ST09, A Novel Curcumin Derivative, Blocks Cell Migration by Inhibiting Matrix Metalloproteases in Breast Cancer Cells and Inhibits Tumor Progression in EAC Mouse Tumor Models

Purpose: Curcumin is known for its anticancer and migrastatic activity in various cancers, including breast cancer. Newer curcumin derivatives are being explored to overcome limitations of curcumin like low bioavailability, stability, and side effects due to its higher dose. In this study, the synthesis of ST09, a novel curcumin derivative, and its antiproliferative, cytotoxic, and migrastatic properties have been explored both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: After ST09 synthesis, anticancer activity was studied by performing standard cytotoxicity assays namely, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay, 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyletrazolium bromide (MTT), and trypan blue exclusion assay. Annexin-FITC, cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry, and Western blotting were performed to elucidate cell death mechanisms. The effect on the inhibition of cell migration was studied by transwell migration assay. An EAC (Ehrlich Ascites carcinoma) induced mouse tumor model was used to study the effect of ST09 on tumor regression. Drug toxicity was measured using aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and flow-cytometry based lymphocyte count. Histological analysis was performed for assessment of any tissue injury post ST09 treatment. Results: ST09 shows an approximate 100-fold higher potency than curcumin, its parent compound, on breast tumor cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB231. ST09 arrests the cell cycle in a cell type-specific manner and induces an intrinsic apoptotic pathway both in vitro and in vivo. ST09 inhibits migration by downregulating matrix metalloprotease 1,2 (MMP1,2) and Vimentin. In vivo, ST09 administration led to decreased tumor volume in a mouse allograft model by boosting immunity with no significant drug toxicity. Conclusion: ST09 exhibits antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity at nanomolar concentrations. It induces cell death by activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. It also inhibits migration and invasion. This study provides evidence that ST09 can potentially be developed as a novel antitumor drug candidate for highly metastatic and aggressive breast cancer

Catalyst free sequential one-pot reaction for the synthesis of 3-indole propanoates/propanoic acid/propanamides as antituberculosis agents

A highly efficient catalyst free one pot four component synthesis of highly functionalized three-substituted indole derivatives has been reported. Thus, sequential catalyst free condensation of readily available aldehydes with Meldrum's acid followed by Michael addition of indole resulting three carbon component condensed product and concurrent decarboxylation by the nucleophilic attack of ethanol/water/amines affords three-indole propanoates/propanoic acid/propanamides in affordable yields. Further, synthesized compounds and standard drugs were evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain by Alamar blue assay method. Majority of the compounds exhibited the superior activity and specifically compound 4d has MIC 1.6 mu g/ml, which is better than the reference drugs used

A novel benzimidazole derivative binds to the DNA minor groove and induces apoptosis in leukemic cells

DNA minor groove binders are an important class of chemotherapeutic agents. These small molecule inhibitors interfere with various cellular processes like DNA replication and transcription. Several benzimidazole derivatives showed affinity towards the DNA minor groove. In this study we show the synthesis and biological studies of a novel benzimidazole derivative (MH1), that inhibits topoisomerase II activity and in vitro transcription. UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopic methods in conjunction with Hoechst displacement assay demonstrate that MH1 binds to DNA at the minor groove. Cytotoxic studies showed that leukemic cells are more sensitive to MH1 compared to cancer cells of epithelial origin. Further, we find that MH1 treatment leads to cell cycle arrest at G2/M, at early time points in Molt4 cells. Finally multiple cellular assays demonstrate that MH1 treatment leads to reduction in MMP, induction of apoptosis by activating CASPASE 9 and CASPASE 3. Thus our study shows MH1, a novel DNA minor groove binder, induces cytotoxicity efficiently in leukemic cells by activating the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis

A key review on oxadiazole analogs as potential methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity: structure-activity relationship studies

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is becoming dangerous to human beings due to easy transmission mode and leading to the difficult-to-treat situation. The rapid resistance development of MRSA to many approved antibiotics is of major concern. There is a lot of scope to develop novel, efficient, specific, and nontoxic drug candidates to fight against MRSA isolates. The interesting molecular structure and adaptable feature of oxadiazole moiety which are bioisosteres of esters and amides, and these functional groups show improved resistance to esterases mediated hydrolytic cleavage, attracting researchers to develop required novel antibiotics based on oxadiazole core. This review summarizes the developments of oxadiazole-containing derivatives as potent antibacterial agents against multidrug-resistant MRSA strains and discussing the structure-activity relationship (SAR) in various directions. The current survey is the highlight of the present scenario of oxadiazole hybrids on MRSA studies, covering articles published from 2011 to 2020. This collective information may become a good platform to plan and develop new oxadiazole-based small molecule growth inhibitors of MRSA with minimal side effects. (C) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved

