Heterocyclic-Modified Imidazoquinoline Derivatives: Selective TLR7 Agonist Regulates Tumor Microenvironment against Melanoma

J Med Chem. 2024 Mar 14;67(5):3321-3338. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01504. Epub 2024 Feb 16.

Abstract

Immunotherapy targeting the toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a series of imidazoquinoline-based TLR7 agonists and assess NF-κB pathway activation using HEK-Blue hTLR7 cells to identify the most potent small-molecule TLR7 agonist, SMU-L11 (EC50 = 0.024 ± 0.002 μM). In vitro experiments demonstrated that SMU-L11 specifically activated TLR7, resulting in recruitment of the MyD88 adaptor protein and activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Moreover, SMU-L11 was found to exert immune-enhancing effects by significantly inducing the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in murine dendritic cells, macrophages, and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells while promoting M1 macrophage polarization. In vivo studies using a B16-F10 mouse tumor model showed that SMU-L11 significantly enhanced immune cell activation and augmented CD4+ T and CD8+ T-cell proliferation, directly killing tumor cells and inhibiting tumor growth.

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / metabolism
  • Melanoma* / drug therapy
  • Melanoma* / metabolism
  • Mice
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Toll-Like Receptor 7 / metabolism
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • NF-kappa B
  • Toll-Like Receptor 7
  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • TLR7 protein, human