Abstract
Murine double minute 2 (MDM2) and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) are important cell survival proteins in tumor cells. As a dual MDM2/XIAP inhibitor reported previously, compound MX69 has low potency with an IC(50) value of 7.5 μM against an acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line EU-1. Herein, we report the structural optimization based on the MX69 scaffold, leading to the discovery of a 25-fold more potent analogue 14 (IC(50) = 0.3 μM against EU-1). We demonstrate that 14 maintains its mode of action by dual targeting of MDM2 and XIAP through inducing MDM2 protein degradation and inhibiting XIAP mRNA translation, respectively, which resulted in cancer cell growth inhibition and cell death. The results strongly suggest that the scaffold based on 14 is promising for further optimization to develop a new therapeutic agent for leukemia and possibly other cancers where MDM2 and XIAP are dysregulated.