Synthesis of 2-Mercapto-(2-Oxoindolin-3-Ylidene)Acetonitriles from 3-(4-Chloro-5H-1,2,3-Dithiazol-5-Ylidene)Indolin-2-ones.

Alkylidene oxindoles are important functional moieties and building blocks in pharmaceutical and synthetic chemistry. Our interest in biologically active compounds focused our studies on the synthesis of novel oxindoles, bearing on the exocyclic double bond at the C8, CN, and S groups. Extending the potential applications of Appel's salt, we developed a new synthetic approach by investigating the reactions of C5-substituted 2-oxindoles with 4,5-dichloro-1,2,3-dithiazolium chloride (Appel's salt) to give original (Z)-3-(4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene)indolin-2-one derivatives, and new 2-mercapto-(2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)acetonitriles via a dithiazole ring-opening reaction. The work described in this article represents further applications of Appel's salt in the conception of novel heterocyclic rings, in an effort to access original bioactive compounds. Fifteen new compounds were prepared and fully characterized.

Improved racemate resolution of pentan-2-ol and trans-(Z)-cyclooct-5-ene-1,2-diol by lipase catalysis.

Lipases are important catalysts in chiral synthesis due to their wide substrate recognition combined with a high stereoselectivity. We demonstrate here that the state, free or immobilized, of Candida antarctica lipase B (CaLB) affects enantioselectivity and also alters the temperature dependancy of the enzyme. This indicates that CaLB undergoes various conformations induced by its interaction with the different immobilization supports studied. Molecular imprinting experiments, using immobilized enzyme co-dried with mimic substrate molecules, enhanced the enantiomeric ratio two-fold or three-fold, depending on the immobilization support. The structure of the acyl donor has a pronounced effect on CaLB catalyzed resolution, due to the proximity of the acyl and alcohol moieties during catalysis. When the acylation of pentan-2-ol was examined, we found that the 3C methyl propanoate donor afforded the highest resolution. Trans-(Z)-cyclooct-5-en-1,2-diol was used as a model racemic substrate to study the ability of lipase to catalyze the resolution of difunctionalized compounds. There was a clear enhancement in the enantiomer selectivity of the biotransformation of the diol when vinyl butanoate is used as the acyl donor. The conversion and enantiomeric excess of (1R,2R)-monoacetates were enhanced, using immobilized CaLB, when the chain length of the donors increased from C2 to C4.

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Delivery using Nanoparticles with Intrinsic Passive Tumor Targeting Properties for Tumor Therapy.

Fast clearance, metabolism and systemic toxicity are major limits for the clinical use of anti-cancer drugs. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) present these defects despite displaying promising anti-tumor properties on tumor cells in vitro and in in vivo model of cancers. Specific delivery of anti-cancer drugs into the tumor should improve their clinical benefit by limiting systemic toxicity and by increasing the anti-tumor effect. In this work, we describe a simple and flexible polymeric nanoparticle platform highly targeting the tumor in vivo and triggering impressive tumor weight reduction when functionalized with HDACi. Our nanoparticles were produced by Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization of azido-polyethylene oxide-norbornene macromonomers and functionalized using click chemistry. Using an orthotopic model of peritoneal invasive cancer, a highly selective accumulation of the particles in the tumor was obtained. A combination of epigenetic drugs involving a pH-responsive histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) polymer conjugated to these particles gave 80% reduction of tumor weight without toxicity whereas the free HDACi has no effect. Our work demonstrates that the use of a nanovector with theranostic properties leads to an optimized delivery of potent HDACi in tumor and then, to an improvement of their anti-tumor properties in vivo.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor-polymer conjugate nanoparticles for acid-responsive drug delivery.

We report the synthesis of acid-responsive polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) consisting of a polymer-histone deacetylase inhibitor conjugate. An innovative aspect of this drug delivery particle lies in the NP conjugation of a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, CI-994 (Tacedinaline), introduced with a clickable acid-responsive prodrug during monomer synthesis, prior to polymerization. Another novelty lies in the selected norbornene (NB)-polyethylene oxide (PEO) macromonomer allowing standardization of the polymerization process by Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP) and functionalization through azide-alkyne click chemistry. Herein we demonstrate that the synthesized polymer gave 300 nm core-shell spherical nanoparticles with low dispersity (0.04), high water dispersability thanks to the PEO shell and well controlled HDAC inhibitor prodrug loading. Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET) assay in living cells and viability experiments demonstrated efficient cellular internalization without additional chemistry, drug release inside cells with restoration of the HDAC inhibition and induction of apoptosis. Such NPs should minimize drug release in vivo during blood circulation and trigger intracellular delivery after endocytosis, holding promises for improved efficacy of this class of epigenetic inhibitors. This standardized synthesis paves the way for multifunctional nanoparticles synthesis.

Vorinostat-polymer conjugate nanoparticles for Acid-responsive delivery and passive tumor targeting.

In vivo histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition by vorinostat under clinically acceptable dosing is limited by its poor pharmacokinetics properties. A new type of nontoxic pH-responsive delivery system has been synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization, allowing for the selective distribution of vorinostat in mesothelioma tumors in vivo and subsequent histone reacetylation. The delivery system is synthesized by generic click chemistry, possesses native stealth properties for passive tumor targeting, and does not need additional chemistry for cellular internalization. Although vorinostat alone at 50 mg/kg in mice showed no effect, our new delivery system with 2 mg/kg vorinostat promoted histone reacetylation in tumors without side effects, demonstrating that our strategy improves the activity of this HDAC inihibitor in vivo.

