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We aimed to validate two metabolites, aspartic acid and glutamic acid, which were associated with sarcopenia-related traits, muscle mass and strength, in our previous untargeted metabolomics study and to identify novel metabolites from five metabolic pathways involving these two metabolites. We included a discovery cohort of 136 white women aged 20-40 years (used for the previous untargeted metabolomics analysis) and a validation cohort of 174 subjects aged ≥ 60 years, including men and women of white and black. A targeted LC-MS assay successfully detected 12 important metabolites from these pathways. Aspartic acid was associated with muscle mass and strength in the discovery cohort, but not in the validation cohort. However, glutamic acid was associated with these sarcopenia traits in both cohorts. Additionally, N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid and carnosine were the newly identified metabolites that were associated with muscle strength in the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively. We did not observe any significant sex and race differences in the associations of these metabolites with sarcopenia traits in the validation cohort. Our findings indicated that glutamic acid might be consistently associated with sarcopenia-related traits across age, sex, and race. They also suggested that age-specific metabolites and metabolic pathways might be involved in muscle regulation.

Fulvestrant-3-boronic acid (ZB716), an oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) under clinical development, has been investigated in ADME studies to characterize its absorption, metabolism, and pharmacokinetics. ZB716 was found to have high plasma protein binding in human and animal plasma, and low intestinal mucosal permeability. ZB716 had high clearance in hepatocytes of all species tested. ZB716 was metabolized primarily by CYP2D6 and CYP3A. In human liver microsomes, ZB716 demonstrated relatively low inhibition of CYP1A2, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4 (when testosterone was used as the substrate), and no inhibition of CYP2B6 and 3A4 (when midazolam was used as the substrate). In assays for enzyme activity, ZB716 induced CYP1A2, 2B6, and 3A4 in a concentration-dependent manner. Single-dose and repeated-dose pharmacokinetic studies in rats and dogs showed oral bioavailability, dose-proportional drug exposure, and drug accumulation as measured by maximum concentration and area under the concentration–time curve (AUC).

The stereoselective synthesis of conjugated dienes was realized for the first time via Pd-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of easily available 1,3-diynes. Key to success is the utilization of the specific ligand 1,1'-ferrocenediyl-bis(tert-butyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphine) (L1), which allows this novel transformation to proceed at room temperature. A range of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted conjugated dienes are obtained in this straightforward access in high yields and selectivities. The synthetic utility of the protocol is showcased in the concise synthesis of several important intermediates for construction of natural products rac-cagayanin, rac-galbulin, rac-agastinol, and cannabisin G.

The first catalyst for the alkoxycarbonylation of gem-difluoroalkenes is described. This novel catalytic transformation proceeds in the presence of Pd(acac)2 /1,2-bis((di-tert-butylphosphan-yl)methyl)benzene (btbpx) (L4) and allows for an efficient and straightforward access to a range of difluoromethylated esters in high yields and regioselectivities. The synthetic utility of the protocol is showcased in the practical synthesis of a Cyclandelate analogue using this methodology as the key step.

4-1BB (CD137, TNFSF9) is a promising co-stimulatory signaling mediator of T cells and NK cells, and agonistic monoclonal antibodies targeting 4-1BB are under clinical investigations aiming to observe sufficient and prolonged anti-tumor efficacy. However, these trials have resulted in limited efficacy or safety, and different bispecific approaches are being explored to improve the profiles. BH3120, a bivalent bispecific antibody generated by Pentambody(TM) platform targeting 4-1BB and PD-L1 simultaneously, demonstrates strong and prolonged antitumor efficacy as monotherapy in in vivo studies, and favorable safety profiles up to 200mg/kg/dose in non-human primates. Moreover, combination of BH3120 with an immune checkpoint inhibitor shows synergistically enhanced anti-tumor efficacy. Supported by these results, IND enabling studies of BH3120 are on-going and clinical evaluations are planned from later in 2022. Citation Format: Jiangcheng Xu, Yang Liu, Jing Wang, Fei Fan, Haitao Gu, Lanxin Zhang, Jun Wang, Ding Song, Ailong Guo, Hongjuan Zhang, Kaixuan Su, Jiaojiao Su, Lijuan Li, Jingmei Cai, Aihong Zhang, Jiawang Liu, Kyoungwoo Lee. BH3120: A novel bispecific antibody targeting 4-1BB and PD-L1 with well balanced efficacy and safety profiles [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5605.

Background Many studies have found that ruthenium complexes possess unique biochemical characteristics and inhibit tumor growth or metastasis. Results Here, we report the novel dual-targeting ruthenium candidate 2b, which has both antitumor and antimetastatic properties and targets tumor sites through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and transferrin/transferrin receptor (TF/TFR) interaction. The candidate 2b is composed of ruthenium-complexed carboline acid and four chloride ions. In vitro, 2b triggered DNA cleavage and thus blocked cell cycle progression and induced apoptosis via the PARP/ATM pathway. In vivo,2b inhibited not only Lewis lung cancer (LLC) tumor growth but also lung metastasis. We detected apoptosis and decreased CD31 expression in tumor tissues, and ruthenium accumulated in the primary tumor tissue of C57BL/6 mice implanted with LLC cells. Conclusions Thus, we conclude that 2b targets tumors, inhibits tumor growth and prevents lung metastasis.

Additional file 1. Supplementary Information of a dual-targeting ruthenium nanodrug that inhibits primary tumor growth and lungmetastasis via the PARP/ATM pathway.

