Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of new anticancer drugs: FGFR inhibitors

2021

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) constitute a family of tyrosine kinases receptors (RTKs) that exert pivotal physiological functions in human embryonic and adult tissues. Hyperactivated FGFR signaling drives tumorigenesis in multiple cancer types, including lung and brain cancers. Great effort has been laid on the development of new compounds that specifically target the FGFR axis. However, cancer cell- based and microenvironmental resistance mechanisms against FGFR inhibitors often arise and are currently poorly understood. Furthermore, FGFR-targeted therapy often presents different side effects, e due to the broad biological spectrum of the FGFR signaling axis as well as to its …

Novel Sortase A Inhibitors to Counteract Gram-Positive Bacterial Biofilms

2019

Sortase A (SrtA) is a membrane enzyme responsible for the covalent anchoring of surface proteins on the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria. Nowadays it is considered an interesting target for the development of new anti-infective drugs which aim to interfere with important Gram-positive virulence mechanisms. Along the years, we studied the anti-staphylococcal and anti-biofilm activity of some natural and synthetic polyhalogenated pyrrolic compounds, called pyrrolomycins. Some of them were active on Gram-positive pathogens at a μg/mL range of concentration (1.5-0.045 μg/mL) and showed a biofilm inhibition in the range of 50-80%. [1-3] In light of these encouraging results, herein we present…

Landomycins as glutathione-depleting agents and natural fluorescent probes for cellular Michael adduct-dependent quinone metabolism

2021

Landomycins are angucyclines with promising antineoplastic activity produced by Streptomyces bacteria. The aglycone landomycinone is the distinctive core, while the oligosaccharide chain differs within derivatives. Herein, we report that landomycins spontaneously form Michael adducts with biothiols, including reduced cysteine and glutathione, both cell-free or intracellularly involving the benz[a]anthraquinone moiety of landomycinone. While landomycins generally do not display emissive properties, the respective Michael adducts exerted intense blue fluorescence in a glycosidic chain-dependent manner. This allowed label-free tracking of the short-lived nature of the mono-SH-adduct followed b…

Progettazione e sintesi di nuovi complessi metallici potenziali inibitori di FGFR4

2019

I pathways di segnalazione che coinvolgono il recettore del fattore di crescita dei fibroblasti 4 (FGFR4) risultano alterati in varie tipologie di tumori [1] ed è stato dimostrato come l’interruzione della segnalazione FGF19/FGFR4 interrompa la proliferazione e induca l’apoptosi delle cellule tumorali, offrendo grandi promesse terapeutiche. [2-4] Allo scopo d’individuare nuovi leganti FGFR4, sono stati effettuati degli studi di modellistica molecolare (Fig. 1) che, riferendosi alla struttura del ponatinib, noto inibitore di FGFR4, [5] il cui utilizzo è ostacolato dall’elevata lipofilia e da effetti secondari, hanno consentito di generare una “Drug Discovery Library” di oltre 30 nuovi potenz…

DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF NEW QUINAZOLIN-4(3H)-ONE HYBRIDS AS DUAL INHIBITORS OF TUBULIN AND DIHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE

New strategies are needed for fighting cancer with the goal to improve efficacy of anti-cancer therapy and to limit the onset of drug resistance. Indeed, cancer cells are able to set cellular mechanisms for survival and multiple pathways support their survival. The inhibition of one pathway may then result in the activation of an alternative pathway. One strategy useful for combatting this phenomenon is represented by multi-target drugs. Herein we will present our work aim at identifying new anticancer compounds, which combine dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) properties with tubulin inhibition. DHFR is a key enzyme involved in the synthesis of raw material for cell proliferation and the inhib…

DHFR Inhibitors: Reading the Past for Discovering Novel Anticancer Agents.

2019

Dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors are an important class of drugs, as evidenced by their use as antibacterial, antimalarial, antifungal, and anticancer agents. Progress in understanding the biochemical basis of mechanisms responsible for enzyme selectivity and antiproliferative effects has renewed the interest in antifolates for cancer chemotherapy and prompted the medicinal chemistry community to develop novel and selective human DHFR inhibitors, thus leading to a new generation of DHFR inhibitors. This work summarizes the mechanism of action, chemical, and anticancer profile of the DHFR inhibitors discovered in the last six years. New strategies in DHFR drug discovery are also provided, …

Pyrrolomycins as antimicrobial agents. Microwave-assisted organic synthesis and insights into their antimicrobial mechanism of action

2019

Abstract New compounds able to counteract staphylococcal biofilm formation are needed. In this study we investigate the mechanism of action of pyrrolomycins, whose potential as antimicrobial agents has been demonstrated. We performed a new efficient and easy method to use microwave organic synthesis suitable for obtaining pyrrolomycins in good yields and in suitable amount for their in vitro in-depth investigation. We evaluate the inhibitory activity towards Sortase A (SrtA), a transpeptidase responsible for covalent anchoring in Gram-positive peptidoglycan of many surface proteins involved in adhesion and in biofilm formation. All compounds show a good inhibitory activity toward SrtA, havi…

Design of copper(II) complexes as potential anticancer prodrugs

The fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) are tyrosine kinases that are present in many types of endothelial and tumor cells and play an important role in cell growth, survival, and migration as well as in maintaining tumor angiogenesis (1). FGFR genetic alterations are frequently observed in cancer, suggesting that FGFR inhibition may be a promising therapy in patients harboring these lesions (2). In particular, molecules with structural properties similar to Ponatinib, a known inhibitor of FGFR, that shows a selective interaction for the ATP binding site of the isoform 4 of these receptors (FGFR4), are being considered. Molecular modeling studies have been conducted to design novel po…