Revistas
Revista:
MOLECULES
ISSN:
1420-3049
Año:
2023
Vol.:
28
N°:
15
Págs.:
5845
This work describes the design, synthesis, and biological activities of new selenoester derivatives and its homologs thioesters. Thirty-two compounds were developed following an economical synthetic route, achieving small molecules, with structural characteristics similar to those present in antileishmanial drugs such as miltefosine (MIL) and paromomycin (PMN). These compounds were tested in vitro against strains of Leishmania major (L. major) and Leishmania infantum (L. infantum). The L. infantum strain (causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis) exhibited the highest sensitivity. Thus, four selanylacetic acid derivatives (A4, A5, A6 and A8) presented IC50 values below 40 & mu;M in this strain. These derivatives also demonstrated low toxicity and high selectivity in PMA-differentiated THP-1 macrophages. The A4-A6 and A8 derivatives were evaluated in order to determine their pharmacological behavior, using drug combination studies with the reference drugs amphotericin B (AMB), MIL and PMN. Compounds A6 and A8 presented a potent synergistic interaction with MIL, which is the only oral drug available for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Therefore, compounds A6 and A8 present significant potential as therapeutic candidates for the treatment of leishmaniasis based on their remarkable leishmanicidal characteristics and pharmacological synergism.
Revista:
ANTIOXIDANTS
ISSN:
2076-3921
Año:
2023
Vol.:
12
N°:
9
Págs.:
1666
The introduction of selenium (Se) into organic scaffolds has been demonstrated to be a promising framework in the field of medicinal chemistry. A novel design of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) derivatives based on a bioisosteric replacement via the incorporation of Se as diacyl diselenide is reported. The antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. The new Se-NSAID derivatives bearing this unique combination showed antioxidant activity in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and also displayed different antiproliferative profiles in a panel of eight cancer cell lines as determined by the MTT assay. Ibuprofen derivative 5 was not only the most antioxidant agent, but also selectively induced toxicity in all the cancer cell lines tested (IC50 < 10 mu M) while sparing nonmalignant cells, and induced apoptosis partially without enhancing the caspase 3/7 activity. Furthermore, NSAID derivative 5 significantly suppressed tumor growth in a subcutaneous colon cancer xenograft mouse model (10 mg/kg, TGI = 72%, and T/C = 38%) without exhibiting any apparent toxicity. To our knowledge, this work constitutes the first report on in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of an unprecedented Se-NSAID hybrid derivative and its rational use for developing precursors for bioisosteric selenocompounds with appealing therapeutic applications.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0022-2623
Año:
2023
Vol.:
66
N°:
6
Págs.:
3703 - 3731
Since the beginning of history, natural products have been an abundant source of bioactive molecules for the treatment of different diseases, including cancer. Many allyl derivatives, which have shown anticancer activity both in vitro and in vivo in a large number of cancers, are bioactive molecules found in garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, or mustard. In addition, synthetic products containing allyl fragments have been developed showing potent anticancer properties. Of particular note is the allyl derivative 17-AAG, which has been evaluated in Phase I and Phase II/III clinical trials for the treatment of multiple myeloma, metastatic melanoma, renal cancer, and breast cancer. In this Perspective, we compile extensive literature evidence with descriptions and discussions of the most recent advances in different natural and synthetic allyl derivatives that could generate cancer drug candidates in the near future.
Revista:
ANTIOXIDANTS
ISSN:
2076-3921
Año:
2023
Vol.:
12
N°:
7
Págs.:
1331
Oxidative stress surrounding cancer cells provides them with certain growth and survival advantages necessary for disease progression. In this context, Se-containing molecules have gained attention due to their anticancer and antioxidant activity. In our previous work, we synthesized a library of 39 selenoesters containing functional groups commonly present in natural products (NP), which showed potent anticancer activity, but did not demonstrate high radical scavenger activity. Thus, 20 novel Se derivatives resembling NP have been synthesized presenting acylselenourea functionality in their structures. Radical scavenger activity was tested using DPPH assay and in vitro protective effects against ROS-induced cell death caused by H2O2. Additionally, antiproliferative activity was evaluated in prostate, colon, lung, and breast cancer cell lines, along with their ability to induce apoptosis. Compounds 1.I and 5.I showed potent cytotoxicity against the tested cancer cell lines, along with high selectivity indexes and induction of caspase-mediated apoptosis. These compounds exhibited potent and concentration-dependent radical scavenging activity achieving DPPH inhibition similar to ascorbic acid and trolox. To conclude, we have demonstrated that the introduction of Se in the form of acylselenourea into small molecules provides strong radical scavengers in vitro and antiproliferative activity, which may lead to the development of promising dual compounds.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF ENZYME INHIBITION AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
1475-6366
Año:
2023
Vol.:
38
N°:
1
Págs.:
2191165
In the relentless search for new cancer treatments, organoselenium compounds, and carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors have emerged as promising drug candidates. CA isoforms IX and XII are overexpressed in many types of cancer, and their inhibition is associated with potent antitumor/antimetastatic effects. Selenium-containing compounds, particularly selenols, have been shown to inhibit tumour-associated CA isoforms in the nanomolar range since the properties of the selenium atom favour binding to the active site of the enzyme. In this work, two series of selenoesters (1a-19a and 1b-19b), which gathered NSAIDs, carbo/heterocycles, and fragments from natural products, were evaluated against hCA I, II, IX, and XII. Indomethacin (17b) and flufenamic acid (19b) analogs exhibited selectivity for tumour-associated isoform IX in the low micromolar range. In summary, selenoesters that combine NSAIDs with fragments derived from natural sources have been developed as promising nonclassical inhibitors of the tumour-associated CA isoforms.
Revista:
ANTIOXIDANTS
ISSN:
2076-3921
Año:
2023
Vol.:
12
N°:
1
Págs.:
139
Nowadays, oxidative cell damage is one of the common features of cancer and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Se-containing molecules, such as ebselen, which has demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, have demonstrated well-established preventive effects against both diseases. In this study, a total of 39 Se-derivatives were synthesized, purified, and spectroscopically characterized by NMR. Antioxidant ability was tested using the DPPH assay, while antiproliferative activity was screened in breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer cell lines. In addition, as a first approach to evaluate their potential anti-Alzheimer activity, the in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibition (AChEI) was tested. Regarding antioxidant properties, compound 13a showed concentration- and time-dependent radical scavenging activity. Additionally, compounds 14a and 17a showed high activity in the melanoma and ovarian cancer cell lines, with LD50 values below 9.2 mu M. Interestingly, in the AChEI test, compound 14a showed almost identical inhibitory activity to galantamine along with a 3-fold higher in vitro BBB permeation (Pe = 36.92 x 10(-6) cm/s). Molecular dynamics simulations of the aspirin derivatives (14a and 14b) confirm the importance of the allylic group instead of the propargyl one. Altogether, it is concluded that some of these newly synthesized Se-derivatives, such as 14a, might become very promising candidates to treat both cancer and AD.
Revista:
PROSTATE
ISSN:
0270-4137
Año:
2023
Vol.:
83
N°:
1
Págs.:
16 - 29
Background The novel selenium-aspirin compound AS-10 was recently reported by us with a cancer cell killing potency three orders of magnitude greater than aspirin in pancreatic cancer cell lines with caspase-mediated apoptosis and a reasonable selectivity against malignant cells. Although we also observed its cytocidal activity against PC-3 and DU145 androgen receptor (AR)-negative and P53-null/mutant aggressive human prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines in NCI-60 screen, the potential involvement and targeting of AR and P53 pathways that are intact in early-stage prostate carcinogenesis has not been examined, nor its primary molecular signaling after exposure. Methods Human LNCaP PCa cells with functional AR and intact P53 were used to examine their cell cycle and cell fate responses to AS-10 exposure and upstream molecular signaling events including histone acetylation as a known aspirin effect. The AR-positive 22Rv1 human PCa cells were used to validate key findings. Results In addition to confirming AS-10's superior cytocidal potency than aspirin against all four PCa cell lines, we report a rapid (within 5 min) promotion of histone acetylation several hours ahead of the suppression of AR and prostate-specific antigen (PSA, coded by KLK3 gene) in LNCaP and 22Rv1 cells. AS-10 decreased AR and KLK3 mRNA levels without impacting pre-existing AR protein degradation or nuclear translocation in LNCaP cells. Sustained exposure to AS-10 arrested cells predominantly in G(1), and induced caspase-mediated apoptosis without necrosis. The death induced by AS-10 in LNCaP cells was attenuated by nontranscriptional activation of P53 protein or Jun N-terminal Kinase cellular stress signaling and was mitigated modestly by glutathione-boosting antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. AS-10 synergized with histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA to suppress AR/PSA abundance and kill LNCaP cells. RNA-seq confirmed AR suppression at the transcriptional level and suggested multiple oncogene, cyclin, and CDK/CKI transcriptional actions to contribute to the cellular consequences. Conclusions AS-10 promotes histone acetylation as its probable primary mechanism of action to induce PCa cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis, regardless of AR and P53 status. Nevertheless, the inhibition of AR signaling through mechanisms distinct from canonical AR antagonists may hold promise for combinatorial use with androgen deprivation therapy regimens or AR-axis targeting drugs.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2023
Vol.:
246
Págs.:
115002
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) encompass a group of infectious diseases with a protozoan etiology, high incidence, and prevalence in developing countries. As a result, economic factors constitute one of the main obstacles to their management. Endemic countries have high levels of poverty, deprivation and marginalization which affect patients and limit their access to proper medical care. As a matter of fact, statistics remain un-collected in some affected areas due to non-reporting cases. World Health Organization and other organizations proposed a plan for the eradication and control of the vector, although many of these plans were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite of the available drugs to treat these pathologies, it exists a lack of effectiveness against several parasite strains. Treatment protocols for diseases such as American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), leishmaniasis, and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) have not achieved the desired results. Un-fortunately, these drugs present limitations such as side effects, toxicity, teratogenicity, renal, and hepatic impairment, as well as high costs that have hindered the control and eradication of these diseases. This review focuses on the analysis of a collection of scientific shreds of evidence with the aim of identifying novel chalcogen-derived molecules with biological activity against Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and HAT. Compounds illustrated in each figure share the distinction of containing at least one chalcogen element. Sulfur (S), selenium (Se), and tellurium (Te) have been grouped and analyzed in accordance with their design strategy, chemical synthesis process and biological activity. After an exhaustive revision of the related literature on S, Se, and Te compounds, 183 compounds presenting excellent biological performance were gathered against the different causative agents of CD, leishmaniasis and HAT.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2022
Vol.:
244
Págs.:
114839 - *
A total of twenty-five novel carboxylic acid, methylester, methylamide or cyano nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) derivatives incorporating Se in the chemical form of selenoester were reported. Twenty Se-NSAID analogs exhibited an increase in cytotoxic potency compared with parent NSAID scaffolds (aspirin, salicylic acid, naproxen, indomethacin and ketoprofen). Top five analogs were selected to further study their cytotoxicity in a larger panel of cancer cells and were also submitted to the DTP program of the NCI's panel of 60 cancer cell lines. Compounds 4a and 4d stood out with IC50 values below 10 mu M in several cancer cells along with a selectivity index higher than 5 in breast cancer cells. Remarkably, analog 4d was found to inhibit cell growth notably in two breast cancer cell lines by inducing apoptosis, and to be metabolized to release the parent NSAID along with the Se fragment. Taken together, our results show that Se-NSAID analog 4d could be a potential chemotherapeutic drug for breast cancer.