An unprecedented and challenging defluorinative carbonylation was achieved. Enabled by a Pd/Cu cooperative catalyst system, the first example of defluorinative carbonylative coupling has been established. With gem-difluoroalkenes and aryl iodides as the substrates, this methodology offers flexible and facile access to privileged α-fluorochalcones under mild reaction conditions in moderate-to-excellent yields. Mechanistic studies indicated transmetalation between palladium and copper intermediates as a crucial step of the catalytic cycle.

In this study, an enhanced novel numerical wave tank (NWT), based on the high-order spectral (HOS) method, is established to simulate the propagation of fully nonlinear water waves. A fundamental issue of the HOS-NWT approach is the wave generation problem, which is accounted for using an additional potential concept. We propose a modified wavemaker model by feeding wave properties from the tank bottom to the instantaneous wave surface, according to a chosen wave theory at the tank entrance. Gravity water waves at intermediate and shallow water depths are adopted in this study to verify the stability, efficiency, and accuracy of the modified and conventional methods for wave generation, by comparison with stream function solutions. The results of both methods for in-silico waves are almost identical to the stream function solutions for intermediate water waves. However, the modified model performs better than the conventional one for long shallow water wave simulations. Through Fourier analysis, evident nonlinear characteristics of the time series of the wave elevations are confirmed. The modified HOS-NWT is also extended to investigate nonlinear wave-wall interactions, and satisfactory agreement is achieved with the numerical Fourier solutions.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a bone-derived hormone that binds to binary FGFR/α-Klotho receptor complexes in the kidney tubules to inhibit phosphate reabsorption and 1,25(OH)2D production. Excess FGF23 causes X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) and tumor induced osteomalacia (TIO). Recently, Burosumab, an FGF23 blocking antibody, was approved for treating these hypophosphatemic disorders. A small molecule inhibitor that specifically binds to FGF23 to prevent activation of FGFR/α-Klotho complexes has potential advantages over a systemically administered FGF23 blocking antibody. We previously identified the small molecule ZINC13407541 (N-[[2-(2-phenylethenyl)cyclopenten-1-yl]methylidene]hydroxylamine) as a therapeutic lead FGF23 antagonist. Additional structure-activity studies developed a series of ZINC13407541 analogues with enhanced drug-like properties. In this study, we tested in a pre-clinicalHypmouse homologue of XLH a direct connect analogue (8n) [(E)-2-(4-(tert-butyl)phenyl)cyclopent-1-ene-1-carbaldehyde oxime] that exhibited the greatest stability in microsomal assays, and13a[(E)-2-((E)-4-methylstyryl)benzaldehyde oxime] that exhibited increasedin vitropotency. We found that pharmacological inhibition of FGF23 with either of these compounds blocked FGF23 signaling and significantly increased serum phosphate and 1,25(OH)2D concentrations inHypmice. Long-term parenteral treatment with8nor13aalso enhanced linear bone growth, increased mineralization of bone, and narrowed the growth plate inHypmice. The more potent13acompound showed greater therapeutic efficacy inHypmice. Further optimization of these FGF23 inhibitors may lead to versatile drugs to treat FGF23-mediated disorders.

Many studies have found that ruthenium complexes have unique biochemical characteristics and thus inhibit tumor growth or metastasis. Our aim was to report a novel dual-targeting ruthenium candidate 2b with both antitumor and antimetastatic functions that could target tumor sites using both EPR effects and TF/TFR. It was composed of ruthenium-complexed carboline acid and four chloride ions. In vitro, 2b could trigger DNA cleavage and thus block the cell cycle and cause apoptosis by the PARP/ATM pathway. In vivo, 2b could inhibit not only LLC tumor growth but also lung metastasis. We found apoptosis and decrease in CD31 expression in tumor tissue. In addition, we also found that 2b could collect in tumor tissue. Thus, we concluded that 2b could target tumors, inhibit tumor growth and prevent lung metastasis.

A general and direct synthesis of dicarboxylic acids including industrially important adipic acid by palladium-catalyzed dicarbonylation of allylic alcohol is reported. Specifically, the combination of PdCl2 and a bisphosphine ligand (HeMaRaphos) promotes two different carbonylation reactions with high activity and excellent selectivity.

For the first time, the monoalkoxycarbonylation of easily available 1,3‐diynes to give synthetically useful conjugated enynes has been realized. Key to success was the design and utilization of the new ligand 2,2′‐bis(tert‐butyl(pyridin‐2‐yl)phosphanyl)‐1,1′‐binaphthalene (Neolephos), which permits the palladium‐catalyzed selective carbonylation under mild conditions, providing a general preparation of functionalized 1,3‐enynes in good‐to‐high yields with excellent chemoselectivities. Synthetic applications that showcase the possibilities of this novel methodology include an efficient one‐pot synthesis of 4‐aryl‐4H‐pyrans as well as the rapid construction of various heterocyclic, bicyclic, and polycyclic compounds., Precise synthesis: The new “built‐in‐base” ligand Neolephos was designed and applied in the Pd‐catalyzed monocarbonylation of 1,3‐diynes. The precise synthesis of conjugated enynes was achieved in good‐to‐high yield with excellent chemo‐ and stereoselectivity. The presented methodology can be used for simple diversification of natural products and pharmaceuticals.

