Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents) - Volume 18, Issue 9, 2018

Background: Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (SCCHN) are neoplasms arising from the epithelium of the first aero-digestive tract. They are very heterogeneous both clinically and biologically. Classic and well acknowledged risk factors are alcohol and tobacco consumption and other forms of smokeless tobacco assumption, although lately the incidence of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)-related SCCHN is rapidly increasing. HPV-related tumors are very different from their alcohol and tobacco-associated counterpart, as they show strong chemo and radio sensitivity and thus can often be treated with conservative treatment strategies. Moreover, peculiar biologic features characterize HPV-related tumors, such as wild type TP53, low expression of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), wild type CCND1 and high expression of P16. In contrast, alcohol and tobacco related SCCHN show opposite features, together with higher number of chromosomal and genetic abnormalities, conferring them chemo and radio resistance. Methods: We have performed a narrative review of the PubMed database with the aim to study the mutational landscape of SCCHN. Results: Several lines of evidence support the existence of at least two genetically different types of SCCHN, one virus-related and the other alcohol and/or tobacco-related, characterized by both clinical and biological opposite features. Virus related SCCHN are very chemo and radiosensitive, so suitable for organ preserving strategy, which in the near future may be induction chemotherapy followed by association of chemotherapy and underpowered radiotherapy. Alcohol and tobacco related SCCHN are themselves strongly heterogeneous and can be divided in different entities on the basis of the “Driver” genetic aberration, responsible for carcinogenesis. The most frequently mutated genes in alcohol and tobacco-related SCCHN are TP53, NOTCH1, CCND1, CDKN2A, EGFR and PI3KCA. Conclusions: Virus-related SCCHN can be managed with chemo-radiotherapy. Alcohol and tobacco-related tumors should be further characterized on the basis of their “Driver Mutations” in order to select effective targeted therapies.

Background: Currently, cancer continues being a dramatically increasing and serious threat to public health. Although many anti-tumor agents have been developed in recent years, the survival rate of patients is not satisfactory. The poor prognosis of cancer patients is closely related to the occurrence of drug resistance. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new anti-tumor agents to make up for the deficiency. Indazoles is an important class of heterocyclic compounds possessing a variety of biological activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, antiinflammatory, anti-depressant and anti-hypertensive. This review focuses on the recent research advances of indazole derivatives in the aspect of anti-tumor. Methods: We have searched the recent literatures about indazole derivatives from the online resources and databases, such as pubmed, scifinder and google scholar. Results: In the recent years, many efforts have been taken to develop indazole derivatives as fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors, indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase1 (IDO1) inhibitors, proviral integration site MuLV (Pim) kinase inhibitors, aurora kinases inhibitors, Bcr-Abl inhibitors, hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) inhibitors and carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors. Most compounds display good anti-tumor activities. Conclusion: Developing new anti-cancer agents with new scaffolds and high efficiency is a big challenge for researchers. Indazole derivatives are a class of important bioactive compounds. Making structural modifications on active indazole derivatives according to the corresponding structure-activity relationships is of benefit to obtain more potent anti-cancer leads or clinical drugs. This review will be useful for further development of new indazole-based derivatives as anti-cancer agents.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality around the world, despite effective chemotherapeutic agents, the prognosis has remained poor for a long time. The discovery of molecular changes that drive lung cancer has led to a dramatic shift in the therapeutic landscape of this disease. In “in vitro” and “in vivo” models of NSCLC (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer), angiogenesis blockade has demonstrated an excellent anti-tumor activity, thus, a number of anti-angiogenic drugs have been approved by regulatory authorities for use in clinical practice. Much more interesting is the discovery of EGFR (Epithelial Growth Factor Receptor) mutations that predict sensitivity to the anti-EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs), a class of drugs that has shown to significantly improve survival when compared with standard chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of metastatic NSCLC. Nevertheless, after an initial response, resistance often occurs and prognosis becomes dismal. Biomolecular studies on cell line models have led to the discovery of mutations (e.g., T790M) that confer resistance to anti-EGFR inhibitors. Fortunately, drugs that are able to circumvent this mechanism of resistance have been developed and have been recently approved for clinical use. The discovery of robust intratumor lymphocyte infiltration in NSCLC has paved the way to several strategies able to restore the immune response. Thus, agents interfering with PD-1/PD-L1 (Programmed Death) pathways make up a significant portion of the armamentarium of cancer therapies for NSCLC. In all the above-mentioned situations, the basis of the success in treating NSCLC has started from understanding of the mutational landscape of the tumor.

