3CAI

Target: Akt

IC50: 1 μM

3CAI is a potent allosteric and specific inhibitor of AKT, which directly binds with AKT1 or AKT2 in an ATP noncompetitive manner and shows 60% inhibition of AKT1 kinase activity at 1 μM [1]. The serine/threonine kinase AKT includes three members, AKT1, AKT2, and AKT3. AKT plays a critical role in promoting transformation and chemoresistance through inducing proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. Therefore, AKT is regarded as a potential target for cancer therapy.

In vitro: 3CAI (1 and 4 μM) significantly inhibited AKT1 kinase activity and decreased expression of AKT direct downstream targets including mTOR and GSK3β, respectively. 3CAI (4 μM) efficiently induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in HCT116 or HCT29 colon cancer cells [1].

In vivo: 3CAI (30 mg/kg, oral administration) significantly suppressed colon cancer growth in an in vivo xenograft mouse model and inhibited the expression of AKT-target protein such as mTOR and GSK3βin HCT116 colon tumor tissues [1].

Reference:
1.  Kim DJ, Reddy K, Kim MO, Li Y, Nadas J, Cho YY, et al. (3-Chloroacetyl)-indole, a novel allosteric AKT inhibitor, suppresses colon cancer growth in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011;4(11):1842-51.

Excited-State Proton Transfer in 3-Cyano-7-azaindole: From Aqueous Solution to Ice.[Pubmed:29457903]

J Phys Chem A. 2018 Mar 8;122(9):2479-2484.

We investigated the excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) reaction for 3-cyano-7-azaindole (3CAI) in aqueous solution and in ice. 3CAI undergoes water-catalyzed ESPT in the aqueous solution, giving normal (355 nm) and proton transfer tautomer ( approximately 472 nm) emission bands. Detailed temperature-dependent studies showed that the values of activation free energy (Delta G(double dagger)) were similar between N-H and N-D isotopes. Therefore, water-catalyzed ESPT involves a stepwise mechanism incorporating solvation equilibrium ( Keq) to form a 1:1 (molar ratio) water:3CAI cyclic hydrogen-bonded complex as an intermediate, followed by perhaps proton tunneling reaction. In sharp contrast, 3CAI in ice undergoes entirely different photophysical properties, in which 3CAI self-organizes to form a double-hydrogen-bonded dimers at the grain boundary of the polycrystalline. Upon excitation, the dimer proceeds with a fast excited-state double proton transfer reaction, giving rise to solely a tautomer emission ( approximately 450 nm). The distinct difference in ESPT properties between water and ice makes azaindoles feasible for the investigation of water-ice interface property.

TRPC3- and ETB receptor-mediated PI3K/AKT activation induces vasogenic edema formation following status epilepticus.[Pubmed:28764936]

Brain Res. 2017 Oct 1;1672:58-64.

Status epilepticus (SE, a prolonged seizure activity) is a high risk factor of developing vasogenic edema, which leads to secondary complications following SE. In the present study, we investigated whether transient receptor potential canonical channel-3 (TRPC3) may link vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway to NFkappaB/ETB receptor axis in the rat piriform cortex during vasogenic edema formation. Following SE, TRPC3 and ETB receptor independently activated phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT/eNOS signaling pathway. SN50 (a NFkappaB inhibitor) attenuated the up-regulations of eNOS, TRPC3 and ETB receptor expressions following SE, accompanied by reductions in PI3K/AKT phosphorylations. Inhibition of SE-induced VEGF over-expression by leptomycin B also abrogated PI3K and AKT phosphorylations, but not TRPC3 expression. Wortmannin (a PI3K inhibitor) and 3CAI (an AKT inhibitor) effectively inhibited up-regulation of eNOS expressions and vasogenic edema lesion following SE. These findings indicate that PI3K/AKT may be common down-stream molecules for TRPC3- and ETB receptor signaling pathways during vasogenic edema formation. In addition, the present data demonstrate for the first time that TRPC3 may integrate VEGF- and NFkappaB-mediated vasogenic edema formation following SE. Thus, we suggest that PI3K/AKT signaling pathway may be one of considerable therapeutic targets for vasogenic edema.

(3-Chloroacetyl)-indole, a novel allosteric AKT inhibitor, suppresses colon cancer growth in vitro and in vivo.[Pubmed:21885813]

Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011 Nov;4(11):1842-51.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is produced in Brassica vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage and has been shown to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in various cancer cells, including breast, prostate, colon, and leukemia. However, only high doses of I3C were shown to inhibit cell proliferation (IC(50) = 200-300 mumol/L). Our goal here was to develop a more potent antitumor agent by modifying the structure of I3C. We created I3C derivatives and found that (3-chloroacetyl)-indole (3CAI) more strongly inhibited colon cancer cell growth than I3C. In addition, by screening 85 kinases in a competitive kinase assay, we found that 3CAI was a specific AKT inhibitor. AKT is a serine/threonine kinase that plays a pivotal role in promoting transformation and chemoresistance by inducing proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. Therefore, AKT is regarded as a critical target for cancer therapy. 3ICA, a derivative of I3C, is a potent and specific AKT inhibitor. This compound showed significant inhibition of AKT in an in vitro kinase assay and suppressed expression of AKT direct downstream targets such as mTOR and GSK3beta as well as induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in colon cancer cells. In addition, oral administration of this potent AKT inhibitor suppressed cancer cell growth in an in vivo xenograft mouse model.