Title:Pre-Clinical Activity of Amino-Alcohol Dimeric Naphthoquinones as Potential Therapeutics
for Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Volume: 22
Issue: 2
Author(s): Dana Ferraris, Rena Lapidus, Phuc Truong, Dominique Bollino, Brandon Carter-Cooper, Michelle Lee, Elizabeth Chang, Maria LaRossa-Garcia, Smaraki Dash, Ronald Gartenhaus, Eun Yong Choi, Olivia Kipe, Vi Lam, Kristopher Mason, Riley Palmer, Elijah Williams, Nicholas Ambulos, Farin Kamangar, Yuji Zhang, Bandish Kapadia, Yin Jing and Ashkan Emadi*
Affiliation:
- University of Maryland School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore,
MD, USA
Keywords:
Acute myeloid leukemia, anti-cancer agents, naphthoquinone, biquinone, ROS, IDO.
Abstract: Background: The clinical outcomes of patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) remain unsatisfactory.
Therefore the development of more efficacious and better-tolerated therapy for AML is critical. We have previously
reported anti-leukemic activity of synthetic halohydroxyl dimeric naphthoquinones (BiQ) and aziridinyl BiQ.
Objective: This study aimed to improve the potency and bioavailability of BiQ compounds and investigate antileukemic
activity of the lead compound in vitro and a human AML xenograft mouse model.
Methods: We designed, synthesized, and performed structure-activity relationships of several rationally designed BiQ
analogues with amino alcohol functional groups on the naphthoquinone core rings. The compounds were screened for
anti-leukemic activity and the mechanism as well as in vivo tolerability and efficacy of our lead compound was investigated.
Results: We report that a dimeric naphthoquinone (designated BaltBiQ) demonstrated potent nanomolar anti-leukemic
activity in AML cell lines. BaltBiQ treatment resulted in the generation of reactive oxygen species, induction of DNA
damage, and inhibition of indoleamine dioxygenase 1. Although BaltBiQ was tolerated well in vivo, it did not significantly
improve survival as a single agent, but in combination with the specific Bcl-2 inhibitor, Venetoclax, tumor
growth was significantly inhibited compared to untreated mice.
Conclusion: We synthesized a novel amino alcohol dimeric naphthoquinone, investigated its main mechanisms of
action, reported its in vitro anti-AML cytotoxic activity, and showed its in vivo promising activity combined with a
clinically available Bcl-2 inhibitor in a patient-derived xenograft model of AML.