Identification of novel aza-analogs of TN-16 as disrupters of microtubule dynamics through a multicomponent reaction

Arash Foroutan, MARCO CORAZZARI, AMBRA GROLLA, Giorgia Colombo, Cristina Travelli, Armando A Genazzani, Sewan Theeramunkong, Ubaldina GALLI, Gian Cesare TRON

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Despite novel biological targets emerging at an impressive rate for anticancer therapy, antitubulin drugs remain the backbone of numerous oncological protocols and their efficacy has been demonstrated in a wide variety of adult and pediatric cancers. In the present contribution, we set to develop analogs of a potent but neglected antitubulin agent, TN-16, originally discovered via modification of tenuazonic acid (3-acetyl-5-sec-butyltetramic acid). To this extent, we developed a novel multicomponent reaction to prepare TN-16, and then we applied the same reaction for the synthesis of aza-analogs. In brief, we prepared a library of 62 novel compounds, and three of these retained nanomolar potencies. TN-16 and the active analogs are cytotoxic on cancer cell lines and, as expected from antitubulin agents, induce G2/M cell cycle arrest. These agents lead to a disruption of the microtubules and an increase in α-tubulin acetylation and affect in vitro polymerization, although they have a lesser effect in cellular tubulin polymerization assays.
Original languageEnglish
JournalEuropean Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Volume245
Issue numberPt 1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Anticancer compounds
  • Colchicine binding site
  • Multicomponent reactions
  • TN-16
  • Tubulin

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