Chemistry / Kimya

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/4072

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  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 9
    Citation - Scopus: 8
    Astragalus Saponins, Astragaloside Vii and Newly Synthesized Derivatives, Induce Dendritic Cell Maturation and T Cell Activation
    (MDPI, 2023) Yakuboğulları, Nilgün; Çağır, Ali; Bedir, Erdal; Sağ, Duygu
    Astragaloside VII (AST VII), a triterpenic saponin isolated from Astragalus species, shows promise as a vaccine adjuvant, as it supported a balanced Th1/Th2 immune response in previous in vivo studies. However, the underlying mechanisms of its adjuvant activity have not been defined. Here, we investigated the impact of AST VII and its newly synthesized semi-synthetic analogs on human whole blood cells, as well as on mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Cells were stimulated with AST VII and its derivatives in the presence or absence of LPS or PMA/ionomycin and the secretion of cytokines and the expression of activation markers were analyzed using ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. AST VII and its analogs increased the production of IL-1β in PMA/ionomycin-stimulated human whole blood cells. In LPS-treated mouse BMDCs, AST VII increased the production of IL-1β and IL-12, and the expression of MHC II, CD86, and CD80. In mixed leukocyte reaction, AST VII and derivatives increased the expression of the activation marker CD44 on mouse CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. In conclusion, AST VII and its derivatives strengthen pro-inflammatory responses and support dendritic cell maturation and T cell activation in vitro. Our results provide insights into the mechanisms of the adjuvant activities of AST VII and its analogs, which will be instrumental to improve their utility as a vaccine adjuvant. © 2023 by the authors.
  • Conference Object
    Citation - WoS: 1
    Immunomodulatory Mechanisms of Astragalus Saponins
    (Wiley, 2021) Yakuboğulları, Nilgün; Çağır, Ali; Bedir, Erdal; Sağ, Duygu
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 15
    Citation - Scopus: 14
    Target-Driven Design of a Coumarinyl Chalcone Scaffold Based Novel Ef2 Kinase Inhibitor Suppresses Breast Cancer Growth in Vivo
    (American Chemical Society, 2021) Önder, Ferah Cömert; Kahraman, Nermin; Atıcı, Esen Bellur; Çağır, Ali; Kandemir, Hakan; Tatar, Gizem; Taşkın Tok, Tuğba
    Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF-2K) is an unusual alpha kinase involved in protein synthesis through phosphorylation of elongation factor 2 (EF2). eEF-2K is highly overexpressed in breast cancer, and its activity is associated with significantly shortened patient survival and proven to be a potential molecular target in breast cancer. The crystal structure of eEF-2K remains unknown, and there is no potent, safe, and effective inhibitor available for clinical applications. We designed and synthesized several generations of potential inhibitors. The effect of the inhibitors at the binding pocket of eEF-2K was analyzed after developing a 3D target model by using a domain of another a-kinase called myosin heavy-chain kinase A (MHCKA) that closely resembles eEF-2K. In silico studies showed that compounds with a coumarin-chalcone core have high predicted binding affinities for eEF-2K. Using in vitro studies in highly aggressive and invasive (MDA-MB-436, MDA-MB-231, and BT20) and noninvazive (MCF-7) breast cancer cells, we identified a lead compound that was highly effective in inhibiting eEF-2K activity at submicromolar concentrations and at inhibiting cell proliferation by induction of apoptosis with no toxicity in normal breast epithelial cells. In vivo systemic administration of the lead compound encapsulated in single lipid-based liposomal nanoparticles twice a week significantly suppressed growth of MDA-MB-231 tumors in orthotopic breast cancer models in nude mice with no observed toxicity. In conclusion, our study provides a highly potent and in vivo effective novel small-molecule eEF-2K inhibitor that may be used as a molecularly targeted therapy breast cancer or other eEF-2K-dependent tumors.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 2
    Citation - Scopus: 3
