Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 9-N-substituted-13-alkylberberine derivatives from Chinese medicine as anti-hepatocellular carcinoma agents

Chen, Jichao; Duan, Yiping; Yang, Kan; Wang, Jiahe; Yan, Junjie; Gu, Chenglei; Wang, Shanglong; Zhu, Zheying; Liu, E-Hu; Xu, Jinyi

Abstract

A series of novel 9-N-substituted-13-alkylberberine derivatives from Chinese medicine were designed and synthesized with improved anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) activities. The optimal compound 4d showed strong activities against HepG2, Sk-Hep-1, Huh-7 and Hep3B cells with IC values of 0.58-1.15 μM, which were superior to positive reference cisplatin. Interestingly, 4d exhibited over 40-fold more potent activity against cisplatin-resistant HepG2/DPP cells while showing lower cytotoxicity in normal LX-2 cells. The mechanism studies revealed 4d greatly stabilized G-quadruplex DNA leading to intracellular c-MYC expression downregulation, blocked G2/M-phase cell cycle by affecting related p-cdc25c, cdc2 and cyclin B1 expressions, and induced apoptosis by a ROS-promoted PI3K/Akt-mitochondrial pathway. Furthermore, 4d possessed good pharmacokinetic properties and significantly inhibited the tumor growth in the H22 liver cancer xenograft mouse model without obvious toxicity. Altogether, the remarkably biological profiles of 4d both in vitro and in vivo would make it a promising candidate for HCC therapy. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.]

Citation

Chen, J., Duan, Y., Yang, K., Wang, J., Yan, J., Gu, C., Wang, S., Zhu, Z., Liu, E.-H., & Xu, J. (2023). Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 9-N-substituted-13-alkylberberine derivatives from Chinese medicine as anti-hepatocellular carcinoma agents. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, 79, Article 117156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117156

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 6, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jan 8, 2023
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 10, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 9, 2024
• Journal: Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry
• Print ISSN: 0968-0896
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-3391
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 79
• Article Number: 117156
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117156
• Keywords: G-quadruplex DNA, PI3K/Akt pathway, Berberine, Mitochondrial dysfunction, Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/16789796
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968089623000044?via%3Dihub