Revista:
BIOMACROMOLECULES
ISSN:
1525-7797
Año:
2022
Vol.:
23
N°:
11
Págs.:
4629 - 4644
The co-administration of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in hydrogels (HGs) has emerged as a powerful strategy to enhance the efficient integration of transplanted cells in Parkinson's disease (PD). This strategy could be improved by controlling the cellular microenvironment and biomolecule release and better mimicking the complex properties of the brain tissue. Here, we develop and characterize a drug delivery system for brain repair where MSCs and GDNF are included in a nanoparticle-modified supramolecular guest-host HA HG. In this system, the nanoparticles act as both carriers for the GDNF and active physical crosslinkers of the HG. The multifunctional HG is mechanically compatible with brain tissue and easily injectable. It also protects GDNF from degradation and achieves its controlled release over time. The cytocompatibility studies show that the developed biomaterial provides a friendly environment for MSCs and presents good compatibility with PC12 cells. Finally, using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), we investigated how the three-dimensional (3D) environment, provided by the nanostructured HG, impacted the encapsulated cells. The transcriptome analysis supports the beneficial effect of including MSCs in the nanoreinforced HG. An enhancement in the anti-inflammatory effect of MSCs was observed, as well as a differentiation of the MSCs toward a neuron-like cell type. In summary, the suitable strength, excellent self healing properties, good biocompatibility, and ability to boost MSC regenerative potential make this nanoreinforced HG a good candidate for drug and cell administration to the brain.
Revista:
MOLECULES
ISSN:
1420-3049
Año:
2022
Vol.:
27
N°:
3
Págs.:
982
The reactivity of thiophene in Diels-Alder reactions is investigated with different maleimide derivatives. In this paper, we have synthesized for the first time the Diels-Alder adducts of thiophene at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Maleimido-thiophene adducts were promoted by AlCl3. The effects of solvent, time, temperature and the use of different Lewis acids were studied, showing dramatic effects for solvent and Lewis acid. Furthermore, the catalysis with AlCl3 is highly stereoselective, preferably providing the exo form of the adduct. Additionally, we also discovered the ability of AlCl3 to catalyze the arylation of maleimides to yield 3-aryl succinimides in a straightforward manner following a Friedel-Crafts-type addition. The inclusion of a selenocyanate group contributes to the cytotoxic activity of the adduct. This derivatization (from compound 7 to compound 15) results in an average GI(50) value of 1.98 mu M in the DTP (NCI-60) cell panel, resulting in being especially active in renal cancer cells.
Autores:
Lorenzoni, S.; Cerra, S. (Autor de correspondencia); Angulo-Elizari, E.; et al.
Revista:
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
ISSN:
0927-7765
Año:
2022
Vol.:
219
Págs.:
112828
Gold nanopArtículos (AuNPs) modified with four organoselenium compounds, i.e., 4-selenocyanatoaniline (compound 1), 4,4'-diselanediyldianiline (compound 2), N-(4-selenocyanatophenyl)cinnamamide (compound 3), and N-(3-selenocyanatopropyl)cinnamamide (compound 4), were synthesized following two different approaches: direct conjugation and non-covalent immobilization onto hydrophilic and non-cytotoxic AuNPs functionalized with 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate (3MPS). Both free compounds and AuNPs-based systems were characterized via UV-Vis, FTIR NMR, mass spectrometry, and SR-XPS to assess their optical and structural properties. Size and colloidal stability were evaluated by DLS and zeta-potential measurements, whereas morphology at solid-state was evaluated by atomic force (AFM) and scanning electron (FESEM) microscopies. AuNPs synthesized through chemical reduction method in presence of Se-based compounds as functionalizing agents allowed the formation of aggregated NPs with little to no solubility in aqueous media. To improve their hydrophilicity and stability mixed AuNPs-3MPS-1 were synthesized. Besides, Se-loaded AuNPs-3MPS revealed to be the most suitable systems for biological studies in terms of size and colloidal stability. Selenium derivatives and AuNPs were tested in vitro via MTT assay against PC-3 (prostatic adenocarcinoma) and HCT-116 (colorectal carcinoma) cell lines. Compared to free compounds, direct functionalization onto AuNPs with formation of Au-Se covalent bond led to non-cytotoxic systems in the concentration range explored (0-100 mu g/mL), whereas immobilization on AuNPs-3MPS improved the cytotoxicity of compounds 1, 3, and 4. Selective anticancer response against HCT-116 cells was obtained by AuNPs-3MPS-1. These results demonstrated that AuNPs can be used as a platform to tune the in vitro biological activity of organoselenium compounds.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY
ISSN:
1388-6150
Año:
2022
Vol.:
147
N°:
4
Págs.:
3127 - 3139
In this study, the thermal behavior of a series of leishmanicidal selenocyanate and diselenide biological active compounds has been studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetry in order to establish thermal stability criteria and investigate their polymorphism. Moreover, stability under acid, alkaline and oxidative media was tested using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The results of the experiments show that there are five types of polymorphic behaviors for the studied compounds. In addition, relationship is found among stability and a series of structural effects and stress conditions of compounds.
Revista:
MOLECULES
ISSN:
1420-3049
Año:
2022
Vol.:
27
N°:
21
Págs.:
7477
Currently, cancer, leishmaniasis and bacterial infections represent a serious public health burden worldwide. Six cinnamyl and benzodioxyl derivatives incorporating selenium (Se) as selenocyanate, diselenide, or selenide were designed and synthesized through a nucleophilic substitution and/or a reduction using hydrides. Ferrocene was also incorporated by a Friedel-Crafts acylation. All the compounds were screened in vitro for their antiproliferative, antileishmanial, and antibacterial properties. Their capacity to scavenge free radicals was also assessed as a first approach to test their antioxidant activity. Benzodioxyl derivatives 2a-b showed cytotoxicity against colon (HT-29) and lung (H1299) cancer cell lines, with IC50 values below 12 mu M, and were also fairly selective when tested in nonmalignant cells. Selenocyanate compounds 1-2a displayed potent antileishmanial activity in L. major and L. infantum, with IC50 values below 5 mu M. They also exhibited antibacterial activity in six bacterial strains, notably in S. epidermidis with MIC and MBC values of 12.5 mu g/mL. Ferrocene-containing selenide 2c was also identified as a potent antileishmanial agent with radical scavenging activity. Remarkably, derivative 2a with a selenocyanate moiety was found to act as a multitarget compound with antiproliferative, leishmanicidal, and antibacterial activities. Thus, the current work showed that 2a could be an appealing scaffold to design potential therapeutic drugs for multiple pathologies.
Autores:
Martín Escolano, R. (Autor de correspondencia); Molina Carreño, D.; Plano, Daniel; et al.
Revista:
PHARMACEUTICALS
ISSN:
1424-8247
Año:
2021
Vol.:
14
N°:
5
Págs.:
419
Chagas disease is usually caused by tropical infection with the insect-transmitted protozoan
Trypanosoma cruzi. Currently, Chagas disease is a major public health concern worldwide due
to globalization, and there are no treatments neither vaccines because of the long-term nature
of the disease and its complex pathology. Current treatments are limited to two obsolete drugs,
benznidazole and nifurtimox, which lead to serious drawbacks. Taking into account the urgent need
for strict research efforts to find new therapies, here, we describe the in vitro and in vivo trypanocidal
activity of a library of selected forty-eight selenocyanate and diselenide derivatives that exhibited
leishmanicidal properties. The inclusion of selenium, an essential trace element, was due to the wellknown
extensive pharmacological activities for selenium compounds including parasitic diseases as
T. cruzi. Here we present compound 8 as a potential compound that exhibits a better profile than
benznidazole both in vitro and in vivo. It shows a fast-acting behaviour that could be attributed to
its mode of action: it acts in a mitochondrion-dependent manner, causing cell death by bioenergetic
collapse. This finding provides a step forward for the development of a new antichagasic agent
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0022-2623
Año:
2021
Vol.:
64
N°:
22
Págs.:
16380 - 16421
The limitations of current chemotherapeutic drugs are still a major issue in cancer treatment. Thus, targeted multimodal therapeutic approaches need to be strategically developed to successfully control tumor growth and prevent metastatic burden. Inflammation has long been recognized as a hallmark of cancer and plays a key role in the tumorigenesis and progression of the disease. Several epidemiological, clinical, and preclinical studies have shown that traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) exhibit anticancer activities. This Perspective reports the most recent outcomes for the treatment and prevention of different types of cancers for several NSAIDs alone or in combination with current chemotherapeutic drugs. Furthermore, an extensive review of the most promising structural modifications is reported, such as phospho, H2S, and NO releasing-, selenium-, metal complex-, and natural product-NSAIDs, among others. We also provide a perspective about the new strategies used to obtain more efficient NSAID- or NSAID derivative-formulations for targeted delivery.
