Ubiquitin-like protein neddylation is overactivated in various human cancers and correlates with disease progression, and targeting this pathway represents a valuable therapeutic strategy. Our previous work disclosed an antihypertensive agent, candesartan cilexetic (CDC), serves as a novel neddylation inhibitor for suppressing tumor growth by targeting Nedd8-activating enzyme (NAE). In this study, 42 benzimidazole derivatives were designed and synthesized based on lead compound CDC to improve the neddylation inhibition and anticancer efficacy. Optimal benzimidazole-derived 35 displayed superior neddylation inhibition in enzyme assay compared to CDC (IC₅₀ = 5.51 μM vs 16.43 μM), along with promising target inhibitory activity and killing selectivity in cancer cell. The results of cellular mechanism research combined with tumor growth suppression in human lung cancer cell A549 in vivo, accompanied with docking model, revealed that 35 has the potential to be developed as a promising neddylation inhibitor for anticancer therapy.

在多种人类癌症中，类似泛素的蛋白质糊化作用过度活化，并且与疾病进展相关，靶向这种途径代表了一种有价值的治疗策略。我们先前的工作公开了一种降压药坎地沙坦酯（CDC），它是一种新型的通过抑制Nedd8激活酶（NAE）抑制肿瘤生长的联糖化抑制剂。在这项研究中，基于铅化合物CDC设计并合成了42种苯并咪唑衍生物，以改善对神经酰胺化的抑制作用和抗癌效果。与CDC相比，最佳苯并咪唑衍生的35在酶法测定中显示出更好的烯丙基化抑制作用（IC ₅₀ = 5.51μM对16.43μM），以及有希望的靶标抑制活性和杀死癌细胞的选择性。细胞机制研究与体内人肺癌细胞A549的肿瘤生长抑制相结合的结果，以及对接模型表明，35有潜力被开发为有前途的联结抑制剂用于抗癌治疗。