Regioselective synthesis and biological studies of novel 1-aryl-3, 5-bis (het) aryl pyrazole derivatives as potential antiproliferative agents

Pyrazole moiety represents an important category of heterocyclic compound in pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry. The novel 1-aryl-3, 5-bis (het) aryl pyrazole derivatives were synthesized with complementary regioselectivity. The chemical structures were confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectral analysis. The chemical entities were screened in various cancer cell lines to assess their cell viability activity. Results showed that the compound 3-(1-(4-bromophenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl) pyridine (5d) possessed maximum cytotoxic effect against breast cancer and leukemic cells. The cytotoxicity was confirmed by live--dead cell assay and cell cycle analysis. Mitochondrial membrane potential, Annexin V-FITC staining, DNA fragmentation, Hoechst staining, and western blot assays revealed the ability of compound 5d to induce cell death by activating apoptosis in cancer cells. Thus, the present study demonstrates that compound 5d could be an attractive chemical entity for the development of small molecule inhibitors for treatment of leukemia and breast cancer

Captive and free living European starlings use differently their song repertoire

National audienceL'utilisation de différents types de chant en fonction du contexte semble un fait commun chez les oiseaux chanteurs. Cependant, nous possédons peu d'informations concernant l'effet de la captivité sur l'utilisation du répertoire. Nous avons observé et comparé le comportement vocal de quatre Étourneaux sansonnets américains sauvages et de quatre Étourneaux sansonnets américains captifs pendant la même période de 1' année. Les résultats montrent que la qualité et la quantité de chant produit diffèrent dans les deux situations. L'environnement social joue un rôle déterminant dans l'utilisation du chant chez l'étourneau. Nos résultats montrent également que les oiseaux ne produisent pas nécessairement la totalité de leur "répertoire" de chant dans différents contextes sociaux

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Thiazol-2yl-amine Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Background: Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that can occur in any age group but often seen in adults and contributing for about 20% of adult leukemias and it may contribute up to 15% of all types of leukemias threatening the globe. Therefore, treatment of CML remains as a major challenge in cancer therapeutics. Methods: We synthesized a library of novel 2-amino-4-(4-substituted phenyl) thiazole derivatives and evaluated their anti-leukemic activity by trypan blue and MTT assay. 4-(4'-phenoxybiphenyl-4-yl) thiazol-2-amine (compound 3m) was identified as a lead anticancer agent and further, the effect of 3m on CML cells (K562) was investigated by flow cytometry, annexin V-FITC-propidium iodide staining, measuring the mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1 staining) and DNA fragmentation assay. Results: MTT and trypan blue dye exclusion assay results presented 3m as the lead anticancer agent. Flow cytometric analysis revealed the accumulation of K562 cells in subG1phase in a time-and dose-dependent manner. Annexin-V-FITC-PI staining demonstrated the increase in percentage of apoptotic cells on treatment with 3m. Furthermore, 3m also induced DNA fragmentation and disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential in K562 cells in dose-dependent manner. In addition, apoptosis inducing effect of 3m was reconfirmed by live-dead assay and confocal microscopic studies. Conclusion: The present study suggests that compound 3m has the potential to be a promising candidate for the treatment of CML

Employing siRNA tool and its delivery platforms in suppressing cisplatin resistance: approaching to a new era of cancer chemotherapy

Although chemotherapy is a first option in treatment of cancer patients, drug resistance has led to its failure, requiring strategies to overcome it. Cancer cells are capable of switching among molecular pathways to ensure their proliferation and metastasis, leading to their resistance to chemotherapy. The molecular pathways and mechanisms that are responsible for cancer progression and growth, can be negatively affected for providing chemosensitivity. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a powerful tool extensively applied in cancer therapy in both pre-clinical (in vitro and in vivo) and clinical studies because of its potential in suppressing tumor-promoting factors. As such oncogene pathways account for cisplatin (CP) resistance, their targeting by siRNA plays an important role in reversing chemoresistance. In the present review, application of siRNA for suppressing CP resistance is discussed. The first priority of using siRNA is sensitizing cancer cells to CP-mediated apoptosis via down-regulating survivin, ATG7, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and XIAP. The cancer stem cell properties and related molecular pathways including ID1, Oct-4 and nanog are inhibited by siRNA in CP sensitivity. Cell cycle arrest and enhanced accumulation of CP in cancer cells can be obtained using siRNA. In overcoming siRNA challenges such as off-targeting feature and degradation, carriers including nanoparticles and biological carriers have been applied. These carriers are important in enhancing cellular accumulation of siRNA, elevating gene silencing efficacy and reversing CP resistance