Revista:
ANTIOXIDANTS
ISSN:
2076-3921
Año:
2021
Vol.:
10
N°:
4
Págs.:
590
Breast cancer is a multifactor disease, and many drug combination therapies are applied for its treatment. Selenium derivatives represent a promising potential anti-breast cancer treatment. This study reports the cytotoxic activity of forty-one amides and phosphoramidates containing selenium against five cancer cell lines (MCF-7, CCRF-CEM, HT-29, HTB-54 and PC-3) and two nonmalignant cell lines (184B5 and BEAS-2B). MCF-7 cells were the most sensitive and the selenoamides I.1f and I.2f and the selenium phosphoramidate II.2d, with GI50 values ranging from 0.08 to 0.93 mu M, were chosen for further studies. Additionally, radical scavenging activity for all the compounds was determined using DPPH and ABTS colorimetric assays. Phosphoramidates turned out to be inactive as radical scavengers. No correlation was observed for the antioxidant activity and the cytotoxic effect, except for compounds I.1e and I.2f, which showed dual antioxidant and antitumor activity. The type of programmed cell death and cell cycle arrest were determined, and the results provided evidence that I.1f and I.2f induced cell death via autophagy, while the derivative II.2d provoked apoptosis. In addition, Western blot analysis corroborated these mechanisms with an increase in Beclin1 and LC3-IIB and reduced SQSTM1/p62 levels for I.1f and I.2f, as well as an increase in BAX, p21 and p53 accompanied by a decrease in BCL-2 levels for derivative II.2d.
Revista:
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN:
0066-4804
Año:
2021
Vol.:
65
N°:
1
Págs.:
e00524-20
Two new series of 28 selenocyanate and diselenide derivatives containing amide moieties were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their leishmanicidal activity against Leishmania infantum axenic amastigotes, and selectivity was assessed in human THP-1 cells. Eleven compounds exhibited excellent leishmanicidal activity with EC50 values lower than the reference drug miltefosine (EC50 = 2.84 mu M). In addition, for six of them the selectivity index ranged from 9 to >1,442, greater than both references used. The most potent and selective compounds were compounds 2h, 2k, and 2m that displayed EC50 values of 0.52, 1.19, and 0.50 mu M, respectively, and a high selectivity index (SI) when tested against THP-1 monocytic cells (SI = >1,442, >672, and >1,100, respectively). These derivatives showed an efficacy similar to that of the reference drugs but much better SI values. They also showed interesting activity values against infected macrophages. Trypanothione reductase (TryR) activity and intracellular thiol level measurement assays were performed for the three best compounds in an attempt to elucidate their mechanism of action. Despite that the new analogs exhibited comparable or better inhibitory activities than the reference TryR inhibitors, more studies are necessary to confirm this result. In summary, our findings suggest that the three compounds described here could constitute leading leishmanicidal drug candidates.
Revista:
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN:
0066-4804
Año:
2021
Vol.:
65
N°:
10
Págs.:
e00590-21
This work reports the synthesis and characterization by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), H-1, C-13, and Se-79 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis techniques as well as the in vitro evaluation of the leishmanicidal activity of 13 new selenophosphoramidate derivatives. Among the new compounds, four of them (compounds 1f, 1g, 2f, and 2g), which exhibited the best profiles, were tested against infected macrophages and were selected for further studies related to their leishmanicidal mechanism. In this regard, trypanothione redox system alteration was determined. Compound 1g, under similar conditions, was more effective than the corresponding references. In addition, theoretical calculations showed that this compound also presents most physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties within the ranges expected for orally available drugs. It is believed that selenophosphoramidate functionalities may represent a scaffold to be explored toward the development of new agents for leishmania treatment.
Revista:
ANTIOXIDANTS
ISSN:
2076-3921
Año:
2021
Vol.:
10
N°:
5
Págs.:
777
A series of 30 novel N,N disubstituted selenoureas were synthesized, characterized, and
their antioxidant ability was tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,20-azinobis(
3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays. Additionally, their cytotoxic activity was
tested in vitro in a panel of three different cancer (breast, lung and colon) and two normal cell lines.
Each selenourea entity contains a para-substituted phenyl ring with different electron-withdrawing
and electron-donating groups, and different aliphatic and aromatic nuclei. All of the synthesized
selenoureas present antioxidant capacity at high concentrations in the DPPH assay, and three of them
(2b, 2c and 2d) showed greater radical scavenging capacity than ascorbic acid at lower concentrations.
These results were confirmed by the ABTS assay, where these novel selenoureas present even higher
antioxidant capacity than the reference compound Trolox. On the other hand, 10 selenoureas present
IC50 values below 10 M in at least one cancer cell line, resulting in the adamantyl nucleus (6a¿
6e), the most interesting in terms of activity and selectivity. Outstanding results were found for
selenourea 6c, tested in the NCI60 cell line panel and showing an average GI50 of 1.49 M for the
60 cell lines, and LC50 values ranging from 9.33 M to 4.27 M against 10 of these cancer cell lines.
To gain insight into its anticancer activity mechanism, we investigated the cell cycle progression
of the promising c
Autores:
Karelia, D. N.; Sangyub, K.; Pandey, M.; et al.
Revista:
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
ISSN:
1422-0067
Año:
2021
Vol.:
22
Págs.:
4946
Current available therapies for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) provide minimal
overall survival benefits and cause severe adverse effects. We have identified a novel molecule
AS-10, a selenazolidine-bis-aspirinyl derivative, that was two to three orders of magnitude more
potent than aspirin and at least one to two orders of magnitude more potent than gemcitabine in
inhibiting PDAC cancer cell growth/viability against three PDAC cell lines while sparing mouse
embryonic fibroblasts in the same exposure range. In Panc-1 cells, AS-10 induced apoptosis without
necrosis, principally through caspase-3/7 cascade and reactive oxygen species, in addition to an
induction of G1 cell cycle block. Transcriptomic profiling with RNA-seq indicated the top responses
to AS-10 exposure as CDKN1A (P21Cip1), CCND1, and nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-B)
complex and the top functions as cell cycle, cell death, and survival without inducing the DNA
damage gene signature. AS-10 pretreatment (6 h) decreased cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha
(TNF-)-stimulated NF-B nuclear translocation, DNA binding activity, and degradation of cytosolic
inhibitor of B (IB) protein. As NF-B activation in PDAC cells confers resistance to gemcitabine,
the AS-10 combination with gemcitabine increased the in vitro cytotoxicity more than the additivity
of both compounds. Overall, our results suggest AS-10 may be a promising drug lead for PDAC,
both as a single agent and in combination therapy.
Revista:
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
ISSN:
2373-8227
Año:
2021
Vol.:
7
N°:
12
Págs.:
3197 - 3209
Leishmaniasis urgently needs new oral treatments, as it is one of the most important neglected tropical diseases that affects people with poor resources. The drug discovery pipeline for oral administration currently discards entities with poor aqueous solubility and permeability (class IV compounds in the Biopharmaceutical Classification System, BCS) such as the diselenide 2m, a trypanothione reductase (TR) inhibitor. This work was assisted by glyceryl palmitostearate and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether-based nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) to render 2m bioavailable and effective after its oral administration. The loading of 2m in NLC drastically enhanced its intestinal permeability and provided plasmatic levels higher than its effective concentration (IC50). In L. infantum-infected BALB/c mice, 2m-NLC reduced the parasite burden in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow by at least 95% after 5 doses, demonstrating similar efficacy as intravenous Fungizone. Overall, compound 2m and its formulation merit further investigation as an oral treatment for visceral leishmaniasis.
Revista:
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
ISSN:
2373-8227
Año:
2021
Vol.:
7
N°:
6
Págs.:
1727 - 1738
Chagas disease is a tropical infection caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and a global public health concern. It is a paradigmatic example of a chronic disease without an effective treatment. Current treatments targeting T. cruzi are limited to two obsolete nitroheterocyclic drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, which lead to serious drawbacks. Hence, new, more effective, safer, and affordable drugs are urgently needed. Selenium and their derivatives have emerged as an interesting strategy for the treatment of different prozotoan diseases, such as African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and malaria. In the case of Chagas disease, diverse selenium scaffolds have been reported with antichagasic activity in vitro and in vivo. On the basis of these premises, we describe the in vitro and in vivo trypanocidal activity of 41 selenocompounds against the three morphological forms of different T. cruzi strains. For the most active selenocompounds, their effect on the metabolic and mitochondrial levels and superoxide dismutase enzyme inhibition capacity were measured in order to determine the possible mechanism of action. Derivative 26, with a selenocyanate motif, fulfills the most stringent in vitro requirements for potential antichagasic agents and exhibits a better profile than benznidazole in vivo. This finding provides a step forward for the development of a new antichagasic agent.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0022-2623
Año:
2020
Vol.:
63
N°:
4
Págs.:
1473 - 1489
Incorporation of selenium (Se) atom into small molecules can substantially enhance their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antitumoral or chemopreventive, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and neuroprotective effects. Specifically, selenazo compounds have received great attention owing to their chemical properties, pharmaceutical applications, and low toxicity. In this Perspective, we compile extensive literature evidence with the description and discussion of the most recent advances in different selenazo and selenadiazo motifs as potential pharmacological candidates. We also provide some perspectives on the challenges and future directions in the advancement of these selenazo compounds, each of which could generate drug candidates for various diseases.
