PUBLICATION

Enhanced anti-angiogenic activity of novel melatonin-like agents

Authors
Hwang, S.J., Jung, Y., Song, Y.S., Park, S., Park, Y., Lee, H.J.
ID
ZDB-PUB-211230-56
Date
2021
Source
Journal of pineal research   71: e12739 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
HIF-1α, N-butyryl-5-methoxytryptamine, VEGF, angiogenesis, melatonin, melatonin-like molecules
MeSH Terms
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors/pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Melatonin/analogs & derivatives*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
33955074 Full text @ J. Pineal Res.
Abstract
Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) plays an important role in cellular responses to hypoxia, including the transcriptional activation of several genes involved in tumor angiogenesis. Melatonin, also known as N-acetyl-5-methopxytryptamine, is produced naturally by the pineal gland and has anti-angiogenic effects in cancer through its ability to modulate HIF-1α activity. However, the use of melatonin as a therapeutic is limited by its low oral bioavailability and short half-life. Here, we synthesized melatonin-like molecules with enhanced HIF-1α targeting activity and less toxicity and investigated their effects on tumor growth and angiogenesis, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. Among melatonin derivatives, N-butyryl-5-methoxytryptamine (NB-5-MT) showed the most potent HIF-1α targeting activity. This molecule was able to (a) reduce the expression of HIF-1α at the protein level, (b) reduce the transcription of HIF-1α target genes, (c) reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, (d) decrease angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, and (e) suppress tumor size and metastasis. In addition, NB-5-MT showed improved anti-angiogenic activity compared with melatonin due to its enhanced cellular uptake. NB-5-MT is thus a promising lead for the future development of anticancer compounds with HIF-1α targeting activity. Given that HIF-1α is overexpressed in the majority of human cancers, the melatonin derivative NB-5-MT could represent a novel potent therapeutic agent for cancer.
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