Development of dual inhibitors targeting pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases and human lactate dehydrogenase A: High-throughput virtual screening, synthesis and biological validation

Most cancer cells feature an altered glucose metabolism from oxidative phosphorylation to cytoplasmic glycolysis. Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs) and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) play crucial roles in promotion of glycolysis, thus the inhibition of both enzymes is considered a promising strategy for developing of anticancer therapeutics. Herein, we describe the first discovery of series novel dual inhibitors targeting PDKs and LDHA. We identified 6 hits from a library database containing 485465 compounds through a high-throughput virtual screening assay. Hit-to-lead optimization enabled us to discover two compounds, namely 20e and 20k, which inhibited PDKs with IC50 values of 0.8, and 1.6 μM, respectively, and inhibited LDHA with IC50 values of 0.15 and 0.7 μM, respectively. Meanwhile, the two compounds reduced A549 cell proliferation with EC50 values of 13.2, and 15.7 μM. Furthermore, 20e and 20k decreased the lactate formation, and increased oxygen consumption, suggesting the two compounds modulated the glucose metabolic pathways in cancer cells.