In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of the Effects of Drug 2c and Derivatives on Ovarian Cancer Cells

Marianna Maddaloni; Rossella Farra; Barbara Dapas; Fulvia Felluga; Fabio Benedetti; Federico Berti; Sara Drioli; Mattia Vidali; Maja Cemazar; Urska Kamensek; Claudio Brancolini; Erminio Murano; Francesca Maremonti; Mario Grassi; Alice Biasin; Flavio Rizzolio; Enrico Cavarzerani; Bruna Scaggiante; Roberta Bulla; Andrea Balduit; Giuseppe Ricci; Gabriella Zito; Federico Romano; Serena Bonin; Eros Azzalini; Gabriele Baj; Domenico Tierno; Gabriele Grassi

doi:10.20944/preprints202404.1360.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 19 April 2024 / Approved: 19 April 2024 / Online: 19 April 2024 (16:08:57 CEST)

Background: The identification of novel therapeutic strategies for Ovarian cancer (OC), the most lethal gynecological neoplasm, is of utmost urgency. Here, we have tested the effectiveness of the compound 2c (4-Hydroxy-2,6-bis(4-nitrobenzylidene)cyclohexanone 2). 2c interferes with cyste-ine-dependent deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), thus affecting the ubiquitin-proteasome de-pendent degradation of proteins. Methods: 2c phenotypic/molecular effects were studied in two OC cell lines, primary tumor cells cultured in 2D/3D and in a mouse xenograft model. We also propose an in-silico model of 2c interaction with DUBs. Finally, we tested the effect of 2c conju-gated to several linkers to generate 2c-derivatives usable for improved drug delivery. Results: 2c effectively impairs OC cell line and primary tumor cell viability in both 2D and 3D conditions. The effectiveness is confirmed in a xenograft mouse model of OC. We show that 2c impairs pro-teasome activity and triggers apoptosis most likely by interacting with DUBs; we propose a mechanism for the interaction with a model DUB via an in-silico evaluation of the en-zyme-inhibitor complex. 2c also reduces cell growth by down-regulating the level of the transcrip-tion factor E2F1. Finally, 2c activity is often retained after the conjugation with linkers. Conclu-sion: Our data strongly support the potential therapeutic value of 2c/derivatives in OC.

ovarian cancer; 2C; apoptosis; E2F1, in silico docking.

Medicine and Pharmacology, Oncology and Oncogenics

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In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of the Effects of Drug 2c and Derivatives on Ovarian Cancer Cells

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