HMN-214 is an oral prodrug that is rapidly converted to HMN-176. The in vitro data of HMN-214 are scarce. However, HMN-176, active metabolite of HMN-214, shows potent and broad-spectrumanti-tumor activity against various cancer cells, including HeLa, PC-3, DU-145, MIAPaCa-2, U937, MCF-7, A549, and WiDr, with a mean IC50 value of 118 nM. HMN-176 is also cytotoxic to drug-resistant human and murine cell lines, including P388/CDDP, P388/VCR, K2/CDDP, and K2/VP-16, with IC50 values ranging from 143 nM–265 nM. In HeLa cells, HMN-176 (3 μM) blocks cell cycle at G2/M phase.
[1]In Doxorubicin-resistant K2/ARS cells, HMN-176 inhibits cell growth with an IC50 value of 2 μM. HMN-176 (3 μM) down-regulates the expression of the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1), due to the disturbance of NF-Y transcription factor binding to the MDR1 promoter.
[2]In human RPE1 and CFPAC-1 cells, HMN-176 (2.5 μM) delays satisfaction of the spindle assembly checkpoint. HMN-176 (250 nM–2.5 μM) inhibits meiotic spindle assembly and aster formationin Spisula oocytes. HMN-176 (2.5 μM) also inhibits aster microtubule formation from human centrosomes. These results indicate that the anti-tumor activity of HMN-176 is at least partially via disrupting centrosome-mediated MT assembly during mitosis.
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