Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel protopanoxadiol derivatives based PROTACs technology for the treatment of lung cancer

Protopanoxadiol is a key active ingredient derived from Panax ginseng that is well-known to exhibit anti-tumor activity. Previous research focused on the natural protopanaxadiol derivative AD-1 has demonstrated that it possesses broad spectrum anti-tumor activities in vitro and in vivo. However, its limited activity, selectivity, and cell permeability have impeded its therapeutic application. Herein, a series of novel AD-1 derivatives were designed and synthesized based on proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology by linking AD-1 at the C-3 and C-12 positions with pomalidomide through linkers of alkyl chain of differing lengths to achieve the goal of improving the efficacy of the parent compound. Among these synthesized PROTACs, the representative com-pound A05 exhibited the most potent anti-proliferative activity against A549 cells. Furthermore, mechanistic studies revealed that compound A05 was able to suppress MDM2 expression, disrupt interactions between p53 and MDM2 and readily induce apoptotic death via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Moreover, the in vivo assays revealed that compound A05 exhibited both anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic activities in the zebrafish tumor xenograft model with A549 cells. Together, our findings suggest that AD-1 based PROTACs associated with the degradation of MDM2 may have promising effects for the treatment of lung cancer and this work provide a foundation for future efforts to develop novel anti-tumor agents from natural products.

Automated summary

Protopanoxadiol, an active ingredient derived from Panax ginseng, has shown anti-tumor activity. A new series of AD-1 derivatives were designed and synthesized using PROTAC technology, aiming to improve the limited efficacy of AD-1. One representative compound, A05, exhibited potent anti-proliferative activity against A549 cells and was able to disrupt the interactions between p53 and MDM2, leading to apoptotic death. In vivo assays further demonstrated that compound A05 had anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic activities in a zebrafish tumor xenograft model. These findings suggest that AD-1 based PROTACs targeting MDM2 degradation have promising effects for lung cancer treatment.