Targeting Lipocalin-2 in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells with Small Interference RNA and Small Molecule Inhibitors

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is an aggressive form of invasive breast cancer, highly metastatic, representing 2–4% of all breast cancer cases in the United States. Despite its rare nature, IBC is responsible for 7–10% of all breast cancer deaths, with a 5-year survival rate of 40%. Thus, targeted and effective therapies against IBC are needed. Here, we proposed Lipocalin-2 (LCN2)—a secreted glycoprotein aberrantly abundant in different cancers—as a plausible target for IBC. In immunoblotting, we observed higher LCN2 protein levels in IBC cells than non-IBC cells, where the LCN2 levels were almost undetectable. We assessed the biological effects of targeting LCN2 in IBC cells with small interference RNAs (siRNAs) and small molecule inhibitors. siRNA-mediated LCN2 silencing in IBC cells significantly reduced cell proliferation, viability, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, LCN2 silencing promoted apoptosis and arrested the cell cycle progression in the G0/G1 to S phase transition. We used in silico analysis with a library of 25,000 compounds to identify potential LCN2 inhibitors, and four out of sixteen selected compounds significantly decreased cell proliferation, cell viability, and the AKT phosphorylation levels in SUM149 cells. Moreover, ectopically expressing LCN2 MCF7 cells, treated with two potential LCN2 inhibitors (ZINC00784494 and ZINC00640089) showed a significant decrease in cell proliferation. Our findings suggest LCN2 as a promising target for IBC treatment using siRNA and small molecule inhibitors.     

LSD1小分子抑制剂的合成及抗肿瘤活性研究

设计并合成了一系列以苯甲酰肼类结构为母核的赖氨酸特异性组蛋白去甲基化酶1(LSD1)小分子抑制剂,并研究其体外抗肿瘤活性。首先,通过体外酶水平单浓度抑制实验进行了初步评价,并随后进一步考察目标化合物对多种LSD1高表达肿瘤细胞株增殖的抑制作用,化合物结构经质谱及核磁共振表征确证。活性评价结果显示,3-(((3R,5S)-3,5-二甲基吗啉代)磺酰基)-N'-(7-羟基-2,3-二氢-1H-茚-1-亚基)苯甲酰肼、N'-(1-(5-氯-2-羟基苯基)亚乙基)-3-(((3R,5S)-3,5-二甲基吗啉代)磺酰基)苯甲酰肼和N'-(4-氯-7-羟基-2,3-二氢-1H-茚-1-亚基)-3-((4-吗啉代哌啶-1-基)磺酰基)苯甲酰肼可显著抑制肿瘤细胞的增殖,并有4个目标化合物对体外多种LSD1高表达的肿瘤细胞株增殖有抑制作用,其中3-(((3R,5S)-3,5-二甲基吗啉代)磺酰基)-N'-(7-羟基-2,3-二氢-1H-茚-1-亚基)苯甲酰肼对BGC823、HCT116、A2780s的半数抑制浓度分别为0.32、0.54、0.90μmol/L。     

A Small Molecule That Promotes Cellular Senescence Prevents Fibrogenesis and Tumorigenesis

Uncontrolled proliferative diseases, such as fibrosis or cancer, can be fatal. We previously found that a compound containing the chromone scaffold (CS), {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008, had potent antifibrogenic effects associated with EMT or cell-cycle control resembling tumorigenesis. We investigated the effects of {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 on tumor cells and compared these effects with those in pathogenic myofibroblasts. Stimulation of A549 (lung carcinoma epithelial cells) or PANC1 (pancreatic ductal carcinoma cells) with {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 resulted in robust cellular senescence, indicating that dysregulated cell proliferation is common to fibrotic cells and tumor cells. The senescence was followed by multinucleation, a manifestation of mitotic slippage. There was significant upregulation of expression and rapid nuclear translocation of p-TP53 and p16 in the treated cancer cells, which thereafter died after 72 h confirmed by 6 day live imaging. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 exhibited a comparable senogenic potential to that of dasatinib. Interestingly, {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 was only able to activate caspase-3, 7 in comparison with quercetin and fisetin, also containing CS in PANC1. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 did not seem to be essentially toxic to normal human lung fibroblasts or primary prostate epithelial cells, suggesting {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 can distinguish the intracellular microenvironment between normal cells and aged or diseased cells. This effect might occur as a result of the increased NAD/NADH ratio, because {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 restored this important metabolic ratio in cancer cells. Taken together, this is the first study to demonstrate that a small molecule can arrest uncontrolled proliferation during fibrogenesis or tumorigenesis via both senogenic and senolytic potential. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 could be a potential drug for a broad range of fibrotic or tumorigenic diseases.     

