Mechanisms of the Antiproliferative and Antitumor Activity of Novel Telomerase-Carbonic Anhydrase Dual-Hybrid Inhibitors

J Med Chem. 2021 Aug 12;64(15):11432-11444. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00756. Epub 2021 Jul 20.

Abstract

Human (h) telomerase (TL; EC 2.7.7.49) plays a key role in sustaining cancer cells by means of elongating telomeric repeats at the 3' ends of chromosomes. Since TL-inhibitor (TI) stand-alone cancer therapy has been proven to be remarkably challenging, a polypharmacological approach represents a valid alternative. Here we consider a series of compounds able to inhibit both hTL and the tumor-associated carbonic anhydrases (CAs; EC 4.2.1.1) IX and XII. Compounds 7 and 9 suppressed hTL activity in both cell lysates and human colon cancer cell lines, and prolonged incubation with either 7 or 9 resulted in telomere shortening, cell cycle arrest, replicative senescence, and apoptosis. Enzyme kinetics showed that 7 and 9 are mixed-type inhibitors of the binding of DNA primers and deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) to the TL catalytic subunit hTERT, which is in agreement with docking experiments. Compound 9 showed antitumor activity in Colo-205 mouse xenografts and suppressed telomerase activity by telomere reduction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemical synthesis
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Carbonic Anhydrases / metabolism*
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemical synthesis
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Molecular Structure
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / metabolism
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Sulfonamides / chemistry
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology*
  • Telomerase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Telomerase / metabolism
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Zidovudine / chemistry
  • Zidovudine / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Sulfonamides
  • Zidovudine
  • Telomerase
  • Carbonic Anhydrases