Revista:
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
ISSN:
1422-0067
Año:
2020
Vol.:
23
Págs.:
9017
Aspirin (ASA) has attracted wide interest of numerous scientists worldwide thanks to its chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects, particularly in colorectal cancer (CRC). Incorporation of selenium (Se) atom into ASA has greatly increased their anti-tumoral efficacy in CRC compared with the organic counterparts without the Se functionality, such as the promising antitumoral methylseleno-ASA analog (1a). Nevertheless, the efficacy of compound 1a in cancer cells is compromised due to its poor solubility and volatile nature. Thus, 1a has been formulated with native alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin (CD), a modified beta-CD (hydroxypropyl beta-CD, HP-beta-CD) and Pluronic F127, all of them non-toxic, biodegradable and FDA approved. Water solubility of 1a is enhanced with beta- and HP- beta-CDs and Pluronic F127. Compound 1a forms inclusion complexes with the CDs and was incorporated in the hydrophobic core of the F127 micelles. Herein, we evaluated the cytotoxic potential of 1a, alone or formulated with beta- and HP- beta-CDs or Pluronic F127, against CRC cells. Remarkably, 1a formulations demonstrated more sustained antitumoral activity toward CRC cells. Hence, beta-CD, HP-beta-CD and Pluronic F127 might be excellent vehicles to improve pharmacological properties of organoselenium compounds with solubility issues and volatile nature.
Revista:
ANTIOXIDANTS
ISSN:
2076-3921
Año:
2020
Vol.:
9
N°:
1
Págs.:
55
Selenium compounds are pivotal in medicinal chemistry for their antitumoral and antioxidant properties. Forty seven acylselenoureas have been designed and synthesized following a fragment-based approach. Different scaffolds, including carbo- and hetero-cycles, along with mono- and bi-cyclic moieties, have been linked to the selenium containing skeleton. The dose- and time-dependent radical scavenging activity for all of the compounds were assessed using the in vitro 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2 '-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Some of them showed a greater radical scavenging capacity at low doses and shorter times than ascorbic acid. Therefore, four compounds were evaluated to test their protective effects against H2O2-induced oxidative stress. One derivative protected cells against H2O2-induced damage, increasing cell survival by up to 3.6-fold. Additionally, in vitro cytotoxic activity of all compounds was screened against several cancer cells. Eight compounds were selected to determine their half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values towards breast and lung cancer cells, along with their selectivity indexes. The breast cancer cells turned out to be much more sensitive than the lung. Two compounds (5d and 10a) stood out with IC50 values between 4.2 mu M and 8.0 mu M towards MCF-7 and T47D cells, with selectivity indexes greater than 22.9. In addition, compound 10b exhibited dual antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Although further evidence is needed, the acylselenourea scaffold could be a feasible frame to develop new dual agents.
Revista:
BIOORGANIC AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
ISSN:
0960-894X
Año:
2020
Vol.:
30
N°:
17
Págs.:
127371
A series of thirty-one selenocompounds covering a wide chemical space was assessed for in vitro leishmanicidal activities against Leishmania infantum amastigotes. The cytotoxicity of those compounds was also evaluated on human THP-1 cells. Interestingly most tested derivatives were active in the low micromolar range and seven of them (A.I.3, A.I.7, B.I.1, B.I.2, C.I.7 C.I.8 and C.II.8) stood out for selectivity indexes higher than the ones exhibited by reference compounds mitelfosine and edelfosine. These leader compounds were evaluated against infected macrophages and their trypanothione reductase (TryR) inhibition potency was measured to further approach the mechanism by which they caused their action. Among them diselenide tested structures were pointed out for their ability to reduce infection rates. Three of the leader compounds inhibited TryR effectively, therefore this enzyme may be implicated in the mechanism of action by which these compounds cause their leishmanicidal effect.
Revista:
RSC ADVANCES
ISSN:
2046-2069
Año:
2020
Vol.:
10
N°:
63
Págs.:
38404 - 38408
An effective and straightforward synthesis of 3-seleno functionalized indolinone (5) involving Vilsmeier reagent is presented. Likewise, a procedure to achieve lactamization of diclofenac with excellent yields by using hydrides is also ascertained. Compound 5 exhibited impressive growth inhibition in most of the cell lines in an NCI-60 panel, particularly towards resistant breast cancer cells.
Revista:
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
ISSN:
1422-0067
Año:
2019
Vol.:
20
N°:
3
Págs.:
521
Autores:
Fernandez-Rubio, C.; Larrea, Esther; Peña Guerrero, J.; et al.
Revista:
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN:
0066-4804
Año:
2019
Vol.:
63
N°:
2
Págs.:
e00904-18
Conventional chemotherapy against leishmaniasis includes agents exhibiting considerable toxicity. In addition, reports of drug resistance are not uncommon. Thus, safe and effective therapies are urgently needed. Isoselenocyanate compounds have recently been identified with potential antitumor activity. It is well known that some antitumor agents demonstrate effects against Leishmania In this study, the in vitro leishmanicidal activities of several organo-selenium and organo-sulfur compounds were tested against Leishmania major and Leishmania amazonensis parasites, using promastigotes and intracellular amastigote forms. The cytotoxicity of these agents was measured in murine peritoneal macrophages and their selectivity indexes were calculated. One of the tested compounds, the isoselenocyanate derivative NISC-6, showed selectivity indexes 2- and 10-fold higher than those of the reference drug amphotericin B when evaluated in L. amazonensis and L. major, respectively. The American strain (L. amazonensis) was less sensitive to NISC-6 than L. major, showing a trend similar to that observed previously for amphotericin B. In addition, we also observed that NISC-6 significantly reduced the number of amastigotes per infected macrophage. On the other hand, we showed that NISC-6 decreases expression levels of Leishmania genes involved in the cell cycle, such as topoisomerase-2 (TOP-2), PCNA, and MCM4, therefore contributing to its leishmanicidal activity. The effect of this compound on cell cycle progression was confirmed by flow cytometry. We observed a significant increase of cells in the G1 phase and a dramatic reduction of cells in the S phase compared to untreated cells. Altogether, our data suggest that the isoselenocyanate NISC-6 may be a promising candidate for new drug development against leishmaniasis.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2019
Vol.:
175
Págs.:
234 - 246
Selenocyanates and diselenides are potential antitumor agents. Here we report two series of selenium derivatives related to selenocyanates and diselenides containing carboxylic, amide and imide moieties. These compounds were screened for their potency and selectivity against seven tumor cell lines and two non-malignant cell lines. Results showed that MCF-7 cells were especially sensitive to the treatment, with seven compounds presenting GI(50) values below 10 mu M. Notably, the carboxylic selenocyanate 8b and the cyclic imide 10a also displayed high selectivity for tumor cells. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with these compounds resulted in cell cycle arrest at S phase, increased levels of pJNK and pAMPK and caspase independent cell death. Autophagy inhibitors wortmannin and chloroquine partially prevented 8b and 10a induced cell death. Consistent with autophagy, increased Beclinl and LC3-IIB and reduced SQSTM1/p62 levels were detected. Our results point to 8b and 10a as autophagic cell death inducers. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
Revista:
ARCHIV FUER ACKER- UND PFLANZENBAU UND BODENKUNDE
ISSN:
0365-0340
Año:
2019
Vol.:
65
N°:
10
Págs.:
1341-1353
Grapevine leaves are widely discarded in open fields despite their known antioxidant properties. We tested the cytotoxicity of leaf extracts from three clones (CL-260, CL-1048, CL-8) of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Tempranillo against four human cancer cell lines: colon, HT-29; breast, MCF-7; lung HTB-54; and lymphoblastic leukemia, CCRF-CEM. Grapevines were cultivated at either ambient (24/14 degrees C) or elevated (28/18 degrees C) day/night temperatures, and inoculated (+M) or not (-M) with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Cytotoxicity was analysed by MTT assays. Elevated air temperatures enhanced the cytotoxicity of leaf extracts from CL-260 against HT-29, CCRF-CEM and HTB-54 and that from CL-8 against MCF-7. Mycorrhization improved the cytotoxicity of leaf extracts from CL-1048 against HT-29, CCRF-CEM, HTB-54 and MCF-7. The cytotoxic activities of CL-260 against HTB-54 and CL-1048 against HT-29 were correlated, respectively, with total phenols and total antioxidant capacity. We conclude that the predicted increase in air temperature for the future climate and the mycorrhizal association of grapevines may enhance the cytotoxicity of leaves, which strengthens the potential application of these agricultural residuals for biomedicine. However, the clonal diversity in the response to AMF and air temperature highlights the importance of choosing the most adequate clone for a concrete environmental scenario.
Revista:
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN:
0066-4804
Año:
2019
Vol.:
63
N°:
5
Págs.:
e02200-18
A novel series of thirty-one N-substituted urea, thiourea, and selenourea derivatives containing diphenyldiselenide entities were synthesized, fully characterized by spectroscopic and analytical methods, and screened for their in vitro leishmanicidal activities. The cytotoxic activity of these derivatives was tested against Leishmania infantum axenic amastigotes, and selectivity was assessed in human THP-1 cells. Thirteen of the synthesized compounds showed a significant antileishmanial activity, with 50% effective concentration (EC50) values lower than that for the reference drug miltefosine (EC50, 2.84 mu M). In addition, the derivatives 9, 11, 42, and 47, with EC50 between 1.1 and 1.95 mu M, also displayed excellent selectivity (selectivity index ranged from 12.4 to 22.7) and were tested against infected macrophages. Compound 11, a derivative with a cyclohexyl chain, exhibited the highest activity against intracellular amastigotes, with EC50 values similar to those observed for the standard drug edelfosine. Structure-activity relationship analyses revealed that N-aliphatic substitution in urea and selenourea is recommended for the leish-manicidal activity of these analogs. Preliminary studies of the mechanism of action for the hit compounds was carried out by measuring their ability to inhibit trypanothione reductase. Even though the obtained results suggest that this enzyme is not the target for most of these derivatives, their activity comparable to that of the standards
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE (ONLINE)
ISSN:
1582-4934
Año:
2018
Vol.:
22
N°:
1
Págs.:
289 - 301
Symmetric aromatic diselenides are potential anticancer agents with strong cytotoxic activity. In this study, the invitro anticancer activities of a novel series of diarylseleno derivatives from the diphenyldiselenide (DPDS) scaffold were evaluated. Most of the compounds exhibited high efficacy for inducing cytotoxicity against different human cancer cell lines. DPDS 2, the compound with the lowest mean GI(50) value, induced both caspase-dependent apoptosis and arrest at the G(0)/G(1) phase in acute lymphoblastic leucemia CCRF-CEM cells. Consistent with this, PARP cleavage; enhanced caspase-2, -3, -8 and -9 activity; reduced CDK4 expression and increased levels of p53 were detected in these cells upon DPDS 2 treatment. Mutated p53 expressed in CCRF-CEM cells retains its transactivating activity. Therefore, increased levels of p21(CIP1) and BAX proteins were also detected. On the other hand, DPDS 6, the compound with the highest selectivity index for cancer cells, resulted in G(2)/M cell cycle arrest and caspase-independent cell death in p53 deficient HTB-54 lung cancer cells. Autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine, wortmannin and chloroquine inhibited DPDS 6-induced cell death. Consistent with autophagy, increased LC3-II and decreased SQSTM1/p62 levels were detected in HTB-54 cells in response to DPDS 6. Induction of JNK phosphorylation and a reduction in phospho-p38 MAPK were also detected. Moreover, the JNK inhibitor SP600125-protected HTB-54 cells from DPDS 6-induced cell death indicating that JNK activation is involved in DPDS 6-induced autophagy. These results highlight the anticancer effects of these derivatives and warrant future studies examining their clinical potential.
