Aplysinopsins are a class of indole alkaloids that possess various pharmacological activities. Although their action has been studied in regard to many diseases, their effect on prostate cancer has not yet been examined. Therefore, we synthesized a new series of aplysinopsin analogs and investigated their cytotoxic activity against prostate cancer. Five analogs showed high antitumor activity via suppressing the expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2, simulationously increasing the expression of the pro-apoptotic genes p53, Bax and Caspase 3. The inhibition of BCL2 led to the activation of BAX, which in turn activated Caspase 3, leading to apoptosis. This dual mechanism of action via apoptosis and cell cycle arrest induction is responsible for aplysinopsin analogs antitumor activity. Hence, our newly synthesized analogs are highly promising candidates for further preclinical studies against prostate cancer.
Keywords: anti-apoptotic protein BCL2; aplysinopsin analogs; cell cycle arrest; molecular docking; prostate cancer.