Small Molecule Receptor Binding Inhibitors with In Vivo Efficacy against Botulinum Neurotoxin Serotypes A and E

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most poisonous substances in nature. Currently, the only therapy for botulism is antitoxin. This therapy suffers from several limitations and hence new therapeutic strategies are desired. One of the limitations in discovering BoNT inhibitors is the absence of an in vitro assay that correlates with toxin neutralization in vivo. In this work, a high-throughput screening assay for receptor-binding inhibitors against BoNT/A was developed. The assay is composed of two chimeric proteins: a receptor-simulating protein, consisting of the fourth luminal loop of synaptic vesicle protein 2C fused to glutathione-S-transferase, and a toxin-simulating protein, consisting of the receptor-binding domain of BoNT/A fused to beta-galactosidase. The assay was applied to screen the LOPAC1280 compound library. Seven selected compounds were evaluated in mice exposed to a lethal dose of BoNT/A. The compound aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) conferred 92% protection, whereas significant delayed time to death (p < 0.005) was observed for three additional compounds. Remarkably, ATA was also fully protective in mice challenged with a lethal dose of BoNT/E, which also uses the SV2 receptor. This study demonstrates that receptor-binding inhibitors have the potential to serve as next generation therapeutics for botulism, and therefore the assay developed may facilitate discovery of new anti-BoNT countermeasures.     

非核苷类抗乙肝病毒小分子抑制剂的研究进展

慢性乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)感染是许多肝疾病,如肝炎、肝硬化和肝癌的病因,至今仍是影响人类健康的全球性问题。当前临床用药主要包括免疫调节剂和能抑制逆转录酶活性的核苷类似物,但免疫调节剂的副作用和核苷类似物的耐受性使得慢性乙型肝炎的临床治疗仍然面临着巨大的挑战,而非核苷类抗HBV药物的研究为这一现状的改变提供了很大机会。综述了近年来报道的非核苷类抗HBV小分子抑制剂,重点对其化学结构、抗HBV活性和构效关系进行了总结。     

The Role of MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer Migration, Invasion and Metastasis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a major class of small, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by targeting mRNAs to trigger either translational repression or mRNA degradation. They have recently been more widely investigated due to their potential role as targets for cancer therapy. Many miRNAs have been implicated in several human cancers, including breast cancer. miRNAs are known to regulate cell cycle and development, and thus may serve as useful targets for exploration in anticancer therapeutics. The link between altered miRNA signatures and breast cancer development and metastasis can be observed either through the loss of tumor suppressor miRNAs, such as let-7s, miR-30a/31/34a/125s/200s/203/205/206/342 or the overexpression of oncogenic miRNAs, such as miR-10b/21/135a/155/221/222/224/373/520c in breast cancer cells. Some of these miRNAs have also been validated in tumor specimens of breast cancer patients, underscoring their potential roles in diagnostics, as well as targets for novel therapeutics for breast cancer. In this review article, we will provide an overview and update of our current understanding of the mode of action of several of these well characterized miRNAs in breast cancer models. Therefore, better understanding of the gene networks orchestrated by these miRNAs may help exploit the full potential of miRNAs in regards to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and therapeutics.     

