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Norhierridin B, a new hierridin B-based hydroquinone with improved antiproliferative activity
* 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 6, 7 , 6, 8 , 6 , 1, 2 , * 4 , 1, 2
1  Laboratory of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Portugal
2  Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Portugal
3  Laboratory of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
4  LAQV/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
5  LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 687, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
6  CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Edifício do Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, S/N, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
7  Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, Edifício FC4, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
8  Health and Environment Research Centre, School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 400, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal

Abstract:

Quinones/hydroquinones constitute a family of metabolites, widespread in nature, with a wide range of biological activities, including cytotoxicity to cancer cells. Recently, hierridin B, a methylated hydroquinone derivative with a C15 aliphatic chain isolated from the marine picocyanobacterium Cyanobium sp. LEGE06,113, was identified as moderate inhibitor of the growth of colon adenocarcinoma HT-29 cell line, with a GI50 of 100.2 µM. In order to obtain new structurally-related quinone/hydroquinone with improved antiproliferative activity in cancer cell lines, the demethylated hierridin B derivative, norhierridin, as well as structurally-related quinone, were synthesized and evaluated for their growth inhibitory effect in a panel of human tumor cell lines. Norhierridin B showed a great improvement of the antitumor activity when compared to hierridin and its structurally-related quinone with a potent growth inhibitory effect on all cancer cell lines, being the growth inhibitory effect on MDA-MB-231 cells associated with cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Norhierridin B interfered with several p53 transcriptional targets, increasing p21, Bax, and MDM2, while decreasing Bcl-2 protein levels, which suggested the potential activation of a p53 pathway. Particularly, norhierridin B displayed a prominent growth inhibitory activity against TNBC cells, which are characterized by high therapeutic resistance.

Keywords: antiproliferative activity, hydroquinones, quinones
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