Syntheses and Evaluation of New Bisacridine Derivatives for Dual Binding of G-Quadruplex and i-Motif in Regulating Oncogene c-myc Expression

J Med Chem. 2020 Sep 10;63(17):9136-9153. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01917. Epub 2020 Aug 26.

Abstract

The c-myc oncogene is an important regulator for cell growth and differentiation, and its aberrant overexpression is closely related to the occurrence and development of various cancers. Thus, the suppression of c-myc transcription and expression has been investigated for cancer treatment. In this study, various new bisacridine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their binding with c-myc promoter G-quadruplex and i-motif. We found that a9 could bind to and stabilize both G-quadruplex and i-motif, resulting in the downregulation of c-myc gene transcription. a9 could inhibit cancer cell proliferation and induce SiHa cell apoptosis and cycle arrest. a9 exhibited tumor growth inhibition activity in a SiHa xenograft tumor model, which might be related to its binding with c-myc promoter G-quadruplex and i-motif. Our results suggested that a9 as a dual G-quadruplex/i-motif binder could be effective in both oncogene replication and transcription and become a promising lead compound for further development with improved potency and selectivity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acridines / chemistry*
  • Acridines / metabolism
  • Acridines / pharmacology
  • Acridines / therapeutic use
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemical synthesis*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / metabolism
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Binding Sites
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • G-Quadruplexes*
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / metabolism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Transplantation, Heterologous

Substances

  • Acridines
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc