Synthesis, In Silico Prediction, and In Vitro Evaluation of Anti-tumor Activities of Novel 4'-Hydroxybiphenyl-4-carboxylic Acid Derivatives as EGFR Allosteric Site Inhibitors

Abstract

Introduction: Allosteric inhibition of EGFR tyrosine kinase (TK) is currently among the most attractive approaches for designing and developing anti-cancer drugs to avoid chemoresistance exhibited by clinically approved ATP-competitive inhibitors. The current work aimed to synthesize new biphenyl-containing derivatives that were predicted to act as EGFR TK allosteric site inhibitors based on molecular docking studies.

Methods: A new series of 4'-hydroxybiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid derivatives, including hydrazine-1-carbothioamide (S3-S6) and 1,2,4-triazole (S7-S10) derivatives, were synthesized and characterized using IR, ¹HNMR, ¹³CNMR, and HR-mass spectroscopy.

Results: Compound S4 had a relatively high pharmacophore-fit score, indicating that it may have biological activity similar to the EGFR allosteric inhibitor reference, and it scored a relatively low ΔG against EGFR TK allosteric site, indicating a high likelihood of drug-receptor complex formation. Compound S4 was cytotoxic to the three cancer cell lines tested, particularly HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells, with an IC₅₀ value comparable to Erlotinib. Compound S4 induced the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in HCT-116 cells by arresting them in the G2/M phase. All of the new derivatives, including S4, met the in silico requirements for EGFR allosteric inhibitory activity.

Conclusion: Compound S4 is a promising EGFR tyrosine kinase allosteric inhibitor that warrants further research.

Keywords: Biphenyl scaffold; EGFR tyrosine kinase; QSAR.; allosteric site inhibitors; cytotoxicity; molecular docking.