This paper proposes a new type of self-centering (SC) damper which exploits the shape memory alloy (SMA) bolts and variable friction mechanism, termed the SMA slip friction damper (SMASFD). The theoretical equations governing the force–displacement relationship, the equivalent stiffness and the equivalent viscous damping are first derived. Then, the application potential of such damper is briefly discussed. In the experimental study, the results of the experimental validations of the SMA bolts and the friction mechanism are presented, followed by the results of proof-of-concept test on the fabricated SMASFDs. According to the testing results, the damper exhibited a symmetric tension–compression flag-shaped hysteresis characterized by excellent SC capacity and good damping capability. The prestrain treatment was applied to the SMA bolts in one test, which was found effectively increased the initial stiffness of the damper. To provide a further understanding on the damper and examine the stress and strain demands of the components, high-fidelity finite element models were established for numerical simulations. Both the analytical method and numerical simulation were validated by the experimental data.

AIM: To evaluate the anti-cancer and anti-tumor activities of ceramide analog 315 in nude mice. METHODS: Nude mice (n=10) were injected bilaterally with 5×10(6) MDA-MB-231 cells on each side. Tumors were allowed to form for two weeks. The mice were then divided into two groups (n=5 in each group). The control group mice were injected with 25 μL of DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxde) and the treatment group mice were injected with 10 mg/kg of analog 315 (in DMSO, 25 μL volume) every day for a period of 3 weeks. Animal weights and tumors were measured every week for 3 weeks. RESULTS: At the end of the experimental period, control animals had retained excess fluid, and showed larger tumor sizes compared to the treated group (2.95 g vs. 1.67 g). A 45% reduction in tumor size and 80% decrease in tumor volume were observed in the treatment group. There was a significant increase in the weights of liver (10%) and spleen (19%) between the control and treated animals. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining of MDA-MB-231 tumor sections revealed more acellular necrotic regions in tumors from the treatment groups compared to the ones from the control group. Ki67, a proliferation marker was higher in number in control tumor section (71.8 ±12.8) compared to the treatment tumor section (37.4±10.4), (P

PURPOSE: Selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) has proven clinically effective in treating advanced or metastatic breast cancer since the approval of fulvestrant by FDA in 2002. Recent expansion of indications as a first line monotherapy and as combination therapy with CDK4/6 inhibitors further extends its clinical utility as an efficacious breast cancer endocrine regimen. However, the poor pharmacokinetic properties of fulvestrant and its injection-only administration route has driven continued efforts to develop orally bioavailability SERD that could potentially improve clinical response to SERD treatment. GLL398, a boron-modified GW5638 analog, showed superior oral bioavailability while retaining both antiestrogenic activity and ER degrading efficacy at a potency level comparable to the more active metabolite of GW5638, GW7604. METHOD: Here we used molecular modeling, ER (Y537S) binding assay, MCF-7 Xenograft tumor and patient derived xenograft (PDX) tumor model to conduct further studies on the pharmacology and metabolism of GLL398. RESULTS: Consistent with GLL398’s robust activities in breast cancer cells that are either tamoxifen resistant or express constitutively active, mutant ESR1 (Y537S), it was found to bind the mutant ER(Y537S) at a high affinity. Molecular modeling of the binding mode of GLL398 to ER also found its molecular interactions consistent with the experimentally determined high binding affinity towards WT ER and ER(Y537S). To test the in vivo efficacy of GLL398, mice bearing MCF-7 derived xenograft breast tumors and patient derived xenograft tumors harboring ER(Y537S) were treated with GLL398 which potently inhibited tumor growth in mice. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates GLL398 is an oral SERD that has therapeutic efficacy in clinically relevant breast tumor models.

// Shanchun Guo 1, 2 , Changde Zhang 1, 2 , Melyssa Bratton 2, 3 , Madhusoodanan Mottamal 1, 2 , Jiawang Liu 1, 2 , Peng Ma 2, 3 , Shilong Zheng 1, 2 , Qiu Zhong 1, 2 , Lin Yang 4 , Thomas E. Wiese 2, 3 , Yong Wu 5 , Matthew J. Ellis 6 , Margarite Matossian 7 , Matthew E. Burow 7 , Lucio Miele 8 , Rene Houtman 9 and Guangdi Wang 1, 2 1 Department of Chemistry, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA 2 RCMI Cancer Research Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA 3 College of Pharmacy, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA 4 College of Pharmacy Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, University Town, Chongqing, 401331, China 5 Department of Internal Medicine, Charles Drew University, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA 6 Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA 7 Section of Hematology & Medical Oncology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA 8 Department of Genetics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA 9 Nuclear Receptor Group, PamGene International, 5211HH Den Bosch, The Netherlands Correspondence to: Guangdi Wang, email: gwang@xula.edu Keywords: steroidal oral SERD; breast cancer; estrogen receptor mutant; Y537S; bioavailability Received: October 12, 2017 Accepted: December 27, 2017 Published: January 08, 2018 ABSTRACT Advances in oral SERDs development so far have been confined to nonsteroidal molecules such as those containing a cinnamic acid moiety, which are in earlystage clinical evaluation. ZB716 was previously reported as an orally bioavailable SERD structurally analogous to fulvestrant. In this study, we examined the binding details of ZB716 to the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) by computer modeling to reveal its interactions with the ligand binding domain as a steroidal molecule. We also found that ZB716 modulates ERα-coregulator interactions in nearly identical manner to fulvestrant. The ability of ZB716 to inhibit cell growth and downregulate ER expression in endocrine resistant, ERα mutant breast cancer cells was demonstrated. Moreover, in both the MCF-7 xenograft and a patient derived xenograft model, orally administered ZB716 showed superior efficacy in blocking tumor growth when compared to fulvestrant. Importantly, such enhanced efficacy of ZB716 was shown to be attributable to its markedly higher bioavailability, as evidenced in the final plasma and tumor tissue concentrations of ZB716 in mice where drug concentrations were found significantly higher than in the fulvestrant treatment group.

