Restraining the flexibility of the central linker in terameprocol results in constrained analogs with improved growth inhibitory activity
作者:Sherman Si Han Ho、Mei Lin Go
DOI:10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.09.014
日期:2013.11
The semi-synthetic lignan terameprocol inhibits the transcription of several inflammatory and oncogenic genes and has been evaluated for its anti-cancer properties. Here we investigated the effect of restricting the flexibility of the carbon linker connecting the terminal rings of terameprocol on its growth inhibitory activity. Conformational restriction was explored by introducing unsaturation, inserting polar entities with limited flexibility and cyclization of the connecting linker. Twenty three compounds were synthesized and evaluated on a panel of malignant human cells. The most promising compounds were those with non-polar linkers, as seen in butadiene 1a and the cyclized benzylideneindane analog 7. Both compounds were more potent than terameprocol on pancreatic BxPC-3 cells with GI(50) values of 3.4 and 8.1 mu M, respectively. Selected isomers of 1a (E,E) and 7 (Z) adopted low energy bent conformations that mimicked the low energy conformer of terameprocol. It is tempting to propose that conformational similarity to terameprocol may have contributed to their good activity. The scaffolds of 1a and 7 should be further investigated for their anticancer potential. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tuning liver pyruvate kinase activity up or down with a new class of allosteric modulators
The liver isoform of pyruvatekinase (PKL) has gained interest due to its potential capacity to regulate fatty acid synthesis involved in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here we describe a novel series of PKL modulators that can either activate or inhibit the enzyme allosterically, from a cryptic site at the interface of two protomers in the tetrameric enzyme. Starting