Measuring angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory activity by micro plate assays: comparison using marine cryptides and tentative threshold determinations with captopril and losartan.

To determine the angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity of marine cryptides, different methods were tested. ACE inhibition was measured using two synthetic substrates, (N-[3-(2-furyl) acryloyl]-Phe-Gly-Gly (FAPGG) and N-hippuryl-His-Leu hydrate salt (HHL)), and a natural one, angiotensin-I. The IC50 value (defined as the concentration of inhibitory molecule needed to inhibit 50% of the ACE activity) of the reference synthetic inhibitor captopril was in the nanomolar range (1.79-15.1 nM) when synthetic substrates were used, whereas it exhibited IC50 of micromolar range (16.71 µM) with angiotensin-I. We chose losartan, an antagonist of angiotensin-II receptor as negative control for the ACE inhibition. Losartan was also able to inhibit ACE whatever the substrate tested, with IC50 of micromolar range (17.13-146 µM). We defined this value as a limit above which molecules are not showing in vitro ACE inhibitory activity. Val-Trp (VW), Val-Tyr (VY), Lys-Tyr (KY), Lys-Trp (KW), Ile-Tyr (IY), Ala-Pro (AP), Val-Ile-Tyr (VIY), Leu-Lys-Pro (LKP), Gly-Pro-Leu (GPL), Ala-Lys-Lys (AKK), and Val-Ala-Pro (VAP) were tested as inhibitors of ACE with synthetic and natural substrates. IC50 displayed were substrate-dependent. With FAPGG as substrate, IW, VAP, KY, IY, AP, AKK, and VIY show IC50 values over the IC50 value of losartan and should not be considered as inhibitors of ACE. VY, VW, KW, and LKP exhibited IC50 value lower than the IC50 value of losartan for all substrates tested and were thus considered as good candidates for effectively decreasing hypertension. It appears that the comparison of IC50 is not consistent when IC50 values are obtained with different substrates and different methods. In vitro ACE inhibitory activity assays should always include various ACE substrates and references such as captopril and a negative control to obtain data reliable to discriminate ACE inhibitory peptides.

Cathepsin D activity and selectivity in the acidic conditions of a tumor microenvironment: Utilization in the development of a novel Cathepsin D substrate for simultaneous cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Pro-Cathepsin D (pCD) is an aspartyl endopeptidase which is over expressed in many cancers. This over expression generally led to its secretion into the extracellular culture medium of cancer cells. Moreover, pCD can auto activate and cleave its substrates at an acidic pH compatible with that found in tumor microenvironments (TME). Thus, exploiting these two pathological characteristics of TME offers the opportunity to develop new protease-activated vector on the basis of their specific substrate structures. The aim of this study was to validate new pCD substrates in the extracellular pH conditions of TME. As a first step, we investigated the effect of pH on the catalytic activity and selectivity of mature Cathepsin D (CD). It was found that the increase in the pH of the media led to a decrease in the reaction rate. However, the specificity of mature CD was not affected by a variation in pH. In the second step, the effect of the substrate structure was studied. We demonstrated that the substrate structure had a significant effect on the catalytic activity of CD. In fact, some modifications in peptide structure induced a change in the catalytic behavior that involved a substrate activation phenomenon. We suggest that this activation may be related to the amphiphilic nature of the modified peptide that may induce an interfacial activation mechanism. Finally, pCD, which is the major form found in the extracellular culture medium of cancer cells, was used. We demonstrated that the proform of CD cleave the modified peptide 5 at pH 6.5 with the same cleavage selectivity obtained with the mature form of the protease. These data provide a better understanding of CD behavior in tumor microenvironment conditions and this knowledge can be used to develop more specific tools for diagnosis and drug delivery.

Nanoparticles produced by ring-opening metathesis polymerization using norbornenyl-poly(ethylene oxide) as a ligand-free generic platform for highly selective in vivo tumor targeting.

We described a norbornenyl-poly(ethylene oxide) nanoparticles ligand-free generic platform, made fluorescent with straightforward preparation by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Our method allowed to easily obtain a drug delivery system (DDS) with facilitated functionalization by means of azide-alkyne click chemistry and with a high selectivity for the tumor in vivo, while cellular internalization is obtained without cell targeting strategy. We demonstrated that our nanoparticles are internalized by endocytosis and colocalized with acidic intracellular compartments in two models of aggressive tumoral cell lines with low prognostic and limited therapeutic treatments. Our nanoparticles could be of real interest to limit the toxicity and to increase the clinical benefit of drugs suffering rapid clearance and side effects and an alternative for cancers with poorly efficient therapeutic solutions by associating the drug delivery in the tumor tissue with an acid-sensitive release system.

Design of pH responsive clickable prodrugs applied to histone deacetylase inhibitors: a new strategy for anticancer therapy.

The aim of this study was to develop clickable prodrugs bearing a tunable pH responsive linker designed for acidic pH-mediated release of histone deacetylase inhibitors. HDACi are an important class of molecules belonging to the epigenetic modulators used for innovative cancer strategies. The behavior of these prodrugs was determined by a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer assay in living tumor cells. This work demonstrated that this innovative type of clickable prodrugs entered cancer cells and showed restored anti proliferative properties attributed to the effective release of the HDAC inhibitors. A correlation between kinetic studies, dose responses, and biological activities was obtained, making such clickable prodrugs good candidates for new strategies in epigenetic-oriented anticancer therapies.