The Cyclin-Dependent Kinases (CDKs) and their cyclin partners are key regulators of the cell cycle. These kinases are closely related to oncogenesis and have been proved to be attractive targets for designing novel anticancer agents. The CDK inhibitors can effectively suppress the excessive proliferation of tumor cells by inducing cell cycle arrest. In recent years, a large number of CDK inhibitors have entered pre-clinical and/or clinical trials. Among these compounds, the selective CDK4/6 inhibitor Palbociclib has been approved by FDA for breast cancer treatment. Moreover, Palbociclib demonstrated promising antitumor potential as monotherapy or combined therapy in numerous clinical trials. Herein, we provide a brief review focused on the recent progress of clinical studies about Palbociclib.

Background and Purpose: Over the last decade, the inhibition of PLK1 has proven potent antiproliferative activity in vitro. However, the effectiveness of most synthetic targeted drugs has not yet been translated into clinics. Herein, we investigated the in vitro effects of two second-generation PLK1 inhibitors BI 6727 and GSK461364 in breast cancer cell lines as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs or ionizing radiation. Material and Methods: Cell survival was analyzed through XTT®, clonogenicity and caspase-3 activation assays were also studied, and drug interactions analyzed through a nonlinear regression of a sigmoid doseresponse model. Sensibilization to radiation was assessed through enhancement ratio calculation. Results: Mild effects on the viability of both cell lines tested (MCF-7 and Hs578T) were observed irrespective of the used PLK1 inhibitor. Alternatively, abrogation of PLK1 significantly reduced clonogenicity while effectively sensitized cells to ionizing radiation. Drug interactions showed dissimilar results with antagonistic effects with any drug combination in MCF-7 and clear synergic interactions between both PLK1 inhibitors and cisplatin, temozolomide or doxorubicin in Hs578T, which is TP53 mutated. Conclusion: Targeting kinases involved in mitotic checkpoints are expected to prevent mitotic exit and enhance chemosensitization. Nonetheless, despite overexpressing PLK1, in our model, expressive results after its inhibition were only seen through clonogenic assays or when BI 6727 and GSK461364 were combined with ionizing radiation. Disparate responses of cell lines to drug combinations might denote a partial reflection of the substantial differences in the vast spectrum of genetic, biological and epigenetic burden observed in breast cancer. In the near future, individual genomic/proteomic profiling will allow its further classification and will consent the initiation of novel strategies for therapy. Even though the future impact of PLK1-tailored treatment still needs validation, much more pre-clinical and clinical research for this kinase are warranted.

Background: Konjac Glucomannan (KGM) is a water-soluble dietary fibre extracted from Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch (Araceae). Konjac fibre has been clinically proven as an effective antioxidant agent in weight control but its traditionally known tumour suppression property remains to be explored. Objective: The main objective of this study is to determine the potential anti-proliferative effect of KGM on cancer and normal human liver cell lines, HepG2 and WRL68, respectively. Method: HepG2 and WRL68 cells were treated with KGM, D-mannose, KGM-D-mannose and 5-fluorouracil. The morphological changes in those treated cells were observed. Cytotoxic effect of the treatments on cell viability and proliferation, and apoptosis genes expression were assessed by cytotoxicity assay, flow cytometry and RT-PCR analyses. Results: The results show that KGM treatment resulted in reduced viability of HepG2 cells significantly, in line with the apoptosis-like morphological changes. Up-regulation of BAX and down-regulation of BCL2 genes as reflected by high Bax to Bcl 2 ratio suggests that the inhibitory effect of KGM on HepG2 cells most likely via Bcl2/Bax protein pathway. Despite the effectiveness of standard drug 5-FU in suppressing the viability and proliferation of HepG2 cells, it however, exhibited no selective inhibition of cancer cells as compared to KGM. Conclusion: Current findings suggested that KGM is a potential anti-cancer compound/drug entity, which could be an alternative preventive agent against liver cancer.

