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Biomedical subjects

Guisheng Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Guisheng Zhang.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Syntheses and biological activities of 3'-azido disaccharide analogues of daunorubicin against drug-resistant leukemia.

Anthracyclines, such as daunorubicin (DNR) and doxorubicin (Dox), are widely used for cancer therapy but are limited by drug resistance and cardiotoxicity. To overcome drug resistance, we synthesized a novel class of disaccharide analogues of DNR against drug-resistant leukemia. In these disaccharide analogues (1-6) the first (inner) sugar in the carbohydrate chain is a 3-azido-2,3,6-trideoxy-L-lyxo-alpha-hexopyranose; the second (outer) sugars that are linked via alpha(1-->4) to the first sugar are a series of uncommon sugars. Their cytotoxicities were examined in drug-sensitive leukemia cells K562 and doxorubicin-resistant K562/Dox cells by MTS assay. In drug-sensitive cells, compounds 1-6 were found to be active against leukemia K562 cells with IC50 in the nanomolar range (200-1100 nM), while compounds 2-5 with 2,6-dideoxy sugars showed better activity than compounds 1 and 6 with 2,3,6-trideoxy sugars. In doxorubicin-resistant K562/Dox cells, compounds 1, 3, and 5 exhibited much better activities (with IC50 between 0.29 and 2.0 microM) than DNR (with IC50 > 5 microM). Compound 3 emerged as the most active compound, showing at least 17-fold higher activity against drug-resistant cells than parent compound DNR. The IC50 values of compound 3 in both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells are identical, which indicates that compound 3 completely overcomes drug resistance. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies showed that the substitution and orientation of the 3-OH group in the second sugar significantly influence its activity against drug-resistant leukemia. These results suggest that sugar modifications of anthracyclines change their activity and overcome drug resistance.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2006

Synthesis of lipopolyhydroxylalkyleneamines for gene delivery.

Various bis(2-hydroxy-3-chloropropyl)alkylamines were synthesized by coupling primary amine with epichlorohydrin and utilized as a monomer to react with ethylenediamine (EDA), N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine (DMEDA), or tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) to generate a series of lipopolyhydroxylalkyleneamines. The number- and weight-average molecular weight (Mn and Mw) and polydispersity index (Mw/Mn) of the lipopolyhydroxylalkyleneamines were dependent on reactant solvent and reaction temperature. The compounds with EDA as backbone have better transfection activity and lower toxicity than those with DMEDA and TMEDA as backbone.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Discovery of a daunorubicin analogue that exhibits potent antitumor activity and overcomes P-gp-mediated drug resistance.

Anthracyclines are considered to be some of the most effective anticancer drugs for cancer therapy. However, drug resistance and cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines limit their clinical application. We hypothesize that direct modifications of the sugar moiety of anthracyclines avert P-glycoprotein (P-gp) recognition and efflux, increase drug intracellular concentration in cancer cells, and thus overcome P-gp-mediated drug resistance. Daunorubicin (DNR) analogues with sugar modifications were synthesized by directly transforming the amino group of DNR to an azido group or triazole group. Molecular docking showed that the lead compound (3'-azidodaunorubicin, ADNR) averts P-gp binding, while daunorubicin (DNR) extensively interacts with multidrug-resistance (MDR) protein through H-bonds and electrostatic interactions. FACS assay demonstrated that these new compounds abolished P-gp drug efflux and accumulated high intracellular concentration in the drug-resistant leukemia K562/Dox. P-gp inhibition by CsA confirmed that these new analogues are no longer P-gp substrates. ADNR exhibited potent anticancer activity in both drug-sensitive (K562) and drug-resistant leukemia cells (K562/Dox), with a 25-fold lower drug resistance index than DNR. An in vivo xenograft model demonstrated that ADNR showed more than 2.5-fold higher maximum growth inhibition rate against drug-resistant cancers and significant improvement for animal survival rate versus DNR. No significant body weight reduction in mice was observed for ADNR at the maximum tolerable dose, as compared to more than 70% body weight reduction for DNR. These data suggest that sugar modifications of anthracyclines avert P-gp binding, abolish P-gp-mediated drug efflux, increase intracellular drug concentration, and thus overcome P-gp-mediated drug resistance in cancer therapy.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMed2006

RebG- and RebM-catalyzed indolocarbazole diversification.

Rebeccamycin and staurosporine represent two broad classes of indolocarbazole glycoside natural products with antitumor properties. Based upon previous sequence annotation and in vivo studies, rebG encodes for the rebeccamycin N-glucosyltransferase, and rebM for the requisite 4'-O-methyltransferase. In the current study, an efficient in vivo biotransformation system for RebG was established in both Streptomyces lividans and Escherichia coli. Bioconversion experiments revealed RebG to glucosylate a set of indolocarbazole surrogates, the products of which could be further modified by in vitro RebM-catalyzed 4'-O-methylation. Both RebG and RebM displayed substrate promiscuity, and evidence for a remarkable lack of RebG regioselectivity in the presence of asymmetric substrates is also provided. In the context of the created indolocarbazole analogues, cytotoxicity assays also highlight the importance of 4'-O-methylation for their biological activity.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2006

Direct assessment of promoter activity of human cytochrome p450 genes using optimized transfection in vitro and in vivo.