Revista:
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
ISSN:
0927-7765
Año:
2018
Vol.:
170
Págs.:
463 - 469
Selenium (Se) incorporated into organic frameworks has demonstrated anticancer activity against several cancer types. One of the drawbacks of most of these constructs is their poor solubility and bioavailability, which can be overcome with the use of suitable nanocarriers. We have synthesized a series of 5-substituted amide selenodiazoles, based on the parent structure of ebselen, an organoselenium drug with proven cytoprotective activity, and solubilized them in polymeric micelles of poloxamines, poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) X-shaped tetrablock-copolymers. Scattering methods (SANS and DLS) were employed to characterize the micellar nanocarriers. MTT biological evaluation highlights the selectivity of the Se-compounds towards cancer cells, with MCF-7 standing as the most responsive line. The alkylation of the heterocycle with a 12-carbon hydrophobic tail displays the highest activity, showing a 100-fold increase with respect to ebselen. This compound also exhibits the greatest increase in solubility in poloxamine micelles, overall resulting in a one-fold increase in activity with respect to the non-formulated form, making it a hit compound for further optimization.
Revista:
ACS MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
ISSN:
1948-5875
Año:
2018
Vol.:
9
N°:
4
Págs.:
306 - 311
A series of 16 new diselenide-acylselenourea conjugates have been designed following the fragment-based drug strategy. Compound in vitro cytotoxic potential was evaluated against six human cancer cell lines and two nonmalignant derived cell lines with the aim of determining their potency and selectivity. Nine derivatives exhibited GI(50) values under 10 mu M in at least four cancer cell lines. A clear gap situated phenyl substitution over heterocyclic moieties in terms of selectivity. Among carbocyclic compounds, derivatives 2 and 7 significantly inhibited cell growth of breast adenocarcinoma cells with GI50 values of 1.30 and 0.15 nM, respectively, with selectivity indexes 12 and 121 times higher than those obtained for doxorubicin. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that compounds 2 and 7 induce cell cycle arrest and autophagy-dependent cell death evidenced by the blockage of cell death with pretreatment with wortmannin or chloroquine and confirmed by the upregulation of the markers Bedinl and LC3B in MCF-7 cells.
Revista:
METALLOMICS
ISSN:
1756-5901
Año:
2018
Vol.:
10
N°:
8
Págs.:
1128 - 1140
A molecular modeling study has been carried out on two previously reported series of methylselenocarbamate derivatives that show remarkable antiproliferative and cytotoxic in vitro activity, against a panel of human cancer cell lines. These derivatives can be considered as having been constructed by a selenomethyl fragment located over a carbon atom which is decorated with two carbamate moieties, both aliphatic and aromatic, one of them attached by a single bond to the central carbon atom, while the second is connected by a double bond. According to the data obtained, these derivatives can undergo a water-mediated nucleophilic attack on the carbons with marked electrophilic character, which leads to the rupture of C-Se and carbamate C-O bonds. The aliphatic derivatives, series 1, show an early release of methylselenol and a further release of hydroxyl derivatives (alcohols), whereas the aromatic carbamates, series 2, show an early release of phenols followed by the subsequent release of methylselenol. Thus, the activity of the compounds can be related to the progressive release of active fragments. The data that support this connection are related to the overall molecular topology, volume and surface area as well as to quantum parameters such as the relative electrophilic character of the target carbon atoms (measured in terms of positive charge values) or the bond order values, especially concerning the central C-SeCH3 bond and the carbamate ones. Moreover, the data obtained regarding the chromatographic behavior of some representative compounds confirm this proposal.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2018
Vol.:
157
Págs.:
14 - 27
Twenty-seven novel benzo[c][1,2,5]selenadiazole-5-carboxylic acid (BSCA) derivatives were designed and synthesized. Anti-proliferative activity of these structures was tested in vitro against a panel of five human cancer cell lines, including prostate (PC-3), colon (HT-29), leukemia (CCRF-CEM), lung (HTB-54) and breast (MCF-7). Four compounds (5, 6, 7 and 19) showed potent inhibitory activity with GI(50) values below 10 mu M in at least one of the cancer cell lines. The selectivity of these compounds was further examined in two non-malignant cell lines derived from breast (18465) and lung (BEAS-2B). Compound 7 exhibited promising anti-proliferative activity (GI(50) = 3.7 mu M) in MCF-7 cells, together with high selectivity index (SI> 27.1). The induction of cell death by compound 7 was independent of the apoptotic process and it did not affect cell cycle progression either. Likewise, radical scavenging properties of the new selenadiazole derivatives were confirmed by testing their ability to scavenge DPPH radicals. Four compounds (1, 2, 8 and 9) showed potent radical scavenging activity, compound 9 being the most effective. Overall, while compound 7 was identified as the most cell growth inhibitory agent and selectively toxic to cancer cells, compound 9 proved to be the most potent antioxidant among the selenadiazole derivatives synthesized. This series of compounds can serve as an excellent scaffold to achieve new and potent antioxidant compounds useful for several diseases, i.e. cancer, neurodegenerative, heart diseases and leishmaniasis, considering the high radical scavenging activity and low toxicity showed by most of the compounds. (C) 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Autores:
Martín-Montes, A.; Plano, Daniel; Martín-Escolano, R.; et al.
Revista:
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN:
0066-4804
Año:
2017
Vol.:
61
N°:
6
Págs.:
e02546-16
The in vitro leishmanicidal activities of a series of 48 recently synthesized selenium derivatives against Leishmania infantum and Leishmania braziliensis parasites were tested using promastigotes and intracellular amastigote forms. The cytotoxicity of the tested compounds for J774.2 macrophage cells was also measured in order to establish their selectivity. Six of the tested compounds (compounds 8, 10, 11, 15, 45, and 48) showed selectivity indexes higher than those of the reference drug, meglumine antimonate (Glucantime), for both Leishmania species; in the case of L. braziliensis, compound 20 was also remarkably selective. Moreover, data on infection rates and amastigote numbers per macrophage showed that compounds 8, 10, 11, 15, 45, and 48 were the most active against both Leishmania species studied. The observed changes in the excretion product profile of parasites treated with these six compounds were also consistent with substantial cytoplasmic alterations. On the other hand, the most active compounds were potent inhibitors of Fe superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) in the two parasite species considered, whereas their impact on human CuZn-SOD was low. The high activity, low toxicity, stability, low cost of the starting materials, and straightforward synthesis make these compounds appropriate molecules for the development of affordable antileishmanicidal agents.
Revista:
EXPERT OPINION ON THERAPEUTIC PATENTS
ISSN:
1354-3776
Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cancer worldwide. Targeted therapy drugs (TTDs) are a valid treatment, epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors being one of the most commonly used for CRC patients. However, this treatment is only useful for patients with wild-type KRAS (wtKRAS) and is effective only on about 40 to 60% of this subset due to the high plasticity of ErbB network. Areas covered: The invention proposes the use of ErbB protein levels and ErbB receptor dimer formation as biomarkers for selecting, predicting and monitoring CRC patients showing sensitivity to the action of EGFR inhibitors to benefit from the combination therapy of EGFR and HER2 inhibitors. The in vitro data on Lim1215 cells suggest the over-activation of HER3 signaling pathway in response to the use of EGFR inhibitors on monotherapy; the use of HER2 or HER3 or MEK inhibitors in combination with EGFR inhibitors reversed this activation. Expert opinion: To assess the clinical applicability of this invention, further studies are needed since the conclusions are derived solely based on the data obtained from only one CRC cell line (Lim1215). Furthermore, other biofactors/mutations should be considered to assure the potential benefits of the combination therapies proposed.