Identification of Small Molecule Inhibitors against Staphylococcus aureus Dihydroorotase via HTS

Drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an imminent threat to public health, increasing the importance of drug discovery utilizing unexplored bacterial pathways and enzyme targets. De novo pyrimidine biosynthesis is a specialized, highly conserved pathway implicated in both the survival and virulence of several clinically relevant pathogens. Class I dihydroorotase (DHOase) is a separate and distinct enzyme present in gram positive bacteria (i.e., S. aureus, B. anthracis) that converts carbamoyl-aspartate (Ca-asp) to dihydroorotate (DHO)—an integral step in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. This study sets forth a high-throughput screening (HTS) of 3000 fragment compounds by a colorimetry-based enzymatic assay as a primary screen, identifying small molecule inhibitors of S. aureus DHOase (SaDHOase), followed by hit validation with a direct binding analysis using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Competition SPR studies of six hit compounds and eight additional analogs with the substrate Ca-asp determined the best compound to be a competitive inhibitor with a K_D value of 11 µM, which is 10-fold tighter than Ca-asp. Preliminary structure–activity relationship (SAR) provides the foundation for further structure-based antimicrobial inhibitor design against S. aureus.     

Discovery of Protein Disulfide Isomerase P5 Inhibitors that Reduce the Secretion of MICA from Cancer Cells

In order to regulate the activity of P5, which is a member of the protein disulfide isomerase family, we screened a chemical compound library for P5‐specific inhibitors, and identified two candidate compounds (anacardic acid and NSC74859). Interestingly, anacardic acid inhibited the reductase activity of P5, but did not inhibit the activity of protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), thiol‐disulfide oxidoreductase ERp57, or thioredoxin. NSC74859 inhibited all these enzymes. When we examined the effects of these compounds on the secretion of soluble major histocompatibility complex class‐I‐related gene A (MICA) from cancer cells, anacardic acid was found to decrease secretion. In addition, anacardic acid was found to reduce the concentration of glutathione up‐regulated by the anticancer drug 17‐demethoxygeldanamycin in cancer cells. These results suggest that anacardic acid can both inhibit P5 reductase activity and decrease the secretion of soluble MICA from cancer cells. It might be a novel and potent anticancer treatment by targeting P5 on the surface of cancer cells.     

GABA受体小分子调节剂合成

γ-氨基丁酸(γ-aminobutyric acid,GABA)是哺乳动物和昆虫中枢神经系统中重要的抑制性神经递质。20世纪70年代末发现GABAA受体是重要医药作用靶标,也是农药杀虫剂的作用靶标。GABAA受体上至少存在4种互相变构体的结合位点,与这些结合位点结合的不同化合物,对氯离子通道的作用机制不同,表现出不同的生物活性。具有杀虫活性的化合物有氟虫腈、林丹、狄氏剂和阿维菌素等,具有医用生物活性的化合物有用于治疗抑郁症的巴比妥、氟硝西泮和氟马西尼以及安定类镇静剂和印防己毒素等抗痉挛剂。分类概述了部分GABA受体小分子调节剂的制备方法与生物活性及其合成路线的研究进展,并对未来开发GABA受体调节剂进行了展望。     

VEGFR-1 Overexpression Identifies a Small Subgroup of Aggressive Prostate Cancers in Patients Treated by Prostatectomy

The VEGFR-1 is suggested to promote tumor progression. In the current study we analyzed prevalence and prognostic impact of the VEGFR-1 by immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray containing more than 3000 prostate cancer specimens. Results were compared to tumor phenotype, ETS-related gene (ERG) status, and biochemical recurrence. Membranous VEGFR-1 expression was detectable in 32.6% of 2669 interpretable cancers and considered strong in 1.7%, moderate in 6.7% and weak in 24.2% of cases. Strong VEGFR-1 expression was associated with TMPRSS2:ERG fusion status as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (p < 0.0001 each). Elevated VEGFR-1 expression was linked to high Gleason grade and advanced pT stage in TMPRSS2:ERG negative cancers (p = 0.0008 and p = 0.001), while these associations were absent in TMPRSS2:ERG positive cancers. VEGFR-1 expression was also linked to phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) deletions. A comparison with prostate specific antigen (PSA) recurrence revealed that the 1.7% of prostate cancers with the highest VEGFR-1 levels had a strikingly unfavorable prognosis. This could be seen in all cancers, in the subsets of TMPRSS2:ERG positive or negative, PTEN deleted or undeleted carcinomas (p < 0.0001 each). High level VEGFR-1 expression is infrequent in prostate cancer, but identifies a subgroup of aggressive cancers, which may be candidates for anti-VEGFR-1 targeted therapy.     

