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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Live Cell Imaging to Assess the Dynamics of Metaphase Timing and Cell Fate Following Mitotic Spindle Perturbations
Published on: September 20, 2019
Comparative evaluation of new dihydropyrimidine and dihydropyridine derivatives perturbing mitotic spindle formation
Magdalena Perużyńska1, Katarzyna Piotrowska2, Marta Tkacz2
1Department of Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology, Pomeranian Medical University, Powstancow Wielkopolskich 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.
Aim:
The mitotic spindle plays a key role in cell division which makes it an important target in cancer therapy. In the present study the antiproliferative activity of 4-benzyl-5-phenyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thione (1) and its pyridine bioisoster (2) were evaluated and compared with monastrol (MON), the first known cell-permeable small molecule which disrupts bipolar spindle formation by inhibiting Eg5-kinesin activity.
Results:
Our data revealed that compound 2 showed higher antiproliferative activity than MON against MCF7 and A375 cell lines and comparable reversible cell cycle inhibition in G2/M phase. However, compound 2 produced distinct phenotype from monoastral spindles, and did not affect Eg5 ATPase activity.
Conclusion:
The activity of compound 2 may suggest its new promising anticancer mechanism (different than MON), targeting other component required for spindle bipolarity.
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