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SPbPU scientists have developed new antitumor compounds based on thienopyrimidines to increase the effectiveness of cancer therapy. The studies were conducted on a model of metastatic melanoma in animals. The results showed that the compounds significantly inhibit the formation of metastatic nodes. The number of lung metastases decreased by 10 times compared to the control group and by 4 times compared to paclitaxel, the most widely used anti—cancer drug. Histological analysis revealed no pathological changes after therapy in the main organs of the animals. The study also showed that these compounds are safe for healthy animals. The research is being implemented within the framework of the Priority 2030 program of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

"Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, which can spread to other organs. About 160,000 cases and about 60,000 deaths are reported annually worldwide. Chemotherapy remains one of the main therapeutic approaches for the treatment of many types of cancer, including metastatic melanoma. However, numerous protective mechanisms of cancer cells develop resistance, which significantly limits the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Therefore, the search for new drugs that will specifically fight cancer cells without harming the body is an urgent task of our days," says Alexander Timin, head of the laboratory of nano- and microencapsulation of biologically active substances at SPbPU.

For the treatment of oncological diseases, SPbPU is developing easily scalable technologies for the creation of pharmaceuticals. In the course of the latest study, scientists have developed a multistage method for the synthesis of low molecular weight precursor compounds of substituted thienopyrrolopyrimidines, which have a preparative simplicity and provide substances with high yields.

Moreover, the synthesis of the developed therapeutic compounds has a number of advantages, including: short reaction time (1-2 hours), low cost of initial reagents, mild conditions that do not require high temperatures, pressure and inert atmospheres for synthesis, simple purification, the possibility of scalable synthesis and chemical modification of the developed structures at all stages of the synthesis of the framework. Such advantages provide prospects for the introduction of synthetic techniques in the production of new medicines.

"The developed compounds have shown their effectiveness in the treatment of melanoma metastases in the lungs. In addition, there are wide opportunities for further search and study of new effective antitumor agents in combination with low toxicity of medicinal agents in relation to healthy cells and tissues. At this stage, we are conducting joint research with SPbPU and NMIC of Oncology named after N.N. Petrov on a more detailed study of the safety of the compounds obtained," the scientist comments.

It can already be said that the developed compounds will improve the effectiveness of cancer therapy and the quality of life of patients, as well as reduce the cost of treatment. These studies open up the possibility of creating and scaling technologies for the production of domestic pharmaceuticals for import substitution in the Russian pharmaceutical industry.

Information provided by the Public Relations Department of SPbPU

Photo source: ru.123rf.com

The information is taken from the portal "Scientific Russia" (https://scientificrussia.ru /)