Amphiphilic small molecular mates match hydrophobic drugs to form nanoassemblies based on drug-mate strategy

Nanomedicine has made great progress in the targeted therapy of cancer. Here, we established a novel drug-mate strategy by studying the formulation of nanodrugs at the molecular level. In the drug-mate combination, the drug is a hydrophobic drug that is poorly soluble in water, and the mate is an amphiphilic small molecule (SMA) that has both hydrophilic and lipophilic properties. We proposed that the hydrophobic drug could co-assemble with a suitable SMA on a nanoscale without additive agents. The proof-ofconcept methodology and results were presented to support our hypothesis. We selected five hydrophobic drugs and more than ten amphiphilic small molecules to construct a library. Through molecular dynamic simulation and quantum chemistry computation,we speculated that the formation of nanoassemblies was related to the binding energy of the drug-mate, and the drug-mate interaction must overcome drug-drug interaction.Furthermore, the obtained SF/VECOONa nanoassemblieswas selected as a model, which had an ultra-high drug loading content (46%), improved pharmacokinetics, increased bioavailability, and enhanced therapeutic efficacy. In summary, the drug-mate strategy is an essential resource to design exact SMA for many hydrophobic drugs and provides a reference for the design of a carrier-free drug delivery system.

Discovery of small molecule Gαq/11 protein inhibitors against uveal melanoma

Constitutively activated G proteins caused by specific mutations mediate the development of multiple malignancies. The mutated Gaq/11 are perceived as oncogenic drivers in the vast majority of uveal melanoma(UM) cases, making directly targeting Gaq/11 to be a promising strategy for combating UM. Herein, we report the optimization of imidazopiperazine derivatives as Gaq/11 inhibitors, and identified GQ262 with improved Gaq/11 inhibitory activity and drug-like properties. GQ262 efficiently blocked UM cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Analysis of the apoptosis-related proteins, extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK), and yes-associated protein(YAP) demonstrated that GQ262 distinctly induced UM cells apoptosis and disrupted the downstream effectors by targeting Gaq/11directly. Significantly, GQ262 showed outstanding antitumor efficacy in vivo with good safety at the testing dose. Collectively, our findings along with the favorable pharmacokinetics of GQ262 revealed that directly targeting Gaq/11 may be an efficient strategy against uveal melanoma.