Discovery of dual tubulin-NEDDylation inhibitors with antiproliferative activity

Abstract

Although various dual-target tubulin inhibitors have been designed and synthesised, no dual tubulin-NEDDylation inhibitors as antiproliferative agents were reported so far. In this work, a series of trimethoxyphenyl analogues as potential dual tubulin-NEDDylation inhibitors were synthesised and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity. Among them, compound C11 exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity with IC 50 values of 1.17, 2.48, and 1.47 μM against HepG2, PC3, and MCF7 cells, respectively. In addition, it displayed the potent inhibitory activity against tubulin with an IC 50 value of 2.40 μM and obviously inhibited tubulin polymerisation in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, C11 inhibited NEDDylation by a ATP-dependent manner. Molecular docking studies revealed that the methoxy group and dithiocarbamate group of C11 could form hydrogen bonds with residues of tubulin and E1 NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE). These results suggested that compound C11 was a dual tubulin-NEDDylation inhibitor with antiproliferative activity.

An Update on the Recent Advances and Discovery of Novel Tubulin Colchicine Binding Inhibitors

“…Some prodrug forms used to improve aqueous solubility and PK profiles could continue to be investigated. Furthermore, with the advances in innovative strategies of drug discovery, it is feasible to develop novel dual-target tubulin inhibitors [110][111][112] to improve therapeutic effects and overcome drug resistance.…”