BAY 11-7082

Expert Opin Ther Targets,2007 Feb;11(2):133-44.

NF-kappa B as a target for cancer therapy.[Pubmed: 17227230]

The small GTPase Rac1 regulates many cellular processes, including cytoskeletal reorganization, cell migration, proliferation, and survival. Additionally, Rac1 plays a major role in activating NF-κB-mediated transcription. Both Rac1 and NF-κB regulate many properties of the malignant phenotype, including anchorage-independent proliferation and survival, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Despite these findings, the roles of Rac1and NF-κB in non-small cell lung carcinoma, a leading cause of cancer deaths, have not been thoroughly investigated.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Here, we compared the effects of Rac1 siRNA to that of the Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766 on multiple features of the NSCLC malignant phenotype, including NF-κB activity. We show that the siRNA-mediated silencing of Rac1 in lung cancer cells results in decreased cell proliferation and migration. The decrease in proliferation was observed in both anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent assays. Furthermore, cells with decreased Rac1 expression have a slowed progression through the G 1 phase of the cell cycle. These effects induced by Rac1 siRNA correlated with a decrease in NF-κB transcriptional activity. Additionally, inhibition of NF-κB signaling with BAY 11-7082 inhibited proliferation; indicating that the loss of cell proliferation and migration induced by the silencing of Rac1 expression may be attributed in part to loss of NF-κB activity. Interestingly, treatment with the Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766 strongly inhibits cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and NF-κB activity in lung cancer cells, to an even greater extent than the inhibition induced by Rac1 siRNA.
CONCLUSIONS:
These findings indicate that Rac1 plays an important role in lung cancer cell proliferation and migration, most likely through its ability to promote NF-κB activity, and highlight Rac1 pathways as therapeutic targets for the treatment of lung cancer.

J Med Chem,2005 Sep 22;48(19):5966-79.

Novel inhibitor of p38 MAP kinase as an anti-TNF-alpha drug: discovery of N-[4-[2-ethyl-4-(3-methylphenyl)-1,3-thiazol-5-yl]-2-pyridyl]benzamide (TAK-715) as a potent and orally active anti-rheumatoid arthritis agent.[Pubmed: 16162000]

The p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase has been implicated in the proinflammatory cytokine signal pathway, and its inhibitors are potentially useful for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammatory bowel disease.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
To develop a new drug for RA, we synthesized a novel series of 4-phenyl-5-pyridyl-1,3-thiazoles and evaluated their inhibition of p38 MAP kinase, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) from human monocytic THP-1 cells in vitro, and LPS-induced TNF-alpha production in vivo in mice. During the course of the study, we found that these compounds risk the inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms by coordination of the 4-pyridyl nitrogen with heme iron. We therefore investigated the effects of substitution at the 2-position of the pyridyl ring on the inhibitory activity of p38 MAP kinase and CYPs in more detail. As a result, N-[4-[2-ethyl-4-(3-methylphenyl)-1,3-thiazol-5-yl]-2-pyridyl]benzamide (8h, TAK-715) exhibited potent inhibitory activity in these assays (inhibition of p38alpha, IC50 = 7.1 nM; LPS-stimulated release of TNF-alpha from THP-1, IC50 = 48 nM; LPS-induced TNF-alpha production in mice, 87.6% inhibition at 10 mg/kg, po) and no inhibitory activity for major CYPs, including CYP3A4.
CONCLUSIONS:
This compound also showed good bioavailability in mice and rats and significant efficacy in a rat adjuvant-induced arthritis model. Compound 8h was selected as a clinical candidate and is now under clinical investigation for the treatment of RA.

J Med Chem,2002 Sep 1;100(5):1828-34.

Bay 11-7082 inhibits transcription factor NF-kappaB and induces apoptosis of HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines and primary adult T-cell leukemia cells.[Pubmed: 12176906]

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) is the causative agent of an aggressive form of leukemia designated adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). We have previously demonstrated that all T-cell lines infected with HTLV-I and primary leukemic cells from ATL patients display constitutively high activity of transcription factor NF-kappaB.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In this study we showed that BAY 11-7082, an inhibitor of NF-kappaB, induced apoptosis of HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines but only negligible apoptosis of HTLV-I-negative T cells. BAY 11-7082 rapidly and efficiently reduced the DNA binding of NF-kappaB in HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines and down-regulated the expression of the antiapoptotic gene, Bcl-x(L), regulated by NF-kappaB, whereas it had little effect on the DNA binding of another transcription factor, AP-1. Although the viral protein Tax is an activator of NF-kappaB, BAY 11-7082-induced apoptosis of HTLV-I-infected cells was not associated with reduced expression of Tax. Furthermore, BAY 11-7082- induced apoptosis of primary ATL cells was more prominent than that of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and apoptosis of these cells was also associated with down-regulation of NF-kappaB activity.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results indicate that NF-kappaB plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis and survival of HTLV-I-infected leukemic cells and that it is a suitable target for the prevention and treatment of ATL.

Cancer Biol Ther,2012 Jun;13(8):647-56.

The role of Rac1 in the regulation of NF-κB activity, cell proliferation, and cell migration in non-small cell lung carcinoma.[Pubmed: 22549160]

Cell lines:NCI-H1703 cells
Concentrations:  ~8 μM
Incubation Time: 12 hours
Method:
Cells are transfected with siRNA in 96-well microtiter plates and then cultured for 72 hours in complete NSCLC medium, treated with BAY 11-7082 for 12 hours. Cells are incubated with [3H]thymidine for 3 hours. The cells are collected on filters using an automatic cell harvester and radioactivity on the filters is measured by β-scintillation counting.