Background: Regardless of recent advances in the development of clinically authorized anticancer agents the number of deaths due to cancer is increasing day by day all over the world. The aim of this research work is to synthesis novel anticancer agents. Method: In this work, a new series of diethyl ((1H-indole-3-yl)((5-phenyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-yl)amino) methyl)phosphonate derivatives 6(a-j) were designed and synthesized in Ultrasound by green protocol using Kabachnik-Fields reaction. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectral analysis such as elemental analyses, IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 31P NMR and mass spectra. The synthesized compounds 6(a-j) were appraised for their in vitro anticancer activity against human cancer cell lines such as SK-MEL-2 (melanoma), IMR-32 (Neuroblastoma), HT-29(Colon) and also on normal murine embryonic fibroblast NIH/3T3 by Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay, using Adriamycin as a standard drug. Result: The treatment of SK-MEL-2 cancer cells with 6i showed apoptosis and morphological changes like cell shrinkage, cell wall deformation and reduced number of viable cells. The synthesized derivatives were also evaluated for their anti-tyrosinase effect. Nearly all the tested derivatives have been found to be potent tyrosinase inhibitors. Conclusion: Nearly all the compounds were tested, the docking study was performed and indicates that the compounds have good binding interactions with tyrosine kinase enzyme. Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination (ADME) properties of the synthesized compounds were also analyzed which manifested their potentiality to thrive as good oral drug candidates.

Background: Coffee is a popular drink; it is one of the most commercialized food products and a rich source of biologically active compounds that are important for human health. Aims: This study aimed to prove the anticancer activity of Green Coffee (GC) and Roasted Coffee (RC) bean aqueous extracts (Coffea arabica) on breast cancer adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) and the safety of both extracts on normal Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes culture (HPBL). Methods: Total phenolic content for GC and RC extracts was measured and result of both extracts were (0.308±0.016 & 0.233±0.013mg/g) respectively. The phenolic acids were screened by HPLC at the wavelength of 254& 278 and 300 nm and 5-caffeoylquinic acids (Chlorogenic acid), the predominant form of phenolic acids, was identified in GC and RC samples. Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) as well as the free radical scavenging activity (DPPH) proved the antioxidant properties of both extracts. The DPPH IC50 mean values of GC and RC extracts were (2.4±0.08, 2.3±0.16 μg/ml) respectively. Cytotoxicity of both extracts on MCF-7 cells were evaluated by neutral red uptake assay which showed the IC50 mean values (377±5.7,500±8.1 μg/ml) for GC and RC extracts respectively. The safety of both extracts (0, 125, 250, 500 μg/ml) on HPBL was evaluated in vitro using trypan blue exclusion method and DNA single strand breaks (alkaline comet assay). Results: Result revealed non-significant cytotoxic difference (P<0.001) between cultures especially at lower doses of GC and RC extracts except the highest dose of GC and RC extract which showed slightly significant damage (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study proved that GC and RC aqueous extracts were found to be selectively cytotoxic in vitro to cancerous cells (MCF-7 cell line) causing cell death with no cytotoxicity on normal human lymphocytes especially at lower doses.

Aims: The urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptors (uPAR) over-expressed on tumor cells and their invasive microenvironment are clinically significant molecular targets for cancer research. uPARexpressing cancerous lesions can be suitably identified and their progression can be monitored with radiolabeled uPAR targeted imaging probes. Hence this study aimed at preparing and evaluating two 68Ga-labeled AE105 peptide conjugates, 68Ga-NODAGA-AE105 and 68Ga-HBED-CC-AE105 as uPAR PET-probes. Method: The peptide conjugates, HBED-CC-AE105-NH2 and NODAGA-AE105-NH2 were manually synthesized by standard Fmoc solid phase strategy and subsequently radiolabeled with 68Ga eluted from a commercial 68Ge/68Ga generator. In vitro cell studies for the two radiotracers were performed with uPAR positive U87MG cells. Biodistribution studies were carried out in mouse xenografts with the subcutaneously induced U87MG tumor. Results: The two radiotracers, 68Ga-NODAGA-AE105 and 68Ga-HBED-CC-AE105 that were prepared in >95% radiochemical yield and >96% radiochemical purity, exhibited excellent in vitro stability. In vivo evaluation studies revealed higher uptake of 68Ga-HBED-CC-AE105 in U87MG tumor as compared to 68Ga-NODAGAAE105; however, increased lipophilicity of 68Ga-HBED-CC-AE105 resulted in slower clearance from blood and other non-target organs. The uPAR specificity of the two radiotracers was ascertained by significant (p<0.05) reduction in the tumor uptake with a co-injected blocking dose of unlabeled AE-105 peptide. Conclusion: Amongst the two radiotracers studied, the neutral 68Ga-NODAGA-AE105 with more hydrophilic chelator exhibited faster clearance from non-target organs. The conjugation of HBED-CC chelator (less hydrophilic) resulted in negatively charged 68Ga-HBED-CC-AE105 which was observed to have high retention in blood that decreased target to non-target ratios.