A catalytic oxidative carbonylation reaction was developed for the synthesis of polysubstituted maleimides from alkynes and amines with air as a green oxidant. This novel transformation proceeds in the presence of palladium chloride without the need for expensive ligands or additives and has a broad substrate scope affording a variety of maleimides in good to high yields.

// Changde Zhang 1, 2 , Shanchun Guo 1, 2 , Lin Yang 3 , Jiawang Liu 1, 2 , Shilong Zheng 1, 2 , Qiu Zhong 1, 2 , Qiang Zhang 1, 2 and Guangdi Wang 1, 2 1 Department of Chemistry, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA 2 RCMI Cancer Research Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA 3 Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Chongqing, 401331, China Correspondence to: Guangdi Wang, email: gwang@xula.edu Keywords: ZB716 metabolism, oral SERD, pharmacokinetics, sulfation, glucuronidation Received: July 04, 2017 Accepted: September 18, 2017 Published: October 10, 2017 ABSTRACT ZB716 is a selective estrogen receptor downregulator (SERD) with excellent oral bioavailability and superior efficacy. In this study, we investigate the in vitro and in vivo metabolism and the pharmacokinetics of ZB716 by incubation with liver microsomes, liver cytosol, and by orally dosing rodents. Metabolic products were identified and quantified by a combination of liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The metabolic profile of ZB716 showed fulvestrant and ZB716-sulfone as the two major oxidative metabolites. ZB716 also underwent some degree of sulfation and glucuronidation in vitro . The major oxidative metabolites of ZB716 were found in rat plasma, feces, and urine samples. No sulfation and glucuronidation metabolites from ZB716 were found in plasma. Limited amounts of sulfate conjugates and glucuronides of ZB716 were detected in feces. The glucuronidation on 3-OH position of fulvestrant was the main metabolite found in urine, suggesting that this specific site of phase 2 metabolism is blocked in ZB716 and formation of glucuronide 3-fulvestrant must be preceded by metabolic transformation of ZB716 to fulvestrant. The pharmacokinetic study of ZB716 showed a half-life (t 1/2 ) at 17.03 hour, the area under curve value (AUC) of 1451.82 ng/ml*h, and the maximum plasma concentration (C max ) at 158.12 ng/mL reached at 2 h after a single dose of 10 mg/kg by oral gavage. Overall this study elucidated important metabolic characteristics of ZB716, an oral SERD that has demonstrated superior bioavailability and efficacy in preclinical studies conducted so far.

Orally bioavailable selective estrogen receptor downregulators (SERDs) may offer greater systemic drug exposure, improved clinical efficacy, and more durable treatment outcome for breast cancer patients with disease progression following antiestrogen or aromatase inhibitor therapy. We report the design and synthesis of ZB716, a C-3 position boronic acid modified fulvestrant, which behaves as a steroidal SERD suitable for oral administration. ZB716 binds to ERa competitively at an IC50 of 4.1 nM as compared to 3.9 nM for fulvestrant, and it effectively downregulates ERa (IC50=12.7 nM) in both tamoxifen-sensitive (T47D) and tamoxifen-resistant (T47D/PKCa) breast cancer cells. It acts as an antiestrogen that exerts potent antiproliferative effects on tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7/TamR, T47D/PKCa, and T47D/Y537S). When orally administered to mice, rats, and Beagle dogs, ZB716 demonstrates superior oral bioavailability in all animal-based pharmacokinetic studies when compared to fulvestrant administered by subcutaneous injection. More importantly, orally administered ZB716 was found to potently inhibit xenograft tumor growth in mice. These pre-clinical data strongly suggest that ZB716 is a promising SERD drug that could offer significant improvement over existing SERD regimen of Faslodex. ZB716 is being prepared in an IND application for phase 1 clinical trial in ER+, HER2- advanced breast cancer patients. Citation Format: Wang G, Liu J, Zheng S, Miele L, Wiese T, Zhong Q, Guo S. An orally bioavailable selective estrogen receptor downregulator [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-08-11.

A practical and enantioselective palladium-catalyzed diboration of 1,1-disubstituted allenes is developed by employing a P-chiral monophosphorus ligand, BI-DIME. A series of diboronic esters containing a chiral tertiary boronic ester moiety are formed in excellent yields and ee's with the palladium loading as low as 0.2 mol%. DFT calculations revealed a concerted mechanism of oxidative addition of bis(pinacolato)diboron and allene insertion, as well as a critical dispersion effect on the origins of the enantioselectivity. The method is successfully applied to the concise and enantioselective synthesis of brassinazole.

Development of orally bioavailable nonsteroidal selective estrogen receptor downregulators (SERDs) provides clinical opportunities for the long-term treatment and adjuvant therapy of breast cancer at all stages. We describe the design, synthesis, and identification of a boron-modified GW7604 derivative (GLL398, 9), a SERD candidate, in which a boronic acid functional group replaces the phenolic hydroxyl group of GW7604. Compound 9 strongly binds to ERα in a fluorescence resonance energy transfer binding assay (IC50 = 1.14 nM) and potently degrades ERα in MCF-7 breast cancer cells (IC50 = 0.21 μM). Most importantly, the introduction of the boronic acid group confers superior oral bioavailability of 9 (AUC = 36.9 μg·h/mL) in rats as compared to GW7604 (AUC = 3.35 μg·h/mL). The strikingly favorable pharmacokinetic property of 9 makes it a promising oral SERD suitable for clinical evaluation.

