPho can be useful in efficient platelet production in vitro and potentially be a valuable option in designing cell-based therapy. [BMB Reports 2019; 52(7): 434-438].

Chemical genetics-based development of small molecules targeting hepatitis C virus.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major worldwide problem that has emerged as one of the most significant diseases affecting humans. There are currently no vaccines or efficient therapies without side effects, despite today's advanced medical technology. Currently, the common therapy for most patients (i.e. genotype 1) is combination of HCV-specific direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Up to 2011, the standard of care (SOC) was a combination of peg-IFNα with ribavirin (RBV). After approval of NS3/4A protease inhibitor, SOC was peg-IFNα and RBV with either the first-generation DAAs boceprevir or telaprevir. In the past several years, various novel small molecules have been discovered and some of them (i.e., HCV polymerase, protease, helicase and entry inhibitors) have undergone clinical trials. Between 2013 and 2016, the second-generation DAA drugs simeprevir, asunaprevir, daclatasvir, dasabuvir, sofosbuvir, and elbasvir were approved, as well as the combinational drugs Harvoni®, Zepatier®, Technivie®, and Epclusa®. A number of reviews have been recently published describing the structure-activity relationship (SAR) in the development of HCV inhibitors and outlining current therapeutic approaches to hepatitis C infection. Target identification involves studying a drug's mechanism of action (MOA), and a variety of target identification methods have been developed in the past few years. Chemical biology has emerged as a powerful tool for studying biological processes using small molecules. The use of chemical genetic methods is a valuable strategy for studying the molecular mechanisms of the viral lifecycle and screening for anti-viral agents. Two general screening approaches have been employed: forward and reverse chemical genetics. This review reveals information on the small molecules in HCV drug discovery by using chemical genetics for targeting the HCV protein and describes successful examples of targets identified with these methods.

Interruption of progerin-lamin A/C binding ameliorates Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome phenotype.

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disease that is caused by a silent mutation of the LMNA gene encoding lamins A and C (lamin A/C). The G608G mutation generates a more accessible splicing donor site than does WT and produces an alternatively spliced product of LMNA called progerin, which is also expressed in normal aged cells. In this study, we determined that progerin binds directly to lamin A/C and induces profound nuclear aberrations. Given this observation, we performed a random screening of a chemical library and identified 3 compounds (JH1, JH4, and JH13) that efficiently block progerin-lamin A/C binding. These 3 chemicals, particularly JH4, alleviated nuclear deformation and reversed senescence markers characteristic of HGPS cells, including growth arrest and senescence-associated ß-gal (SA-ß-gal) activity. We then used microarray-based analysis to demonstrate that JH4 is able to rescue defects of cell-cycle progression in both HGPS and aged cells. Furthermore, administration of JH4 to LmnaG609G/G609G-mutant mice, which phenocopy human HGPS, resulted in a marked improvement of several progeria phenotypes and an extended lifespan. Together, these findings indicate that specific inhibitors with the ability to block pathological progerin-lamin A/C binding may represent a promising strategy for improving lifespan and health in both HGPS and normal aging.

Phytosphingosine promotes megakaryocytic differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells.

We report that phytosphingosine, a sphingolipid found in many organisms and implicated in cellular signaling, promotes megakaryocytic differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells. Specifically, phytosphingosine induced several hallmark changes associated with megakaryopoiesis from K562 and HEL cells including cell cycle arrest, cell size increase and polyploidization. We also confirmed that cell type specific markers of megakaryocytes, CD41a and CD42b are induced by phytosphingosine. Phospholipids with highly similar structures were unable to induce similar changes, indicating that the activity of phytosphingosine is highly specific. Although phytosphingosine is known to activate p38 MAPK-mediated apoptosis, the signaling mechanisms involved in megakaryopoiesis appear to be distinct. In sum, we present another model for dissecting molecular details of megakaryocytic differentiation which in large part remains obscure.

Chemical genetics-based discovery of indole derivatives as HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors.

In order to identify the inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication with a novel scaffold via a mechanistically unbiased approach, we screened our in-house library composed of ∼6000 compounds with various chemical structures by using the renilla luciferase-linked genotype 2a reporter virus, and we identified a series of compounds containing an indole moiety that were active against HCV replication. Based on this result, we further synthesized three groups of indole derivatives and evaluated their inhibitory effects on HCV replication. In the present structure-activity relationship study of these indole derivatives, we discovered that compound 12e was the most potent inhibitor of HCV replication with minimal cytotoxicity (EC50 = 1.1 µM, EC90 = 2.1 µM, and CC50 = 61.8 µM). We also confirmed that compound 12e caused a dose- and time-dependent reduction of viral RNA as well as viral protein levels in both genotype 2a J6/JFH1 RNA-transfected cells and genotype 1b Bart79I subgenomic replicon cells. Finally, a genetic mapping study of mutant viruses resistant to compound 12e revealed that NS5B RNA polymerase was the potential target. This finding was further validated by demonstration of inhibition of NS5B RNA polymerase in vitro by compound 12e (IC50 = 292 nM). Compound 12e may serve as a valuable candidate for the development of a new class of HCV NS5B RNA polymerase inhibitors in the future.

A novel small molecule facilitates the reprogramming of human somatic cells into a pluripotent state and supports the maintenance of an undifferentiated state of human pluripotent stem cells.

Booster of pluripotency: RSC133, a new synthetic derivative of indoleacrylic acid/indolepropionic acid, exhibits dual activity by inhibiting histone deacetylase and DNA methyltransferase. Furthermore it potently improves the reprogramming of human somatic cells into a pluripotent state and aids the growth and maintenance of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs).

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of (E)-phenoxyacrylic amide derivatives as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α inhibitors.

A series of (E)-phenoxyacrylic amide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 1α inhibitors. The present structure-activity relationship study on this series identified the morpholinoethyl containing ester 4p as a potent inhibitor of HIF-1α under hypoxic conditions (IC50=0.12 µM in a cell-based HRE reporter assay) in HCT116 cells. The representative compound 4p suppressed hypoxia-induced HIF-1α accumulation and targeted gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of HIF-1α inhibition by 4p was further demonstrated by its inhibitory activity on in vitro tube formation and migration of cells, which may be valuable for development of novel therapeutics for cancer and tumor angiogenesis.

The toxicity of cadmium (Cd²âº) towards embryos and pro-larva of soldatov's catfish (Silurus soldatovi).

A six-day static-renewal toxicity test was performed to determine the influences of cadmium on the development of embryos of soldatov's catfish (Silurus soldatovi). The median lethal concentration (LC50) value and median effective concentration (EC50, i.e., the total adverse effects, including developmental defects and mortality) were calculated to be 2740 and 133 µg/L, respectively, when cadmium was prepared in dilution water. The LC50 decreased to 266 µg/L in a subsequent test one month later, thereby suggesting that the sensitivity of this fish to cadmium in the early life stage(1) was largely influenced by the quality of fertilized eggs, which is known to be dependent on the season. The mortality and total adverse effects showed a concentration-dependent relationship at dosages greater than 1000 or 10 µg/L (p<0.05), respectively, at pro-larva stage (i.e., 144 hpf) with dilution water. To compare the toxic effects of cadmium under field and experimental conditions, filtered river water was adopted as a solvent simultaneously compared with dilution water. No significant differences were observed in mortality rate, hatching rate and adverse effect prevalence between the two solvents. In comparison to previously published toxicity data for other fish, the pro-larva of soldatov's catfish were less sensitive than established test fish in the early life stage. Therefore, the environmental risks would be overestimated when considering only existing toxicity data for other test fish.