ICEC0942, an Orally Bioavailable Selective Inhibitor of CDK7 for Cancer Treatment.

Recent reports indicate that some cancer types are especially sensitive to transcription inhibition, suggesting that targeting the transcriptional machinery provides new approaches to cancer treatment. Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)7 is necessary for transcription, and acts by phosphorylating the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II (PolII) to enable transcription initiation. CDK7 additionally regulates the activities of a number of transcription factors, including estrogen receptor (ER)-α. Here we describe a new, orally bioavailable CDK7 inhibitor, ICEC0942. It selectively inhibits CDK7, with an IC50 of 40 nmol/L; IC50 values for CDK1, CDK2, CDK5, and CDK9 were 45-, 15-, 230-, and 30-fold higher. In vitro studies show that a wide range of cancer types are sensitive to CDK7 inhibition with GI50 values ranging between 0.2 and 0.3 µmol/L. In xenografts of both breast and colorectal cancers, the drug has substantial antitumor effects. In addition, combination therapy with tamoxifen showed complete growth arrest of ER-positive tumor xenografts. Our findings reveal that CDK7 inhibition provides a new approach, especially for ER-positive breast cancer and identify ICEC0942 as a prototype drug with potential utility as a single agent or in combination with hormone therapies for breast cancer. ICEC0942 may also be effective in other cancers that display characteristics of transcription factor addiction, such as acute leukaemia and small-cell lung cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(6); 1156-66. ©2018 AACR.

Discovery of the Antitumor Effects of a Porphyrazine Diol (Pz 285) in MDA-MB-231 Breast Tumor Xenograft Models in Mice.

A series of porphyrazines (Pzs) with chiral bis-acetal moieties in the ß-pyrrole positions ((2R,3R)-2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-diox-2-ene) have been synthesized and screened as antitumor agents in MDA-MB-231 breast tumor cells in vitro. The lead Pz 285 was further tested in a mouse tumor xenograft model with Td-tomato-luc2 fluorescent breast tumor cells (MDA-MB-231 LM24 Her2+) that are highly metastatic to the lungs. Pz 285 shows marked antitumor effects in vivo, with treated mice exhibiting longer median survival that we attribute to smaller primary tumor regrowth after resection and less occurrence of metastasis when compared to vehicle control groups. Pz 285 is further compared to the clinically approved chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (Dox). This report lays the groundwork for development of an understudied class of compounds for classical chemotherapy.

Inhibitor Selectivity for Cyclin-Dependent Kinase†7: A†Structural, Thermodynamic, and Modelling Study.

Deregulation of the cell cycle by mechanisms that lead to elevated activities of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) is a feature of many human diseases, cancer in particular. We identified small-molecule inhibitors that selectively inhibit CDK7, the kinase that phosphorylates cell-cycle CDKs to promote their activities. To investigate the selectivity of these inhibitors we used a combination of structural, biophysical, and modelling approaches. We determined the crystal structures of the CDK7-selective compounds ICEC0942 and ICEC0943 bound to CDK2, and used these to build models of inhibitor binding to CDK7. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of inhibitors bound to CDK2 and CDK7 generated possible models of inhibitor binding. To experimentally validate these models, we gathered isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) binding data for recombinant wild-type and binding site mutants of CDK7 and CDK2. We identified specific residues of CDK7, notably Asp155, that are involved in determining inhibitor selectivity. Our MD simulations also show that the flexibility of the G-rich and activation loops of CDK7 is likely an important determinant of inhibitor specificity similar to CDK2.

ß-Keto-dioxinones and ß,δ-diketo-dioxinones in biomimetic resorcylate total synthesis.