Diels-Alder reactions are among the most powerful synthetic transformations to construct complex natural products. Despite that increasing of enzymatic intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions have been discovered, natural intermolecular Diels-Alderases are rarely described. Here, we report an intermolecular hetero-Diels-Alder reaction in the biosynthesis of tropolonic sesquiterpenes and functionally characterize EupfF as the first fungal intermolecular hetero-Diels-Alderase. We demonstrate that EupfF catalyzed the dehydration of a hydroxymethyl-containing tropolone (5) to generate a reactive tropolone o-quinone methide (6) and might further stereoselectively control the subsequent intermolecular hetero-Diels-Alder reaction with (1E,4E,8Z)-humulenol (8) to produce enantiomerically pure neosetophomone B (1). Our results reveal the biosynthetic pathway of 1 and expand the repertoire of activities of Diels-Alder cyclases.

Selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) has proven clinically effective in treating advanced or metastatic breast cancer since the approval of fulvestrant by FDA in 2002. Recent expansion of indications as a first line monotherapy and as combination therapy with CDK4/6 inhibitors further demonstrates its clinical utility as an efficacious breast cancer endocrine regimen. However, the poor pharmacokinetic properties of fulvestrant and its injection-only administration route has driven continued efforts to develop orally bioavailability SERD that could potentially improve clinical response to SERD treatment. Our laboratory has developed a boron-modified GW5638 analog, GLL398 that showed superior oral bioavailability while retaining both antiestrogenic activity and ER degrading efficacy at a potency level comparable to the more active metabolite of GW5638, GW7604. Here we report further studies on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism of GLL398. Given GLL398’s robust activities in breast cancer cells that are either tamoxifen resistant or express constitutively active, mutant ESR1 (Y537S), we first measured its binding behavior towards ERY537S. To better understand the mode of action we next performed molecular modeling of the binding of GLL398 and found its molecular interactions consistent with the experimentally determined high binding affinity towards WT ER and ERY537S. To test if the superior oral bioavailability can be translated to potent efficacy in vivo, mice bearing MCF-7 derived xenograft breast tumors and patient derived xenograft tumors harboring ERY537S were treated with GLL398 which potently inhibited tumor growth in mice. Finally, the metabolism of GLL398 was also investigated to elucidate the biotransformation of the drug and its potential contribution to the superior oral bioavailability over GW7604.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis lipid metabolism pathways facilitate access to carbon and energy sources during infection. M. tuberculosis gene Rv1075c was annotated as a conserved hypothetical protein. We identified that Rv1075c amino acid sequence shares similarities with other bacterial lipase/esterases and we demonstrated that it has esterase activity, with preference for short-chain fatty acids, particularly acetate, with highest activity at 45°C, pH 9. Site-direct mutagenesis revealed its activity triad as Ser80, Asp244, and His247. We further determined that rRv1075c hydrolyzed triacetin and tributyrin, and it was mainly distributed in cell wall and membrane. Its expression was induced at pH 4.5, mimicking the acidic phagosome of macrophages. Mutation of Rv1075c led to reduced bacterial growth in THP-1 cells and human peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived macrophages, and attenuated M. tuberculosis infection in mice. Our data suggest that Rv1075c is involved in ester and fatty acid metabolism inside host cells.

The “ringing” response of a monopile foundation to focused wave groups was investigated in this study. Such responses are of practical interest in the context of offshore wind turbine foundations. Moderately steep transient focused wave groups were generated in a novel numerical wave tank, based on the high-order spectral method, which was verified and in good agreement with published laboratory data. The monopile was simplified into a slender linear elastic cantilever beam to measure the severity of the structural response. The resonant behavior was excited at the triple-wave frequency of the wave loads. The influence of the damping ratio on the ringing response was considered. Different incident wave models and hydrodynamic models were used to predict the wave loads and induced responses over different wave steepness. The wavelet transform was successfully applied to reveal the local characteristics of the wave loads and ringing response.

Background: The Wnt signaling pathway involves secreted glycoproteins that bind to the Frizzled family receptors to activate intracellular signal transduction events that regulate cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell migration and many critical aspects of developmental biology. Discussion: Aberrant Wnt signaling underlies a wide range of pathologies in humans including tumor initiation, tumor growth, cell senescence, cell death, differentiation and metastasis. The inhibition of Wnt signaling offers a novel approach for anticancer therapeutics. Conclusion: Focusing on recent developments, we reviewed the small-molecule inhibitors targeting various components of Wnt signaling pathways and the progress from the discovery of lead compounds to highly potent inhibitors with significant therapeutic potential.

