Expression of Concern: Conjugation of substituted naphthalimides to polyamines as cytotoxic agents targeting the Akt/mTOR signal pathway.

Expression of Concern for 'Conjugation of substituted naphthalimides to polyamines as cytotoxic agents targeting the Akt/mTOR signal pathway' by Zhi-Yong Tian , , 2009, , 4651-4660, https://doi.org/10.1039/B912685F.

NPC-16, a novel naphthalimide-polyamine conjugate, induced apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatoma HepG2 cells and Bel-7402 cells.

The antitumor effects and molecular mechanism of NPC-16, a novel naphthalimide-polyamine conjugate, were evaluated in HepG2 cells and Bel-7402 cells. Apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated by Annexin V-FITC detection kit, and autophagy by acridine orange and Lyso-Tracker Red staining. The change of mitochondrial transmembrane potential was measured using rhodamine 123 staining.

Conjugation of substituted naphthalimides to polyamines as cytotoxic agents targeting the Akt/mTOR signal pathway.

Though several naphthalimide derivatives have exhibited antitumor activity in clinical trials, some issues such as toxicity prompted further structural modifications on the naphthalimide backbone. A series of naphthalimides conjugated with polyamines were synthesized to harness the polyamine transporter (PAT) for drug delivery, which was beneficial for the tumor cell selectivity. Bioevaluation in human hepatoma HepG2 cells treated with alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) or spermidine (Spd), human hepatoma Bel-7402 and normal QSG-7701 hepatocyte confirmed the PAT recognition and cell selectivity.

[Synthesis and in vitro cytotoxicity of naphthalimide polyamine conjugates as antitumor agents].

Six naphthalimide polyamine conjugates were synthesized and their structures were confirmed by elemental analysis, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS. Antitumor activities were evaluated in vitro using MTT assay on Leukemia cells (K562), human breast cancer cells (MB-231) and prostate cancer cells (Ln cap cell). The results showed that most of the six compounds were superior to the control (amonafide), 6d, 6e, and 6f exhibited nice selectivity in a screen of hepatoma cells (BEL-7402) and human normal hepatocytes (QSG-7701).