With the increasing incidence of cancer worldwide, the need for specific, effective therapies is ever more urgent. One example of targeted cancer therapeutics is hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs), also known as bioreductive prodrugs. These prodrugs are inactive in cells with normal oxygen levels but in hypoxic cells (with low oxygen levels) undergo chemical reduction to the active compound. Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors and is associated with a more aggressive phenotype and resistance to all modes of therapy. Therefore, the combination of radiation therapy and bioreductive drugs presents an attractive opportunity for synergistic effects, because the HAP targets the radiation-resistant hypoxic cells. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs have typically been precursors of DNA-damaging agents, but a new generation of molecularly targeted HAPs is emerging. By targeting proteins associated with tumorigenesis and survival, these compounds may result in greater selectivity over healthy tissue. We review the clinical progress of HAPs as adjuncts to radiation therapy and conclude that the use of HAPs alongside radiation is vastly underexplored at the clinical level.
Summary
Tumor hypoxia is associated with therapy resistance and poor patient prognosis. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs, designed to selectively target hypoxic cells while sparing normal tissue, represent a promising treatment strategy. We report the pre-clinical efficacy of 1-methyl-2-nitroimidazole panobinostat (NI-Pano, CH-03), a novel bioreductive version of the clinically used lysine deacetylase inhibitor, panobinostat. NI-Pano was stable in normoxic (21% O
2
) conditions and underwent NADPH-CYP-mediated enzymatic bioreduction to release panobinostat in hypoxia (<0.1% O
2
). Treatment of cells grown in both 2D and 3D with NI-Pano increased acetylation of histone H3 at lysine 9, induced apoptosis, and decreased clonogenic survival. Importantly, NI-Pano exhibited growth delay effects as a single agent in tumor xenografts. Pharmacokinetic analysis confirmed the presence of sub-micromolar concentrations of panobinostat in hypoxic mouse xenografts, but not in circulating plasma or kidneys. Together, our pre-clinical results provide a strong mechanistic rationale for the clinical development of NI-Pano for selective targeting of hypoxic tumors.
Allylic trichloroacetimidates bearing a 2-vinyl or 2-allylaryl group have been designed as substrates for a one-pot, two-step multi-bond-forming process leading to the general preparation of aminoindenes and amino-substituted 1,4-dihydronaphthalenes. The synthetic utility of the privileged structures formed from this one-pot process was demonstrated with the total synthesis of four oxybenzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids, oxychelerythrine, oxysanguinarine, oxynitidine, and oxyavicine. An intramolecular biaryl Heck coupling reaction, catalyzed using the Hermann-Beller palladacycle was used to effect the key step during the synthesis of the natural products.
A stereodivergent asymmetric Lewis base catalyzed Michael addition/lactonization of enone acids into substituted dihydrobenzofuran and tetrahydrofuran derivatives is reported. Commercially available (S)-(−)-tetramisole hydrochloride gives products with high syn diastereoselectivity in excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99:1 d.r.syn/anti, 99 % eesyn), whereas using a cinchona alkaloid derived catalyst gives the corresponding anti-diastereoisomers as the major product (up to 10:90 d.r.syn/anti, 99 % eeanti).
A mild, efficient and regioselective method for para‐amination of activated arenes has been developed through a combination of iron and copper catalysis. A diverse range of products were obtained from an operationally simple one‐pot, two‐step procedure involving bromination of the aryl substrate with the powerful Lewis acid iron(III) triflimide, followed by a copper(I)‐catalysed N‐arylation reaction. This two‐step dehydrogenative process for the regioselective coupling of aromatic C−H bonds with non‐activated amines was applicable to anisole‐, phenol‐, aniline‐ and acetanilide‐type aryl compounds. Importantly, the arene substrates were used as the limiting reagent and required no protecting‐group manipulations during the transformation.
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