3-Substituted-2,3-Dihydrothiazole as a promising scaffold to design EGFR inhibitors

Radwan El-Haggar1, Sherif F Hammad2, Reem I Alsantali3

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Ain Helwan 11795, Cairo, Egypt; Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM), UMR 5247, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, ENSCM, 34293 Montpellier, France.

Bioorganic Chemistry
|October 1, 2022
PubMed

Insights

New EGFR inhibitors based on a hydrazinothiazole scaffold show promise for cancer treatment. Compound 5i effectively inhibited cancer cell growth and induced apoptosis, offering a potential alternative to existing therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) overexpression drives multiple human cancers.
  • EGFR inhibitors are standard care but face resistance issues.
  • Novel EGFR inhibitors are needed to overcome resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and synthesize novel EGFR inhibitors.
  • To replace the aminoquinazoline core with a bioisosteric hydrazinothiazole moiety.
  • To evaluate the anticancer potential of new derivatives.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of 14 novel compounds.
  • In vitro evaluation against the NCI-60 cell line panel.
  • Biochemical assays for EGFR inhibition.
  • Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction studies.
  • Computational studies including docking and molecular dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Compound 5i demonstrated broad activity against 12 cell lines.
  • Compound 5i showed an IC50 of 6.9 µM against HCT-116 cells with low toxicity to normal fibroblasts.
  • Submicromolar EGFR inhibition was observed for compound 5i.
  • Compound 5i induced tumor cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
  • Computational analyses supported the inhibitory potential of the novel derivatives.

Conclusions:

  • 2-hydrazino-2,3-dihydrothiazole derivatives represent a promising new class of EGFR inhibitors.
  • Compound 5i exhibits significant anticancer activity and warrants further investigation.
  • This scaffold offers a potential strategy to overcome resistance to existing EGFR inhibitors.