Wulan Li

Synthetic Chalcones with Potent Antioxidant Ability on H2O2-Induced Apoptosis in PC12 Cells

Chalcone derivatives (E)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one and (E)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one (Compounds 1 and 2) have been demonstrated to be potent anti-inflammatory agents in our previous study. In light of the relationship of intracellular mechanisms between anti-inflammatories and antioxidants, we further designed and synthesized a series of chalcone derivatives based on 1 and 2, to explore their antioxidant efficacy. The majority of the derivatives exhibited strong protective effects on PC12 (PC12 rat pheochromocytoma) cells exposed to H2O2, and all compounds were nontoxic. A preliminary structure-activity relationship was proposed. Compounds 1 and 1d ((E)-2-methoxy-4-(3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxoprop-1-en-1-yl) phenyl acrylate) exerted the action in a good dose-dependent manner. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis showed that 1 and 1d significantly improve the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-dependent antioxidant genes g-Glutamylcysteine Ligase Catalytic Subunit (GCLC) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and their corresponding proteins (γ-glutamyl cysteine synthase (γ-GCS) and HO-1) in PC12 cells. Inhibition of GCLC and HO-1 by specific inhibitors, l-buthionine-S-sulfoximine (BSO) and zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), respectively, partially reduce the protective effect of 1 and 1d. These data present a series of novel chalcone analogs, especially compounds 1 and 1d, as candidates for treating oxidative stress-related disease by activating the Nrf2-antioxidant responsive element (ARE) pathway.

Curcumin Analogue A501 induces G2/M Arrest and Apoptosis in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Curcumin and its analogues have been reported to exert anti-cancer activity against a variety of tumors. Here, we reported A501, a new curcumin analogue. The effect of A501 on cell viability was detected by MTT assay, the result showed that A501 had a better inhibiting effect on the four non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells than that of curcumin. Moreover, Colony forming experiment showed A501 significant restrained cell proliferation. Flow cytometry displayed A501 can cause G2/M arrest and induce apoptosis. Western blotting showed that A501 decreased the expression of cyclinB1, cdc-2, bcl-2, while increased the expression of p53, cleaved caspase-3 and bax. In conclusion, curcumin analogues A501 played antitumor activity by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis of NSCLC cells. And it was likely to be a promising starting point for the development of curcumin-based anticancer drugs.

Da0324, an inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB activation, demonstrates selective antitumor activity on human gastric cancer cells

Background The transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is constitutively activated in a variety of human cancers, including gastric cancer. NF-κB inhibitors that selectively kill cancer cells are urgently needed for cancer treatment. Curcumin is a potent inhibitor of NF-κB activation. Unfortunately, the therapeutic potential of curcumin is limited by its relatively low potency and poor cellular bioavailability. In this study, we presented a novel NF-κB inhibitor named Da0324, a synthetic asymmetric mono-carbonyl analog of curcumin. The purpose of this study is to research the expression of NF-κB in gastric cancer and the antitumor activity and mechanism of Da0324 on human gastric cancer cells. Methods The expressions between gastric cancer tissues/cells and normal gastric tissues/cells of NF-κB were evaluated by Western blot. The inhibition viability of compounds on human gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901, BGC-823, MGC-803, and normal gastric mucosa epithelial cell line GES-1 was assessed with the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Absorption spectrum method and high-performance liquid chromatography method detected the stability of the compound in vitro. The compound-induced changes of inducible NF-κB activation in the SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cells were examined by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence methods. The antitumor activity of compound was performed by clonogenic assay, matrigel invasion assay, flow cytometric analysis, Western blot analysis, and Hoechst 33258 staining assay. Results High levels of p65 were found in gastric cancer tissues and cells. Da0324 displayed higher growth inhibition against several types of gastric cancer cell lines and showed relatively low toxicity to GES-1. Moreover, Da0324 was more stable than curcumin in vitro. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence methods showed that Da0324 blocked NF-κB activation. In addition, Da0324 significantly inhibited tumor proliferation and invasion, arrested the cell cycle, and induced apoptosis in vitro. Conclusion The asymmetric mono-carbonyl analog of curcumin Da0324 exhibited significantly improved antigastric cancer activity. Da0324 may be a promising NF-κB inhibitor for the selective targeting of cancer cells. However, further studies are needed in animals to validate these findings for the therapeutic use of Da0324.

