Rationale: The heat shock protein (Hsp) system plays important roles in cancer stem cell (CSC) and non-CSC populations. However, limited efficacy due to drug resistance and toxicity are obstacles to clinical use of Hsp90 inhibitors, suggesting the necessity to develop novel Hsp90 inhibitors overcoming these limitations. Methods: The underlying mechanism of resistance to Hsp90 inhibitors was investigated by colony formation assay, sphere formation assay, western blot analysis, and real-time PCR. To develop anticancer Hsp90 inhibitors that overcome the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-mediated resistance, we synthesized and screened a series of synthetic deguelin-based compounds in terms of inhibition of colony formation, migration, and viability of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and toxicity to normal cells. Regulation of Hsp90 by the selected compound NCT-80 [5-methoxy-N-(3-methoxy-4-(2-(pyridin-3-yl)ethoxy)phenyl)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromene-6-carboxamide] was investigated by immunoprecipitation, drug affinity responsive target stability assay, binding experiments using ATP-agarose beads and biotinylated drug, and docking analysis. The antitumor, antimetastatic, and anti-CSC effects of NCT-80 were examined in vitro and in vivo using various assays such as MTT, colony formation, and migration assays and flow cytometric analysis and tumor xenograft models. Results: We demonstrated a distinct mechanism in which Hsp90 inhibitors that block N-terminal ATP-binding pocket causes transcriptional upregulation of Wnt ligands through Akt- and ERK-mediated activation of STAT3, resulting in NSCLC cell survival in an autocrine or paracrine manner. In addition, NCT-80 effectively reduced viability, colony formation, migration, and CSC-like phenotypes of NSCLC cells and their sublines with acquired resistance to anticancer drugs by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the growth of NSCLC patient-derived xenograft tumors without overt toxicity. With regards to mechanism, NCT-80 directly bound to the C-terminal ATP-binding pocket of Hsp90, disrupting the interaction between Hsp90 and STAT3 and degrading STAT3 protein. Moreover, NCT-80 inhibited chemotherapy- and EGFR TKI-induced programmed cell death ligand 1 expression and potentiated the antitumor effect of chemotherapy in the LLC-Luc allograft model. Conclusions: These data indicate the potential of STAT3/Wnt signaling pathway as a target to overcome resistance to Hsp90 inhibitors and NCT-80 as a novel Hsp90 inhibitor that targets both CSCs and non-CSCs in NSCLC.

Radiometals have been commonly used in medical applications, and utilization of such metals continues to be an attractive research area. In particular, a variety of radiometals have been developed and implemented for molecular imaging. For such applications, 89 Zr has been one of the most interesting radiometals currently used for tumor targeting. Several chemical ligands were developed as 89 Zr chelators, and new coordinating methods have also been developed more recently. In addition, immunopositron emission tomography (PET) studies using 89 Zr-labeled monoclonal antibodies have been performed by several scientists. In this review, recent advances to the coordination of 89 Zr and the utilization of 89 Zr in PET studies are described.

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Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are promising therapeutic targets for cancer therapy because inhibition of HDACs triggers growth arrest or apoptosis of tumor cells. In the present study, a new series of fluorinated N-(2-aminophenyl)benzamide derivatives were synthesized to investigate potential inhibition of HDACs and associated anticancer activity. Among the synthesized derivatives, compound 24a showed potent inhibitory activity of HDACs and higher antitumor efficacy in human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, MCF-7, and A549) compared with SAHA. Moreover, animal studies demonstrated that compound 24a showed potent in vivo antitumor efficacy in an HCT-116 colon cancer xenograft mouse model.