Mensacarcin, a highly complex polyketide compound, exhibits multifaceted effects on cellular processes. Specifically, it targets mitochondria, perturbs energy metabolism within these organelles, and activates caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways. Functionally, Mensacarcin can serve as a cytotoxic constituent in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Furthermore, this antibiotic compound displays broad-spectrum inhibition of cell growth across various cancer cell lines and demonstrates potent induction of apoptosis in melanoma cells.
CC260 is a selective PI5P4Kα and PI5P4Kβ inhibitor with Kis of 40 nM and 30 nM, respectively. CC260 does not inhibit or weakly inhibits other protein kinases, such as Plk1 and RSK2. CC260 can be used for cell energy metabolism, diabetes and cancer research[1]. In cultured C2C12 myotubes, CC260 (20 μM) enhances Insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation at both Thr-308 and Ser-473 but suppresses S6K phosphorylation (Thr-389) by mTORC1[1]. CC260 (2.5 μM, 5 μM, 10 μM, 20 μM) significantly increases phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) in a dose-dependent manner[1]. CC260 treatment reduces the ability of BT474 cells to survive serum starvation, which could be rescued by expressing the PI5P4Kβ refractory mutant[1]. In BT474 cells, CC260 treatment causes an increase in glycolytic ATP production[1]. [1]. Song Chen, et al. Pharmacological inhibition of PI5P4Kα β disrupts cell energy metabolism and selectively kills p53- tumor cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 May 25;118(21):e2002486118.
Aspulvinone O is a fungal metabolite that has been found in P. variotti and has antioxidant and anticancer activities.1,2 It scavenges 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals in a cell-free assay (IC50 = 11.6 μM).1 Aspulvinone O inhibits aspartate transaminase 1 (GOT1; Kd = 3.32 μM) and is cytotoxic to PANC-1, AsPC-1, and SW1990 pancreatic cancer cells (IC50s = 20.54-26.8 μM).2 It reduces the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and induces apoptosis in SW1990 cells. Aspulvinone O (2.5 and 5 mg kg) reduces tumor growth in an SW1990 mouse xenograft model. |1. Zhang, P., Li, X.-M., Wang, J.-N., et al. New butenolide derivatives from the marine-derived fungus Paecilomyces variotii with DPPH radical scavenging activity. Phytochem. Lett. 11, 85-88 (2015).|2. Sun, W., Luan, S., Qi, C., et al. Aspulvinone O, a natural inhibitor of GOT1 suppresses pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells growth by interfering glutamine metabolism. Cell Commun. Signal. 17(1), 111 (2019).
Dichloroacetate (DCA) is an inhibitor of all pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK) isoforms, which are enzymes that phosphorylate and inhibit PDH in mitochondria. Inhibition of PDHK shifts cell metabolism from glycolysis to mitochondrial glucose oxidation, an effect that has relevance to cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other diseases. CAY10703 is a DCA trimer that is at least 10-fold more cytotoxic against leukemia cell lines than DCA. It is approximately 3-fold less cytotoxic than DCA against peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy blood donors. CAY10703 significantly reduces both basal and maximal respiration in leukemia cells. It is stable in vivo after subcutaneous inoculation, remaining in circulation for more than five hours after injection.