Background: Breast cancer is a malignant disease with high mortality rate among women in the world. It is necessary to diagnose breast cancer at the early stage before it metastasizes in patients. Objective: The aim of this study is the evaluation of 99mTc-(tricine)-HYNIC-Lys-FROP for breast tumor imaging. Method: Lys-FROP peptide was labeled with 99mTc using HYNIC as chelator and tricine as co-ligand. Specific binding of this radiolabeled peptide on breast cancerous cell was assessed in different cell lines as well as in tumor-bearing mice. Results: HYNIC-Lys-FROP peptide was labeled with 99mTc at radiochemical purity more than 99%. It was observed high stability in normal saline and serum about 95%. The highest cellular uptake was observed in MCF-7 breast tumor cells treated with 99mTc-(tricine)-HYNIC-Lys-FROP as compared to other cell lines (lung, ovarian, T47D breast cancer cell lines). Biodistribution results in female MCF-7 tumor-bearing mice showed the relatively high tumor uptake and tumor-muscle ratio as 3.82 ± 0.66 after 15 min post-injection of 99mTc-(tricine)- HYNIC-Lys-FROP. Tumor uptake was reduced in mice that were co-injected with excess of unlabeled peptide to be 0.91 ± 0.08. Conclusion: Findings showed this radiolabeled peptide is a promising candidate for tumor targeting and molecular imaging of breast cancer.

Background: Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines have been recently reported to have anticancer activities through inhibition of different targets such as, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase, Janus Kinase (JAK), mitotic checkpoint protein kinase (Mps1), carbonic anhydrase, MDM-2. On the other hand, aryl urea moieties which are found in some tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as Sorafenib and Linifanib have aroused recent attention as responsible for anticancer activities. The aims of this paper are to synthesize pyrrolo[ 2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives containing urea moiety and evaluate their anti-cancer activity against human lung cancer cell line (A549), prostate cancer cell line (PC3), human colon cancer cell line (SW480) and human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Methods: A series of new pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines containing urea moieties have been synthesized as Scheme 1. In vitro cytotoxicity of target compounds were evaluated against, SW480, PC3, A549 and MCF-7 human cancer cell lines using a MTT assay. In order to evaluate the mechanism of cytotoxic activity of compounds 9e, 10a and 10b, having the best cytotoxic activity, Annexin V binding assay, cell cycle analysis and western blot analysis were performed. Results: Among the target compounds, 10a (IC50 = 0.19 μM) was found to be the most potent derivative against PC3 cells. Compound 10b and 9e showed the strong cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and A549 cells with IC50 value of 1.66 μM and 4.55 μM, respectively. Flow cytometry data suggest that the cytotoxic activity of the compounds on cancer cells might be mediated by apoptosis revealing a significant increase in the percentage of late apoptotic cells and causing a cell cycle arrest at different stages. Western blot analysis of apoptosis marker demonstrated that these compounds induce apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway. Conclusion: Compound 9e displayed the strongest cytotoxicity against A549 cancer cell line, and induced late apoptosis in A549, as confirmed by cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase. In addition, compound 9e reduced expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and enhanced expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax, besides increased caspase-9 and caspase-3, as well as cleavage of PARP levels. These results suggest that compound 9e showed a cytotoxic effect in A549 cells through activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Further studies will be undertaken in our laboratory to improve cytotoxic activity of compound 9e and to identify the biological targets of 9e which are responsible for anticancer activity.

Background: Reserpine, an indole alkaloid commonly used for hypertension, is found in the roots of Rauwolfia serpentina. Although the root extract has been used for the treatment of cancer, the molecular mechanism of its anti-cancer activity on hormonal independent prostate cancer remains elusive. Methods: we evaluated the cytotoxicity of reserpine and other indole alkaloids, yohimbine and ajmaline on Prostate Cancer cells (PC3) using MTT assay. We investigated the mechanism of apoptosis using a combination of techniques including acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, high content imaging of Annexin V-FITC staining, flow cytometric quantification of the mitochondrial membrane potential and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and cell cycle analysis. Results: Our results indicate that reserpine inhibits DNA synthesis by arresting the cells at the G2 phase and showed all standard sequential features of apoptosis including, destabilization of mitochondrial membrane potential, reduced production of reactive oxygen species and DNA ladder formation. Our in silico analysis further confirmed that indeed reserpine docks to the catalytic cleft of anti-apoptotic proteins substantiating our results. Conclusion: Collectively, our findings suggest that reserpine can be a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of androgen-independent prostate cancer.

