In many different species, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) constitutes a major checkpoint of anaerobic glycolysis, by catalyzing the reduction of pyruvate into lactate. This enzyme has recently received a great deal of attention since it may constitute a valid therapeutic target for diseases so different as malaria and cancer. In fact, the isoform expressed by Plasmodium falciparum (pfLDH) is a key enzyme for energy generation of malarial parasites. These species mostly depend on anaerobic glycolysis for energy production, since they lack a citric acid cycle for ATP formation. Therefore, inhibitors of pfLDH would potentially cause mortality of P. falciparum and, to this purpose, several small organic molecules have been recently designed and developed with the aim of blocking this new potential antimalarial chemotherapeutic target. Moreover, most invasive tumour phenotypes show a metabolic switch (Warburg effect) from oxidative phosphorylation to an increased anaerobic glycolysis, by promoting an upregulation of the human isoform-5 of lactate dehydrogenase (hLDH-5 or LDH-A), which is normally present in muscles and in the liver. Hence, inhibition of hLDH-5 may constitute an efficient way to interfere with tumour growth and invasiveness. This review provides an overview of the LDH inhibitors that have been developed up to now, an analysis of their possible isoform-selectivity, and their therapeutic potentials.

We have recently identified 1,8-naphthyridin-2(1H)-one-3-carboxamide as a new scaffold very suitable for the development of new CB2 receptor potent and selective ligands. In this paper we describe a number of additional derivatives in which the same central scaffold has been variously functionalized in position 1 or 6. All new compounds showed high selectivity and affinity in the nanomolar range for the CB2 receptor. Furthermore, we found that their functional activity is controlled by the presence of the substituents at position C-6 of the naphthyridine scaffold. In fact, the introduction of substituents in this position determined a functionality switch from agonist to antagonists/inverse agonists. Finally, docking studies showed that the difference between the pharmacology of these ligands may be in the ability/inability to block the Toggle Switch W6.48(258) (χ1 g+ → trans) transition.

The physiological effects of a variety of N6-substituted adenine and adenosine derivatives called cytokinins have been documented in plants, but information on their occurrence and function in other biological system is limited. Here we investigated the anti-proliferative effect of N6-isopentenyladenosine (i6A), an adenosine and isoprenoid derivative, in a thyroid cell system, FRTL-5 wild-type, and K-ras transformed KiMol cells. Addition of i6A to FRTL-5 cells caused a dose-dependent arrest of the G0-G1 cell phase transition associated with a reduction of cells in the S phase that was much more evident in KiMol cells. I6A arrested tumor cell proliferation by inhibiting farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) and protein prenylation. Indeed the addition of farnesol reversed these effects and i6A affected protein prenylation, in particular lamin B processing. I6A effect was not mediated by the adenosine receptor but was due to a direct modulation of FPPS enzyme activity as a result of its uptake inside the cells. I6A inhibited FPPS activity more efficaciously in KiMol cells than in normal FRTL-5. Moreover, the i6A anti-proliferative effect was evaluated in vivo in a nude mouse xenograft model, where KiMol cells were implanted subcutaneously. Mice treated with i6A showed a drastic reduction in tumor volume. Our findings indicate that this isoprenoid end product might be used for antineoplastic therapy, an application emulating that of the lovastatin and/or farnesyl-transferase inhibitors

Oleocanthal is one of the phenolic compounds of extra virgin olive oil with important anti-inflammatory properties. Although its potential anticancer activity has been reported, only limited evidence has been provided in cutaneous malignant melanoma. The present study is aimed at investigating the selective in vitro antiproliferative activity of oleocanthal against human malignant melanoma cells. Since oleocanthal is not commercially available, it was obtained as a pure standard by direct extraction and purification from extra virgin olive oil. Cell viability experiments carried out by WST-1 assay demonstrated that oleocanthal had a remarkable and selective activity for human melanoma cells versus normal dermal fibroblasts with IC50s in the low micromolar range of concentrations. Such an effect was paralleled by a significant inhibition of ERK1/2 and AKT phosphorylation and downregulation of Bcl-2 expression. These findings may suggest that extra virgin olive oil phenolic extract enriched in oleocanthal deserves further investigation in skin cancer.

The direct activation of cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) results in several beneficial effects; therefore several CBRs ligands have been synthesized and tested in vitro and in vivo. However, none of them reached an advanced phase of clinical development due mainly to side effects on the CNS. Medicinal chemistry approaches are now engaged to develop allosteric modulators that might offer a novel therapeutic approach to achieve potential therapeutic benefits avoiding inherent side effects of orthosteric ligands. Here we identify the first ever synthesized positive allosteric modulator (PAM) that targets CBRs. The evidence for this was obtained using [H]CP55940 and [S]GTPγS binding assays. This finding will be useful for the characterization of allosteric binding site(s) on CBRs which will be essential for the further development of CBR allosteric modulators. Moreover, the new CBR PAM displayed antinociceptive activity in vivo in an experimental mouse model of neuropathic pain, raising the possibility that it might be a good candidate for clinical development.