A Small Organic Molecule Blocks EGFR Transport into the Nucleus by the Nonclassical Pathway Resulting in Repression of Cancer Invasion

In addition to the traditional epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathways, nuclear EGFR has been shown to control multiple cellular functions, including cell proliferation and invasion. It has been reported that EGFR is transported into the nucleus after forming a complex with KPNA/KPNB1 or KPNB1. Herein, it is shown that EGFR can interact with both KP and KPNA, but EGF‐activated EGFR mostly binds with KPNB1 through the pull‐down assay. Also, a small organic molecule ( 1 ), an effective binder of KPNB1, inhibits the interaction between EGFR and KPNB1 in the nonclassical transport pathway, but not KPNA. Furthermore, treatment of cancer cells with 1 noticeably blocks the nuclear entry of EGFR, which results in significant suppression of invasion by lung cancer H1299 cells. These findings show that 1 is an effective inhibitor of EGFR/KPNB1 interactions in vitro, it may be used in cellular studies as a tool to determine the role of nuclear EGFR, and it is a drug candidate.     

Structural Diversity and Anticancer Activity of Marine‐Derived Elastase Inhibitors: Key Features and Mechanisms Mediating the Antimetastatic Effects in Invasive Breast Cancer

Three new 3‐amino‐6‐hydroxy‐2‐piperidone (Ahp)‐containing cyclic depsipeptides, named loggerpeptins A–C ( 1 – 3 ), along with molassamide ( 4 ), were discovered from a marine cyanobacterium, extending the structural diversity of this prevalent scaffold of cyanobacterial serine protease inhibitors. Molassamide, which contains a 2‐amino‐butenoic (Abu) unit in the cyclic core, was the most potent and selective analogue against human neutrophil elastase (HNE). Given the growing evidence supporting the role of HNE in breast cancer progression and metastasis, we assessed the cellular effects of compounds 3 and 4 in the context of targeting invasive breast cancer. Both compounds inhibited cleavage of the elastase substrate CD40 in biochemical assays; however, only 4 exhibited significant cellular activity. As CD40 and other receptor proteolytic processing culminates in NFκB activation, we assessed the effects of 4 on the expression of target genes, including ICAM‐1. ICAM‐1 is also a direct target of elastase and, in our studies, compound 4 attenuated both elastase‐induced ICAM‐1 gene expression and ICAM‐1 proteolytic processing by elastase, revealing a potential dual effect on migration through modulation of gene expression and proteolytic processing. Molassamide also specifically inhibited the elastase‐mediated migration of highly invasive triple‐negative breast cancer cells.     

Progress in the Development of Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Kinase (eEF2K) Natural Product and Synthetic Small Molecule Inhibitors for Cancer Chemotherapy

Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K or Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, CAMKIII) is a new member of an atypical α-kinase family different from conventional protein kinases that is now considered as a potential target for the treatment of cancer. This protein regulates the phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) to restrain activity and inhibit the elongation stage of protein synthesis. Mounting evidence shows that eEF2K regulates the cell cycle, autophagy, apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis in several types of cancers. The expression of eEF2K promotes survival of cancer cells, and the level of this protein is increased in many cancer cells to adapt them to the microenvironment conditions including hypoxia, nutrient depletion, and acidosis. The physiological function of eEF2K and its role in the development and progression of cancer are here reviewed in detail. In addition, a summary of progress for in vitro eEF2K inhibitors from anti-cancer drug discovery research in recent years, along with their structure–activity relationships (SARs) and synthetic routes or natural sources, is also described. Special attention is given to those inhibitors that have been already validated in vivo, with the overall aim to provide reference context for the further development of new first-in-class anti-cancer drugs that target eEF2K.     

