Antitumor activities of a novel fluorinated small molecule (A1) in CT26 colorectal cancer cells: molecular docking and in vitro studies

Chemotherapeutic treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been satisfactory until now; therefore, the discovery of more efficient medications is of great significance. Based on available knowledge, the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis plays a significant role in tumorigenesis, and inhibition of CXCR4 chemokine receptor with AMD3100 is one of the most known therapeutic modalities in cancer therapy. Herein, N, N''-thiocarbonylbis(N'-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroacetimidamide) (A1) was synthesized as a potent CXCR4 inhibitor. A1 inhibitory activity was first evaluated employing Molecular Docking simulations in comparison with the most potent CXCR4 inhibitors. Then, the antiproliferative and cytotoxic effect of A1 on CT26 mouse CRC cells was investigated by MTT assay technique and compared with those of the control molecule, AMD3100. The impact of the target compounds IC50 on apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and CXCR4 expression was determined by flow cytometry technique. Our finding demonstrated that A1 induces a cytotoxic effect on CT26 cells at 60 μg/mL concentration within 72 h and provokes cell apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest in comparison with the untreated cells, while AMD3100 did not show a cytotoxic effect up to 800 μg/mL dose. The obtained results show that A1 (at a concentration of 40 μg/mL) significantly reduced the proliferation of CT26 cells treated with 100 ng/mL of CXCL12 in 72 h. Moreover, treatment with 60 μg/mL of A1 and 100 ng/mL of CXCL12 for 72 h significantly decreased the number of cells expressing the CXCR4 receptor compared to the control group treated with CXCL12. Eventually, the obtained results indicate that A1, as a dual-function fluorinated small molecule, may benefit CRC treatment through inhibition of CXCR4 and exert a cytotoxic effect on tumor cells.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.