Our team discovered a moderate SphK1 inhibitor, SAMS10 (IC50 = 9.8 μM), which was screened by computer-assisted screening. In this study, we developed a series of novel diaryl derivatives with improved antiproliferative activities by modifying the structure of the lead compound SAMS10. A total of 50 new compounds were synthesized. Among these compounds, the most potent compound, named CHJ04022Rb, has significant anticancer activity in melanoma A375 cell line (IC50 = 2.95 μM). Further underlying mechanism studies indicated that CHJ04022R exhibited inhibition effect against PI3K/NF-κB signaling pathways, inhibited the migration of A375 cells, promoted apoptosis and exerted antiproliferative effect by inducing G2/M phase arrest in A375 cells. Furthermore, acute toxicity experiment indicated CHJ04022R exhibited good safety in vivo. Additionally, it showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the growth of xenograft tumor in nude mice. Therefore, CHJ04022R may be a potential candidate for the treatment of melanoma.
Keywords: PI3K/NF-κB signaling pathway; SphK1 inhibitor; melanoma; xenograft tumor.