Discovery of linear unnatural peptides as potent mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 inhibitors by Ugi reaction.

Isocitrate dehydrogenases 1 (IDH1) catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate to ɑ-ketoglutaric acid (α-KG). It is the most frequently mutated metabolic gene in human cancer and its mutations interfere with cell metabolism and epigenetic regulation, thus promoting tumorigenesis. In order to discover potent new mutant IDH1 inhibitors, based on the structure of marketed inhibitor AG-120 (Ivosidenib), we designed, synthesized and evaluated a series of linear unnatural peptide analogues via Ugi reaction, as potential mutant IDH1 inhibitors.

Novel PROTACs for degradation of SHP2 protein.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 is a member of PTPs family associated with cancer such as leukemia, non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and so on. SHP2 is a promising target for drug development, and consequently it is of great significance to develop SHP2 inhibitors. Herein, we report CRBN-recruiting PROTAC molecules targeting SHP2 by connecting pomalidomide with SHP099, an allosteric inhibitor of SHP2.

Novel selective hexokinase 2 inhibitor Benitrobenrazide blocks cancer cells growth by targeting glycolysis.

Accelerated glucose metabolism is a common feature of cancer cells. Hexokinase 2 (HK2) as the rate-limiting enzyme catalyzes the first step of glucose metabolism. It is overexpressed in most of the human cancers and has been a promising target for cancer therapy.

Furin: A Potential Therapeutic Target for COVID-19.

COVID-19 broke out in the end of December 2019 and is still spreading rapidly, which has been listed as an international concerning public health emergency. We found that the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 contains a furin cleavage site, which did not exist in any other betacoronavirus subtype B. Based on a series of analysis, we speculate that the presence of a redundant furin cut site in its Spike protein is responsible for SARS-CoV-2's stronger infectious nature than other coronaviruses, which leads to higher membrane fusion efficiency.

Structure based discovery of novel hexokinase 2 inhibitors.

Hexokinase 2 (HK2) is over-expressed in most of human cancers and has been proved to be a promising target for cancer therapy. In this study, based on the structure of HK2, we screened over 6 millions of compounds to obtain the lead. A total of 26 (E)-N'-(2,3,4-trihydroxybenzylidene) arylhydrazide derivatives were then designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their HK2 enzyme activity and IC values against two cancer cell lines.

Adapalene inhibits ovarian cancer ES-2 cells growth by targeting glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 1.

Glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 1 (GOT1) regulates cellular metabolism through coordinating the utilization of carbohydrates and amino acids to meet nutrient requirements for sustained proliferation. As such, the GOT1 inhibitor may provide a new strategy for the treatment of various cancers. Adapalene has been approved by FDA for the treatment of acne, pimples and pustules, and it may also contribute to the adjunctive therapy for advanced stages of liver and colorectal cancers.

Physapubescin I from husk tomato suppresses SW1990 cancer cell growth by targeting kidney-type glutaminase.

Kidney-type glutaminase (KGA), catalyzing the hydrolysis of glutamine to glutamate for energy supply, is over-expressed in many cancers and has been regarded as a new therapeutic target for cancers. Physapubescin I was isolated from the fruits of the edible herb Physalis pubescens L., commonly named as "husk tomato or hairy groundcherry", and was predicted to be a potential KGA inhibitor through structure-based virtual ligand screening.

Ixocarpalactone A from dietary tomatillo inhibits pancreatic cancer growth by targeting PHGDH.

3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) catalyzes the first rate-limiting step for the synthesis of glucose-derived serine by converting 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PG) to phosphohydroxypyruvate (p-Pyr), which has been reported to associate with tumorigenesis in many cancers. Iox A, a natural withanolide obtained from dietary tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa), showed significant PHGDH inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 1.66 ± 0.

Synthesis of novel andrographolide beckmann rearrangement derivatives and evaluation of their HK2-related anti-inflammatory activities.

Two series of andrographolide derivatives with introduction of amide moiety into ring A by Beckmann rearrangement were synthesized. In series 1, the ring A was converted to caprolactam, and an amide moiety was linked to C-19 of ring A in series 2. Among them, compound 8h exhibited obvious inhibition on HK2 enzyme activity (IC = 9.

Identification of a pyrimidinetrione derivative as the potent DprE1 inhibitor by structure-based virtual ligand screening.

Despite the increasing need of new antituberculosis drugs, the number of agents approved for the market has fallen to an all-time low. In response to the emerging drug resistance followed, structurally unique chemical entities will be highlighted. decaprenylphosphoryl-β-d-ribose oxidase (DprE1) participating in the biosynthesis of mycobacterium cell wall is a highly vulnerable and validated antituberculosis target.

Steroids from Ganoderma sinense as new natural inhibitors of cancer-associated mutant IDH1.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is one of the key enzymes in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and IDH mutations have been associated with many cancers, including glioblastoma, sarcoma, acute myeloid leukemia, etc. Three natural steroids 1-3 from Ganoderma sinense, a unique and rare edible-medicinal fungi in China, were found as potential IDH1 inhibitors by virtual ligand screening method. Among the three compounds, 3 showed the highest binding affinity to IDH1 with significant calculated binding free energy.