CU-CPT17e is a multi-Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist that activates TLR3, TLR8, and TLR9.
CU-CPT17e shows strong NF-κB activation in TLR3, TLR8 and TLR9 HEK293 cells with EC50 values of 4.80±0.73, 13.5±0.58 and 5.66±0.17 μM, respectively. CU-CPT17e significantly improves the activity with 13.9±0.9 fold of NF-κB activation and an EC50 value of 4.8±0.7 μM. CU-CPT17e inhibits the proliferation of HeLa cancer cells by triggering apoptosis and arresting the cell cycle at the S phase. The induction of apoptosis by CU-CPT17e in HeLa cells is investigated. HeLa cells are cultured with increasing concentrations of CU-CPT17e or poly I:C or blank control (DMSO) for 24 h. Treatment with CU-CPT17e for 24 h at different concentrations (10 to 40 μM) results in an elevation of apoptotic cell population ranging from 10% to 17%, which is more effective than poly I:C at 5 μg/mL. These results suggest that the antiproliferative activity of CU-CPT17e against HeLa cells might result from its ability to directly induce apoptosis[1].
[1]. Zhang L, et al. Discovery of Small Molecules as Multi-Toll-like Receptor Agonists with Proinflammatory and Anticancer Activities. J Med Chem. 2017 Jun 22;60(12):5029-5044.