Pyrazolo[4,3-<i>e</i>]tetrazolo[1,5-<i>b</i>][1,2,4]triazine Sulfonamides as an Important Scaffold for Anticancer Drug Discovery—In Vitro and In Silico Evaluation

oleh: Mateusz Kciuk, Beata Marciniak, Ismail Celik, Enfale Zerroug, Amit Dubey, Rajamanikandan Sundaraj, Somdutt Mujwar, Karol Bukowski, Mariusz Mojzych, Renata Kontek

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-06-01

Deskripsi

Pyrazolo[4,3-<i>e</i>]tetrazolo[1,5-<i>b</i>][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides (<b>MM</b>-compounds) are a relatively new class of heterocyclic compounds that exhibit a wide variety of biological actions, including anticancer properties. Here, we used caspase enzyme activity assays, flow cytometry analysis of propidium iodide (PI)-stained cells, and a DNA laddering assay to investigate the mechanisms of cell death triggered by the <b>MM</b>-compounds (<b>MM134</b>, <b>-6</b>, <b>-7</b>, and <b>-9</b>). Due to inconsistent results in caspase activity assays, we have performed a bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay, colony formation assay, and gene expression profiling. The compounds’ cytotoxic and pro-oxidative properties were also assessed. Additionally, computational studies were performed to demonstrate the potential of the scaffold for future drug discovery endeavors. MM-compounds exhibited strong micromolar (0.06–0.35 µM) anti-proliferative and pro-oxidative activity in two cancer cell lines (BxPC-3 and PC-3). Activation of caspase 3/7 was observed following a 24-h treatment of BxPC-3 cells with IC<sub>50</sub> concentrations of <b>MM134</b>, <b>-6,</b> and <b>-9</b> compounds. However, no DNA fragmentation characteristics for apoptosis were observed in the flow cytometry and DNA laddering analysis. Gene expression data indicated up-regulation of BCL10, GADD45A, RIPK2, TNF, TNFRSF10B, and TNFRSF1A (TNF-R1) following treatment of cells with the <b>MM134</b> compound. Moreover, in silico studies indicated AKT2 kinase as the primary target of compounds. <b>MM</b>-compounds exhibit strong cytotoxic activity with pro-oxidative, pro-apoptotic, and possibly pro-necroptotic properties that could be employed for further drug discovery approaches.