Synthesis of Potent and Selective Inhibitors of Aldo-Keto Reductase 1B10 and Their Efficacy against Proliferation, Metastasis, and Cisplatin Resistance of Lung Cancer Cells

Aldo-keto
reductase 1B10 (AKR1B10) is overexpressed in several
extraintestinal cancers, particularly in non-small-cell lung cancer,
where AKR1B10 is a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target.
Selective AKR1B10 inhibitors are required because compounds should
not inhibit the highly related aldose reductase that is involved in
monosaccharide and prostaglandin metabolism. Currently, 7-hydroxy-2-(4-methoxyphenylimino)-2H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid benzylamide (HMPC) is known
to be the most potent competitive inhibitor of AKR1B10, but it is
nonselective. In this study, derivatives of HMPC were synthesized
by removing the 4-methoxyphenylimino moiety and replacing the benzylamide
with phenylpropylamide. Among them, 4c and 4e showed higher AKR1B10 inhibitory potency (IC50 4.2 and
3.5 nM, respectively) and selectivity than HMPC. The treatments with
the two compounds significantly suppressed not only migration, proliferation,
and metastasis of lung cancer A549 cells but also metastatic and invasive
potentials of cisplatin-resistant A549 cells.