Yuji Wang,1 Jingcheng Tang,1 Haimei Zhu,1 Xueyun Jiang,1 Jiawang Liu,1 Wenyun Xu,1 Haiping Ma,1 Qiqi Feng,1 Jianhui Wu,1 Ming Zhao,1,2 Shiqi Peng1 1Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Peptide and Small Molecular Drugs, Engineering Research Center of Endogenous Prophylactic of Ministry of Education of China, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Faculty of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Abstract: The hot water extract of Rabdosia rubescens was traditionally used as an antithrombotic medicine. To explore its antithrombotic utility and mechanism, we carried out a series of invitro and invivo assays in this study. Invitro platelet aggregation assay showed that the half maximal inhibitory concentration values of aqueous extract of R. rubescens leaves (AERL) inhibiting platelet aggregation induced by thrombin, arachidonic acid, adenosine diphosphate, and platelet-activating factor ranged from 0.12 mg/mL to 1.43 mg/mL. The minimal effective oral dose of AERL inhibiting the rats from forming thrombus was 25 mg/kg. Both invitro and invivo actions were correlated with AERL concentration-dependently inhibiting sP-selectin release. In water, AERL formed nanoparticles, and their size depended on the concentration. Docking the five nucleotides, 21phenolic acids, and four diterpenoids identified by high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detector/(-)electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry analysis into the active site of P-selectin, rosmarinic acid was predicted to be the antithrombotic ingredient of AERL. In flow cytometry analysis, 1 µM of rosmarinic acid effectively inhibited sP-selectin release in arachidonic acid-activated platelets. In a rat model, 5 mg/kg of oral rosmarinic acid effectively inhibited thrombosis. Keywords: R. rubescens, sP-selectin, antithrombotic ingredient&nbsp

Owing to their outstanding recentering capability, shape memory alloy (SMA) dampers are emerging as promising passive dampers for seismic applications. However, compared to typical seismic dampers, the inherent energy dissipation capability of SMAs is often deemed barely satisfactory. To enhance the damping capacity of SMA dampers, this study suggests combining SMA elements with steel dampers based on bending steel plates. In this new SMA-steel damper, the steel dampers are mainly responsible for absorbing seismic energy, whereas the SMA bars primarily play the role of recovering inelastic deformation. Experimental tests were conducted at room temperature to verify the cyclic behavior of the proposed damper. The hysteretic parameters, such as strength, stiffness, equivalent damping ratio, and residual deformation, are of particular interest and quantified as a function of the loading amplitude. According to test results, the new damper is confirmed to possess desirable recentering capability and high damping. To further understand the damper, numerical simulations were carried out in the finite element (FE) analysis software ABAQUS. The numerical results validated the experimental data. Based on the calibrated FE model, the thickness of the bending steel plate of the steel damper and the diameter of the SMA bars were varied in the parametric analysis to examine its effect on the recentering tendency and damping mechanism.

Herein, we report a general and efficient Pd-catalysed alkoxycarbonylation of sterically hindered and demanding olefins including a variety of tri-, tetra-substituted and 1,1-disubstituted alkenes. In the presence of 1,3-bis(tert-butyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphanyl)propane L3 or 1,4-bis(tert-butyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphanyl)butane L4 the desired esters are obtained in good yields and selectivities. Similar transformation is obtained using tertiary ether as showcased in the carbonylation of MTBE to the corresponding linear ester in high yield and selectivity.

A class of novel diphosphine ligands bearing pyridine substituents was designed and synthesized for the first time. The resulting palladium complexes of L1 allow for chemo- and regioselective dialkoxycarbonylation of various aromatic and aliphatic alkynes affording a wide range of 1,4-dicarboxylic acid diesters in high yields and selectivities. Kinetic studies suggest the generation of 1,4-dicarboxylic acid diesters via cascade hydroesterification of the corresponding alkynes. Based on these investigations, the chemo- and regioselectivities of alkyne carbonylations can be controlled as shown by switching the ligand from L1 to L3 or L9 to give α,β-unsaturated esters.

Despite promising therapeutic utilities for treatment of hematological malignancies, histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) drugs have not proven as effective in the treatment of solid tumors. To expand the clinical indications of HDACi drugs, we developed novel boron-containing prodrugs of belinostat (2), one of which efficiently releases active 2 through a cascade of reactions in cell culture and demonstrates activities comparable to 2 against a panel of cancer cell lines. Importantly, prodrug 7 is more efficacious than belinostat in vivo, not only inhibiting the growth of tumor but also reducing tumor volumes in an MCF-7 xenograft tumor model owing to its superior biocompatibility, which suggests its clinical potential in the treatment of solid tumors.

Background Individuals’ peak bone mineral density (BMD) achieved and maintained at ages 20–40 years is the most powerful predictor of low bone mass and osteoporotic fractures later in life. The aim of this study was to identify metabolomic factors associated with peak BMD variation in US Caucasian women. Methods A total of 136 women aged 20–40 years, including 65 subjects with low and 71 with high hip BMD, were enrolled. The serum metabolites were assessed using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method. The partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) method and logistic regression models were used, respectively, to examine the associations of metabolomic profiles and individual metabolites with BMD. Results The low and high BMD groups could be differentiated by the detected serum metabolites using PLS-DA (P permutation = 0.008). A total of 14 metabolites, including seven amino acids and amino acid derivatives, five lipids (including three bile acids), and two organic acids, were significantly associated with the risk for low BMD. Most of these metabolites are novel in that they have never been linked with BMD in humans earlier. The prediction model including the newly identified metabolites significantly improved the classification of the groups with low and high BMD. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve without and with metabolites were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83–0.94) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94–0.99), respectively (P for the difference = 0.0004). Conclusion Metabolomic profiling may improve the risk prediction of osteoporosis among Caucasian women. Our findings also suggest the potential importance of the metabolism of amino acids and bile acids in bone health.

