Novel cytocidal substituted phenyl 4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates and benzenesulfonamides with affinity to the colchicine-binding site : is the phenyl 2-imidazolidinone moiety a new haptophore for the design of new antimitotics?

Phenyl 4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonates (PIB-SOs) and phenyl 4-(2-oxoimidazolidin- 1-yl)benzenesulfonamides (PIB-SAs) are new, potent combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) analogs designed on the basis of their common phenyl 2-imidazolidone moiety. This phenyl 2-imidazolidone group is a bioisosteric equivalent of the trimethoxyphenyl group also found in colchicine, podophyllotoxin and several other ligands of the colchicine-binding site (C-BS). In this study, we investigate the interactions involved in the binding of PIB-SO and PIB-SA into the C-BS. We describe three distinct pockets (I, II, and III) as key structural elements involved in the interactions between the C-BS and PIB-SOs as well as PIB-SAs. We show that PIB-SOs and PIB-SAs adopt 4 and 3 distinct binding conformations, respectively, within the C-BS. The binding conformations I and IV are common to most PIB-SOs and PIB-SAs exhibiting high affinity for the C-BS and high cytocidal potency. In addition, binding conformation I is the main conformation adopted by PIB-SOs, PIB-SAs, T138067, ABT-751, colchicine and CA-4. We also observe that the sulfonate and the sulfonamide moieties of PIB-SOs and PIB-SAs are bioisosteric equivalents. Interestingly, we further find that a large portion of the phenyl 2-imidazolidinone moiety in these analogs does not bind to pocket I unlike the trimethoxyphenyl moiety found in several antimicrotubule agents such as colchicine, CA-4 and podophyllotoxin, suggesting that the phenyl 2-imidazolidinone group may represent a new haptophoric moiety useful for the design of new C-BS inhibitors mimicking the tropolone and the methoxylated phenolic moieties of colchicine and CA-4, respectively

Transdermal diffusion, spatial distribution and physical state of a potential anticancer drug in mouse skin as studied by diffusion and spectroscopic techniques

Background:Understanding the efficiency of a transdermal medical drug requires the characterization of its diffusion process, including its diffusion rate, pathways and physical state. Objective:The aim of this work is to develop a strategy to achieve this goal. Methods:FTIR spectroscopic imaging in conjunction with a Franz cell and HPLC measurements were used to examine the transdermal penetration of deuterated tert-butyl phenylchloroethylurea (tBCEU), a molecule with a potential anticancer action. tBCEU has been solubilized in an expedient solvent mixture and its diffusion in hairless mouse skin has been studied. Results:The results indicate that tBCEU diffuses across the skin for more than 10 hours with a rate comparable to selegiline, an officially-approved transdermal drug. IR image analyses reveal that after 10 hours, tBCEU penetrates skin and that its spatial distribution does not correlate with neither the distribution of lipids nor proteins. tBCEU accumulates in cluster domains but overall low concentrations are found in skin. FTIR spectroscopic imaging additionally reveals that tBCEU is in a crystalline form. Conclusions:The results suggest that tBCEU is conveyed through the skin without preferential pathway. FTIR spectroscopic imaging and transdermal diffusion measurements appear as complementary techniques to investigate drug diffusion in skin

A comparative molecular field and comparative molecular similarity indices analyses (CoMFA and CoMSIA) of N-phenyl-N'-(2-chloroethyl)urea targeting the colchicine-binding site as anticancer agents

To decipher the mechanism underlying the covalent binding of N-phenyl-N′-(2-chloroethyl)ureas (CEU) to the colchicine-binding site on βII-tubulin and to design new and selective antimitotic drugs, we developed 3D quantitative structure–activity relationships (3D-QSAR) models using CoMFA and CoMSIA analyses. The present study correlates the cell growth inhibition activities of 56 structurally related CEU derivatives to several physicochemical parameters representing steric, electrostatic, and hydrophobic fields. Both CoMFA and CoMSIA models using two different optimum numbers of components (ONC) 10 and 4, respectively, gave good internal predictions and their cross-validated r2 values were between 0.639 and 0.743. These comprehensive CoMFA and CoMSIA models are useful in understanding the structure–activity relationships of CEU. The two models were compared to the X-ray crystal structure of the complex of tubulin–colchicine and analyzed for similarities between the two modes of analysis. These models will inspire the design of new CEU derivatives with enhanced inhibition of tumor cell growth and targeting specificity of βII-tubulin and the cytoskeleton

N-Phenyl-N'-(2-chloroethyl)urea analogues of combretastatin A-4: Is the N-phenyl-N'-(2-chloroethyl)urea pharmacophore mimicking the trimethoxy phenyl moiety ?