Design, synthesis and QSAR study of novel isatin analogues inspired Michael acceptor as potential anticancer compounds

Molecular hybridization is considered as an effective tactic to develop drugs for the treatment of cancer. A series of novel hybrid compounds of isatin and Michael acceptor were designed and synthesized on the basis of association principle. These hybrid compounds were tested for cytotoxic potential against human cancer cell lines namely, BGC-823, SGC-7901 and NCI-H460 by MTT assay. Most compounds showed good anti-growth activities in all tested human cancer cells. SAR and QSAR analysis may provide vital information for the future development of novel anti-cancer inhibitors. Notably, compound 6a showed potent growth inhibition on BGC-823, SGC-7901 and NCI-H460 with the IC50 values of 3.6 ± 0.6, 5.7 ± 1.2, 3.2 ± 0.7 μM, respectively. Besides, colony formation assays, wound healing assays and flow cytometry analysis indicated 6a exhibited a potent anti-growth and anti-migration ability in a concentration-dependence manner through arrested cells in the G2/M phase of cell cycle. Moreover, 6a significantly repressed tumor growth in a NCI-H460 xenograft mouse model. Overall, our findings suggested isatin analogues inspired Michael acceptor may provide promising lead compounds for the development of cancer chemotherapeutics.

The therapeutic potential of a novel non-ATP-competitive fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 inhibitor on gastric cancer.

Previous studies showed that fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is an attractive target in gastric cancer therapy. In the current study, we aimed to investigate whether the compound L6123, a novel non-ATP-competitive FGFR1 inhibitor, could show better antitumor activity than the leading compound, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), in FGFR1-overexpressing gastric cancer cells. Using an MTT assay, we investigated the inhibitory effect of L6123 on the viability of three gastric cancer cells (MGC-803, SGC-7901, and BGC-823) overexpressing FGFR1, wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF-WT), and MEF expressing FGFR1, FGFR2, and FRS2&agr; gene knockout (MEF-FGFR1-FGFR2-FRS2&agr;-ko). We studied the antitumor mechanism of L6123 against the gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 by western blot analysis. The antitumor effects of L6123 on the gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 were detected by flow cytometry, Hoechst staining, western blot analysis, and Transwell invasion assay. L6123 had lower IC50 in all three gastric cancer cells than NDGA and showed better inhibitory activity against MEF-WT cells than against MEF-FGFR1-FGFR2-FRS2&agr;-ko cells. In the SGC-7901 gastric cell, L6123 inhibited the FGF2-induced phosphorylation of FGFR1/FRS2&agr;/ERK1/2 in a dose-dependent manner, induced the activation of the apoptosis-related proteins, cleaved-PARP and cleaved-caspase-3, decreased the expression of pro-caspase-3 and Bcl-2, and induced tumor cell apoptosis. L6123 also dose-dependently reduced cell invasion ability, and showed better activity than NDGA at the same concentration. A novel non-ATP-competitive inhibitor L6123 showed excellent antigastric cancer activity by inhibiting the FGFR1 signaling pathway. Thus, we discovered a potential agent for the treatment of FGFR1-overexpressing gastric cancer.

A novel FGF2 antagonist peptide P8 with potent antiproliferation activity.

Some fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) play a critical role in tumorigenesis and progression. Among them, FGF2 was highly expressed in some tumors, and antagonists binding to FGF2 can suppress the growth of tumor cells. Therefore, FGF2 has been considered as an important target in cancer therapy. In this study, we identified a novel FGF2-binding short peptide (P8, PLLQATAGGGS-NH2) using phage display technology and alanine scanning. The P8 peptide suppressed FGF2-induced proliferation with no cytotoxic effect on cells, arrested the cycle at the G0/G1 phase in B16-F10 cells, and downregulated the activation of fibroblast growth factor receptor substrate 2α (FRS2α)/ERK cascade in B16-F10, NIH-H460, and SGC-7901 cells. Besides, P8 peptide can also inhibit the phosphorylation of FRS2α stimulated by FGF1 and KGF2. These implied that P8 peptide may develop as a multi-target antagonist peptide contributing to tumor treatment.

