Synthesis and biological activity of 6-selenocaffeine: potential modulator of chemotherapeutic drugs in breast cancer cells

Molecules. 2013 May 8;18(5):5251-64. doi: 10.3390/molecules18055251.

Abstract

We report the development of a new microwave-based synthetic methodology mediated by Woollins' reagent that allowed an efficient conversion of caffeine into 6-selenocaffeine. A preliminary evaluation on the modulation of antioxidant activity upon selenation of caffeine, using the DPPH assay, indicated a mild antioxidant activity for 6-selenocaffeine, contrasting with caffeine, that exhibited no antioxidant activity under the same experimental conditions. Interestingly, whereas 6-selenocaffeine has revealed to have a low cytotoxic potential in both MCF10A and MCF-7 breast cells (24 h, up to 100 µM, MTT assay), a differential effect was observed when used in combination with the anticancer agents doxorubicin and oxaliplatin in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The co-treatment of doxorubicin (1 µM) and 6-selenocaffeine (100 µM) resulted in a slight decrease in cellular viability when compared to doxorubicin (1 µM) alone. Conversely, the seleno-caffeine derivative at the same concentration markedly increased the viability of oxaliplatin (100 µM)-treated cells (p < 0.01). Overall, this work highlights an emerging methodology to synthesize organoselenium compounds and points out the differential roles of 6-selenocaffeine in the modulation of the cytotoxicity of anticancer agents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / agonists
  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / chemistry
  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / pharmacology
  • Antioxidants* / chemical synthesis
  • Antioxidants* / chemistry
  • Antioxidants* / pharmacology
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Caffeine* / agonists
  • Caffeine* / analogs & derivatives
  • Caffeine* / chemical synthesis
  • Caffeine* / chemistry
  • Caffeine* / pharmacology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Doxorubicin / agonists
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology
  • Drug Agonism
  • Epithelial Cells / metabolism*
  • Epithelial Cells / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mammary Glands, Human / metabolism*
  • Mammary Glands, Human / pathology
  • Organoplatinum Compounds / agonists
  • Organoplatinum Compounds / chemistry
  • Organoplatinum Compounds / pharmacology
  • Organoselenium Compounds* / agonists
  • Organoselenium Compounds* / chemical synthesis
  • Organoselenium Compounds* / chemistry
  • Organoselenium Compounds* / pharmacology
  • Oxaliplatin

Substances

  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic
  • Antioxidants
  • Organoplatinum Compounds
  • Organoselenium Compounds
  • Oxaliplatin
  • Caffeine
  • Doxorubicin