Design and Synthesis of Novel Reactive Oxygen Species Inducers for the Treatment of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Altering redox homeostasis provides distinctive therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Quinazolinediones (QDs) are novel redox modulators that we previously showed to induce potent growth inhibition in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines. Our lead optimization campaign yielded QD325 as the most potent redox modulator candidate inducing substantial reactive oxygen species (ROS) in PDAC cells. Nascent RNA sequencing following treatments with the QD compounds revealed induction of stress responses in nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria of pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, the QD compounds induced Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress and unfolded protein responses as demonstrated by dose-dependent increases in RNA synthesis of representative genes such as NQO1, HMOX1, DDIT3, and HSPA5. At higher concentrations, the QDs blocked mitochondrial function by inhibiting mtDNA transcription and downregulating the mtDNA-encoded OXPHOS enzymes. Importantly, treatments with QD325 were well tolerated in vivo and significantly delayed tumor growth in mice. Our study supports the development of QD325 as a new therapeutic in the treatment of PDAC.