Evaluation of copper-dependent proteasome-inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing activities of novel pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate analogues
Apoptosis has a central role in the pathogenesis of many human diseases, one of which is cancer. One of the most important strategies to regulate apoptosis is via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. It has been shown that inhibition of proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity is a strong
apoptosis-inducing stimulus and that actively proliferating cancer cells are more sensitive to proteasome inhibitors than normal or untransformed cells. Dithioscarbamates are a class of metal-chelating compounds with various applications in medicine. We reported previously that certain members
of dithiocarbamates, such as pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), diethyldithiocarbamate and disulfiram, are able to bind with tumor cellular copper, forming an active complex with proteasome-inhibitory, apoptosis-inducing and anti-cancer activities. In the current study, we synthesized eight
PDTC analogues with substitutions made to the pyrrolidine ring and studied their structure-activity relationships. We found that substitution of the pyrrolidine ring with piperidine had almost no effect on their proteasome-inhibitory and anti-proliferative potencies in human breast cancer
cells. However, after the pyrrolidine ring was substituted with morpholine, the activity of the mixtures slightly decreased but was completely lost when piperazine with the attached ethyl group was used for the substitution. This structure-activity relationship was confirmed by the results
generated with the corresponding copper complexes. Our data further support the novel concept of using accumulated copper in human cancer cells as a selective approach for chemotherapy.
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: The Prevention Program, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
Publication date: 01 January 2007
- The International Journal of Molecular Medicine is a monthly, peer-reviewed journal devoted to the publication of high quality studies related to the molecular mechanisms of human disease. The journal welcomes research on all aspects of molecular and clinical research, ranging from biochemistry to immunology, pathology, genetics, human genomics, microbiology, molecular pathogenesis, molecular cardiology, molecular surgery and molecular psychology.
The International Journal of Molecular Medicine aims to provide an insight for researchers within the community in regard to developing molecular tools and identifying molecular targets for the diagnosis and treatment of a diverse number of human diseases. - Editorial Board
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