Resorcylates are a large group of bioactive natural products that are biosynthesized from acetate and malonate units via the intermediacy of polyketides. These polyketides undergo cyclization reactions to introduce the aromatic core. The bioactivities of the resorcylates including resorcylate macrocyclic lactones include anticancer, antimalarial, mycotoxicity, antifungal, and antibiotic properties, and several compounds in the series are already in use in medicine. Examples are prodrugs derived from mycophenolic acid as immunosuppressants and the Hsp-90 inhibitor, AT13387, which is in phase-II clinical trials for the treatment of small cell lung cancer and melanoma. In consequence of these biological activities, methods for the concise synthesis of diverse resorcylates are of considerable importance. In natural product chemistry, biomimetic total synthesis can have significant advantages including functional group tolerance in key steps, the minimization of the use of protection and deprotection reactions and the shortening of the total number of synthetic steps. This Account provides a description of our adaption of the dioxinone chemistry of Hyatt, Clemens, and Feldman for the synthesis and retro-Diels-Alder reactions of diketo-dioxinones. Such dioxinones, which were synthesized by a range of C-acylation reactions, were found to undergo retro-Diels-Alder reactions on heating to provide the corresponding triketo-ketenes with the loss of acetone. The ketene reactive intermediates were rapidly trapped both inter- and intramolecularly with alcohols to provide the corresponding ß,δ,ζ-triketo-esters. These compounds, which consist of keto-enol mixtures, readily undergo cycloaromatization to produce resorcylate esters and macrocyclic lactones. We have established the use of diketo-dioxinones as key general intermediates for the synthesis of diverse resorcylate natural products and for the synthesis of new classes of compounds for the generation of medicinal chemistry lead structures. Many of the methods used were found to be tolerant of multiple sensitive functional groups. These include enolate C-acylations with acyl chlorides, 1-acyl-benzotriazoles, acyl imidazolides, or Weinreb amides to prepare diketo-dioxinones and their subsequent use to prepare ß,δ,ζ-triketo-esters and lactones and hence resorcylates. In addition, in most cases, phenol protection was avoided. As an alternative to the synthesis of ß,δ,ζ-triketo-esters, diketo-dioxinones were also found to undergo cycloaromatization with retention of the ketal entity via a nonketene pathway. Finally, diketo-dioxinones with an allyl, prenyl, geranyl, or other 2-alkenyl carboxylate esters at the γ-carbon underwent decarboxylative rearrangement with tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium catalysis to produce α-substituted diketo-dioxinones and resorcylates with 3-allyl, prenyl, geranyl, or other 2-alkenyl groups. Such diketo-dioxinone chemistry was used in the total synthesis of natural products including aigialomycin, cruentaren A, and the oligomeric resorcylate antibiotics ent-W1278 A, B, and C. Additionally, tandem use of the decarboxylative rearrangement process and cycloaromatization was used in the total synthesis of natural products including the methyl ester of cristatic acid, mycophenolic acid, and hongoquercin B. The methodology was also applied to the synthesis of 9,10-anthraquinones, o-aminoalkyl resorcylates, dihydroxyisoindolinones, oligomers, and resorcinamides. The development of this methodology is described in this Account, showcasing its applicability and versatility for the synthesis of complex resorcylate products.

Synthesis and characterization of a porphyrazine-Gd(III) MRI contrast agent and in vivo imaging of a breast cancer xenograft model.

Porphyrazines (Pz), or tetraazaporphyrins, are being studied for their potential use in detection and treatment of cancer. Here, an amphiphilic Cu-Pz-Gd(III) conjugate has been prepared via azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition or 'click' chemistry between an azide functionalized Pz and alkyne functionalized DOTA-Gd(III) analog for use as an MRI contrast agent. This agent, Cu-Pz-Gd(III), is synthesized in good yield and exhibits solution-phase ionic relaxivity (r1 = 11.5 mM(-1) s(-1)) that is approximately four times higher than that of a clinically used monomeric Gd(III) contrast agent, DOTA-Gd(III). Breast tumor cells (MDA-MB-231) associate with Cu-Pz-Gd(III) in vitro, where significant contrast enhancement (9.336 ± 0.335 contrast-to-noise ratio) is observed in phantom cell pellet MR images. This novel contrast agent was administered in vivo to an orthotopic breast tumor model in athymic nude mice and MR images were collected. The average T1 of tumor regions in mice treated with 50 mg kg(-1) Cu-Pz-Gd(III) decreased relative to saline-treated controls. Furthermore, the decrease in T1 was persistent relative to mice treated with the monomeric Gd(III) contrast agent. An ex vivo biodistribution study confirmed that Cu-Pz-Gd(III) accumulates in the tumors and is rapidly cleared, primarily through the kidneys. Differential accumulation and T1 enhancement by Cu-Pz-Gd(III) in the tumor's core relative to the periphery offer preliminary evidence that this agent would find application in the imaging of necrotic tissue.

