Ricerc@Sapienza

The newly synthesized coumarin derivative with dopamine, 3-(1-((3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)amino)ethylidene)-chroman-2,4-dione, was completely structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. It was shown that several types of hydrogen bonds are present, which additionally stabilize the structure. The compound was tested in vitro against different cell lines, healthy human keratinocyte HaCaT, cervical squamous cell carcinoma SiHa, breast carcinoma MCF7, and hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2.

Oxidative stress (OS) is associated with many diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative disorders. Nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is one of the most effective cytoprotective controller against OS. Modulation of Nrf2 pathway constitutes a remarkable strategy in the antineoplastic treatments. A big number of Nrf2-antioxidant response element activators have been screened for use as chemo-preventive drugs in OS associated diseases like cancer even though activation of Nrf2 happens in a variety of cancers.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells is often associated with overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, including P-glycoprotein (P-gp/ABCB1), multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1/ABCC1) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2). Modulators of these transporters might be helpful in overcoming MDR. Moreover, exploiting collateral sensitivity (CS) could be another approach for efficient treatment of cancer.