The endocannabinoid system is a signaling system involved in a wide range of biological effects. Literature strongly suggests the endocannabinoid system role in the pathogenesis of cancer and that its pharmacological activation produces therapeutic benefits. Last research promotes the endocannabinoid system modulation by inhibition of endocannabinoids hydrolytic enzymes instead of direct activation of endocannabinoid receptors to avoid detrimental effects on cognition and motor control. Here we report the identification of N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase (NAAA) inhibitors able to reduce cell proliferation and migration and cause cell death on different bladder cancer cell lines. These molecules were designed, synthesized and characterized and active compounds were selected by a fluorescence high-throughput screening method set-up on human recombinant NAAA that also allows to characterize the mechanism of inhibition. Together our results suggest an important role for NAAA in cell migration and in inducing tumor cell death promoting this enzyme as pharmacological target against bladder cancer. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lipase-Catalyzed Solvent-Free Amidation of Phenolic Acids
A series of N-alkyl-substituted amides, based on various phenolic acids, have been synthesized by the condensation of equimolar amounts of phenolic acids with different alkyl amines in the presence of Candida antarctica lipase at 60-90 degrees C in 16-20 h. The reactions were carried out in a solvent-free system without the use of any activating agents. All the products were obtained in appreciable amounts and the yields for different compounds varied between 75.6% and 83.5%. The synthesized compounds were characterized using spectroscopy techniques, namely infrared and NMR (H-1 and C-13).