Background and Purpose: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive brain tumor. Even with the advent of temozolomide, patient survival remains poor, with expected median survival around 1 year from diagnosis. Consequently, the relentless search for new therapeutic strategies able to increase patient outcome persists. 3-[(dodecylthiocarbonyl) methyl] glutarimide (DTCM-g) is a new anti-inflammatory compound that already showed antitumor effects. Materials and Methods: Clonogenic survival, proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle progression and invasion capacity of pediatric and adult GBM cell lines (U87MG, U251MG, SF188 and KNS-42) were evaluated under treatment with DTCM-g. The combined treatment with radiation was also evaluated in vitro and in vivo through xerographic models. Results: DTCM-g is able to impair proliferation, reduce clonogenic capacity and induce cell cycle arrest in GBM cell lines. No alteration in apoptosis rates was found after treatment. DTCM-g also reduces the invasion capacity of all GBM cell lines without alterations in MMP2 and uPa expression. Moreover, the drug radiosensitized GBM in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: Although additional studies are still necessary to support our findings, our results suggest that DTCM-g may be a promising drug on the adjuvant treatment of GBM exhibiting antitumor effects, especially through radiosensitization.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies with the highest incidence and mortality rate worldwide. Multidrug Resistance (MDR) continues to pose a major challenge for the clinicians and pharmacologists to effectively treat this disease. A new approach using natural substances with moderate or low cytotoxic properties become a promising hope for reversing multidrug resistance due to pgp- overexpression. Objective: This study aims to explore the efficacy of Algerian propolis in reversing multidrug resistance and sensitizing chemo-resistant lung cancer cells (A549/DOX) to chemotherapy with DOX. Methods: Resistant lung adenocarcinoma A549/DOX cell line was developed and used as in vitro model for MDR. Cell viability, Annexin V-PI apoptosis assay and cell cycle progression were tested to evaluate the reversal effect of propolis alone or in combination with DOX. Caspases 3, 8 and 9 assays were conducted to determine the type of apoptotic pathway. To investigate the mechanisms of MDR reversal agents, intracellular accumulation of DOX and P-gp-pump activity were investigated. Results: Our results showed that the obtained chemo-resistant cells were 13-fold more resistant to DOX than the parental A549 cells. Propolis showed dramatically cell growth inhibition on A549/DOX cells (The IC50 was 50.44± 0.07μg/ml). The killing effect of propolis was due to G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction. After 24hours treatment, propolis at 100 μg/ml caused cells accumulation in G0/G1 phase and increased with 50, 65-fold the percentage of apoptotic population sub-G. Annexin V-PI assay showed that propolis induces apoptosis with 53.57-fold at 100 μg/ml. It induced intrinsic apoptotic pathway by increasing caspase-3 (22.15-fold) and caspase-9 (16.73-fold) activities. The direct approach to investigate the mechanisms of reversal agents is to detect the accumulation of P-gp substrates in resistant cells. Our results indicated that resistant cells poorly accumulated Doxorubicin and rhodamine 123 (7-fold lower) when compared to parental A549 cells, suggesting that chemo-resistant cells overexpress P-gp which pump DOX out of cells. Propolis inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner, the pgp efflux-pump, enhancing thereby the intracellular level of DOX with 5.48- fold against 3.33 fold obtained with verapamil, the conventional P-gp inhibitor. Conclusion: Taken together, Algerian propolis reverses multidrug resistance in resistant human lung adenocarcinoma cells through direct inhibiting the transport function of pgp-pump resulting in enhancing intracellular DOX-accumulation, G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction. Thus, propolis could be developed as a chemotherapeutic agent for reversing multidrug resistance.

