The MAP kinase (Ras/MEK/ERK) and PI3K/Akt/mTOR oncogenic signaling pathways are central regulators of KRAS-mediated transformation. Molecular reciprocity between the Ras/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways provides cancer cells with the ability to evade treatment when targeting only one pathway with monotherapy. Multi-kinase targeting was explored through the development of a single bivalent chemical entity by covalent linking of high-affinity MEK and PI3K inhibitors. A prototype dual-acting agent (compound 8) designed using the PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 and the Raf/MEK inhibitor RO5126766 as scaffolds displayed high in vitro inhibition of both PI3K (IC50=172nM) and MEK1 (IC50=473nM). Additionally, compound 8 demonstrated significant modulation of MEK and PI3K signaling pathway activity in human A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells and pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1) and also decreased cellular viability in these two cell lines.
Keywords: Akt; Driven oncogenesis; Dual inhibition; ERK; KRAS; MAP Kinase; MEK1; Oncogenic signaling; PI-3 Kinase.
Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.