Revista:
MOLECULES
ISSN:
1420-3049
Año:
2017
Vol.:
22
N°:
8
Págs.:
1288
Selenium (Se) compounds are potential therapeutic agents in cancer. Importantly, the biological effects of Se compounds are exerted by their metabolites, with methylselenol (CH3SeH) being one of the key executors. In this study, we developed a new series of methylselenoesters with different scaffolds aiming to modulate the release of CH3SeH. The fifteen compounds follow Lipinski's Rule of Five and with exception of compounds 1 and 14, present better drug-likeness values than the positive control methylseleninic acid. The compounds were evaluated to determine their radical scavenging activity. Compound 11 reduced both DPPH and ABTS radicals. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was evaluated in a panel of five cancer cell lines (prostate, colon and lung carcinoma, mammary adenocarcinoma and chronic myelogenous leukemia) and two non-malignant (lung and mammary epithelial) cell lines. Ten compounds had GI(50) values below 10 mu M at 72 h in four cancer cell lines. Compounds 5 and 15 were chosen for further characterization of their mechanism of action in the mammary adenocarcinoma cell line due to their similarity with methylseleninic acid. Both compounds induced G(2)/M arrest whereas cell death was partially executed by caspases. The reduction and metabolism were also investigated, and both compounds were shown to be substrates for redox active enzyme thioredoxin reductase.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR GRAPHICS AND MODELLING
ISSN:
1093-3263
Año:
2017
Vol.:
73
Págs.:
62 - 73
A molecular modeling study has been carried out on a previously reported series of (diselanediyldibenzene-4,1-diylnide)biscarbamate derivatives that show cytotoxic and antiproliferative in vitro activity against MCF-7 human cell line; radical scavenging properties were also confirmed when these compounds were tested for their ability to scavenge DPPH and ABTS radicals. The data obtained allowed us to classify the compounds into two different groups: (a) aliphatic carbamates for which the activity could be related with a first nucleophilic attack (mediated by H2O, for example) on the selenium atoms of the central scaffold, followed by the release of the alkyl N-(4-selanylphenyl) and N-(4-selenenophenyl)carbamate moieties. Then, a second nucleophilic attack on the carbamate moiety, to yield 4-aminobenzeneselenol and 4-selenenoaniline respectively, which can ultimately be responsible for the activity of the compounds; (b) aromatic carbamates, for which we propose a preferred nucleophilic attack on the carbamate moiety, yielding 4-[(4-aminophenyl)diselanyl]aniline, the common structural fragment for this series, for which we have previously demonstrated its cytotoxic profile. Then, selenium atoms of the central fragment may later undergo a new nucleophilic attack, to yield 4-selenenoaniline and 4-aminobenzeneselenol. The phenolic moieties released in this process may also have a synergistic cytotoxic and redox activity.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2016
Vol.:
123
Págs.:
407 - 418
In this work, 27 novel hybrid derivatives containing diverse substituents with chalcogen atoms (selenium or sulfur) and several active heterocyclic scaffolds have been synthesized. Compounds were tested against two human cancer cells lines (MCF7 and PC-3) and a normal human mammary epithelial cell line (184B5) in order to determine their activity and selectivity against malignant cells. Ten compounds showed GI50 values below 10 mM in at least one of the cancer cell lines and six of them exhibited a selectivity index higher than 9. In general, selenium-containing compounds were more active than their corresponding sulfur analogs but we found some thiocyanate derivatives with comparable or higher activity and selectivity. Among the different substituents, the seleno- and thio-cyanate groups showed the most promising results. On the basis of their potent activity and high selectivity index, compounds 7e and 8f (containing a thiocyanate and a selenocyanate group, respectively) were selected for further biological evaluation. Both the compounds induced caspase-dependent cell death and cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase. In addition, these compounds do not violate any of the Lipinski's Rule of Five and thus possess good potential to become drugs, compound 7e being particularly promising.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0022-2623
Año:
2016
Vol.:
59
N°:
5
Págs.:
1946 - 1959
The synthesis and anticancer evaluation of novel selenium-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (Se-NSAID) hybrid molecules are reported. The Se-aspirin analogue 8 was identified as the most effective agent in reducing the viability of different cancer cell lines, particularly colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, was more selective toward cancer cells than normal cells, and was >10 times more potent than 5-FU, the current therapy for CRC. Compound 8 inhibits CRC growth via the inhibition of the cell cycle in G1 and G2/M phases and reduces the cell cycle markers like cyclin E1 and B1 in a dose dependent manner; the inhibition of the cell cycle may be dependent on the ability of 8 to induce p21 expression. Furthermore, 8 induces apoptosis by activating caspase 3/7 and PARP cleavage, and its longer exposure causes increase in intracellular ROS levels in CRC cells. Taken together, 8 has the potential to be developed further as a chemotherapeutic agent for CRC.
Revista:
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN:
0066-4804
Año:
2016
Vol.:
60
N°:
6
Págs.:
3802 - 3812
A series of new selenocyanates and diselenides bearing interesting bioactive scaffolds (quinoline, quinoxaline, acridine, chromene, furane, isosazole, etc.) was synthesized, and their in vitro leishmanicidal activities against Leishmania infantum amastigotes along with their cytotoxicities in human THP-1 cells were determined. Interestingly, most tested compounds were active in the low micromolar range and led us to identify four lead compounds (1h, 2d, 2e, and 2f) with 50% effective dose (ED50) values ranging from 0.45 to 1.27 ¿M and selectivity indexes of >25 for all of them, much higher than those observed for the reference drugs. These active derivatives were evaluated against infected macrophages, and in order to gain preliminary knowledge about their possible mechanism of action, the inhibition of trypanothione reductase (TryR) was measured. Among these novel structures, compounds 1h (3,5-dimethyl-4-isoxazolyl selenocyanate) and 2d [3,3'-(diselenodiyldimethanediyl)bis(2-bromothiophene)] exhibited good association between TryR inhibitory activity and antileishmanial potency, pointing to 1h, for its excellent theoretical ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) properties, as the most promising lead molecule for leishmancidal drug design.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2016
Vol.:
113
Págs.:
134 - 144
A series of novel selenourea derivatives and corresponding thiourea analogs were synthesized and tested against a panel of six human cancer cell lines: melanoma (1205Lu), lung carcinoma (A549), prostatic carcinoma (DU145), colorectal carcinoma (HCT116), pancreatic epithelioid carcinoma (PANC-1) and pancreatic adenocarcinoma (BxPC3). In general, we found that the selenium-containing derivatives were more potent than their isosteric sulfur analogs. Four selenourea derivatives (1e, 1f, 1g and 1i) showed IC50 values below 10 mM in all of tested cell lines at 72 h. On the basis of its potent activity, compound 1g was selected for further biological evaluation in different colon cancer cell lines. Our results indicated
that compound 1g induced apoptosis by caspase activation, along with inhibition of anti-apoptotic proteins.
Revista:
BIOORGANIC AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0968-0896
Año:
2015
Vol.:
23
N°:
8
Págs.:
1716 - 1724
Novel selenocyanate and diselenide derivatives containing a carbamate moiety were synthesised and evaluated in vitro to determine their cytotoxic and radical scavenging properties. Cytotoxic activity was tested against a panel of human cell lines including CCRF-CEM (lymphoblastic leukaemia), HT-29 (colon carcinoma), HTB-54 (lung carcinoma), PC-3 (prostate carcinoma), MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), 184B5 (non-malignant, mammary gland derived) and BEAS-2B (non-malignant, derived from bronchial epithelium). Most of the compounds displayed high antiproliferative activity with GI(50) values below 10 mu M in MCF-7, CCRF-CEM and PC-3 cells. Radical scavenging properties of the new selenocompounds were confirmed testing their ability to scavenge DPPH and ABTS radicals. Based on the activity of selenium-based glutathione peroxidases (GPxs), compounds 1a, 2e and 2h were further screened for their capacity to reduce hydrogen peroxide under thiol presence. Results suggest that compound 1a mimics GPxs activity. Cytotoxic parameters, radical scavenging activity and ADME profile point to 1a as promising drug candidate.
Revista:
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN:
0066-4804
Año:
2015
Vol.:
59
N°:
9
Págs.:
5705 - 5713
The generation of new antileishmanial drugs has become a priority. Selenium and its derivatives stand out as having promising leishmanicidal activity. In fact, some parasites express selenoproteins and metabolize selenium. Recently, selenium derivatives have shown the potential to reduce parasitemia, clinical manifestations, and mortality in parasite-infected mice. In this paper, after selecting four candidates according to drug similarity parameters, we observed that two of them, called compounds 2b [methyl-N,N¿-di(thien-2-ylcarbonyl)-imidoselenocarbamate] and 4b [methyl-N,N¿-di(5-nitrothien-3-ylcarbonyl)-imidoselenocarbamate], exhibit low 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) (<3 ¿M) and good selectivity indexes (SIs) (>5) in Leishmania major promastigotes and lack toxicity on macrophages. In addition, in analysis of their therapeutic potential against L. major in vitro infection, both compounds display a dramatic reduction of amastigote burden (~80%) with sublethal concentrations. Furthermore, in macrophages, these selenocompounds induce nitric oxide production, which has been described to be critical for defense against intracellular pathogens. Compounds 2b and 4b were demonstrated to cause cell cycle arrest in G1 . Interestingly, evaluation of expression of genes related to proliferation (PCNA), treatment resistance (ABC transporter and alpha-tubulin), and virulence (quinonoid dihydropteridine reductase [QDPR]) showed several alterations in gene expression profiling. All these results prompt us to propose both compounds as candidates to treat leishmanial infections.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR GRAPHICS AND MODELLING
ISSN:
1093-3263
Año:
2015
Vol.:
60
Págs.:
63 - 78
A molecular modeling study has been carried out on two previously reported series of symmetric diselenide derivatives that show remarkable antileishmanial in vitro activity against Leishmania infantum intracellular amastigotes and in infected macrophages (THP-1 cells), in addition to showing favorable selectivity indices. Series 1 consists of compounds that can be considered as central scaffold constructed with a diaryl/dialkylaryl diselenide central nucleus, decorated with different substituents located on the aryl rings. Series 2 consists of compounds constructed over a diaryl diselenide central nucleus, decorated in 4 and 4' positions with an aryl or heteroaryl sulfonamide fragment, thus forming the diselenosulfonamide derivatives. With regard to the diselenosulfonamide derivatives (2 series), the activity can be related, as a first approximation, with (a) the ability to release bis(4-aminophenyl) diselenide, the common fragment which can be ultimately responsible for the activity of the compounds. (b) the anti-parasitic activity achieved by the sulfonamide pharmacophore present in the analyzed derivatives. The data that support this connection include the topography of the molecules, the conformational behavior of the compounds, which influences the bond order, as well as the accessibility of the hydrolysis point, and possibly the hydrophobicity and polarizability of the compounds.
