Target-Oriented Synthesis of Marine Coelenterazine Derivatives with Anticancer Activity by Applying the Heavy-Atom Effect

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2021

Authors

Magalhaes, CM (Author) FCUP; Gonzalez Berdullas, P (Author) Other; Duarte, D (Author) Other; Correia, AS (Author) Other; Rodriguez Borges, JE (Author) FCUP; Nuno Vale (Author) FMUP; Joaquim C G E Esteves da Silva (Author) FCUP; da Silva, LP (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Biomedicines

Vol. 8

Final page: 1199

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 19 Citations

Scopus - 22 Citations

Associated Projects

ChemiTumorTher - Quimioluminescência Marinha como uma Terapia Anticancro de Amplo Espectro com uma Selectividade e Actividade Tumoral Melhorada

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00V-B7E

DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9091199

Abstract (EN): Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an anticancer therapeutic modality with remarkable advantages over more conventional approaches. However, PDT is greatly limited by its dependence on external light sources. Given this, PDT would benefit from new systems capable of a light-free and intracellular photodynamic effect. Herein, we evaluated the heavy-atom effect as a strategy to provide anticancer activity to derivatives of coelenterazine, a chemiluminescent single-molecule widespread in marine organisms. Our results indicate that the use of the heavy-atom effect allows these molecules to generate readily available triplet states in a chemiluminescent reaction triggered by a cancer marker. Cytotoxicity assays in different cancer cell lines showed a heavy-atom-dependent anticancer activity, which increased in the substituent order of hydroxyl < chlorine < bromine. Furthermore, it was found that the magnitude of this anticancer activity is also dependent on the tumor type, being more relevant toward breast and prostate cancer. The compounds also showed moderate activity toward neuroblastoma, while showing limited activity toward colon cancer. In conclusion, the present results indicate that the application of the heavy-atom effect to marine coelenterazine could be a promising approach for the future development of new and optimized self-activating and tumor-selective sensitizers for light-free PDT.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 16