Synthesis and evaluation of asymmetric curcuminoid analogs as potential anticancer agents that downregulate NF-κB activation and enhance the sensitivity of gastric cancer cell lines to irinotecan chemotherapy

NF-κB is a critical target for cancer treatment due to its central role in facilitating cancer progression and desensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. In this study, a series of chemically modified asymmetric curcuminoid analogs named S01-S15 were synthesized and evaluated for NF-κB inhibitory activity in gastric cancer cell lines. Cell growth inhibition assays revealed that most of these analogs effectively inhibited the growth of BGC-823, SGC-7901, and MFC cells. S06 was selected for further research. MTT assay, clonogenic assay, Hoechst 33258 staining assay, and western blotting revealed that S06 could exert anti-gastric cancer effects by downregulating NF-κB activity. Moreover, via its effects on NF-κB, S06 effectively enhanced the sensitivity of the gastric cancer cells to irinotecan. Together, this study provide a series of new curcuminoid analogs as promising cancer therapeutic agents.

Synthesis, biological evaluation, QSAR and molecular dynamics simulation studies of potential fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 inhibitors for the treatment of gastric cancer

Accumulating evidence suggests that fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is an attractive target in gastric cancer therapy. Based on our previous discovery of two non-ATP competitive FGFR1 inhibitors, A114 and A117, we designed and screened a series of compounds with the framework of bisaryl-1,4-dien-3-one. Among them, D12 and D15 exhibited the most potent FGFR1 inhibitory activity, which was ATP-independent. Furthermore, a quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis of 41 analogs demonstrated that the specific structural substitutions alter their bioactivities. Molecular docking and dynamics simulation analysis indicated the hydrophobic interaction at the FGFR1-D12/D15 interaction was dominant. Evaluation for anti-gastric cancer efficacy of D12 and D15 indicated effective inhibition of cell proliferation, apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest. Thus, these two FGFR1 inhibitors have therapeutic potential in the treatment of gastric cancer, and this study provides will contribute to the rational design of novel non-ATP competitive FGFR1 inhibitors.

Curcumin Analogue CA15 Exhibits Anticancer Effects on HEp-2 Cells via Targeting NF-κB

Laryngeal carcinoma remains one of the most common malignancies, and curcumin has been proven to be effective against head and neck cancers in vitro. However, it has not yet been applied in clinical settings due to its low stability. In the current study, we synthesized 34 monocarbonyl analogues of curcumin with stable structures. CA15, which exhibited a stronger inhibited effect on laryngeal cancer cells HEp-2 but a lower toxicity on hepatic cells HL-7702 in MTT assay, was selected for further analysis. The effects of CA15 on cell viability, proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and NF-κB activation were measured using MTT, Transwell migration, flow cytometry, Western blot, and immunofluorescence assays in HEp-2 cells. An NF-κB inhibitor, BMS-345541, as well as curcumin was also tested. Results showed that CA15 induced decreased toxicity towards HL-7702 cells compared to curcumin and BMS-345541. However, similar to BMS-345541 and curcumin, CA15 not only significantly inhibited proliferation and migration and induced caspase-3-dependent apoptosis but also attenuated TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation in HEp-2 cells. These results demonstrated that curcumin analogue CA15 exhibited anticancer effects on laryngeal cancer cells via targeting of NF-κB.

A novel non-ATP competitive FGFR1 inhibitor with therapeutic potential on gastric cancer through inhibition of cell proliferation, survival and migration

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), belonging to receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), possesses various biological functions. Over-expression of FGFR1 has been observed in multiple human malignancies. Hence, targeting FGFR1 is an attractive prospect for the advancement of cancer treatment options. Here, we present a novel small molecular FGFR1 inhibitor L16H50, which can inhibit FGFR1 kinase in an ATP-independent manner. It potently inhibits FGFR1-mediated signaling in a gastric cancer cell line, resulting in inhibition of cell growth, survival and migration. It also displays an outstanding anti-tumor activity in a gastric cancer xenograft tumor model by targeting FGFR1 signaling. These results show that L16H50 is a potent non-ATP-competitive FGFR1 inhibitor and may provide strong rationale for its evaluation in gastric cancer patients.