Iodide Analogs of Arsenoplatins—Potential Drug Candidates for Triple Negative Breast Cancers

oleh: Ðenana Miodragović, Wenan Qiang, Zohra Sattar Waxali, Željko Vitnik, Vesna Vitnik, Yi Yang, Annie Farrell, Matthew Martin, Justin Ren, Thomas V. O’Halloran

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-09-01

Deskripsi

Patients with triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs)—highly aggressive tumors that do not express estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor 2 receptors—have limited treatment options. Fewer than 30% of women with metastatic TNBC survive five years after their diagnosis, with a mortality rate within three months after a recurrence of 75%. Although TNBCs show a higher response to platinum therapy compared to other breast cancers, drug resistance remains a major obstacle; thus, platinum drugs with novel mechanisms are urgently needed. Arsenoplatins (APs) represent a novel class of anticancer agents designed to contain the pharmacophores of the two FDA approved drugs cisplatin and arsenic trioxide (As<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) as one molecular entity. Here, we present the syntheses, crystal structures, DFT calculations, and antiproliferative activity of iodide analogs of <b>AP-1</b> and <b>AP-2</b>, i.e., <b>AP-5</b> and <b>AP-4</b>, respectively. Antiproliferative studies in TNBC cell lines reveal that all AP family members are more potent than cisplatin and As<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> alone. DFT calculations demonstrate there is a low energy barrier for hydrolysis of the platinum-halide bonds in arsenoplatins, possibly contributing to their higher cytotoxicities compared to cisplatin.