Cytochrome P450's (CYP's) constitute a diverse group of over 500 monooxygenase hemoproteins, catalyzing transformations that involve xenobiotic metabolism, steroidogenesis and other metabolic processes. Over-production of the steroid hormone cortisol is implicated in the progression of diseases such as diabetes, heart failure and hypertension, stroke, Cushing's syndrome, obesity and renal failure, among others. The biosynthesis of cortisol involves a cascade of cholesterol metabolizing reactions regulated through three major CYP proteins: 17α–hydroxylase-C17/20-lyase (CYP17), 21-hydroxylase (CYP21), and 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1). Excess activities of these enzymes are linked to the progression of malignancies including prostate, breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers. A series of novel functionalized dioxane analogs have been developed and recently patented as CYP17, CYP21, and CYP11B1 inhibitors, which lead to the modulation of cortisol production as a method for treating, delaying, slowing, and inhibiting the implicated diseases. The findings disclosed in this patent have been analyzed and compared with the literature data on inhibitors of CYP17, CYP21, and CYP11B1. The compiled data provide insight into the novel functionality of the compounds described in the patent. In this regard, an objective opinion on the effectiveness and novel biochemistry of these compounds in comparison to current CYP inhibitors used in the treatment of cortisol-related diseases is presented in this paper.

An enantioselective alkoxycarbonylation-amination cascade process of terminal allenes with CO, methanol, and arylamines has been developed. It proceeds under mild conditions (room temperature, ambient pressure CO) via oxidative Pd(II) catalysis using an aromatic spiroketal-based diphosphine (SKP) as a chiral ligand and a Cu(II) salt as an oxidant and affords a wide range of α-methylene-β-arylamino acid esters (36 examples) in good yields with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96% ee) and high regioselectivity (branched/linear > 92:8). Preliminary mechanistic studies suggested that the reaction is likely to proceed through alkoxycarbonylpalladation of the allene followed by an amination process. The synthetic utility of the protocol is showcased in the asymmetric construction of a cycloheptene-fused chiral β-lactam.

1. The polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pyrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, 1-nitropyrene and 1-acetylpyrene, were found to induce Type I binding spectra with human cytochrome P450 (P450) 2A13 and were converted to various mono- and di-oxygenated products by this enzyme. 2. Pyrene was first oxidized by P450 2A13 to 1-hydroxypyrene which was further oxidized to di-oxygenated products, i.e. 1,8- and 1,6-dihydroxypyrene. Of five other human P450s examined, P450 1B1 catalyzed pyrene oxidation to 1-hydroxypyrene at a similar rate to P450 2A13 but was less efficient in forming dihydroxypyrenes. P450 2A6, a related human P450 enzyme, which did not show any spectral changes with these four PAHs, showed lower activities in oxidation of these compounds than P450 2A13. 3. 1-Nitropyrene and 1-acetylpyrene were also found to be efficiently oxidized by P450 2A13 to several oxygenated products, based on mass spectrometry analysis. 4. Molecular docking analysis supported preferred orientations of pyrene and its derivatives in the active site of P450 2A13, with lower interaction energies (U values) than observed for P450 2A6 and that several amino acid residues (including Ala-301, Asn-297 and Ala-117) play important roles in directing the orientation of these PAHs in the P450 2A13 active site. In addition, Phe-231 and Gly-329 were found to interact with pyrene to orient this compound in the active site of P450 1B1. 5. These results suggest that P450 2A13 is one of the important enzymes that oxidizes these PAH compounds and may determine how these chemicals are detoxicated and bioactivated in humans.

A spiro bisphosphine oxide (SpinPO) was found to be an efficient chiral Lewis base catalyst in asymmetric reductive aldol reaction of enones and aldehydes in the presence of trichlorosilane as the reductant, affording a variety of β-hydroxyketones in good yields with moderate to high levels of diastereo- and enantioselectivities.

A new class of palladium catalysts, based on heterocyclic diphosphines, was rationally designed and synthesized. Application of one of these catalysts allows novel Markovnikov-selective carbonylation of non-activated alkynes with heteroarenes to give the corresponding branched α,β-unsaturated ketones in excellent yields (up to 97 %) and regioselectivities (b/l up to 99:1). In addition to heteroarenes, other common nucloephiles (alcohol, phenol, amine, and amide) furnish the desired carbonylation products smoothly in high yields.

Palladium-catalyzed regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective allylic alkylation of β-ketocarbonyls with Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts has been developed using a spiroketal-based diphosphine (SKP) as the ligand, thus affording a range of densely functionalized products bearing vicinal tertiary and all-carbon quaternary stereodyad in high selectivities. The utility of the protocol was demonstrated by the facile synthesis of some complex molecules by simple product transformations.

Ceramides, serve as central mediators in sphingolipid metabolism and signaling pathways. They function in signaling events which induce apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and autophagic responses. In cancer cells, ceramide levels are often suppressed by the up-regulation of ceramide-metabolizing enzymes or the down-regulation of ceramide-generating enzymes, resulting in increased cancer cell survival. Chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation therapy have been shown to increase intracellular ceramide levels leading to anti-cancer effects. Anti-cancer effects have also been seen in cancer cells with the use of exogenous short-chain ceramides. Our laboratory has synthesized a library of ceramide analogs and tested their effects on breast cancer cell lines. Analog 315 has been shown to be the most effective ceramide analog in our library. Here, we are reporting a large-scale synthesis of that analog is reported.

