Novel compound ZCJ14, a gefitinib analog, exhibited prominent anti-cancer effect among several cancer cell lines.

AIM: ZCJ14, a gefitinib analog, exhibited prominent anti-cancer effect both in vitro and in vivo. The present study aims to investigate the inhibitory effects of ZCJ14 on human cancer cells, and explored its possible mechanism of action. MAIN METHODS: The inhibitory effect of ZCJ14 on human-derived tumor cells in vitro was mainly measured by MTT and colony formation assays. The nude mouse xenograft models were established to figure out the inhibitory effect of ZCJ14 on solid tumors in vivo. Western blotting assays were used to detect the phosphorylation level of EGFR down-streaming proteins and the proteomic technique was used to study the proteome alterations of cancer cells triggered by ZCJ14. KEY FINDINGS: ZCJ14 inhibited the proliferation of A549 (lung cancer), HCT116 (colorectal cancer) and MCF-7 (breast cancer) cells in vitro with 48 h IC50 values of 0.83, 0.85 and 0.92 µM, respectively. It suppressed the growth of A549, NCI-H1975, NCI-H1299 and MCF-7, HCT116 tumors in mouse xenograft models, and had almost no toxicity. At the same dose, the inhibitory effect of ZCJ14 on solid tumors was better than the corresponding positive drugs. ZCJ14 does not exert anti-tumor effects through inhibition of EGFR pathway, but by enhancing steroid biosynthesis and inhibiting ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. SIGNIFICANCE: Based on the excellent anti-tumor effect of ZCJ14 on human tumor cell lines, it can be used as an effective anti-tumor drug candidate. In addition, the results of proteomic study in this paper can provide clues for further study of the anti-tumor mechanism of ZCJ14.

Structural modification and antihypertensive activity study of formononetin derivatives.

A series of formononetin derivatives with substituted benzyloxy groups on the 4' position of isoflavone were designed and synthesized. Their vasodilative activities were evaluated by wire myograph system on isolated rat mesenteric arterial ring. The preliminary SAR of target compounds was thus discussed. Compounds 3d and 3e exhibited potent vasodilative activities against the rat mesenteric arterial rings induced contraction with K+. Compounds 3d and 3e also showed antihypertensive effects in SHRs by oral administration.

Quantitative analysis and pharmacokinetic study of a novel diarylurea EGFR inhibitor (ZCJ14) in rat plasma using a validated LC-MS/MS method.

1-(4-(Pyrrolidin-1-yl-methyl)phenyl)-3-(4-((3-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl)amino)quinazolin-6-yl)urea (ZCJ14), a novel epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, with diarylurea moiety, displays anticancer effect. In the present study, an LCMS/MS method was established to determine the concentration of ZCJ14 in rat plasma. Furthermore, the method was applied to investigate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of ZCJ14. Chromatographic separation of ZCJ14 and internal standard (IS) [1-phenyl-3-(4-((3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)amino) quinazolin-6-yl)urea] was accomplished by gradient elution using the Kromasil C18 column. The selected reaction monitoring transitions were performed at m/z 507.24→436.18 and 424.13→330.96 for ZCJ14 and IS, resp. The established method was linear over the concentration range of 10-1000 ng mL-1. The intra- and inter-day precisions were < 11.0 % (except for LLOQ which was up to 14.3 %) and the respective accuracies were within the range of 87.5-99.0 %. The extraction recovery and matrix effect were within the range of 88.4-104.5 % and 87.3-109.9 %, resp. ZCJ14 was stable under all storage conditions. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of ZCJ14 in rats, and the pharmacokinetic parameters have been determined. The oral bioavailability of ZCJ14 was found to be 46.1 %. Overall, this accurate and reliable quantification method might be useful for other diarylurea moiety-containing drugs.

Vasodilation and hypotension of a novel 3-benzylquinazolin- 4(3H)-one derivative via the inhibition of calcium flux.

A novel 3-benzylquinazolin-4(3H)-one derivative Z32, namely 6,7-dimethoxy-3-(3-chloro-4-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)benzyl)quinazolin-4(3H)-one was synthesized. The vasorelaxant and antihypertensive effects of Z32 and its underlying mechanisms were investigated. The following methods were used. The isometric tension of artery ring segments was recorded using an in vitro myography system. Changes in the calcium influx in mesenteric arteries were surveyed using a real-time confocal microscopy. The arterial pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats was measured in vivo using a non-invasive tail cuff blood pressure system. The results showed that Z32 can relax rat mesenteric arteries pre-constricted by KCl or phenylephrine in a concentration-dependent manner. The vasorelaxant effects were not affected by the removal of the endothelium, blockade of potassium channels by tetraethylammonium chloride, or inhibition of either guanylate cyclase by ODQ, nitric oxide synthase by l-NAME, or cyclooxygenase by indomethacin. In Ca2+-free conditions, Z32 did not affect the constriction evoked by caffeine, however, significantly reduced the constrictions induced (1) by phenylephrine, (2) by CaCl2 in either phenylephrine (in the presence of verapamil) or KCl stimulated arteries, (3) by extracellular Ca2+ restoration in thapsigargin-treated mesenteric arteries, and (4) by the activator of protein kinase C phorbol-12, 13-dibutyrate, and the inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatase sodium orthovanadate. Further, Z32 decreased the systolic and diastolic arterial pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, Z32 lowers the arterial pressure and induces vasorelaxation through the inhibition of calcium flux, probably via a protein tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent way.

