Targeting p53-MDM2 Interaction Using Small Molecule Inhibitors and the Challenges Needed to be Addressed

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1091-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Zanjirband ◽  
Soheila Rahgozar

MDM2 protein is the core negative regulator of p53 that maintains the cellular levels of p53 at a low level in normal cells. Mutation of the TP53 gene accounts for 50% of all human cancers. In the remaining malignancies with wild-type TP53, p53 function is inhibited through other mechanisms. Recently, synthetic small molecule inhibitors have been developed which target a small hydrophobic pocket on MDM2 to which p53 normally binds. Given that MDM2-p53 antagonists have been undergoing clinical trials for different types of cancer, this review illustrates different aspects of these new cancer targeted therapeutic agents with the focus on the major advances in the field. It emphasizes on the p53 function, regulation of p53, targeting of the p53-MDM2 interaction for cancer therapy, and p53-dependent and -independent effects of inhibition of p53-MDM2 interaction. Then, representatives of small molecule MDM2-p53 binding antagonists are introduced with a focus on those entered into clinical trials. Furthermore, the review discusses the gene signatures in order to predict sensitivity to MDM2 antagonists, potential side effects and the reasons for the observed hematotoxicity, mechanisms of resistance to these drugs, their evaluation as monotherapy or in combination with conventional chemotherapy or with other targeted therapeutic agents. Finally, it highlights the certainly intriguing questions and challenges which would be addressed in future studies.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (20) ◽  
pp. 7549
Author(s):  
Paula Martín Moyano ◽  
Václav Němec ◽  
Kamil Paruch

Protein kinases represent a very pharmacologically attractive class of targets; however, some members of the family still remain rather unexplored. The biology and therapeutic potential of cdc-like kinases (CLKs) have been explored mainly over the last decade and the first CLK inhibitor, compound SM08502, entered clinical trials only recently. This review summarizes the biological roles and therapeutic potential of CLKs and their heretofore published small-molecule inhibitors, with a focus on the compounds’ potential to be utilized as quality chemical biology probes.


Blood ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 126 (23) ◽  
pp. 4272-4272
Author(s):  
Mateusz Adamiak ◽  
Joseph B Moore IV ◽  
John Zhao ◽  
Ahmed Abdelbaset-Ismail ◽  
Marcin Wysoczynski ◽  
...  

Abstract Background . Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) is an inducible stress-response enzyme that not only catalyzes the degradation of heme (e.g., released from erythrocytes) but also has an important function in various physiological and pathophysiological states associated with cellular stress, such as ischemic/reperfusion injury. HO-1 has a well-documented anti-inflammatory potential and inhibits complement cascade (ComC)-mediated inflammatory responses. Moreover, HO-1 has been reported to have a negative effect on adhesion and migration of neutrophils in acute inflammation in a model of peritonitis. Radiation chimeras created after transplantation with HSPCs having a mutation in one of the alleles of HO-1 engrafted much faster; however, a persistent decrease in HO-1 activity in these animals resulted in their enhanced sensitivity to stress and susceptibility to irradiation (Blood 2008, 112, 4494-4502). Moreover, we recently demonstrated that HO-1-deficient HSPCs show enhanced in vitro migration up an SDF-1 gradient (Stem Cell Rev & Rep. 2015, 11, 110-118). Hypothesis. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that transient inhibition of HO-1 by non-toxic, small-molecule inhibitors would enhance in vivo migration of HSPCs to bone marrow (BM)-derived chemoattractants and thus would facilitate their homing and accelerate hematopoietic recovery Materials and Methods . To address this issue, we first generated several human hematopoietic cell lines in which HO-1 was upregulated or downregulated. We also exposed murine and human BM-derived cells to small-molecule inhibitors or activators of HO-1 and performed dose and timing toxicity studies. Next, murine BM mononuclear cells (MNCs) and human umbilical cord blood (UCB) MNCs were exposed to the small-molecule HO-1 inhibitor Sn(IV) protoporphyrin IX dichloride (SnPP) and tested for their chemotactic response in Transwell migration assays to all currently known HSPC chemoattractants, including stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), and the extracellular nucleotides ATP and UTP. For in vivo assays, lethally irradiated mice were transplanted with BM MNCs exposed or not exposed to SnPP, and in recipient animals we evaluated i) the number of day-12 colony-forming units in spleen (CFU-S) and colony-forming units for granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitors in BM and ii) the kinetics of peripheral blood (PB) count recovery by measuring the number of leucocytes, lymphocytes, and platelets. We also performed competitive repopulation studies with a limited number of transplanted BM MNCs using the CD45.1 and CD45.2 congenic mouse models. Results and Conclusions . We demonstrate here that HO-1 is a negative regulator of HSPC migration, and thus, by transiently inhibiting its activity in HSPCs with the non-toxic small-molecule inhibitor (SnPP), it is possible to accelerate homing and subsequent engraftment of HSPCs. We propose that this simple and inexpensive strategy could be employed in the clinical setting to improve seeding efficiency of transplanted HSPCs and their engraftment, particularly in those situations in which the number of HSPCs available for transplant is limited (e.g., from UCB or grafts harvested from poor mobilizers). Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Saugat Adhikari ◽  
Harlan E. Shannon ◽  
Karen E. Pollok ◽  
Robert E. Stratford

