Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of 2-Substituted Aniline Pyrimidine Derivatives as Potent Dual Mer/c-Met Inhibitors.

Mer and c-Met kinases, which are commonly overexpressed in various tumors, are ideal targets for the development of antitumor drugs. This study focuses on the design, synthesis, and evaluation of several 2-substituted aniline pyrimidine derivatives as highly potent dual inhibitors of Mer and c-Met kinases for effective tumor treatment. Compound 18c emerged as a standout candidate, demonstrating robust inhibitory activity against Mer and c-Met kinases, with IC50 values of 18.5 ± 2.3 nM and 33.6 ± 4.3 nM, respectively. Additionally, compound 18c displayed good antiproliferative activities on HepG2, MDA-MB-231, and HCT116 cancer cells, along with favorable safety profiles in hERG testing. Notably, it exhibited exceptional liver microsomal stability in vitro, with a half-life of 53.1 min in human liver microsome. Compound 18c also exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity and hindered migration of HCT116 cancer cells, as demonstrated in apoptosis and migration assays. These findings collectively suggest that compound 18c holds promise as a dual Mer/c-Met agent for cancer treatment.

Amino acid-PEGylated resveratrol and its influence on solubility and the controlled release behavior.

A set of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-resveratrol (RES) conjugates with amino acid as spacers was designed and synthesized to improve certain defects of resveratrol, such as poor solubility, its short half-life and the difficulty of obtaining controlled release. Amino acids, which are released along with RES, are necessary for human health and likely have a facilitating effect on the absorption of the drug. The prepared PEG conjugates were characterized by FT-IR, (1)H-NMR, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Evaluation of free RES, loading capability, solubility and in vitro release of conjugates was also conducted. The results show that solubility in water of all the conjugates is over 900 mg·mL(-1) and controlled release of RES was achieved. Therefore, the developed PEG conjugate is a favorable system for modifying the solubility and bioavailability of RES.

Development of Novel IP6K Inhibitors for the Treatment of Obesity and Obesity-Induced Metabolic Dysfunctions.

Obesity and obesity-induced metabolic dysfunctions are significant risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, obesity is an economic and social burden in developed countries. Blocking the synthesis of inositol pyrophosphates by inositol hexakisphosphate kinase (IP6K) has been identified as a potential therapeutic strategy for obesity and related diseases. We have developed a novel and potent IP6K inhibitor 20 (UNC7467) (IC50 values: IP6K1 8.9 nM; IP6K2 4.9 nM; IP6K3 1320 nM). Inositol phosphate profiling of the HCT116 colon cancer cell line demonstrates that 20 reduced levels of inositol pyrophosphates by 66-81%, without significantly perturbing levels of other inositol phosphates. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of 20 in diet-induced obese mice improved glycemic profiles, ameliorated hepatic steatosis, and reduced weight gain without altering food intake. Thus, inhibitor 20 can be used as an in vivo probe for IP6K-related research. Moreover, it may have therapeutic relevance in treating obesity and related diseases.

Structure-guided design and development of novel N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amine derivatives as potential c-Met inhibitors.

The HGF/Met signaling pathway is over-expressed in many types of cancers and closely related to oncogenesis and metastasis. Thus, we developed novel N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amine derivatives to test their inhibitory activities towards c-Met kinase, and most of the compounds (15a-i, 15o-r, 20 and 34a-c) could inhibit the target with IC50 values from 550.8 nM to 15.0 nM. Subsequently, compound 15b, 15d, 15f, 15i, 15o, 15r, 20, 34a and 34b also showed high antiproliferative activities in c-Met sensitive tumor cell lines (PC-3, Panc-1, HepG2, HCT116 and Caki-1) with IC50 values from 0.53 to 1.37 µM. The lead compound 34a displayed outstanding c-Met inhibitory activity (IC50: 15.0 nM) and antiproliferative activities. Furthermore, 34a also performed favorable pharmacokinetic properties in mice (F%: 59.3) and an acceptable safety profile in preclinical studies. Further docking studies showed a common interaction of 34a with c-Met at the ATP-binding site, which indicated that 34a could be a potential candidate for c-Met inhibitors.

Application of a MYC degradation screen identifies sensitivity to CDK9 inhibitors in KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer.

Stabilization of the MYC oncoprotein by KRAS signaling critically promotes the growth of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Thus, understanding how MYC protein stability is regulated may lead to effective therapies. Here, we used a previously developed, flow cytometry-based assay that screened a library of >800 protein kinase inhibitors and identified compounds that promoted either the stability or degradation of MYC in a KRAS-mutant PDAC cell line. We validated compounds that stabilized or destabilized MYC and then focused on one compound, UNC10112785, that induced the substantial loss of MYC protein in both two-dimensional (2D) and 3D cell cultures. We determined that this compound is a potent CDK9 inhibitor with a previously uncharacterized scaffold, caused MYC loss through both transcriptional and posttranslational mechanisms, and suppresses PDAC anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent growth. We discovered that CDK9 enhanced MYC protein stability through a previously unknown, KRAS-independent mechanism involving direct phosphorylation of MYC at Ser62 Our study thus not only identifies a potential therapeutic target for patients with KRAS-mutant PDAC but also presents the application of a screening strategy that can be more broadly adapted to identify regulators of protein stability.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo[e]pyrimido- [5,4-b][1,4]diazepine derivatives as potential c-Met inhibitors.

Over expression of c-Met tyrosine kinase is known to promote tumorigenesis and metastasis, as well as to cause therapeutic resistance. Herein a series of novel 6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo[e]pyrimido[5,4-b][1,4]diazepine derivatives were designed, synthesised and evaluated for their c-Met kinase inhibition. Compounds 17e, 17f, 18a, and 18b were further examined for their anti-proliferative activities against four typical cancer cell lines (PC-3, Panc-1, HepG2, and Caki-1). The promising compound 17f was identified as a multi-target receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which also displayed favourable pharmacokinetic properties in rats, had an acceptable safety profile in preclinical studies, and significant anti-tumour activity in the Caki-1 tumour xenograft model.