In our quest to identify inhibitors of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F (eIF4F), we serendipitously discovered a novel cytotoxic agent. Even though this compound did not inhibit translation, we explored the structural requirements for its cytotoxicity due to its structural originality. A series of 1,3-disubstituted iminobenzimidazoles was synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity. The structure-activity relationship studies demonstrate that hydrophobic substituent is essential for activity. The most active compounds displayed a cytotoxicity in KB, HL60 and HCT116 human cancer cells with an IC50 of about 1μM. These first-in-class series of low molecular weight synthetic molecules may provide the basis for the development of new anticancer drugs.
在我们寻找抑制真核翻译起始因子4F(eIF4F)的过程中,我们意外地发现了一种新的细胞毒性剂。尽管这种化合物并未抑制翻译,但由于其结构的独特性,我们探索了其细胞毒性的结构要求。合成了一系列1,3-二取代亚苄并咪唑,并对它们的体外细胞毒性进行了评估。结构活性关系研究表明,疏水取代基对活性至关重要。最活跃的化合物在KB、HL60和HCT116人类癌细胞中显示出约1μM的IC50细胞毒性。这些首创的低分子量合成分子系列可能为新抗癌药物的开发奠定基础。