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Docking, synthesis and evaluation of the antitumoral activity of 3-arylcoumarins in MCF-7 cells
* 1, 2, 3 , 2 , 3 , 4, 5 , 4, 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 1, 2, 3
1  Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Camagüey, Camagüey 74650, Cuba
2  Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Antwerp BE-2610, Belgium
3  Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp BE-2610, Belgium
4  Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
5  CIQUP/Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169–007 Porto, Portugal
6  Institute of Applied Chemical Sciences, Autonomous University of Chile, Santiago de Chile 7500912, Chile
7  Center for Industrial Biotechnology (CEBI), Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba 90500, Cuba
8  Oncology Research Group (CORE), University of Antwerp, Antwerp BE-2610, Belgium
9  Bioinformatics Group, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
Academic Editor: Jean Jacques Vanden Eynde

Abstract:

Biological investigations of coumarins have revealed innumerable pathways by which they act as anticancer agents, including the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α) pathway. Hypoxia is an almost universal hallmark of HIF-1α overexpressing solid tumors in patients with breast cancer. Therefore, we proceeded to determine by molecular docking the interaction of three compounds bearing the 3-arylcoumarin scaffold with HIF-1α and ARNT, to block the formation of the functional heterodimer, and evaluate the antiproliferative activity in MCF-7 of the synthesized compounds. To perform the molecular docking, crystalline structures of the monomer HIF-1α (PDB: 4zpr), ARNT (PDB: 4zp4) and the heterodimer HIF-1α:ARNT (PDB: 4zpr), the program MOE 2019.01, and several servers, were used. This technique allowed determining protein-protein interactions and alanine mutations. Different interaction sites were identified to block the HIF-1α:ARNT, the interfaces between the DNA/bHLH domains in HIF-1α, and the bHLH and PAS-A domains in ARNT. The probability of blocking HIF-1α:ARNT, resulting from molecular docking, has been 40-60% for the three coumarins –5,7-diacetoxy-3-phenylcoumarin, 3-(3’,4’-diacetoxyphenyl)-5,7-diacetoxycoumarin, and 3-(3’-acetoxyphenyl)-5,7-diacetoxycoumarin– coinciding with the results of the antiproliferative evaluation in breast cancer cells (MCF-7), as well as with the results of luciferase activity adjusted versus control at the concentration of 256 µg/mL. The three compounds of the 3-arylcoumarin series are identified as interfering with the blockade of the heterodimer HIF-1α:ARNT and exhibiting antiproliferative activity.

Keywords: 3-arylcoumarin, docking, hypoxia-inducible factor
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