It is anticipated that gamma-secretase inhibitors (gamma-Sec-I) that modulate Notch processing will alter differentiation in tissues whose architecture is governed by Notch signaling. To explore this hypothesis, Han Wistar rats were dosed for up to 5 days with 10-100 micromol/kg b.i.d. gamma-Sec-I from three chemical series that inhibit Notch processing in vitro at various potencies (Notch IC(50)). These included an arylsulfonamide (AS) (142 nM), a dibenzazepine (DBZ) (1.7 nM), and a benzodiazepine (BZ) (2.2 nM). The DBZ and BZ caused dose-dependent intestinal goblet cell metaplasia. In contrast, the AS produced no detectable in vivo toxicity, despite higher exposure to free drug. In a time course using BZ, small intestinal crypt cell and large intestinal glandular cell epithelial apoptosis was observed on days 1-5, followed by goblet cell metaplasia on days 2-5 and crypt epithelial and glandular epithelial regenerative hyperplasia on days 4-5. Gene expression profiling of duodenal samples from BZ-dosed animals revealed significant time-dependent deregulation of mRNAs for various panendocrine, hormonal, and transcription factor genes. Somatostatin, secretin, mucin, CCK, and gastrin mRNAs were elevated twofold or more by day 2, and a number of candidate "early-predictive" genes were altered on days 1-2, remaining changed for 4-5 days; these included Delta1, NeuroD, Hes1-regulated adipsin, and the Hes-regulated transcriptional activator of gut secretory lineage differentiation, the rat homolog of Drosophila atonal, Rath1. Western blotting of fecal protein from BZ-and DBZ-dosed animals exhibited increased levels of both anti-Rath1 reactive protein and anti-adipsin reactive proteins, confirming their potential value as noninvasive biomarkers of intestinal goblet metaplasia.

In furtherance of our SAR study on the chemistry and antitumor activity of fused nitrogen heteroaromatic compounds, a series of linear, methyl-substituted derivatives of 5H- and 6H-indolo[2,3-b]quinolines were synthesized according to the modified Graebe-Ullmann reaction. To establish the relationship between the physicochemical and biological activities of indolo[2,3-b]quinolines, their lipophilic properties, cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity, and ability to induce topoisomerase II dependent pSP65 DNA cleavage in vitro were investigated. We found that the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of indolo[2,3-b]quinolines was strongly influenced by the position, and the number of methyl substituents and the presence of methyl group at pyridine nitrogen was essential for the cytotoxicity of these compounds. All indolo[2,3-b]quinolines belonging to the 5H series, i.e., bearing a methyl group on the pyridine nitrogen, showed significant activity against procaryotic and eucaryotic organisms. They inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria and pathogenic fungi at MIC range 3 x 10(-2) to 2.5 x 10(-1) mumol/mL, displayed cytotoxicity against KB cells ID50 in the range 2 x 10(-3) to 9 x 10(-3) mumol/mL, and stimulated the formation of calf thymus topoisomerase II mediated DNA cleavage at concentration between 0.4 and 10 microM. None of the indolo[2,3-b]quinolines belonging to the 6H series, i.e., lacking a methyl group on the pyridine nitrogen, was active in analogous tests. Of the investigated compounds, the most active was 2,5,9,11-tetramethyl-5H-indolo[2,3-b]quinoline, a compound bearing the highest number of symmetrically distributed methyl groups. The interaction of indolo[2,3-b]quinolines with DNA was studied by measuring the increase of calf thymus DNA denaturating temperature (Tm). The delta Tm values for the 5H series were found to be about 10 times as high as those for the 6H compounds. Indolo[2,3-b]quinolines with the highest number of methyl groups had the greatest contribution to the increase in the Tm of calf thymus DNA. The values of delta Tm reached 19 degrees C and 1.6 degrees C for the most substituted compounds of both series.

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