Discovery of a new class of valosine containing protein (VCP/P97) inhibitors for the treatment of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common digestive tract malignant tumor and is the third cancer-related death worldwide. Valosine containing protein (VCP/p97) is a member of the AAA ATPase family, plays an important role in the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of misfolded proteins. Studies have shown that p97 is overexpressed in colorectal cancer and is a potential therapeutic target. Herein, a series of novel p97 inhibitors were designed, synthesized and biologically assayed. Based on the enzymatic results, structure-activity relationships (SAR) were discussed in detail. Some potent compounds were further evaluated to inhibit the proliferation of CRC cell lines HCT-116. The results showed that some compounds were active against CRC cell lines with IC50 values of less than 1 μM. Among the screened compounds, compound 10 exhibited good microsomal stabilities, pharmacokinetic properties and displayed strong antiproliferative activity against the HCT-116 cell line (0.4 μM). Furthermore, compound 10 exhibited strong in vivo anticancer efficacy in the human CRC (HCT-116) mouse xenograft model.