Novel quinazoline-based compounds impair prostate tumorigenesis by targeting tumor vascularity

Previous evidence showed the ability of the quinazoline-based alpha(1)-adrenoreceptor antagonist doxazosin to suppress prostate tumor growth via apoptosis. In this study, we carried out structural optimization of the chemical nucleus of doxazosin and a subsequent structure-function analysis toward the development of a novel class of apoptosis-inducing and angiogenesis-targeting agents. Our lead compound, DZ-50, was effective at reducing endothelial cell viability via a nonapoptotic mechanism. Treatment with DZ-50 effectively prevented in vitro tube formation and in vivo chorioallantoic membrane vessel development. Confocal microscopy revealed a significantly reduced ability of tumor cells to attach to extracellular matrix and migrate through endothelial cells in the presence of DZ-50. In vivo tumorigenicty studies using two androgen-independent human prostate cancer xenografts, PC-3 and DU-145, showed that DZ-50 treatment leads to significant suppression of tumorigenic growth. Exposure to the drug at the time of tumor cell inoculation led to prevention of prostate cancer initiation. Furthermore, DZ-50 resulted in a reduced formation of prostate-tumor derived metastatic lesions to the lungs in an in vivo spontaneous metastasis assay. Thus, our drug discovery approach led to the development of a class of lead (quinazoline-based) compounds with higher potency than doxazosin in suppressing prostate growth by targeting tissue vascularity. This new class of quinazoline-based compounds provides considerable promise as antitumor drugs for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.