Fangchinoline derivatives induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human leukemia cell lines via suppression of the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathway

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111898
• Publication Date: 2019-11-21T07:41:07Z
• Authors: Jin Yang; Shengcao Hu; Chunlin Wang; Junrong Song; Chao Chen; Yanhua Fan; Yaacov Ben-David; Weidong Pan
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Molecular Structure; Cell Survival; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Cell Cycle Checkpoints; Benzylisoquinolines; 3. Good health; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Structure-Activity Relationship; 03 medical and health sciences; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Humans; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Cell Proliferation

Fangchinoline, a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Stephania tetrandra S. Moore, is known to exert anti-cancer activity. A series of new fangchinoline derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for their anti-cancer activity. In cell viability assay, these fangchinoline derivatives displayed higher proliferation inhibitory activity on leukemia and breast cancer cell lines than the parental compound. Among them, 3e exhibited strongest cell growth inhibitory activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner on leukemia cell line HEL through induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Treatment of HEL cells with 3e also resulted in significant suppression of the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathway as well as c-MYC downregulation, which may responsible for induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. In docking analysis, high affinity interaction between 3e and Akt1 was responsible for drastic kinase inhibition by the compound. This derivative compound may be useful as a potent anti-cancer agent for treatment of leukemia.