mTOR Pathway Inhibition, Anticancer Activity and In Silico Calculations of Novel Hydrazone Derivatives in Two- and Three-Dimensional Cultured Type 1 Endometrial Cancer Cells.

Background: Endometrial cancer remains a significant health concern, with type 1 endometrial cancer characterized by aberrant expression of estrogen-dependent and mTOR pathway proteins. In this study, we evaluated the effects of two novel hydrazone derivatives against the Ishikawa cell line, a model for endometrial cancer.

Methods: Two novel hydrazone derivatives, MVB1 and MVB2, were synthesized and characterized. The anticancer activity of the compounds in both two- and three-dimensional cultured Ishikawa cells was evaluated by MTT assay. The interaction of the compounds with proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was evaluated by molecular docking studies and in vitro western blot analyses were performed. Additionally, ADME/T calculations were performed to evaluate the drug-like properties of the compounds.

Results: MVB1 and MVB2 showed promising anticancer activity with IC values of 8.3 ± 0.5 µM and 9.0 ± 1.2 µM in 2D cultures, respectively, and 49.9 ± 2 µM and 20.6 ± 1.9 µM in 3D cultures, respectively. Molecular docking studies revealed significant interactions between these compounds and key proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, with MVB1 exhibiting the highest mean binding score (-10.5 kcal/mol) among PI3K, AKT1, and mTOR proteins. In vitro studies confirmed that MVB1 effectively suppressed PI3K protein expression in both 2D and 3D cultures ( ≤ 0.0001).

Conclusions: The findings suggest that MVB1 and MVB2, especially MVB1, are promising candidates for further development as potential therapeutics for endometrial cancer by targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.