Although transcription regulation of human cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP) is known to play an important role in drug metabolism and homeostasis, factors influencing the expression of various CYP genes in humans remain largely undefined. We used three cell lines and CD-1 mice to assess the activity of genomic promoter sequences of human CYP2D6, 1A2, 3A4, 2C9, 2C18, and 2E1 genes. CYP promoter sequences were amplified by PCR using human liver genomic DNA as the template and cloned into pGL3-Basic vectors that contain a luciferase reporter gene but lack promoter or enhancer sequences. Each plasmid construct was transfected into cells in vitro using polyethylenimine (PEI) as the transfection reagent and into mice using the recently developed hydrodynamics-based procedure. Relative promoter strength was determined by the level of luciferase expression in transfected cells. All six human CYP promoters are active in driving reporter gene expression in cultured hepatic HepG2 cells and non-hepatic cells such as human embryonic kidney fibroblasts (293 cells) and murine melanoma cells (BL-16) as well as cells in intact mouse liver, lung, heart, kidney and spleen. The order of strength among CYP promoters examined was found to be 2D6 > 1A2 > 3A4 > 2C9 > 2C18 > 2E1.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Evaluation of viral and mammalian promoters for driving transgene expression in mouse liver.

Fifteen luciferase plasmid constructs driven by various promoters including cytomegalovirus (CMV), Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), human serum albumin (SA), alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT), cytochrome P450 CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C18, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, mouse CYP2b10, human amyloid precursor protein (APP), chicken beta actin (ACT), nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB), and heat shock protein 70 (HS) promoters were hydrodynamically introduced into mouse hepatocytes, and the level and persistence of luciferase gene expression were examined. Eight hours post-gene transfer, the CMV and AAT promoters showed the highest activity, followed by the CYP2D6, HS, and RSV promoters which were slightly less active. The human serum albumin promoter exhibited the lowest activity among the promoters examined. The time course of gene expression showed a two-phase decline in luciferase activity with a rapid phase within the first 5-7 days and a slower decline thereafter. Results from Southern and Northern blot analyses revealed a good correlation between the decline of luciferase activity and the decrease in mRNA level, suggesting promoter silencing as the possible mechanism for the observed transient luciferase gene expression. Inclusion of EBN1 and oriP sequences of Epstein-Barr virus into the plasmid extended the period of active transcription for about one week. These results provide important information concerning the role of promoters in regulating transgene expression and for the proper design of plasmids for gene expression and gene therapy.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Syntheses and biological activity of bisdaunorubicins.

To study the length and flexibility of the linkers between two monomers of bisdaunorubicins for their activity against cancer cells, seven bisdaunorubicins were rationally designed and synthesized through click chemistry. Their cytotoxicity was tested in leukemia cells with MTS assay. The results showed that the compounds with short linkers exhibited higher activity than the compounds with long linkers, while the flexibility of the linker also contributed to their activity. These results indicated that the length and flexibility of the linkers between two monomers in bisdaunorubicins are very critical to maintain their activity against cancer cells.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2005

Syntheses and biological activities of disaccharide daunorubicins.

Carbohydrate moiety is found in many anticancer nature products. To explore the carbohydrate moiety of daunorubicin in enhancing anticancer efficacy, several daunorubicin derivatives bearing disaccharide (1-8) have been synthesized. Their cytotoxicities were tested in leukemia K562 and colon cancer SW620 cells. Topoisomerase II (topo II) poisoning was performed with the in vivo complex of topoisomerase bioassay. In both cell lines, compounds with various terminal 2,6-dideoxy sugars (compounds 1, 3, 5, and 8) showed 30- to 60-fold higher anticancer activity than compounds with 2-deoxy- or 6-deoxy sugar (compounds 6 and 7). Compounds with an alpha-linkage between two sugar units (compound 3) showed 35-fold higher anticancer activity than compounds with a beta-linkage (compound 4). In addition, the anticancer activities of these compounds correlated with their ability to target topo II mediated genomic DNA damage in vivo. Compounds 1 and 3 with 2,6-dideoxy sugars produced more covalent topo-DNA complex than compounds with 2-deoxy sugar (6) and 6-deoxy sugar (7). Compounds with an alpha-configuration of terminal 2,6-dideoxy sugar (compounds 1 and 3) showed higher topo II poisoning than their counterparts with the beta-configuration (compounds 2 and 4). These results indicate that sugar moieties in daunorubicin play a significant role in its anticancer activity and topo II inhibition. The second sugar of disaccharide daunorubicin should possess 2,6-dideoxy with alpha-linkage to the first sugar to exhibit better anticancer activity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2005

Syntheses and biological activities of daunorubicin analogs with uncommon sugars.

