Discovery of Dual Lysine Methyltransferase G9a and EZH2 Inhibitors with In Vivo Efficacy against Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor

J Med Chem. 2023 Apr 27;66(8):5685-5702. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00003. Epub 2023 Apr 6.

Abstract

In recent years, it has been proposed that G9a/EZH2 dual inhibition is a promising cancer treatment strategy. Herein, we present the discovery of G9a/EZH2 dual inhibitors that merge the pharmacophores of G9a and EZH2 inhibitors. Among them, the most promising compound 15h displayed potent inhibitory activities against G9a (IC50 = 2.90 ± 0.05 nM) and EZH2 (IC50 = 4.35 ± 0.02 nM), superior antiproliferative profiles against RD (CC50 = 19.63 ± 0.18 μM) and SW982 (CC50 = 19.91 ± 0.50 μM) cell lines. In vivo, 15h achieved significant antitumor efficacy in a xenograft mouse model of human rhabdoid tumor with a tumor growth inhibitory rate of 86.6% without causing observable toxic effects. The on-target activity assays illustrated that compound 15h can inhibit tumor growth by specifically inhibiting EZH2 and G9a. Therefore, 15h is a potential anticancer drug candidate for the treatment of malignant rhabdoid tumor.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase
  • Humans
  • Lysine / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Rhabdoid Tumor* / drug therapy

Substances

  • Lysine
  • Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • EZH2 protein, human
  • Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein