10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103671
The study presents an extensive investigation into the optimization of benzylic N-containing substituents on the pyrrolopyrimidine skeleton, aiming to develop potent Akt inhibitors with significant anticancer activity. The researchers synthesized and evaluated a series of pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives as Akt inhibitors, focusing on their enzymatic potency against Akt isoforms and antiproliferative effects in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) cell lines, as well as their cytotoxicities in patient primary cancer cells. Key compounds identified were 8 and 14g, which demonstrated high enzymatic potency, induced cell apoptosis, G2/M cell cycle arrest, and suppressed the phosphorylation of Akt downstream targets GSK3β and S6. The chemicals used in the study included various pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives with different benzylic substituents, reagents for synthesis such as N-bromosuccinimide (NBS), 1-Boc-piperazine, and EDCI, as well as biochemical assay components like Akt1, STK Substrate-biotin, and ATP. These chemicals served the purpose of synthesizing the target compounds, assessing their inhibitory effects on Akt kinase activity, and evaluating their impact on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression, thereby exploring their potential as effective anticancer therapeutics.