Background: Three metastatic human melanoma cell lines generated from patient removed lymph nodes and spleen metastasis were established in our laboratory. Objective: To investigate the mechanisms enhancing the cytotoxic effects of Bleomycin (BLM), herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir Suicide Gene (SG) and human interferon-β gene (hIFNβ) lipofection in early passages of these melanoma cell lines. Methods: In these cell lines, we determined: cytotoxicity, bystander effect, lipofection efficiencies, apoptosis, necrosis, senescence, colony forming capacity and mitochondrial membrane depolarization after treatments. Results: The three assayed cell lines displayed sensitivity to single and combined BLM/gene treatments. BLM improved the antitumor and anti-clonogenic effects of SG and hIFNβ genes. Considering the low lipofection efficiencies (<10%), one of the main causes of the SG and hIFNβ gene effectiveness was their bystander effect. In one of these cell lines, this effect eradicated up to 60% of the cells although <1% expressed the transgene. In the three cell lines, BLM alone or combined with SG or hIFNβ gene significantly increased the percentage of cells exhibiting membrane compromise, DNA damage, and senescence. Interestingly, the strong BLM/hIFNβ gene combination was able to generate from 73% to 98% of non-viable cells. The high proportion of senescent cells induced by BLM alone or combined with genes strongly decreased the clonogenic capacity of surviving cells. Conclusion: The presented results indicate that BLM improves the antitumor effects of SG and hIFNβ transgene expression. Altogether, these findings strongly support the clinical potential of these combined approaches.

Background: The aim of this study was to develop and compare polymeric micelles of fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide, and hydrophobic drugs such as paclitaxel and curcumin. Paclitaxel and curcumin are both known for their medicinal properties, including anticancer efficacy. However, their very low water solubility, absorption and rapid metabolism leads to reduced bioavailability. To redress these problems and enhance anti-cancer therapeutics using fucoidan, polymeric micelles were synthesized from conjugates of fucoidan and hydrophobic drugs. Methods: The chemical conjugation of fucoidan and hydrophobic drugs has been achieved by utilizing reactive functional groups on the molecules, such as carboxylic groups and hydroxyl groups. Results: The micelles revealed a homogeneous spherical morphology, size, negative surface charge. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the physicochemical properties of the polymeric micelles, which form a self-assembled polymeric micelle in aqueous medium. The results of the in vitro release of curcumin and fucoidan showed that their release rates were higher at a pH of 4.5 than at a pH of 7.4. In contrast, the paclitaxel conjugate had a similar release profile at pH of 4.5 and pH of 7.4. Conclusion: In the present work, we also found an effective drug delivery system that had the ability to release two types of anticancer drugs, fucoidan and hydrophobic drugs, in the tumour environment.

Background: Phellinus vaninii, a medicinal basidiomycete fungus, is often confused with Phellinus igniarius and Phellinus linteus. Polysaccharides extract from P. igniarius and P. linteus are reported to stimulate humoral immunity and inhibit tumor growth However, available literature reviewed no information on the relationship between bioactivities and structures of polysaccharides from the fruit body of P. vaninii. Methods: Two water-soluble polysaccharides (PV-W, PV-B) were isolated and purified from fruiting bodies of P. vaninii by hot water and sodium hydroxide solution, respectively. The chemical structures of PV-W, PV-B were analyzed by FT-IR, GC-MS analysis and 13C NMR spectra. And, their molecular conformations were analyzed by viscosity method and SEC-MALLS-RI. Finally, their inhibition of cancer cells was investigated using MTT assay. Results: The results illustrated that PV-W was a heteropolysaccharide, mainly composed of mannose, glucose, arabinose and galactose. PV-B was a β-1, 3-D-glucan branched with β-1, 6-D-glucose. The results of viscometry proved that PV-W and PV-B could be molecularly dispersed in water without aggregation. The results of SECMALLS- RI indicated that the two polysaccharides had the similar Mw but different molecular conformation. That is, PV-W existed as a stable globular shape, while PV-B presented a more expanded flexible random coils conformation. MTT assay indicated that PV-B showed higher inhibition effect on HepG2 and HeLa cells than PV-W in vitro. Conclusion: This work provided the important information of active components from P. vaninii and its potential applications in the food and medicine industry.

Due to an oversight one of the author’s name was published wrong in the article entitled “Algerian Propolis Potentiates Doxorubicin Mediated Anticancer Effect Against Human Pancreatic PANC-1 Cancer Cell Line through Cell Cycle Arrest, Apoptosis Induction and P-Glycoprotein Inhibition” in “Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 2018, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 375.” The correct names of all authors are given below: Rouibah H, Kebsa W, Lahouel M, Zihlif M, Ahram M, Aburmeleih B, Mustafa E, El-Ameer HJ.