Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by disruption of intracellular signaling due to aberration of extracellular signaling pathways, namely PI3K/AKT cascade, by dysregulating erythropoiesis and myelopoiesis. Therefore, inhibition of PI3K/AKT, either individually, or by dual inhibitors, is shown to be effective in suppression of tumorigenesis. To increase the therapeutic viability and decrease adverse effects, including cytotoxicity due to off-target kinase inhibitions, customized targeted pharmacological agents are needed that would have greater treatment potential. In this work, using an interdisciplinary approach, we have identified dual inhibitors targeted to PI3K and AKT to significantly repress the cell proliferation in AML cancers. Diversity-based high-throughput virtual screening (D-HTVS) technique followed by conventional docking approach identified small molecules from ChemBridge library, having high binding affinity for PI3KCG subunit. Further computational screening of top identified PI3K-specific lead molecules predicts dual inhibitors with high binding affinity for AKT. To rule out the possibility for cross-reaction/off-target effects of identified small molecules, lead compounds having nil or negligible binding to PI3KCA- and PI3KCB subunits were chosen. Computational screening, enzyme inhibition and cell proliferation assays show compound C16,5-{[(1,3-dioxo-1H-benzo[de]isoquinolin-2(3H)-yl)amino]methylene}-1-phenyl-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-pyrimidinetrione has better affinity for PI3KCG, delta, and AKT kinases compared to their respective known/established inhibitors, and has significant anti-cell proliferation activity in AML cells with a GI50 values of 77.25 nM and 49.65 nM in THP-1 and HL-60 cells, respectively. This work proposes a novel dual inhibitor that selectively targets PI3K/AKT and suppresses cell proliferation in AML cells as a potential lead molecule for treating AML cancers.
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Acknowledgements
The authors express their gratitude to SiBIOLEAD, Chennai, India (https://sibiolead.com/), and SMARTBIO LABS, Chennai, India, for their help rendered in the study.
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The author extends appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia, for funding this work through Grant Number RGP. 1/362/43.
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M Abohassan contributed to funding, methodology, validation, and initial draft of manuscript; M Alshahrani contributed to methodology, statistical analysis, and data curing; MYA contributed to methodology, statistical analysis, and data curing; PR contributed to purchase of chemicals, protocols standardization, validation, supervision, final manuscript, and communication.
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Abohassan, M., Alshahrani, M., Alshahrani, M.Y. et al. Insilco and Invitro approaches identify novel dual PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitors to control acute myeloid leukemia cell proliferations. Med Oncol 39, 249 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-022-01846-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-022-01846-1