    1-Octanol Is a Functional Impurity Modifying Particle Size and Photophysical Properties of Colloidal Zncdsse/Zns Nanocrystals
    (American Chemical Society, 2021) Sevim Ünlütürk, Seçil; Çağır, Ali; Varlıklı, Canan; Özçelik, Serdar
    Impurities in trioctylphophine (TOP) strongly affect nanocrystal synthesis. 1-Octanol among other contaminants in TOP is identified for the first time as a functional impurity by H-1 NMR. The deliberate addition of 1-octanol into trioctylphosphine reduced particle size and modified photophysical properties of ZnCdSSe/ZnS colloidal nanocrystals. NMR analysis furthermore revealed that 1-octanol is bonded to the nanocrystal surfaces. The ratio of integrals for the O-CH2 protons of 1-octanol, which is the lowest compared to the other ligands, suggests that 1-octanol plays a critical role to tune the particle size of nanocrystals. The increased amount of 1-octanol added into TOP reduces the particle size from 9.8 to 7.2 nm, causing a progressive blue shift in the UV-vis and PL spectra but leaving the alloy composition unaffected. The rate of nonradiative processes is enhanced with the amount of 1-octanol added into TOP, correlating with higher dislocation density observed in the nanocrystals. As a conclusion, 1-octanol is proposed as a functional impurity that varies particle size and nonradiative photophysical processes in the ZnCdSSe/ZnS colloidal nanocrystals.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 2
    Citation - Scopus: 2
    Novel 2 '-alkoxymethyl Substituted Klavuzon Derivatives as Inhibitors of Topo I and Crm1
    (Academic Press, 2020) Çetinkaya, Hakkı; Yıldız, Mehmet Salih; Kutluer, Meltem; Alkan, Aylin; Otaş, Hasan Ozan; Çağır, Ali
    In this work, 2'-alkoxymethyl substituted klavuzon derivatives were prepared starting from 2-methyl-1-naphthoic acid in eight steps. Anticancer potencies of the synthesized compounds were evaluated by performing MTT cell viability test over cancerous and healthy pancreatic cell lines, along with CRM1 inhibitory properties in HeLa cells by immunostaining and Topo I inhibition properties by supercoiled DNA relaxation assay. Their cytotoxic activities were also presented in hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HuH-7) derived 3D spheroids. Among the tested klavuzon derivatives, isobutoxymethyl substituted klavuzon showed the highest selectivity of cytotoxic activity against pancreatic cancer cell line. They showed potent Topo I inhibition while their CRM1 inhibitory properties somehow diminished compared to 4'-alkylsubstituted klavuzons. The most cytotoxic 2'-methoxymethyl derivative inhibited the growth of the spheroids derived from HuH-7 cell lines and PI staining exhibited time and concentration dependent cell death in 3D spheroids.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 10
    Citation - Scopus: 11
    A New Drug Testing Platform Based on 3d Tri-Culture in Lab-On Devices
    (Elsevier, 2020) Gökçe, Begüm; Akçok, İsmail; Çağır, Ali; Pesen Okvur, Devrim
    Drug discovery has a 90% rate of failure because preclinical platforms for drug testing do not mimic the in vivo conditions. Doxorubicin (DOX) is a commonly used drug to treat breast cancer patients even though it has side effects. Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices provide spatial control at the micrometer scale and can thus emulate the cancer microenvironment. Here, using a multidisciplinary approach, a new drug testing platform based on 3D tri-culture in LOC devices was developed. Breast cancer cells alone or with normal mammary epithelial cells and macrophages were cultured in matrigel in LOC devices. The platform was used to test DOX and (R)-4'-methylklavuzon (KLA), which is a new anti-cancer drug candidate. Results showed that DOX and KLA were equally effective on breast cancer cells in 3D monoculture. KLA produced 26% less death for breast cancer cells than DOX in 3D tri-culture. More importantly, DOX was not selective between breast cancer cells and normal mammary epithelial cells in 3D tri- culture whereas KLA caused 56% less cell death than DOX for normal mammary epithelial cells. Results strongly recommend that 3D tri-culture in LOC devices be used for assessment of drug toxicity at the preclinical stage.
