Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery - Volume 11, Issue 1, 2016

Quinazoline scaffold has been successfully utilized for development of various inhibitors of tubulin, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), polo like kinases (PLKs), Hedgehog-Gli signaling pathway and protein kinase B (PKB) /Akt pathway. Compounds based on quinazolines have shown efficacies in μM to nM range in various cancer cell lines and thus could be useful scaffolds for development of both apoptosis inducers as well as inhibitors. This compilation is based on various patents published till 2015 and divides the quinazolines in two main categories: Quinazolines as apoptosis inducers and as apoptosis inhibitors. These two main categories are further sub-categorized based on the use/pharmacological indications for these classes of patented compounds. This review will act as a tool for the researchers working on exploring the anticancer potential of quinazoline as a privileged heterocyclic. The promising anticancer profile of some of the quinazoline based compounds clearly highlights the clinical potential of this heterocycle.

Background: Research over the past several years has developed many mono-targeted therapies for the prevention and treatment of cancer, but it still remains one of the fatal diseases in the world killing 8.2 million people annually. It has been well-established that development of chemoresistance in cancer cells against mono-targeted chemotherapeutic agents by modulation of multiple survival pathways is the major cause of failure of cancer chemotherapy. Therefore, inhibition of these pathways by non-toxic multi-targeted agents may have profoundly high potential in preventing drug resistance and sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Objective: To study the potential of curcumin, a multi-targeted natural compound, obtained from the plant Turmeric (Curcuma longa) in combination with standard chemotherapeutic agents to inhibit drug resistance and sensitize cancer cells to these agents based on available literature and patents. Method: An extensive literature survey was performed in PubMed and Google for the chemosensitizing potential of curcumin in different cancers published so far and the patents published during 2014-2015. Result: Our search resulted in many in vitro, in vivo and clinical reports signifying the chemosensitizing potential of curcumin in diverse cancers. There were 160 in vitro studies, 62 in vivo studies and 5 clinical studies. Moreover, 11 studies reported on hybrid curcumin: the next generation of curcumin based therapeutics. Also, 34 patents on curcumin’s biological activity have been retrieved. Conclusion: Altogether, the present study reveals the enormous potential of curcumin, a natural, non-toxic, multi-targeted agent in overcoming drug resistance in cancer cells and sensitizing them to chemotherapeutic drugs.

Understanding and apprehension of the characteristics and circumstances in which mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) affect and make alterations (enhance or reduce) to the growth of tumors and metastasis spread is pivotal, not only for reaching the possibility to employ MSCs as drug delivery systems, but also for making forward movement in the existing knowledge of involvement of major factors (tumor microenvironment, soluble signaling molecules, etc.) in the process of carcinogenesis. This capability is reliable because MSCs present a great basis for engineering and constructions of new systems to target cancers, intended to secrete therapeutic proteins in the tumor region, or for delivering of oncolytic viruses’ directly at the tumor site (targeted chemotherapy with enzyme prodrug conversion or induction of tumor cell apoptosis). MSCs as a crucial segment of the tumor surroundings and their confirmed tumor tropism, are assumed to be an open gateway for the design of promising drug delivery systems. The presented paper reviews current publications in this fieldwork, searches out the most recent patents that were published after 2012 (WO2014066122, US20140017787, WO2015100268, US20150086515), and tries to present the current progress and future prospective on the design and development in anti-cancer drug delivery systems based on MSCs.

Background: Biotechnology, which promoted revolutions in many fields, generates great expectations for the future, mainly in the pharmaceutical sector for the treatment of several diseases. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and due to its complexity and singularity, there are a number of challenges that limit the development of new drugs for antitumor therapies, making the research for cancer treatment one of the most exploited in the medical field. Objective: The main objective of this article is to identify trends of biotechnological advances that may have application in improving cancer therapies. Method: Information from patent applications of biotechnological drugs in the last five years was retrieved using Thomson Reuters Integrity database. Results: Cancer is the leading therapeutic condition found in patent documents. The subject matter most cited in patent applications includes monoclonal antibodies, adoptive cell therapy, RNA interference and new vaccine peptides. Conclusion: The analysis of the documents has provided an overview of new biological alternatives for use in cancer treatment, showing potential avenues for years to come.

Background: The angiogenesis inhibitor, sorafenib, remains the only available therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Only recently patents of VEGF receptors-3 inhibitors are developed. Thus, a novel approach against HCC is essential for a better therapeutic outcome. Objective: The aims of this study were to examine the chemopreventive action of saffron’s main biomolecule, crocin, against chemically-induced liver cancer in rats, and to explore the mechanisms by which crocin employs its anti-tumor effects. Method: We investigated the anti-cancer effect of crocin on an experimental carcinogenesis model of liver cancer by studying the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferation, pro-apoptotic activities of crocin in vivo. In addition, we provided a network analysis of differentially expressed genes in tissues of animals pre-treated with crocin in comparison to induced-HCC animals’ tissues. To further support our results, in vitro analysis was carried out. We assessed the effects of crocin on HepG2 cells viability by treating them with various concentrations of crocin; in addition, effects of crocin on cell cycle distribution of HepG2 cells were investigated. Results: Findings reported herein demonstrated the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic properties of crocin when administrated in induced- HCC model. Crocin exhibited anti-inflammatory properties where NF-κB, among other inflammatory markers, was inhibited. In vitro analysis confirmed crocin’s effect in HepG2 by arresting the cell cycle at S and G2/M phases, inducing apoptosis and down regulating inflammation. Network analysis identified NF-κB as a potential regulatory hub, and therefore, a candidate therapeutic drug target. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings introduce crocin as a candidate chemopreventive agent against HCC.