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Updated: Dec 3, 2025

Through the Looking Glass: Time-lapse Microscopy and Longitudinal Tracking of Single Cells to Study Anti-cancer Therapeutics
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RETRACTED: Synthetic Makaluvamine Analogs Decrease c-Kit Expression and Are Cytotoxic to Neuroendocrine Tumor Cells

Zviadi Aburjania1, Jason D Whitt1, Samuel Jang1

  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1824 6th Avenue S., Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 29, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Two makaluvamine analogs, DHN-II-84 and DHN-III-14, show potent antitumor activity against neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). These compounds induce apoptosis and decrease key NET markers, offering potential for new NET chemotherapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) require novel systemic chemotherapeutic agents.
  • Existing treatments have limitations, necessitating the discovery of new therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To screen a library of drug-like compounds for activity against NET cell lines.
  • To characterize the antitumor mechanisms of promising lead compounds, DHN-II-84 and DHN-III-14.

Main Methods:

  • Screening of 18 compounds against pulmonary and thyroid NET cell lines.
  • Flow cytometry and Western blot analysis to assess apoptosis and protein levels (MCL-1, XIAP).
  • Gene expression analysis to evaluate c-Kit proto-oncogene and NET marker (CgA, ASCL1) expression.

Main Results:

  • Two makaluvamine analogs, DHN-II-84 and DHN-III-14, demonstrated potent antitumor activity.
  • Compounds induced dose-dependent apoptosis in pulmonary, thyroid, and pancreatic NET cell lines.
  • Treatment decreased NET markers (CgA, ASCL1) and c-Kit expression, with apoptosis linked to c-Kit inhibition.

Conclusions:

  • Makaluvamine analogs DHN-II-84 and DHN-III-14 exhibit significant antitumor potential for NETs.
  • These compounds effectively induce apoptosis and reduce critical NET markers.
  • Further development of these analogs could lead to novel treatments for neuroendocrine tumors.
Keywords:
NETalkaloidcancermakaluvamineneuroendocrinetherapeutictumor

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