小分子醇对废旧PU硬泡回收再利用的影响研究

对废旧聚氨酯硬泡进行降解可得到多元醇,使其与催化剂、聚醚、稳泡剂混合制备成白料,再与黑料异氰酸酯均匀混合,可以得到再生硬质聚氨酯(PU)泡沫材料,实现回收再利用。研究了双组分小分子醇的添加量对降解料的影响规律,以及添加剂对硬质PU泡沫强度的影响。对制备的硬质PU泡沫进行黏度、强度、吸水率、热稳定性、偏光显微镜、红外光谱、热失重等性能的测试分析。结果表明,聚醚多元醇4110∶乙二醇=（50∶30）时为最佳的工艺条件,此时可以制备出抗压强度为133.3 kPa,吸水率为0.552 5 %,导热系数为0.015 19 W/（m·K）,密度为37 kg/cm3的再生硬质PU泡沫,其性能指标都能达到国家标准。     

Bone Metastasis and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Microenvironment and Possible Clinical Implications

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) develop bone metastasis (BoM) in more than 50% of cases during the course of the disease. This metastatic site can lead to the development of skeletal related events (SREs), such as severe pain, pathological fractures, spinal compression, and hypercalcemia, which reduce the patient’s quality of life. Recently, the treatment of advanced NSCLC has radically changed due to the advent of immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) alone or in combination with chemotherapy have become the main therapeutic strategy for advanced or metastatic NSCLC without driver gene mutations. Since survival has increased, it has become even more important to treat bone metastasis to prevent SRE. We know that the presence of bone metastasis is a negative prognostic factor. The lower efficacy of immunotherapy treatments in BoM+ patients could be induced by the presence of a particular immunosuppressive tumor and bone microenvironment. This article reviews the most important pre-clinical and clinical scientific evidence on the reasons for this lower sensitivity to immunotherapy and the need to combine bone target therapies (BTT) with immunotherapy to improve patient outcome.     

Small‐Molecule Regulators of Autophagy and Their Potential Therapeutic Applications

Autophagy is a highly conserved process in which damaged proteins and organelles are sequestered in double‐membrane autophagosomes and delivered to lysosomes for degradation and recycling. As an efficient response to cellular stress, autophagy is essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Defective autophagy is associated with a variety of diseases, including cancer. This article summarizes current knowledge about the molecular mechanism of autophagy and its role in tumorigenesis. Particular focus is placed on the development of small‐molecule regulators of autophagy and their potential application as anticancer therapeutic agents.     

以小分子二醇为扩链剂的聚氨酯弹性体的制备及性能

采用小分子二醇为扩链剂制备了具有不同性能的聚氨酯弹性体（PUE）材料,研究了小分子二醇用量对聚氨酯弹性体性能的影响。结果表明：对于数均相对分子质量（^-Mn）为2000的聚酯多元醇CMA-24和聚己内酯多元醇PCL-220N而言,随着小分子二醇用量的增加,所合成的PUE断裂伸长率下降,硬度及100％或300％定伸强度增加,玻璃化转变温度（Tg）升高,阻尼因子tanδ最大值越来越低;对于^-Mn为3000的聚酯多元醇CMA-66而言,随着小分子二醇用量的增加,所合成的PUE的硬度、断裂伸长率下降,当小分子二醇（乙二醇、1,4-丁二醇、1,6-己二醇（HDO））与CMA-66的物质的量比为1：1及2：1时,所制得PUE有2个Tg峰,当比值为3：1及4：1时,Tg为1个峰。当HDO与CMA-66的物质的量比由1：1增大到4：1时,所制PUE由完全不透明转变为透明。     

CTI-2 Inhibits Metastasis and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Breast Cancer Cells by Modulating MAPK Signaling Pathway

Although some breast cancer patients die due to tumor metastasis rather than from the primary tumor, the molecular mechanism of metastasis remains unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to inhibit breast cancer metastasis during cancer treatment. In this case, after designing and synthesizing CTI-2, we found that CTI-2 treatment significantly reduced breast cancer cell metastasis in vivo and in vitro. Notably, with the treatment of CTI-2 in breast cancer cells, the expression level of E-cadherin increased, while the expression level of N-cadherin and vimentin decreased. In addition, after CTI-2 treatment, those outflow levels for p-ERK, p-p38, and p-JNK diminished, while no significant changes in the expression levels of ERK, JNK, or p38 were observed. Our conclusion suggested that CTI-2 inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of breast carcinoma cells by inhibiting the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting the metastasis of breast tumor cells. Therefore, we believe that CTI-2 is another candidate for breast tumor medication.