  • Article
    2’-Methylklavuzon Causes Lipid-Lowering Effects on A549 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells and Significant Changes on Dna Structure Evidenced by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
    (Elsevier, 2020) Ceylan, Çağatay; Aksoy, Hatice Nurdan; Çağır, Ali; Çetinkaya, Hakkı
    Various chemical agents are used in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). 2?-methylklavuzon was proposed as a potential chemotherapeutic agent in cancer treatment based on its topoisomerase inhibition activity. In this study the cellular effects of 2?-methylklavuzon was evaluated on A549 cancer cells using FTIR spectroscopy. 2?-methylklavuzon induced significant changes on both the whole cell lyophilizates and the lipid extracts of the A549 lung cancer cells. 2?-methylklavuzon caused significant structural changes in A549 cell DNA structure: T, A and G DNA breathing modes are lost after the drug application indicating the loss of topoisomerase activity. The level of transcription and RNA synthesis was enhanced. 2?-methylklavuzon induced single stranded DNA formation evidenced by the increase in the ratio of asymmetric/symmetric phosphate stretching modes. 2?-methylklavuzon induced band shifts only in the asymmetric mode of phosphate bonds not in the symmetrical phosphate bond stretching. 2?-methylklavuzon induced A form of DNA topography. In addition to the changes in the DNA structure and transcription 2?-methylklavuzon also caused lipid-lowering effect in A549 cancer cells. 2?-methylklavuzon suppressed lipid unsaturation, however, it induced formation of lipids with ring structures. 2?-methylklavuzon suppressed phosphate-containing lipids significantly and decreased carbonyl containing lipids and cholesterol slightly. 2?-methylklavuzon caused increases in the hydrocarbon chain length. Overall, 2?-methylklavuzon can be used as a lipid-lowering compound in the treatment of NSCLC and other cancer therapies. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
  • Editorial
    Citation - WoS: 8
    Citation - Scopus: 9
    Kras(g12c) Inhibitors on the Horizon
    (Future Science, 2019) Çağır, Ali; Azmi, Asfar S.
    RAS proteins (the four isoforms KRAS4A, KRAS4B, NRAS and HRAS encoded by three genes KRAS, NRAS and HRAS) act as molecular switches that when activated drive several key cellular processes such as cell growth, proliferation and survival [1]. In normal cells, RAS activity is under tight control by the precise activation (binding to GTP) and inactivation (GTP hydrolysis to GDP) [1]. As with other critical proteins, it is not at all surprising to note that the gene encoding the RAS protein isoforms is found mutated or altered in a significant proportion of tumors [2]. Mutant RAS loses its ability to hydrolyze GTP and remains in a permanently activated state (bound to GTP) leading to uncontrolled growth.
  • Conference Object
    Semi-Synthetic Studies on Astragaloside Vii and Immunomodulatory Activities of the Derivatives
    (Georg Thieme Verlag, 2019) Yakuboğulları, Nilgün; Sağ, Duygu; Çağır, Ali; Bedir, Erdal
    Adjuvants have been used in vaccine sector since 1920s to increase the immunogenicity of antigens, reduce the dosage and minimize frequency of immunizations [1]. The use of saponins as adjuvant in the prophylactic/therapeutic human and veterinary vaccines, and investigation of their immunomodulatory activities have gained importance in recent years [2],[3]. Astragaloside VII (AST VII), a triterpenoid saponin isolated from Astragalus species, stimulates Th1 mediated immune response, antigen-specific antibody response and splenocyte proliferation.
  • Conference Object
    A Novel Inhibitor for Krasg12c Mutant Lung Carcinoma
    (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, 2020) Khan, H. Y.; Li, Y.; Aboukameel, A.; Mpilla, G.; Sexton, R.; Kanbur, Tuğçe; Nagasaka, M.; Çetinkaya, Hakkı; Çağır, Ali
    Mutations in KRAS are among the most common aberrations in cancer. However, despite considerable research efforts, KRAS remains a challenging therapeutic target. In recent years, there has been a drive to develop KRAS mutant specific drugs. Among the different known mutations, the KRASG12C (glycine 12 to cysteine) has been considered druggable. Studies have shown that due in part to the close proximity of Cysteine 12 to both the nucleotide pocket and the switch regions, thiol-reactive compounds can bind to the active site covalently and inhibit KRASG12C mutation-driven signaling. The absence of this particular cysteine residue in wild-type KRAS makes such an approach very selective towards cancer cells.