Encío Martínez, Ignacio

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Encío Martínez

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Ignacio

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Ciencias de la Salud

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IMAB. Research Institute for Multidisciplinary Applied Biology

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • PublicationOpen Access
    Novel acylselenourea derivatives: dual molecules with anticancer and radical scavenging activity
    (MDPI, 2023) Astráin-Redín, Nora; Raza, Asif; Encío Martínez, Ignacio; Sharma, Arun K.; Plano, Daniel; Sanmartín, Carmen; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
    Oxidative stress surrounding cancer cells provides them with certain growth and survival advantages necessary for disease progression. In this context, Se-containing molecules have gained attention due to their anticancer and antioxidant activity. In our previous work, we synthesized a library of 39 selenoesters containing functional groups commonly present in natural products (NP), which showed potent anticancer activity, but did not demonstrate high radical scavenger activity. Thus, 20 novel Se derivatives resembling NP have been synthesized presenting acylselenourea functionality in their structures. Radical scavenger activity was tested using DPPH assay and in vitro protective effects against ROS-induced cell death caused by H2O2. Additionally, antiproliferative activity was evaluated in prostate, colon, lung, and breast cancer cell lines, along with their ability to induce apoptosis. Compounds 1.I and 5.I showed potent cytotoxicity against the tested cancer cell lines, along with high selectivity indexes and induction of caspase-mediated apoptosis. These compounds exhibited potent and concentration-dependent radical scavenging activity achieving DPPH inhibition similar to ascorbic acid and trolox. To conclude, we have demonstrated that the introduction of Se in the form of acylselenourea into small molecules provides strong radical scavengers in vitro and antiproliferative activity, which may lead to the development of promising dual compounds.
  • PublicationOpen Access
    Seleno-warfare against cancer: decoding antitumor activity of novel acylselenoureas and se-acylisoselenoureas
    (MDPI, 2024) Angulo-Elizari, Eduardo; Raza, Asif; Encío Martínez, Ignacio; Sharma, Arun K.; Sanmartín, Carmen; Plano, Daniel; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
    Currently, cancer remains a global health problem. Despite the existence of several treatments, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy, the survival rate for most cancer patients, particularly those with metastasis, remains unsatisfactory. Thus, there is a continuous need to develop novel, effective therapies. In this work, 22 novel molecules containing selenium are reported, including seven Se-acylisoselenoureas synthesized from aliphatic carbodiimides as well as acylselenoureas with the same carbo- and heterocycles and aliphatic amines. After an initial screening at two doses (50 and 10 µM) in MDA-MB-231 (breast), HTB-54 (lung), DU-145 (prostate), and HCT-116 (colon) tumor cell lines, the ten most active compounds were identified. Additionally, these ten hits were also submitted to the DTP program of the NCI to study their cytotoxicity in a panel of 60 cancer cell lines. Compound 4 was identified as the most potent antiproliferative compound. The results obtained showed that compound 4 presented IC50 values lower than 10 µM in the cancer cell lines, although it was not the most selective one. Furthermore, compound 4 was found to inhibit cell growth and cause cell death by inducing apoptosis partially via ROS production. Overall, our results suggest that compound 4 could be a potential chemotherapeutic drug for different types of cancer.
  • PublicationOpen Access
    Organoseleno cytostatic derivatives: autophagic cell death with AMPK and JNK activation
    (Elsevier Masson SAS, 2019) Garnica, Pablo; Encío Martínez, Ignacio; Plano, Daniel; Palop, Juan Antonio; Sanmartín, Carmen; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
    Selenocyanates and diselenides are potential antitumor agents. Here we report two series of selenium derivatives related to selenocyanates and diselenides containing carboxylic, amide and imide moieties. These compounds were screened for their potency and selectivity against seven tumor cell lines and two non-malignant cell lines. Results showed that MCF-7 cells were especially sensitive to the treatment, with seven compounds presenting GI50 values below 10 μM. Notably, the carboxylic selenocyanate 8b and the cyclic imide 10a also displayed high selectivity for tumor cells. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with these compounds resulted in cell cycle arrest at S phase, increased levels of pJNK and pAMPK and caspase independent cell death. Autophagy inhibitors wortmannin and chloroquine partially prevented 8b and 10a induced cell death. Consistent with autophagy, increased Beclin1 and LC3-IIB and reduced SQSTM1/p62 levels were detected. Our results point to 8b and 10a as autophagic cell death inducers.
  • PublicationOpen Access
    Seleno-analogs of scaffolds resembling natural products a novel warhead toward dual compounds
    (MDPI, 2023) Astráin-Redín, Nora; Talavera, Irene; Moreno, Esther; Ramírez, María J.; Martínez-Sáez, Nuria; Encío Martínez, Ignacio; Sharma, Arun K.; Sanmartín, Carmen; Plano, Daniel; Osasun Zientziak; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB; Ciencias de la Salud
    Nowadays, oxidative cell damage is one of the common features of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Se-containing molecules, such as ebselen, which has demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, have demonstrated well-established preventive effects against both diseases. In this study, a total of 39 Se-derivatives were synthesized, purified, and spectroscopically characterized by NMR. Antioxidant ability was tested using the DPPH assay, while antiproliferative activity was screened in breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer cell lines. In addition, as a first approach to evaluate their potential anti-Alzheimer activity, the in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibition (AChEI) was tested. Regarding antioxidant properties, compound 13a showed concentration- and time-dependent radical scavenging activity. Additionally, compounds 14a and 17a showed high activity in the melanoma and ovarian cancer cell lines, with LD50 values below 9.2 µM. Interestingly, in the AChEI test, compound 14a showed almost identical inhibitory activity to galantamine along with a 3-fold higher in vitro BBB permeation (Pe = 36.92 × 10−6 cm/s). Molecular dynamics simulations of the aspirin derivatives (14a and 14b) confirm the importance of the allylic group instead of the propargyl one. Altogether, it is concluded that some of these newly synthesized Se-derivatives, such as 14a, might become very promising candidates to treat both cancer and AD.