A series of novel N-phenyl-N'-(2-chloroethyl)urea derivatives potentially mimicking the structure of combretastatin A-4 were synthesized and tested for their cell growth inhibition and their binding to the colchicine-binding site of beta-tubulin. Compounds 2a, 3a, and 3b were found to inhibit cell growth at the micromolar level on four human tumor cell lines. Flow cytometric analysis indicates that the new compounds act as antimitotics and arrest the cell cycle in G(2)/M phase. Covalent binding of 2a, 3a, and 3b to the colchicine-binding site of beta-tubulin was confirmed also using SDS-PAGE and competition assays

N-Phenyl-N’-(2-chloroethyl)ureas (CEUs) as potential antineoplastic agents. part 3 : role of carbonyl group

n the course of the development of N-phenyl-N′-(2-chloroethyl)ureas (CEUs) as potential antineoplastic agents, we investigated the effect of carbonylated substituting chains of the aromatic ring of CEU on their covalent binding to the colchicine-binding site (C-BS). In this study, we found that CEU, 5e, 5f, 8e, and 8f substituted by either a methyl ester or a methyl ketyl group at the ω-position exhibited a significant antiproliferative activity on HT-29, M21, and MCF-7 tumor cells. SDS–PAGE assays and cell cycle analysis confirmed that 5e, 5f, 8e, and 8f covalently bind to the C-BS and arrest the cell division in G2/M phase. Surprisingly, the presence of ω-carboxyl, ω-ethyl esters or ω-amides decreased significantly both the antiproliferative activity and the specificity toward β-tubulin

Inhibitory effects of cytoskeleton disrupting drugs and GDP-locked Rab mutants on bradykinin B2 receptor cycling

The bradykinin (BK) B2 receptor (B2R) is G protein coupled and phosphorylated upon agonist stimulation; its endocytosis and recycling are documented. We assessed the effect of drugs that affect the cytoskeleton on B2R cycling. These drugs were targeted to tubulin (paclitaxel, or the novel combretastatin A-4 mimetic 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-4-(2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonate [IMZ-602]) and actin (cytochalasin D). Tubulin ligands did not alter agonist-induced receptor endocytosis, as shown using antibodies reactive with myc-tagged B2Rs (microscopy, cytofluorometry), but rather reduced the progression of the ligand–receptor–β-arrestin complex from the cell periphery to the interior. The 3 fluorescent probes of this complex (B2R-green fluorescent protein [B2R-GFP], the fluorescent agonist fluorescein-5-thiocarbamoyl-D-Arg-[Hyp3, Igl5, Oic7, Igl8]-BK and β-arrestin2–GFP) were condensed in punctuate structures that remained close to the cell surface in the presence of IMZ-602. Cytochalasin D selectively inhibited the recycling of endocytosed B2R-GFP (B2R-GFP imaging, [3H]BK binding). Dominant negative (GDP-locked)-Rab5 and -Rab11 reproduced the effects of inhibitors of tubulin and actin, respectively, on the cycling of B2R-GFP. GDP-locked-Rab4 also inhibited B2R-GFP recycling to the cell surface. Consistent with the displacement of cargo along specific cytoskeletal elements, Rab5-associated progression of the endocytosed BK B2R follows microtubules toward their (−) end, while its recycling progresses along actin fibers to the cell surface. However, tubulin ligands do not suppress the tested desensitization or resensitization mechanisms of the B2

Cation trapping by cellular acidic compartments: beyond the concept of lysosomotropic drugs

“Lysosomotropic” cationic drugs are known to concentrate in acidic cell compartments due to low retro-diffusion of the protonated molecule (ion trapping); they draw water by an osmotic mechanism, leading to a vacuolar response. Several aspects of this phenomenon were recently reexamined. (1) The proton pump vacuolar (V)-ATPase is the driving force of cationic drug uptake and ensuing vacuolization. In quantitative transport experiments, V-ATPase inhibitors, such as bafilomycin A1, greatly reduced the uptake of cationic drugs and released them in preloaded cells. (2) Pigmented or fluorescent amines are effectively present in a concentrated form in the large vacuoles. (3) Consistent with V-ATPase expression in trans-Golgi, lysosomes and endosomes, a fraction of the vacuoles is consistently labeled with trans-Golgi markers and protein secretion and endocytosis are often inhibited in vacuolar cells. (4) Macroautophagic signaling (accumulation of lipidated and membrane-bound LC3 II) and labeling of the large vacuoles by the autophagy effector LC3 were consistently observed in cells, precisely at incubation periods and amine concentrations that cause vacuolization. Vacuoles also exhibit late endosome/lysosome markers, because they may originate from such organelles or because macroautophagosomes fuse with lysosomes. Autophagosome persistence is likely due to the lack of resolution of autophagy, rather than to nutritional deprivation. (5) Increased lipophilicity decreases the threshold concentration for the vacuolar and autophagic cytopathology, because simple diffusion into cells is limiting. (6) A still unexplained mitotic arrest is consistently observed in cells loaded with amines. An extended recognition of relevant clinical situations is proposed for local or systemic drug administration