An HPLC method for the determination of a novel anti-hypertension agent 6,7-dimethoxy-3-(4-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)-3-methoxyphenylmethyl)quinazolin-4(3H)-one in rat plasma: application to pharmacokinetic study.

6,7-dimethoxy-3-(4-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)-3-methoxyphenylmethyl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one (DFMQ-19), a novel analogue of 3-benzylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones, may be considered as a drug candidate for the treatment of hypertension. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography to determine the DFMQ-19 in plasma and demonstrate its application in pharmacokinetic study. Separation of DFMQ-19 and I.S (structural analog of DFMQ-19) was performed using Shim-Pack VP-ODS column and a mixture of acetonitrile and water as mobile phase. The HPLC method was validated according to the ICH guidelines. The limit of detection and lower limit of quantitation were 0.05 µg/ml and 0.1 µg/ml respectively. The recovery rate of DFMQ-19 from blood samples was >81% of the spiked amount. The RSD of the intra- and inter-day precisions was within 7.5%, and RE of accuracy was between -14.4% and 4.5%. This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study after administration of DFMQ-19. The pharmacokinetic parameters, such as half-life (t1/2 ), mean residence time (MRT), maximum concentration (Cmax ) were determined. Based on these pharmacokinetic parameters, the oral bioavailability of DFMQ-19 was calculated to be 13.42% in rat. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. HIGHLIGHTS: HPLC method was validated to quantify DFMQ-19 in rat plasma I.S is one of the structural analogs of the analyte The HPLC method was validated according to the ICH guidelines The oral bioavailability of DFMQ-19 was 13.42% in rat.

Combination of 4-anilinoquinazoline, arylurea and tertiary amine moiety to discover novel anticancer agents.

In present study, 4-anilinoquinazolines scaffold, arylurea and tertiary amine moiety were combined to design, synthesize gefitinib analogs and discover novel anticancer agents. A series of 4-anilinoquinazoline derivatives (1, 2, 3 and 4) bearing arylurea and tertiary amine moiety at its 6-position were synthesized. Their antiproliferative activities in vitro were evaluated via MTT assay against A431 cell and A549 cell. The SAR of the title compounds was discussed. The compounds 2d, 2i and 2j with potent antiproliferative activities were evaluated their inhibitory activity against EGFR-TK. Compound 2j displayed potent inhibitory activity against EGFR-TK. In addition, compound 2j, at 50 mg/kg, can completely inhibit cancer growth in established nude mouse A549 xenograft model in vivo. These results suggest that the 4-anilinoquinazoline derivatives bearing diarylurea and tertiary amino moiety at its 6-position can serve as anticancer agents and EGFR inhibitors.

Synthesis and antitumor activity evaluation of PI3K inhibitors containing 3-substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-one moiety.

In present study, a series of N-(2-methoxy-5-(3-substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-one-6-yl)-pyridin-3-yl)phenylsulfonamide were synthesized. Their antiproliferative activities in vitro were evaluated via MTT assay against HCT116 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. The SAR of title compounds was discussed. The compounds (S)-C5 and (S)-C8 displayed potent inhibitory activity against PI3Ks and mTOR, especially against PI3Kα. In addition, compound (S)-C5 can efficaciously inhibit tumor growth in a mice S-180 model. These findings suggest that our designed compounds can serve as potent PI3K inhibitors and effective anticancer agents.

Discovery of novel 3-benzylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones as potent vasodilative agents.

In the present study, a series of 3-benzylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones were synthesized and characterized. Their vasodilative effects were evaluated by wire myograph on isolated rat mesenteric arterial ring induced contraction with 60mM KCl. The SAR of target compounds was discussed preliminarily. Among these compounds, 2a and 2c displayed potent vasodilatation action and could compete significantly the rat mesenteric arterial rings induced contraction with phenylephrine. Compounds 2a and 2c were further tested for their antihypertensive effects in SHR by oral administration. The results indicated that 2a and 2c could reduce significantly both diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Moreover, 2c displayed antihypertensive effect in a dose dependent manner, and could maintain the effects for 6h at a dosage of 4.0mg/kg. These findings suggest that the title compounds are novel vasodilative agents, representing a novel series of promising antihypertensive agents.