Mitochondria-Targeted Multifunctional Nanoprodrugs by Inhibiting Metabolic Reprogramming for Combating Cisplatin-Resistant Lung Cancer.

How to address the resistance of cisplatin (CDDP) has always been a clinical challenge. The resistance mechanism of platinum-based drugs is very complex, including nuclear DNA damage repair, apoptosis escape, and tumor metabolism reprogramming. Tumor cells can switch between mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis and develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs through metabolic variability. In addition, due to the lack of histone protection and a relatively weak damage repair ability, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is more susceptible to damage, which in turn affects mitochondrial OXPHOS and can become a potential target for platinum-based drugs. Therefore, mitochondria, as targets of anticancer drugs, have become a hot topic in tumor resistance research. This study constructed a self-assembled nanotargeted drug delivery system LND-SS-Pt-TPP/HA-CD. ß-Cyclodextrin-grafted hydronic acid (HA-CD)-encapsulated prodrug nanoparticles can target CD44 on the tumor surface and further deliver the prodrug to intracellular mitochondria through a triphenylphosphine group (TPP+). Disulfide bonds can be selectively degraded by glutathione (GSH) in mitochondria, releasing lonidamine (LND) and the cisplatin prodrug (Pt(IV)). Under the action of GSH and ascorbic acid, Pt(IV) is further reduced to cisplatin (Pt(II)). Cisplatin can cause mtDNA damage, induce mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy, and then affect mitochondrial OXPHOS. Meanwhile, LND can reduce the hexokinase II (HK II) level, induce destruction of mitochondria, and block energy supply by glycolysis inhibition. Ultimately, this self-assembled nano targeted delivery system can synergistically kill cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells, which supplies an overcome cisplatin resistance choice via the disrupt mitochondria therapy.

Discovery of novel co-degradation CK1α and CDK7/9 PROTACs with p53 activation for treating acute myeloid leukemia.

Reactivating p53 activity to restore its anticancer function is an attractive cancer treatment strategy. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of novel PROTACs to reactivate p53 via the co-degradation of CK1α and CDK7/9 proteins. Bioactivity studies showed that the selected PROTAC 13i exhibited potency antiproliferative activity in MV4-11 (IC50 = 0.096 ± 0.012 µM) and MOLM-13 (IC50 = 0.072 ± 0.014 µM) cells, and induced apoptosis of MV4-11 cells. Western-blot analysis showed that PROTAC 13i triple CK1α and CDK7/9 protein degradation resulted in the significantly increased expression of p53. At the same time, the transcriptional repression due to the degradation significantly reduced downstream gene expression of MYC, MDM2, BCL-2 and MCL-1, and reduced the inflammatory cytokine levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 in PMBCs. These results indicate the beneficial impact of simultaneous CK1α and CDK7/9 degradation for acute myeloid leukemia therapy.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a novel series of 2-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl)isoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione derivatives as cereblon modulators.

In the current study, we designed and synthesised a novel series of 2-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl)isoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione derivatives as cereblon (CRBN) modulators. The results of the CCK8 assay revealed potent antiproliferative activity for the selected compound 10a against NCI-H929 (IC50=2.25 µM) and U239 (IC50=5.86 µM) cell lines. Compound 10a also can inhibit the TNF-α level (IC50=0.76 µM) in LPS stimulated PMBC and showed nearly no toxicity to this normal human cell line. The TR-FRET assay showed compound 10a having potent inhibitory activity against CRBN (IC50=4.83 µM), and the docking study confirmed a nice fitting of 10a into the active sites of CRBN. Further biology studies revealed compound 10a can increase the apoptotic events, arrest the NCI-H929 cells at G0/G1 cell cycle, and induce the ubiquitination degradation of IKZF1 and IKZF3 proteins by CRL4CRBN. These preliminary results suggested that compound 10a could serve as a potential antitumor drug and worthy of further investigation.