Revista:
METALLOMICS
ISSN:
1756-5901
Año:
2015
Vol.:
7
N°:
2
Págs.:
347 - 354
The biological activity of thyroid hormones (TH) is regulated by selenoenzymes of the iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO) family catalysing TH activating and inactivating reactions. Besides TH metabolism, several studies indicate an important role of DIO isoenzymes in tumorigenesis and cancer growth. It is therefore of therapeutic importance to identify modulators of DIO expression. We have synthesized and studied a series of selenocompounds containing a methyl- or benzyl-imidoselenocarbamate backbone. One of these novel compounds had chemotherapeutic activities in a murine xenograft tumour model by an unknown mechanism. Therefore, we tested their effects on DIO expression in vitro. In HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells, DIO1 activity was strongly (up to 10-fold) increased by the methyl-but not by the corresponding benzyl-imidoselenocarbamates. Steady-state mRNA levels remained unaltered under these conditions indicating a post-transcriptional mode of action. The effects were further characterized in HEK293 cells stably expressing DIO1, DIO2 or DIO3. Even within the artificial genetic context of the expression vectors, all three DIO isoenzymes were up-regulated by the methyl-and to a lesser extent by the benzyl-imidoselenocarbamates. Consistent stimulating effects were observed with methyl-N, N'-di(quinolin-3-ylcarbonyl)-imidoselenocarbamate (EI201), a selenocompound known for its anti-tumour activity. DIO inducing effects were unrelated to the intracellular accumulation of selenium, yet the precise mode of action remains elusive. Collectively, our data highlight that these selenocompounds may constitute interesting pharmacological compounds for modifying DIO expression potentially affecting the balance between cell differentiation and proliferation.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
ISSN:
0928-0987
Año:
2014
Vol.:
63
Págs.:
87 - 95
The PI3K/Akt/mTOR/S6 ribosomal protein signalling pathway is a key potential target in breast cancer therapy, playing a central role in proliferation and cell survival. In this study, we found that the seleno-compound 2,4-dihydroselenoquinazoline (3a) generally inhibited this signalling axis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and caused downregulation of S6 ribosomal protein phosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, 3a caused a dose- and time-dependent decrease in MCF-7 cell viability as well as cell cycle arrest in G2/M. Interestingly 3a also induced apoptosis, as evidenced by cleavage of PARP and caspase-7, and inhibited autophagy, as demonstrated by accumulation of LC3-II and p62/SQSTM1. Given that induction of autophagy has been previously described as a mechanism by which some breast cancer cells counteract proapoptotic signalling and develop resistance to anti-hormone therapy, this suggests that this derivative, which both triggers apoptosis and inhibits autophagy, may be beneficial in preventing and overcoming resistance in breast cancer cells. The data also show the complexity of this signalling axis which is far from being understood.
Revista:
ARKIVOC
ISSN:
1551-7004
Año:
2014
Vol.:
2014
N°:
2
Págs.:
187 - 206
A series of 22 quinazolines, pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines and their hydroselenite salts were synthesized with the aim of evaluating in vitro their cytotoxicity against PC-3 cell line and their antioxidant properties related to DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazylradical) activity, showing
some of them better profile than the respective controls. Three of these derivatives (5d, 6d and 7f) were selected in order to gain preliminary
insights to establish the mechanism of action. Caspase-3 activity and cell cycle regulation studies revealed that compound 6d provoked an
increase in caspase-3 level accompanied by cell cycle perturbation in a time-dependent manner.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2014
Vol.:
73
Págs.:
153 - 166
A series of 31 new selenoesters were synthesized and their cytotoxic activity was evaluated against a prostate cancer cell line (PC-3). The most active compounds were also tested against three tumoural cell lines (MCF-7, A-549 and HT-29) and one non-tumour prostate cell line (RWPE-1). Thirteen compounds showed significant activity towards all tumour cells investigated, and some of them were even more potent than etoposide and cisplatin, which were used as reference drugs. Because of their pronounced potency and/or selectivity, four analogues (5, 21, 28 and 30), were selected in order to assess their redox properties related to a possible redox modulating activity. The glutathione peroxidase (GPx) assay showed slight activity for compound 30 and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-(DPPH) assay showed a weak activity for compounds 5 and 28. The present results revealed that analogues 5, 21, 28 and 30 might serve as a useful starting point for the design of improved anti-tumour agents.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0022-2623
Año:
2014
Vol.:
57
N°:
13
Págs.:
5509 - 5524
Sphingosine kinase (SphK) is an oncogenic lipid kinase that regulates the sphingolipid metabolic pathway that has been shown to play a role in numerous hyperproliferative/inflammatory diseases. The SphK isoforms (SphK1 and SphK2) catalyze the conversion of the pro-apoptotic substrate D-erythrosphingosine to the pro-mitogenic/migratory product sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). Accumulation of S1P has been linked to the development/progression of cancer and various other diseases including, but not limited to, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic nephropathy. SphK therefore represents a potential new target for developing novel therapeutics for cancer and other diseases. This finding has stimulated the development and evaluation of numerous SphK inhibitors over the past decade or so. In this Perspective, we highlight the recent advancement in the field of SphK inhibitors including SphK1 and SphK2 specific inhibitors. Both sphingolipid based and nolipidic small molecule inhibitors, as well as their importance in treatment of cancer and other diseases are discussed.
Revista:
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0929-8673
Año:
2013
Vol.:
20
N°:
12
Págs.:
1609 - 1619
Bisacylimidoselenocarbamate derivatives (BSC) are potent anticancer agents with a strong cytotoxic activity against different types of tumour cells. Based in phosphatidylserine exposure on the cell membranes we show that BSC treatment resulted in enhanced cell death in leukaemia CCRF-CEM cells. DNA fragmentation detection in breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells showed that BSC triggered cell death is concentration and time dependent. We also show that two of these compounds, BSC 3g and 3n, cause cell-cycle arrest in the late G2/M in MCF-7 cells. Consistent with this, a reduction in CDK1 and CDK2 expression with no change in cyclin A an B1 was observed in this cell line. Activation of caspase-2 was also detected. However, the involvement of the caspase-dependent pathway in the process of cell death induced by either BSC 3g or 3n is discarded since cell death could not be prevented by pretreatment with the pancaspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk. Moreover, since reduced levels of p21(CIP1) and Chk2 proteins but no change in p53 levels could be detected in MCF-7 cells after BSC 3g or 3n treatment our results suggest that BSC treated cells die from lethal mitosis.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2013
Vol.:
66
Págs.:
489 - 498
A molecular modelling study has been carried out on a previously reported series of symmetrically substituted bisacylimidoselenocarbamate (BSeC) derivatives that show remarkable antitumour activity in vitro against a panel of human tumour cell lines. These derivatives can be considered as a central scaffold constructed around a methyl carbamimidoselenoate nucleus in which two heteroarylacyl fragments are located on the scaffold nitrogen atoms, thus forming the different BSeCs. The results reveal that the nature of the selected heteroaryl ring has a marked influence on the antiproliferative activity of the compounds and this can be related, as a first approximation, to the ability to release methylselenol (MeSeH), a compound that, according to our initial hypothesis, is ultimately responsible for the antitumour activity of the compounds under investigation. The release of MeSeH from the active BSeCs has been confirmed by means of Head Space Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry techniques. The data that support this connection include the topography of the molecules, the conformational behaviour of the compounds, which influences the accessibility of the hydrolysis point, the interaction map obtained for an O2H type probe, and the location and energy of the HOMO/LUMO orbitals.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY
ISSN:
1388-6150
Año:
2013
Vol.:
111
N°:
1
Págs.:
605 - 610
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG) are analytical and quantitative methods capable of providing reliable, fast and reproducible results. These data allow establishing the thermal stability, purity degree and the polymorphic behavior of organic compounds. Thermal analysis of fusion and degradation processes was carried out on organonitrogen, organosulfur and organoselenium phthalazine derivatives to establish thermal stability criteria. Decomposition and fusion temperatures of 27 biological active compounds, synthesized by our research group were determined using TG and DSC. Analysis of the thermal data indicated that: (a) in general, nitrogen compounds are more stable than sulfur and selenium compounds; (b) thioderivatives possess degradation temperatures higher than selenium compounds; (c) the presence of selenium atoms in molecular structure has associated a minor thermal stability; (d) sulfide derivatives decomposition process have higher T-onset values than disulfide compounds; (e) there are differences in the stability due to groups selenol, methylseleno, and cyanoseleno; (f) the nature of the substituent located on the benzyl ring has no effects on selenophthalazines thermal stability.
Revista:
CHEMICAL RESEARCH IN TOXICOLOGY
ISSN:
0893-228X
Año:
2012
Vol.:
25
N°:
11
Págs.:
2479-2489
In the search for new molecules with potential antiangiogenic activity, we found that several imidoselenocarbamate derivatives effectively suppressed the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induced by hypoxia in NCI-H157 tumor cells. Mechanistic studies indicated that these compounds inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation triggered by hypoxia, suggesting that inhibition of STAT3 function may play a role in VEGF inhibition. Moreover, these molecules showed interesting proapoptotic and antiproliferative effects. Both the presence of selenium, but not sulfur, and the nature of the radical substituents were important for activity. Interestingly, under hypoxic conditions, several methyl imidoselenocarbamate derivatives released methylselenol, a highly reactive and cytotoxic gas, which was responsible for their biological activities. The kinetics of the release of methylselenol by these molecules was highly dependent on the nature of the substituent radicals and correlated with their early proapoptotic activity. Our results support the notion that pharmacological activities reported for methyl imidoselenocarbamate derivatives are dependent on the release of methylselenol. Given the well-known antitumor activities of this compound, imidoselenocarbamate derivatives represent a promising approach to develop new drugs that release methylselenol in a controlled way.
Revista:
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
ISSN:
0968-0896
Año:
2012
Vol.:
20
N°:
17
Págs.:
5110 - 5116
In the search for molecules with potential antiangiogenic activity we found that several imidoselenocarbamate derivatives, which have pro-apoptotic and antiproliferative activities, under hypoxic conditions release methylselenol, a volatile and highly reactive gas that was considered to be responsible for the observed biological activity. The kinetic for the liberation of methylselenol is highly dependent on the nature of the overall structure and correlate with their proven pro-apoptotic activity in lung cancer cell line H157. The preliminary structure-activity relationships allow us to select as the basic structural element a scaffold constructed with an imidoselenocarbamate fragment decorated with a methyl residue on the Se central atom and two heteroaromatic lateral rings. These imidoselenocarbamate derivatives may be of interest both for their antitumoral activities and because they have a structure that can be considered as a template for the design of new derivatives with apoptotic activity. This activity is related to the controlled delivery of methylselenol and makes this an interesting approach to develop new antitumoral agents.
