Identification of new ER-targeted anticancer hits active against MCF-7 breast cancer cells in the marine fungal secondary metabolite library using computative and experimental approaches.
The identification of novel estrogen receptor (ER)-targeted anticancer compounds from marine fungal secondary metabolites was performed using a combined computational and experimental approach. A library of 461 marine fungal metabolites was analyzed using chemical space visualization, structural similarity assessment using Tanimoto indices, and target-prediction tools to identify potential ER ligands. Scaffold analysis of predicted hits suggested decalin/bicyclic terpenoid (6-6), tricyclic 6-6-6 terpenoid, bicyclic 5-6 system and several polycyclic system chemotypes as novel for ER ligands. The ER-dependence of the proposed hits cytotoxicity was tested in vitro against ER-positive human breast cancer MCF-7 cells using a 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT)-competitive viability assay. The compounds virescenoside M, cladosporin, zosteropenilline S, and griseofulvin exhibited ER-dependent cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cells, confirming the in silico predictions. In 48 h experiments, cladosporin, zosteropenilline S, and griseofulvin at 100 µM decreased the MCF-7 cell viability by 73.6%, 33.2%, and 45.8%, respectively, but statistically significant cytotoxic effect of griseofulvin also was observed at its concentration of 1 µM. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments confirmed the direct binding of griseofulvin to ERα, with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 8.00 µM. These findings highlight marine fungi as a valuable source of novel ER-targeted anticancer agents and suggest a novel ER-dependent mechanism for the antifungal drug griseofulvin, providing a basis for its potential repositioning in ER-positive breast cancer therapy. This integrated computational-experimental strategy provides a framework for discovering new lead compounds for breast cancer treatment.
Authors
Yurchenko Yurchenko, Nesterenko Nesterenko, Kaluzhskiy Kaluzhskiy, Yablokov Yablokov, Chingizova Chingizova, Lesovaya Lesovaya, Ivanov Ivanov, Aminin Aminin, Yurchenko Yurchenko
View on Pubmed