To study the effects of the sugar structure on the activity of anthracycline against cancer cells, six daunorubicin analogs containing different uncommon sugars were synthesized. Their cytotoxicities were tested against colon cancer cells by MTS assay. The results showed that the aglycon without sugar moiety has 70-100-fold lower activity against cancer cells than daunorubicin derivatives with various uncommon sugars. It suggests that the sugar structure in daunorubicin plays a critical role in determining its anticancer activity. In the compounds with various sugars, the 4'-OH of the sugar is an important determinant for their activity, while the axial-3'-substituent in the sugar interferes with the binding of daunorubicins to DNA. Therefore, 2,6-dideoxy sugars are a better choice for generating biologically active daunorubicin analogs than 6-deoxysugars, 2,3,6-trideoxysugars, or 2,3,4,6-tetradeoxysugars.

Cell Line, Tumor↗
PubMed2005

Synthetic iminosugar derivatives as new potential immunosuppressive agents.

Several iminosugar derivatives were synthesized, and their effects on the secretion of IL-4 and IFN-gamma from the mouse splenocytes were examined. The effects on membrane expression of other T cell-associated molecules (CD3, CD4, CD8) and B cell-associated molecules (CD19) were also investigated. The experimental data demonstrated that synthetic iminosugars hold potential as immunosuppressive agents.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Syntheses and biological activities of rebeccamycin analogues with uncommon sugars.

Rebeccamycin analogues containing uncommon sugars and substitutions on the imide nitrogen have been synthesized. Their cytotoxicities were tested in colon cancer and leukemia cells. Their ability to target topoisomerase I was examined using the in vivo complex of the topoisomerase bioassay in Hela cells. Compared with aglycon 1, the modified compounds with various sugar moieties showed more potent cytotoxicities and topo I targeting ability. In addition, the rebeccamycin analogues with various uncommon sugars showed distinct cytotoxicities and topo I targeting activities. The activity of compounds with 2-deoxyglucose (8 and 9) > compounds with 2,6-deoxyglucose (5 and 6) > compounds with 2,3,6-deoxyglucose (10). Furthermore, the anticancer activity of compounds correlated with their ability to target endogenous topo I. These results suggest that the sugar moiety, especially the 2-OH and 6-OH group of the sugar, rather than the modifications in imide structure on the indolocarbazole ring, is a key element for its activity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2003

Synthesis of 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-glycosyl-(1-->5)-nucleosides and the interaction with RNA.

1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-beta-D-glucopyranose and 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-beta-D-galactopyranose reacted with protected nucleosides in the presence of BF(3) as promoter at room temperature to give selectively 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-glycosyl (1-->5)nucleosides in good yields. CD spectra and thermal melting studies showed that 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->5)-nucleosides could interact with RNA in solution and 2-deoxy-2-amino-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->5)-nucleosides (17-19) exhibit higher affinity to RNA than 2-deoxy-2-amino-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->5)-nucleosides (14-16). It indicated that the majority of interactions are established between the polar group of glycosylnucleosides and the sugar-phosphate backbone of RNA helices and weak stacking interaction is observed. The different configuration of hydroxyl group on the glycosyl moiety may affect the glycosyl-nucleoside binding to RNA by induced fit.

Aminoglycosides↗
PubMed2002

Protective effect of hemoglobin-induced heme oxygenase-1 on injured lungs caused by limb ischemia-reperfusion in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of hemoglobin (HB) induced heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in injured lungs caused by limb ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in rats. METHODS: A rat model of ischemia in the hind limbs was made by clamping the infrarenal aorta with a microvascular clip, and lung injury occurred after reperfusion. To induce the expression of HO-1 in the lungs, Hb was administrated intraperitoneally at 16 hours before reperfusion. Northern blotting and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of HO-1 in the lungs, and the carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level in arterial blood was assayed. The effect of hemoglobin (Hb) on the injured lungs after limb I/R was determined by measuring the changes of lung histology, polymorphonuclear (PMN) count, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and wet-to-dry weight ratio (W/D). Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), an inhibitor of HO, was used to determine whether HO-1 was induced by Hb after lung injury. RESULTS: Hb led to a significant increase in HO-1 mRNA and protein expression in the lungs, accompanied by the increase of COHb level in arterial blood. Compared with the sham controls, the lung PMN count, MDA content and W/D significantly increased at 4 hours after limb I/R, which reversed by the pretreatment with Hb at 16 hours before reperfusion. ZnPP blocked this protective role of Hb in the injured lungs. CONCLUSIONS: Hb can induce the lung HO-1 expression, which plays an important role in the defense against I/R induced lung injury in rats.

Animals↗