Revista:
METALLOMICS
ISSN:
1756-5901
Año:
2012
Vol.:
4
N°:
12
Págs.:
1297 - 1307
The essential micronutrient selenium (Se) exerts its biological effects mainly through selenoproteins thereby affecting a number of physiological pathways including intracellular redox control, stress response and cancer cell proliferation. Besides affecting selenoprotein expression, some selenocompounds have been synthesized and analyzed in order to serve as chemotherapeutic substances preferentially targeting cancer cells. This promising chemotherapeutic potential has recently been verified for a particular imidoselenocarbamate in a mouse tumor model. In the present study we tested the effects of this and a number of related Se-methyl-and Se-benzyl-imidoselenocarbamates on selenoprotein expression in nontransformed and hepatic carcinoma cells in culture. Most of the Se-benzyl-imidoselenocarbamates strongly stimulated selenoprotein P (SePP) secretion while the Se-methyl-imidoselenocarbamates elicited less pronounced effects in hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells. However, most of the Se-methyl-imidoselenocarbamates increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and decreased thioredoxin reductase (TXNRD) activity in parallel, while the majority of the Se-benzyl-imidoselenocarbamates were without a respective effect in HepG2 cells. Performing inhibitor assays in vitro, GPx activity was unaffected by the imidoselenocarbamates. In contrast, most of the Se-methyl-imidoselenocarbamates inhibited TXNRD activity in vitro in line with the results in HepG2 cells. Both classes of imidoselenocarbamates strongly induced selenoprotein S (SELS) expression without a respective increase in ER stress or unfolded protein response which are known inducers of SELS biosynthesis. Notably, many of these effects were cancer cell-specific, and not observed in nontransformed AML12 hepatocytes. Our results indicate that these novel selenocompounds affect expression and activity of crucial selenoenzymes in a compound-and cell-specific way in hepatocytes. Especially the Se-methyl-imidoselenocarbamates elicit a unique spectrum of activities by stimulating GPx activity, SELS expression and SePP secretion while inhibiting TXNRD activity in hepatocarcinoma cells. These effects represent a promising finding with respect to the identification of therapeutic selenocompounds, as cancer-cell specificity is combined with desired effects on selenoprotein expression and activity.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2012
Vol.:
47
N°:
1
Págs.:
283 - 298
The synthesis, cytotoxic activities and selectivities of 35 derivatives related to quinazoline and pyrido [2,3-d]pyrimidine are described. The synthesized compounds were screened in vitro against four tumoral cell lines leukemia (CCRF-CEM), colon (HT-29), lung (HTB-54) and breast (MCF-7) - and two cell lines derived from non-malignant cell lines, one mammary (18485) and one from bronchial epithelium (BEAS-2B). MCF-7 and HTB-54 were the most sensitive cell lines with GI(50) values below 10 mu M for eleven and ten compounds. respectively. Two compounds (2o and 3a) were identified that evoked a marked cytotoxic effect in all cell lines tested and one compound, 7h, was potent and selective against MCF-7. A preliminary study into the mechanism of the potent derivatives 2o, 3a and 7h indicated that the cytotoxic activities of these compounds might be mediated by inducing cell death without affecting cell cycle phases.
Revista:
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0929-8673
Año:
2012
Vol.:
19
N°:
18
Págs.:
3031 - 3043
Methylimidoselenocarbamates have previously proven to display potent antitumor activities. In the present study we show that these compounds act as multikinase inhibitors. We found that the most effective compound, quinoline imidoselenocarbamate EI201, inhibits the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which is persistently activated and contributes to malignant progression in various cancers. EI201 blocked the phosphorylation of AKT, mTOR and several of its downstream regulators (p70(S6K) and 4E-BP1) and ERK1/2 in PC-3, HT-29 and MCF-7 cells in vitro, inducing both autophagy and apoptosis. EI201 also contributes to the loss of maintenance of the self-renewal and tumorigenic capacity of cancer stem cells (CSCs). 0.1 mu mol/L EI201 triggered a reduction in size and number of tumorspheres in PC-3, HT-29 and MCF-7 cells and 4 mu mol/L induced the elimination of almost all the tumorspheres in the three studied cell lines. In addition, EI201 suppressed almost 80% prostate tumor growth in vivo (p < 0.01) compared to controls at a relatively low dose (10 mg/kg) in a mouse xenograft model. There was a significant decrease in the subcutaneous primary tumor [18F]-FDG uptake (76.5% reduction, p < 0.05) and in the total tumor burden (76.8% reduction, p < 0.05) after EI201 treatment compared to vehicle control, without causing toxicity in mice. Taken together, our results support further development of EI201 as a novel multi-kinase inhibitor that may be useful against cancers with aberrant upregulation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways.
Revista:
Molecules
ISSN:
1420-3049
Año:
2011
Vol.:
16
N°:
8
Págs.:
6349 - 6364
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2011
Vol.:
46
N°:
8
Págs.:
3315 - 3323
Thirty five selenocyanate and diselenide compounds were subjected to in vitro screening against Leishmania infantum promastigotes and the most active ones were also tested in an axenic amastigote model. In order to establish the selectivity indexes (SI) the cytotoxic effect of each compound was also assayed against Jurkat and THP-1 cell lines. Thirteen derivatives exhibit better IC(50) values than miltefosine and edelfosine. Bis(4-aminophenyl)diselenide exhibits the best activity when assayed in infected macrophages and one of the lowest cytotoxic activities against the human cell lines tested, with SI values of 32 and 24 against Jurkat and THP-1 cells, respectively. This compound thus represents a new lead for further studies aimed at establishing its mechanism of action.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY
ISSN:
1388-6150
Año:
2011
Vol.:
105
N°:
3
Págs.:
1007 - 1013
The thermal behavior of a series of organosulfur and organoselenium compounds has been studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and thermomicroscopy in order to investigate their polymorphism. In this study, the polymorphism of some of the products has been established. The results of the experiments show that there are four types of thermal behavior for compounds studied. The physicochemical characterization of sulfur and selenium compounds showed differences in structural parameters and fusion temperatures among polymorphic forms.
Revista:
European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
ISSN:
0223-5234
Año:
2011
Vol.:
46
N°:
1
Págs.:
265 - 274
Revista:
STRUCTURAL CHEMISTRY
ISSN:
1040-0400
Año:
2011
Vol.:
22
N°:
6
Págs.:
1233 - 1240
Organoselenium compounds have already been reported to be good anticarcinogenic candidates. A new selenoquinazoline derivative, 2,4-bis(selenomethyl) quinazoline (compound 1), has been synthesized, spectroscopically characterized and its crystal structure has been studied. An intermolecular coupling between C(2) and H(5)' in the Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation (HMBC) experiment has been observed. Assuming that the head-to-tail overlap of parallel molecules (as identified by X-ray diffraction) remains in solution to give bimolecular entities, the p-p interaction enables heteronuclear coupling between the former atoms with a three-bond distance [C(2)center dot center dot center dot(pi-pi)center dot center dot center dot C(5)'-H(5)']. The crystal structure of compound 1 has been solved by X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in triclinic system, space group P-1. Unit cell parameters are a = 7.4969(7) angstrom, b = 8.7008(8) angstrom, c = 10.1666(9) angstrom, a = 110.215(2)degrees, beta = 90.354(2)degrees, gamma = 115.017(1)degrees. Linear chains in crystals of compound 1 are generated by C-H center dot center dot center dot Se and Se center dot center dot center dot Se bonds between molecules. Furthermore, head-to-tail overlap of parallel molecules, in which p-p interactions can occur, is observed. Compound 1 exhibited a cytotoxic effect in all of the evaluated tumoral cell lines and showed a higher cytotoxic effect in colon and breast cancer cell lines than etoposide, which was used as a reference compound.
Revista:
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
ISSN:
0932-0113
Año:
2010
Vol.:
108
N°:
1
Págs.:
233 - 239
Revista:
Molecules
ISSN:
1420-3049
Año:
2010
Vol.:
15
N°:
10
Págs.:
7292 - 7312
Revista:
ARCHIV DER PHARMAZIE
ISSN:
0365-6233
Año:
2010
Vol.:
343
N°:
11 - 12
Págs.:
680 - 691
A novel series of fourteen substituted selenadiazoles has been synthesized and the compounds tested for their in vitro antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities. The tests were carried out against leukemia (CCRF-CEM), colon (HT-29), lung (HTB-54), and breast (MCF-7) cancer cells. In order to assess the selectivity of the compounds under investigation the assays were also carried out on two non-tumoral lines - one mammary (184B5) and one bronchial epithelium (BEAS-2B) cell line. Assay-based antiproliferative activity studies revealed that seven derivatives (2a, 2c, 2e, 2f, 2g, 3a, and 3b) exhibited good activity against MCF-7 cells: for instance, 2c and 2f inhibited cell growth with nanomolar GI¿¿ values. Compound 2f had a better antitumoral profile than vinorelbine and paclitaxel, two drugs that are used as first-line treatments in advanced, recurrent, and/or metastatic cancer. In the other cell lines the compounds showed moderate activity or were inactive - with the exception of 2a, which was also found to have antiproliferative activity. Modulation of the cell cycle and apoptotic effects of active compounds were further evaluated in MCF-7 cells. Of these, 6-bromo[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-b]pyridine (2a) was the most active, with an apoptogenic effect 3.9 times higher than that of camptothecin, which was used as a positive control. Compound 2a also provoked cell cycle arrest with a significant decrease in the G¿/G¿ phase cell population and an increase in S and G¿/M cells, thus suggesting mitotic arrest prior to metaphase.