Chemical Biology & Drug Design
·
2025
·Vol. 105
·期 2
·e70067
·
IF 3.3
Jingting Zeng,Zhenshuo Luo,Tiansheng Zhao,Chunhua Xia,Fanglan Liu,Na Li,Lailiang Qu,Cheng Wang
Aberrant activation of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway occurs in more than 30% of human cancers. As part of this pathway, MEK1/2 has crucial roles in tumorigenesis, cell proliferation, and inhibition of apoptosis. At present, a number of MEK1/2 inhibitors are approved for the treatment of melanoma. However, MEK1/2 inhibitors have poor single-drug efficacy in the treatment of solid tumors and are prone to drug resistance. A series of compounds containing a diarylamine skeleton and phenylacrylamide (acrylamide) have been designed and synthesized in this paper. The most promising compound M15 showed good inhibitory activity of MEK1 (IC 50 = 10.29 nM) and good inhibitory effect on three types of solid tumor cells: MDA-MB-231(IC 50 = 2.76 μM), HepG2 (IC 50 = 2.57 μM) and A549 (IC 50 = 5.40 μM). At the same time, M15 was less toxic to human normal cells (MCF-10A IC 50 > 20 μM) and has certain stability of liver microsomes in vitro (human, t 1/2 = 27.9 min; rat, t 1/2 > 60 min). It can induce apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells and slow down their migration. Therefore, compound M15 acts as a novel MEK1/2 inhibitor and may be a promising candidate for solid tumor intervention.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
·
药理学
·
分子生物学
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
·
2025
·
IF 5.6
Sijia Weng,Hongmei Chen,Junli Wang,Jianjun Yang,Shuoyu Qiu,Yufeng Liu,Tongbo Zhu
Over the past four decades, efforts to improve the prognosis of pancreatic cancer have yielded limited progress, largely due to the complex genetic mutations, a desmoplastic tumor microenvironment, and the rapid metabolic rewiring that enables pancreatic cancer cells to adapt to cellular stress. Recent studies have demonstrated the critical reliance of pancreatic cancer cells on autophagy for survival, fitness, and the development of resistance to various clinical therapies. These findings position autophagy as a potential therapeutic vulnerability for the development of novel neoadjuvant treatments. However, conventional autophagy inhibition often leads to the accumulation of p62, which activates p62-dependent pathways that promote tumor growth and metastasis, thereby limiting the efficacy of autophagy-targeting therapies. In this study, we demonstrate that the atypical protein kinase C isoform zeta (PKCζ) plays a pivotal role in maintaining intracellular homeostasis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells. Inhibition of PKCζ downregulates BCL-2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3), reduces the expression of key autophagy-related proteins, autophagy related 5 (ATG5) and Beclin-1, and attenuates autophagic flux. Notably, PKCζ-mediated autophagy suppression does not result in p62 accumulation, circumventing the pro-tumorigenic effects associated with conventional autophagy inhibition. Furthermore, PKCζ inhibition enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of other chemotherapeutic agents, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors, in PDAC. These findings identify PKCζ as a promising therapeutic target and provide a foundation for the development of innovative treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer.
研究领域:
癌症生物学
·
分子生物学
·
细胞生物学
·
肿瘤学
·
药理学
·
信号转导
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
·
2024
·
IF 4.5
Hongwei Han,Minkai Yang,Zhongling Wen,Feng Mei,Qingqing Chen,Yudi Ma,Xiaohui Lai,Yahan Zhang,Rongjun Fang,Tongming Yin,Shucun Sun,Xiaoming Wang,Jinliang Qi,Hongyan Lin,Yonghua Yang
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with a poor prognosis and limited response to traditional chemotherapy, necessitating the exploration of novel treatment approaches. Recent researches have highlighted the interconnected roles of the PI3K/AKT pathway and MAPK pathway in TNBC cells, contributing to the efficacy of treatments. Therefore, the concurrent inhibition of both pathways presents a potential new therapeutic strategy for TNBC patients. This study aimed to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of M17, an AKT allosteric inhibitor and a new synthesized shikonin derivative, both alone and in combination with the MEK inhibitor trametinib. We applied various cellular assays and a subcutaneous 4T1 tumor bearing BALB/c mice model were utilized to assess the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects. Computational docking and Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI) were employed to investigate the binding of M17 with AKT. Additionally, flow cytometry, transwell assays, western blotting, and tumor xenograft assays were conducted to explore the potential synergistic mechanisms of the combined therapy. The results demonstrated that M17 exhibited moderate antitumor activity against TNBC cells, but significantly enhanced the apoptotic effects and inhibited proliferation and migration when combined with trametinib. Furthermore, the combination of M17 and trametinib showed even more pronounced antitumor activity in vivo . Mechanistically, the dual therapy synergistically suppressed TNBC by targeting the AKT/mTOR and MEK/ERK signaling pathways and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In conclusion, the findings suggested that the combination of M17 and trametinib holds promise as a synergistic treatment option for TNBC patients.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
·
癌症研究
·
分子生物学
·
药理学
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
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