Discovery of a new class of liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1) antagonists: virtual screening, synthesis and biological evaluation.

Targeting LRH-1: Virtual screening and molecular modeling were used to identify novel antagonists of liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1), an emerging therapeutic target for breast cancer. Hit compounds were synthesized and biologically assayed, and the preliminary results suggest that raloxifene-based analogues, substituted at the position C-7 of the benzothiophene ring, might generate an inactive protein conformation through binding and thus antagonize this nuclear receptor.

Palladium(0)-catalyzed allylic alkylation of diketoester-dioxinones with allyl acetates under neutral conditions: synthesis of hexasubstituted benzene derivatives.

Intermolecular palladium(0)-catalyzed allylic alkylation of diketoester-dioxinones was performed under neutral conditions with 2-alkenyl and 2-cycloalkenyl acetates. Subsequent aromatization using cesium carbonate gave rise to isopropylidene-protected hexasubstituted resorcylates.

A novel pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine is a potent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent protein kinases 1, 2, and 9, which demonstrates antitumor effects in human tumor xenografts following oral administration.

Cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs) are central to the appropriate regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and gene expression. Abnormalities in CDK activity and regulation are common features of cancer, making CDK family members attractive targets for the development of anticancer drugs. Here, we report the identification of a pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derived compound, 4k (BS-194), as a selective and potent CDK inhibitor, which inhibits CDK2, CDK1, CDK5, CDK7, and CDK9 (IC50= 3, 30, 30, 250, and 90 nmol/L, respectively). Cell-based studies showed inhibition of the phosphorylation of CDK substrates, Rb and the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain, down-regulation of cyclins A, E, and D1, and cell cycle block in the S and G2/M phases. Consistent with these findings, 4k demonstrated potent antiproliferative activity in 60 cancer cell lines tested (mean GI50= 280 nmol/L). Pharmacokinetic studies showed that 4k is orally bioavailable, with an elimination half-life of 178 min following oral dosing in mice. When administered at a concentration of 25 mg/kg orally, 4k inhibited human tumor xenografts and suppressed CDK substrate phosphorylation. These findings identify 4k as a novel, potent CDK selective inhibitor with potential for oral delivery in cancer patients.

Synthesis and characterization of new porphyrazine-Gd(III) conjugates as multimodal MR contrast agents.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has long been used clinically and experimentally as a diagnostic tool to obtain three-dimensional, high-resolution images of deep tissues. These images are enhanced by the administration of contrast agents such as paramagnetic Gd(III) complexes. Herein, we describe the preparation of a series of multimodal imaging agents in which paramagnetic Gd(III) complexes are conjugated to a fluorescent tetrapyrrole, namely, a porphyrazine (pz). Zinc metalated pzs conjugated to one, four, or eight paramagnetic Gd(III) complexes are reported. Among these conjugates, Zn-Pz-8Gd(III) exhibits an ionic relaxivity four times that of the monomeric Gd(III) agent, presumably because of increased molecular weight and a molecular relaxivity that is approximately thirty times larger, while retaining the intense electronic absorption and emission of the unmodified pz. Unlike current clinical MR agents, Zn-Pz-1Gd(III) is taken up by cells. This probe demonstrates intracellular fluorescence by confocal microscopy and provides significant contrast enhancement in MR images, as well as marked phototoxicity in assays of cellular viability. These results suggest that pz agents possess a new potential for use in cancer imaging by both MRI and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence, while acting as a platform for photodynamic therapy.

Synthesis of heteroatom substituted naphthoporphyrazine derivatives with near-infrared absorption and emission.

In an effort to develop effective new optical contrast agents, we report the synthesis of porphyrazines (pzs) of the form H(2)[pz(A(4-n);C(n))], n = 1, and 2 (trans-), where "A" represents peripheral heteroatom (S- and O-) R-groups and "C" is a fused, beta,beta'-diisopropyloxynaphtho group. The sulfide appended trans-H(2)[pz(A(2);C(2))] pz (7) has the longest wavelength absorption, approximately 874 nm (log epsilon = 4.53), and S(1) fluorescence at approximately 927 nm, wavelengths within the window of maximum tissue penetration. Emission from the oxygen-atom appended naphtho-pzs (8, 9) has been observed within carcinoma cells, confirming cellular uptake and their potential use as optical agents.

