For the first time, hybrid molecules were synthesized on the basis of lithocholic and (5Z,9Z)-1,14-tetradeca-5,9-dienedicarboxylic acids, obtained in two stages using the homo-cyclomagnesiation reaction of 2-(hepta-5,6-diene-1-yloxy)tetrahydro-2H-pyran at the key stage. The resulting hybrid molecules containing 5Z,9Z-dienoic acids are of interest as novel synthetic biologically active precursors to create modern drugs for the treatment of human oncological diseases. The synthesized hybrid molecules were found to exhibit extremely high in vitro inhibitory activity against human topoisomerase I, which is 2–4 times higher than that of camptothecin, a known topoisomerase I inhibitor. Using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy, it was first shown that these new molecules are efficient apoptosis inducers in HeLa, U937, Jurkat, K562, and Hek293 cell cultures. In addition, the results of investigations into the effect of the synthesized acids on mitochondria and studies of possible DNA damage in Jurkat tumor cells are also presented.
The first Z-stereoselective method was developed for the synthesis of unsaturated acids containing a 1Z,5Z,9Z-triene moiety in 61–64% yields using the new Ti-catalyzed cross-coupling of oxygen-containing and aliphatic 1,2-dienes as the key synthetic step. It was shown for the first time that trienoic acids with non-methylene-interrupted Z-double bonds show moderate cytotoxic activities against tumor cell lines (Jurkat, K562, U937, HL60, HeLa), human embryonic kidney cells (Hek293), normal fibroblasts and human topoisomerase I (hTop1) inhibitory activity in vitro. The synthesized acids efficiently initiate apoptosis of Jurkat tumor cells, with the cell death mechanism being activated by the mitochondrial pathway. A probable mechanism of topoisomerase I inhibition was also hypothesized on the basis of in silico studies resorting to docking. The activation and inhibition of the most versatile intracellular signaling pathways (CREB, JNK, NFkB, p38, ERK1/2, Akt, p70S6K, STAT3 and STAT5 tyrosine kinases) responsible for cell proliferation and for initiation of apoptosis were studied by multiplex assay technology (Luminex xMAP).