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Despite advancements in therapies, such as surgery, irradiation (IR) and chemotherapy, outcome for patients suffering from glioblastoma remains fatal; the median survival rate is only about 15 months. Even with novel therapeutic targets, networks and signaling pathways being discovered, monotherapy with such agents targeting such pathways has been disappointing in clinical trials. Poor prognosis for GBM can be attributed to several factors, including failure of drugs to cross the blood-brain-barrier (BBB), tumor heterogeneity, metastasis and angiogenesis. Development of tumor resistance, particularly to temozolomide (TMZ), creates a substantial clinical challenge.The primary focus of our work is to rationally develop novel combination therapies and dose regimens that mitigate resistance development. Specifically, our aim is to combine TMZ with small molecule inhibitors that are either currently in clinical trials or are approved drugs for other cancer types, and which target the disease at various resistance signaling pathways that are induced in response to TMZ monotherapy. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: To accomplish this objective, an integrated PKPD modeling approach is used. The approach is largely based on the work of Cardilin, et al, 2018. A PK model for each drug is first defined. This is subsequently linked to a PD model description of tumor growth dynamics in the presence of a single drug or combinations of drugs. A key outcome of these combined PKPD models are tumor static concentration (TSC) curves of dual or triple combination drug regimens that identify combination drug exposures predicted to arrest tumor growth. This approach has been applied to TMZ in combination with abemaciclib (a dual CDK4/6 small molecule inhibitor) based on data from a published study evaluating abemaciclib efficacy in combination with TMZ in a glioblastoma xenograft model (Raub, et al, 2015). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: A PKPD model was developed to predict tumor growth kinetics for TMZ and abemaciclib monotherapy, as well as combination therapy. Population PK models in immune deficient NSG mice for temozolomide and abemaciclib were developed based on data obtained from original and published studies. Subsequently, the PK model was linked to tumor volume data obtained from U87-MG GBM subcutaneous xenografts, again using both original data as well as data from the Raub, et al, 2015 study. Model parameters quantifying tumor volume dynamics were precisely estimated (coefficient of variation < 30%). The developed PKPD model was used to calculate plasma concentrations of TMZ and abemaciclib that would arrest tumor growth, as well as combinations of concentrations of the two drugs that would accomplish the same endpoint. This so-called TSC curve for the TMZ and abemaciclib combination pair evidenced an additive effect of the two agents when administered together. These results will be presented. In addition, results from on-going PKPD studies of TMZ in combination with two other small molecule inhibitors, RG7388, an MDM2 inhibitor, and GDC0068, an AKT inhibitor, will also be presented. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Our long-term goals are to further elucidate SOC-induced responses in GBM and establish combination treatment regimens that are safe and significantly improve therapeutic efficacy. Collectively, our studies will broadly influence chemotherapy of GBM by establishing a process to rationally design combination approaches that mitigate resistance development. These studies will ultimately provide opportunities to study other targeted agents tailored to individual molecular signatures of GBM, as well as other tumor types.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (20) ◽  
pp. 1694-1706
Author(s):  
Ritika Chauhan ◽  
Vinita Chauhan ◽  
Priyanka Sonkar ◽  
Ram Kumar Dhaked

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most toxic category A biological warfare agents. There is no therapeutics available for BoNT intoxication yet, necessitating the development of a medical countermeasure against these neurotoxins. The discovery of small molecule-based drugs has revolutionized in the last two decades resulting in the identification of several small molecule inhibitors of BoNTs. However, none progressed to clinical trials. 8-Hydroxyquinolines scaffold-based molecules are important ‘privileged structures’ that can be exploited as inhibitors of a diverse range of targets. In this review, our study of recent reports suggests the development of 8-hydroxyquinoline derived molecules as a potential drug may be on the horizon.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 943-953
Author(s):  
Zhe Yin ◽  
Donglin Yang ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Yuequan Jiang

Proteins of B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2) family are key regulators of apoptosis and are involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers. Disrupting the interactions between the antiapoptotic and proapoptotic Bcl-2 members is an attractive strategy to reactivate the apoptosis of cancer cells. Structure-based drug design (SBDD) has been successfully applied to the discovery of small molecule inhibitors targeting Bcl-2 proteins in past decades. Up to now, many Bcl-2 inhibitors with different paralogue selectivity profiles have been developed and some were used in clinical trials. This review focused on the recent applications of SBDD strategies in the development of small molecule inhibitors targeting Bcl-2 family proteins.


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