Mtor pathway inhibition, anticancer activity and in silico calculations of novel hydrazone derivatives in two- and three-dimensional cultured type 1 endometrial cancer cells

Bülbül, Muhammet VolkanMermer, ArifKolbaşı, BircanKocabaş, FatihKalender, Semiha MervenurKireçtepe Aydın, Kıymet AslıKeskin, İlknur2026-01-062026-01-062024Bülbül, M. V., Mermer, A., Kolbaşı, B., Kocabaş, F., Kalender, S. M., Kireçtepe Aydın, K. A. ... Keskin, İ. (2024). Mtor pathway inhibition, anticancer activity and in silico calculations of novel hydrazone derivatives in two- and three-dimensional cultured type 1 endometrial cancer cells. Pharmaceuticals, 17(12). http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ph171215621424-8247http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ph17121562https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12511/13354Background: Endometrial cancer remains a significant health concern, with type 1 endometrial cancer characterized by aberrant expression of estrogen-dependent and mTOR pathway proteins. In this study, we evaluated the effects of two novel hydrazone derivatives against the Ishikawa cell line, a model for endometrial cancer. Methods: Two novel hydrazone derivatives, MVB1 and MVB2, were synthesized and characterized. The anticancer activity of the compounds in both two- and three-dimensional cultured Ishikawa cells was evaluated by MTT assay. The interaction of the compounds with proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was evaluated by molecular docking studies and in vitro western blot analyses were performed. Additionally, ADME/T calculations were performed to evaluate the drug-like properties of the compounds. Results: MVB1 and MVB2 showed promising anticancer activity with IC50 values of 8.3 ± 0.5 µM and 9.0 ± 1.2 µM in 2D cultures, respectively, and 49.9 ± 2 µM and 20.6 ± 1.9 µM in 3D cultures, respectively. Molecular docking studies revealed significant interactions between these compounds and key proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, with MVB1 exhibiting the highest mean binding score (−10.5 kcal/mol) among PI3K, AKT1, and mTOR proteins. In vitro studies confirmed that MVB1 effectively suppressed PI3K protein expression in both 2D and 3D cultures (p ≤ 0.0001). Conclusions: The findings suggest that MVB1 and MVB2, especially MVB1, are promising candidates for further development as potential therapeutics for endometrial cancer by targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessAttribution 4.0 InternationalEndometrial CancerHydrazoneMolecular DockingMtorSpheroidMtor pathway inhibition, anticancer activity and in silico calculations of novel hydrazone derivatives in two- and three-dimensional cultured type 1 endometrial cancer cellsArticle171210.3390/ph17121562Q1WOS:0013839356000012-s2.0-8521324528839770404Q1