Chiral porphyrazine near-IR optical imaging agent exhibiting preferential tumor accumulation.

A chiral porphyrazine (pz), H(2)[pz(trans-A(2)B(2))] (247), has been prepared that exhibits preferential in vivo accumulation in the cells of tumors. Pz 247 exhibits near-infrared (NIR) emission with lambda > 700 nm in the required wavelength range for maximum tissue penetration. When MDA-MB-231 breast tumor cells are treated with 247, the agent shows strong intracellular fluorescence with an emission maximum, 704 nm, which indicates that it localizes within a hydrophobic microenvironment. Pz 247 is shown to associate with the lipophilic core of LDL and undergo cellular entry primarily through receptor-mediated endocytosis accumulating in lysosomes. Preliminary in vivo studies show that 247 exhibits preferential accumulation and retention in the cells of MDA-MB-231 tumors subcutaneously implanted in mice, thereby enabling NIR optical imaging with excellent contrast between tumor and surrounding tissue. The intensity of fluorescence from 247 within the tumor increases over time up to 48 h after injection presumably due to the sequestration of circulating 247/LDL complex by the tumor tissue. As the need for cholesterol, and thus LDL, is elevated in highly proliferative tumor cells over nontumorigenic cells, 247 has potential application for all such tumors.

Chiral bis-acetal porphyrazines as near-infrared optical agents for detection and treatment of cancer.

We report the preparation of chiral oxygen atom-appended porphyrazines (pzs) as biomedical optical agents that absorb and emit in the near-IR wavelength range. These pzs take the form M[pz(A(4-n)B(n))], where "A" and "B" represent moieties appended to the pz's pyrrole entities, A = (2R,3R) 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-diox-2-ene, B = beta,beta'-di-isopropoxybenzo, M is the incorporated metal ion (M = H(2), Zn), and n = 0, 1, 2 (-cis/-trans) and 3 (Scheme 1). When dissolved in polar media, H(2)[pz(trans-A(2)B(2))] 5a does not fluoresce and has a negligible quantum yield for singlet oxygen generation (capital EF, Cyrillic(Delta) = 0.074 +/- 0.001, methanol), as measured by the photo-oxidation of DMA. However, when sequestered in the nonpolar environment of a liposome, it displays strong NIR emission (lambda(max) = 705 nm, capital EF, Cyrillic(f) = 0.087) and an extremely high singlet oxygen quantum yield (capital EF, Cyrillic(Delta)-->1). Of this series, H(2)[pz(trans-A(2)B(2))] 5a is attractive as a potential optical probe, showing strongly fluorescent uptake by cells in culture, while 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide measurements of cell viability show no evidence of dark toxicity. This agent does show significant photoinduced toxicity suggesting that pzs such as 5a have promise as "theranostic" optical agents that can be visualized with fluorescence imaging while acting as a sensitizer for photodynamic therapy.

The development of a selective cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that shows antitumor activity.

Normal progression through the cell cycle requires the sequential action of cyclin-dependent kinases CDK1, CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6. Direct or indirect deregulation of CDK activity is a feature of almost all cancers and has led to the development of CDK inhibitors as anticancer agents. The CDK-activating kinase (CAK) plays a critical role in regulating cell cycle by mediating the activating phosphorylation of CDK1, CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6. As such, CDK7, which also regulates transcription as part of the TFIIH basal transcription factor, is an attractive target for the development of anticancer drugs. Computer modeling of the CDK7 structure was used to design potential potent CDK7 inhibitors. Here, we show that a pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-derived compound, BS-181, inhibited CAK activity with an IC(50) of 21 nmol/L. Testing of other CDKs as well as another 69 kinases showed that BS-181 only inhibited CDK2 at concentrations lower than 1 micromol/L, with CDK2 being inhibited 35-fold less potently (IC(50) 880 nmol/L) than CDK7. In MCF-7 cells, BS-181 inhibited the phosphorylation of CDK7 substrates, promoted cell cycle arrest and apoptosis to inhibit the growth of cancer cell lines, and showed antitumor effects in vivo. The drug was stable in vivo with a plasma elimination half-life in mice of 405 minutes after i.p. administration of 10 mg/kg. The same dose of drug inhibited the growth of MCF-7 human xenografts in nude mice. BS-181 therefore provides the first example of a potent and selective CDK7 inhibitor with potential as an anticancer agent.

