ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Synthesis of glycolysis inhibitor (E)-3-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-(pyridin-4-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (3PO) and its inhibition of HUVEC proliferation alone or in a combination with the multi-kinase inhibitor sunitinib

Miroslav Murár, Jana Horvathová, Roman Moravčík, Gabriela Addová, Michal Zeman, and Andrej Boháč

Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia

E-mail: andrej.bohac@fns.uniba.sk

Abstract: While a treatment of tumours by anti-angiogenic kinase inhibitors has limited efficacy and is associated with resistance and side effects, also other key biological pathways should be targeted to fight cancer more effectively. Active endothelial and cancer cells acquire energy predominantly via a glycolysis (Warburg effect) in contrast to most of other somatic cells preferring an oxidative phosphorylation. Proliferation of endothelial and cancer cells may be suppressed by a glycolysis inhibitor (E)-3-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-(pyridin-4-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (3PO) that synthesis is not sufficiently described in the literature. Moreover, a synergistic effect of inhibitors with different mechanisms of action may provide further advantages in cancer treatment. A combined effect of 3PO with inhibitor of angiogenesis sunitinib l-malate (SU) was not yet investigated on HUVEC cells. We have developed a novel and efficient method for a synthesis of a glycolysis inhibitor 3PO. The activity of 3PO on HUVECs proliferation was investigated and its IC₅₀ = 10.7 μM determined. By combination of 3PO (10 μM) with sunitinib l-malate (0.1 μM) a significant synergistic effect on HUVECs proliferation was observed. Based on the structure, chemical reactivity and biological results, we proposed that 3PO could be a multi-target inhibitor.

Keywords: Synthesis ; 3PO ; Sunitinib ; Inhibitor ; PFKFB3 ; Glycolysis ; Kinases ; HUVEC 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-018-0548-x

Chemical Papers 72 (12) 2979–2985 (2018)