Microtubule disrupting N-phenyl-N’-(2-chloroethyl) ureas display anticancer activity on cell adhesion, P-glycoprotein and BCL-2-mediated drug resistance

Objective: Our research program has focused on the development of promising, soft alkylating N-phenyl-N’-(2-chloroethyl)urea (CEU) compounds which acylate the glutamic acid-198 of β-tubulin, near the binding site of colchicum alkaloids. CEUs inhibit the motility of cancerous cells in vitro and, interestingly, exhibit antiangiogenic and anticancer activity in vivo. Mitotic arrest induced by microtubule-interfering agents such as CEUs remains the major mechanism of their anticancer activity, leading to apoptosis. However, we recently demonstrated that microtubule disruption by CEUs and other common antimicrotubule agents greatly alters the integrity and organization of microtubule-associated structures, the focal adhesion contact, thereby initiating anoikis, an apoptosis-like cell death mechanism caused by the loss of cell contact with the extracellular matrix. Methods: To ascertain the activated signaling pathway profile of CEUs, flow cytometry, Western blot, immunohistochemistry and transfection experiments were performed. Wound-healing and chick embryo assays were carried out to evaluate the antiangiogenic potency of CEUs. Results: CEU-induced apoptosis involved early cell cycle arrest in G2/M and increased level of CDK1/cycline B proteins. These signaling events were followed by the specific activation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, involving loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and ROS production, cytochrome c release from mitochondria, caspase activation, AIF nuclear translocation, PARP cleavage and nuclear fragmentation. CEUs maintained their efficacy on cells plated on pro-survival extracellular matrices or exhibiting overexpression of P-glycoprotein or the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Conclusion: Our results suggest that CEUs represent a promising new class of antimicrotubule, antiangiogenic and pro-anoikis agents

Intramolecular Cyclization of N-phenyl N'(2-chloroethyl)ureas leads to Active N-phenyl-4,5-dihydrooxazol-2-amines Alkylating β-Tubulin Glu198 and Prohibitin Asp40

International audienceThe cyclization of anticancer drugs into active intermediates has been reported mainly for DNA alkylating molecules including nitrosoureas. We previously defined the original cytotoxic mechanism of anticancerous phenyl '(2-chloroethyl)ureas (CEUs) that involves their reactivity towards cellular proteins and not against DNA; two CEUs subsets have been shown to alkylate β-tubulin and prohibitin leading to inhibition of cell proliferation by G/M or G/S cell cycle arrest. In this study, we demonstrated that cyclic derivatives of CEUs, -phenyl-4,5-dihydrooxazol-2-amines (Oxas) are two to threefold more active than CEUs and share the same cytotoxic properties in B16F0 melanoma cells. Moreover, the CEU original covalent binding by an ester linkage on β-tubulin Glu198 and prohibitin Asp40 was maintained with Oxas. Surprisingly, we observed that Oxas were spontaneously formed from CEUs in the cell culture medium and were also detected within the cells. Our results suggest that the intramolecular cyclization of CEUs leads to active Oxas that should then be considered as the key intermediates for protein alkylation. These results could be useful for the design of new prodrugs for cancer chemotherapy

Bradykinin receptors : agonists, antagonists, expression, signaling and adaptation to sustained stimulation

Bradykinin-related peptides, the kinins, are blood-derived peptides that stimulate 2 G protein–coupled receptors, the B1 and B2 receptors (B1R, B2R). The pharmacologic and molecular identities of these 2 receptor subtypes will be succinctly reviewed, with emphasis on drug development, receptor expression, signaling, and adaptation to persistent stimulation. Peptide and nonpeptide antagonists and fluorescent ligands have been produced for each receptor. The B2R is widely and constitutively expressed in mammalian tissues, whereas the B1R is mostly inducible under the effect of cytokines during infection and immunopathology. Both receptor subtypes mediate the vascular aspects of inflammation (vasodilation, edema formation). On this basis, icatibant, a peptide antagonist of the B2R, is approved in the management of hereditary angioedema attacks. Other clinical applications are still elusive despite the maturity of the medicinal chemistry efforts applied to kinin receptors. While both receptor subtypes are mainly coupled to the Gq protein and related second messengers, the B2R is temporarily desensitized by a cycle of phosphorylation/endocytosis followed by recycling, whereas the nonphosphorylable B1R is relatively resistant to desensitization and translocated to caveolae on activation