Synthesis and Biological Analysis of Thiotetra(ethylene glycol) monomethyl Ether-Functionalized Porphyrazines: Cellular Uptake and Toxicity Studies.

The porphyrazines (pzs), a class of porphyrin analogues, are being investigated for their potential use as tumor imaging/therapeutic agents. We here examine six peripherally-functionalized M[pz(AnB4-n)] pzs with n=4, 3, or 2 (in a trans conformation) and M = H2 or Zn, where A is an [S((CH2)2O)4Me]2 unit and B is a fused beta,beta'-diisopropyloxybenzo group. Cell viability/proliferation assays and fluorescence microscopy were carried out in both tumor and normal cells. Dark toxicity studies disclosed that four of the compounds exhibited toxicity in both normal and tumor cells; one was nontoxic in both normal and tumor cells, and one was selectively toxic to normal cells. Additionally, three of the pzs showed enhanced photo-induced toxicity with these effects in some cases being observed at treatment concentrations of up to ten-fold lower than that needed for a response in Photofrin. All six compounds were preferentially absorbed by tumor cells, suggesting that they have potential as in vitro diagnostic agents and as aids in the isolation and purification of aberrant cells from pathological specimens. In particular, two promising diagnostic candidates have been identified as part of this work.

Developing a structure-function relationship for anionic porphyrazines exhibiting selective anti-tumor activity.

The porphyrazines (pzs) are a class of porphyrin derivatives being studied for their use as optical imaging agents and photodynamic therapy (PDT) anti-tumor agents. A previous study revealed that the anionic pz, 18--of the form H2[pz(An;B4-n)], where A is [S(CH2)3CO2-], B is a fused beta',beta'-diisopropyloxy benzo group, with n=2 (trans)--selectively killed tumor cells, while analogous neutral and positively charged pzs lacked this property. In this report, we compare the properties of a suite of three H2[pz(An;B4-n)] pzs containing the same A and B groups as 18, but differing in their values of n: pzs 4 (n=4) and 11 (n=3), and 18 (n=2, trans) exhibit a progressive variation in charge due to the carboxylates, balance between hydrophobic/hydrophilic character, as well as a progressive variation in the singlet oxygen quantum yield (PhiDelta): PhiDelta (18)>PhiDelta (11)>PhiDelta (4). The biological activity of the pzs was tested in human lung carcinoma (A549) and SV40 transformed embryonic (WI-38 VA13) cell lines. Pzs 4 and 11 exhibited significant toxicity in both tumor and normal cells, while 18 showed selective anti-tumor cell activity in a dose-dependent manner. As the number of net negative charges decreased, the compounds became less toxic to normal cells, and the killing effect observed with these compounds was light independent. These observations indicate that the toxicity may have little to do with singlet oxygen quantum yields, but rather is more dependent on the net number of negative charges a pz contains. The study reported herein presents an example of how the porphyrazines can be easily modified to vary their biological behavior and specifically suggest that anionic porphyrazines pzs with lower n (fewer carboxylates, larger hydrophobic core) are more specific tumor killers, while those with larger n (increased net negative charge) are more potent tumor killers.

Charge dependence of cellular uptake and selective antitumor activity of porphyrazines.

Porphyrazines (pzs), or tetraazaporphyrins, can be viewed as porphyrinic macrocycles in which the porphyrin meso (CH) groups are replaced by nitrogen atoms; as such, it can be anticipated that pzs would show similar biocompatibility and biodistribution to those of porphyrins. However, distinctive chemical and physical features of the pzs differentiate them from either the porphyrins or phthalocyanines, in particular making them excellent candidates as optical imaging/therapeutic agents. The novelty of the pzs requires that we first determine how specific structures selectively alter biological function, leading to the development of "rules" that will be used to predict future biologically functional pzs. In the first of these studies, we present here a correlation of pz charge with biocompatibility for a suite of three pzs-neutral, negative, and positive. Confocal fluorescence microscopy and proliferation/viability measurements disclose that the three pzs differ in their toxicity, uptake, and localization in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells and WI-38 VA13 normal cells. Interestingly, the negatively charged pz exhibits selective dark toxicity in pulmonary adenocarcinoma cells.