The flavone backbone is a well-known pharmacophore present in a number of substrates and inhibitors of various P450 enzymes. In order to find highly potent and novel P450 family I enzyme inhibitors, an acetylene group was incorporated into six different positions of flavone. The introduction of an acetylene group at certain locations of the flavone backbone lead to time-dependent inhibitors of P450 1A1. 3'-Ethynylflavone, 4'-ethynylflavone, 6-ethynylflavone, and 7-ethynylflavone (KI values of 0.035-0.056 μM) show strong time-dependent inhibition of P450 1A1, while 5-ethynylflavone (KI value of 0.51 μM) is a moderate time-dependent inhibitor of this enzyme. Meanwhile, 4'-ethynylflavone and 6-ethynylflavone are highly selective inhibitors toward this enzyme. Especially, 6-ethynylflavone possesses a Ki value of 0.035 μM for P450 1A1 177- and 15-fold lower than those for P450s 1A2 and 1B1, respectively. The docking postures observed in the computational simulations show that the orientation of the acetylene group determines its capability to react with P450s 1A1 and 1A2. Meanwhile, conformational analysis indicates that the shape of an inhibitor determines its inhibitory selectivity toward these enzymes.

Selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) has proven clinically effective in treating advanced or metastatic breast cancer since the approval of fulvestrant by FDA in 2002. Recent expansion of indications as a first line monotherapy and as combination therapy with CDK4/6 inhibitors further demonstrates its clinical utility as an efficacious breast cancer endocrine regimen. However, the poor pharmacokinetic properties of fulvestrant and its injection-only administration route has driven continued efforts to develop orally bioavailability SERD that could potentially improve clinical response to SERD treatment. GLL398, a boron-modified GW5638 analog, showed superior oral bioavailability while retaining both antiestrogenic activity and ER degrading efficacy at a potency level comparable to the more active metabolite of GW5638, GW7604. Here we report further studies on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism of GLL398. Consistent with GLL398’s robust activities in breast cancer cells that are tamoxifen resistant or express constitutively active, mutant ESR1 (Y537S), it was found to bind the mutant ERY537S at a high affinity. Molecular modeling of the binding mode of GLL398 to ER also found its molecular interactions consistent with the experimentally determined high binding affinity towards WT ER and ERY537S. To test if the superior oral bioavailability can be translated to potent efficacy in vivo, mice bearing MCF-7 derived xenograft breast tumors and patient derived xenograft (PDX) tumors harboring ERY537S were treated with GLL398 which potently inhibited tumor growth in mice. Finally the metabolism of GLL398 was also investigated to elucidate the biotransformation of the drug and its potential contribution to the superior oral bioavailability over GW7604. Citation Format: Shanchun Guo, Changde Zhang, Madhu Mottamal, Ahamed Hossain, Jiawang Liu, Jiawang Liu, Guangdi Wang. Pharmacology and metabolism of GLL398, an oral selective estrogen receptor degrader for endocrine therapy of breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 20.

Ceramide serves as a central mediator in sphingolipid metabolism and signaling pathways, regulating many fundamental cellular responses. It is referred to as a ‘tumor suppressor lipid’, since it powerfully potentiates signaling events that drive apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and autophagic responses. In the typical cancer cell, ceramide levels and signaling are usually suppressed by overexpression of ceramide-metabolizing enzymes or downregulation of ceramide-generating enzymes. However, chemotherapeutic drugs as well as radiotherapy increase intracellular ceramide levels, while exogenously treating cancer cells with short-chain ceramides leads to anticancer effects. All evidence currently points to the fact that the upregulation of ceramide levels is a promising anticancer strategy. In this review, we exhibit many anticancer ceramide analogs as downstream receptor agonists and ceramide-metabolizing enzyme inhibitors.

Naturally occurring flavonoids are known to be metabolized by several cytochrome P450 enzymes including P450s 1A1, 1A2, 1B1, 2C9, 3A4, and 3A5. In general flavonoids can act as substrates, inducers, and/or inhibitors of P450 enzymes. The position of the substituents on the flavone backbone has been shown to impact the biological activity against P450 enzymes. To explore the effect of a propargyl ether substitution on flavones and flavanones, 2´-flavone propargyl ether (2´-PF), 3´-flavone propargyl ether (3´-PF), 4´-flavone propargyl ether (4´-PF), 5-flavone propargyl ether (5-PF), 6-flavone propargyl ether (6-PF), 7-flavone propargyl ether (7-PF), 6-flavanone propargyl ether (6-PFN), and 7- flavanone propargyl ether (7-PFN) were synthesized. All of the newly synthesized compounds and the parent hydroxy flavones were tested for both direct inhibition and mechanism-based inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes 1A1, 1A2, 2A6, and 2B1. The flavone propargyl ether derivatives were found to be more potent inhibitors of P450s 1A1 and 1A2. None of the flavones and flavanones in our study showed any inhibition of P450 2A6. Only 2´-PF and 6-PFN inhibited P450 2B1. 3´-PF showed direct inhibition of P450 1A1 with the highest observed potency of 0.02 µM, in addition to its ability to cause mechanism-based inhibition with KI and kinactivation values of 0.24 µM and 0.09 min-1 for this enzyme. 7- Hydroxy flavone also exhibited mechanism-based inhibition of P450 1A1 with KI and kinactivation values of 2.43 µM and 0.115 min-1. Docking studies and QSAR studies on P450 enzymes 1A1 and 1A2 were performed which revealed important insights into the nature of binding of these molecules and provided us with good QSAR models that can be used to design new flavone derivatives.