Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 20 (2012) 22822289

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bmc

Indeno[1,2-b]indole derivatives as a novel class of potent human protein kinase

CK2 inhibitors
Claas Hundsdrfer a, Hans-Jrg Hemmerling b, Claudia Gtz c, Frank Totzke d, Patrick Bednarski e,
Marc Le Borgne f, Joachim Jose a,
a

Institut fr Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Westflische Wilhelms-Universitt Mnster, Hittorfstrae 58-62, 48149 Mnster, Germany
Institut fr Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universitt Dsseldorf, Universittsstrae 1, 40225 Dsseldorf, Germany
c
Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, Universitt des Saarlandes, Gebude 44, D-66424 Homburg/Saar, 66421 Homburg, Germany
d
ProQinase GmbH, Breisacher Str. 117, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
e
Institut fr Pharmazie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universitt Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Strae 17, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
f
Institut des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Universit Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 8 Avenue Rockefeller, 69373 Lyon Cedex 08, France
b

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 25 November 2011
Revised 31 January 2012
Accepted 4 February 2012
Available online 13 February 2012
Keywords:
Indeno[1,2-b]indoles
Inhibitors
Human protein kinase
CK2
Cancer

a b s t r a c t
Herein we describe the synthesis and properties of indeno[1,2-b]indole derivatives as a novel class of
potent inhibitors of the human protein kinase CK2. A set of 19 compounds was obtained using a convenient and straightforward synthesis protocol. The compounds were tested for inhibition of human
protein kinase CK2, which was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli. New inhibitors with IC50 in
the micro- and sub-micromolar range were identied. Compound 4b (5-isopropyl-7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole-9,10(5H,6H)-dione) inhibited human CK2 with an IC50 of 0.11 lM and did not signicantly inhibit 22 other human protein kinases, suggesting selectivity towards CK2. ATP-competitive
inhibition by compound 4b was shown and a Ki of 0.06 lM was determined. Our ndings indicate that
indeno[1,2-b]indoles are a promising starting point for further development and optimization of human
protein kinase CK2 inhibitors.
2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Protein kinases are of high importance in metabolic and regulatory processes. Usually, peptides or proteins are phosphorylated by
kinases at the hydroxyl groups of serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues. Protein kinases play major roles in signal transduction and
control fundamental cellular functions such as cellcell-communication, differentiation, migration, the cell cycle and apoptosis.1
Human CK2 is a second-messenger- and phosphorylation independent constitutively active S/T protein kinase, with a growing
substrate list of more than 400 potential physiological targets
reported in the literature up to date.2 CK2 is a heterotetrameric
protein composed of two catalytic a (or a0 ) subunits and two regulatory b subunits.3 It shows dual cosubstrate specicity, that is,
the ability to utilize adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or guanosine triphosphate (GTP) as the cofactor.4,5 Besides its role in a variety of
non-cancer related diseases (such as neurodegenerative disorders,
inammatory processes, angiogenesis-related diseases and viral
infections),6 there is a strong focus on its involvement in cancer.
Increased activity of the human protein kinase CK2 has been
detected in many different tumors, including those of the prostate,
Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 251 8332200; fax: +49 251 8332211.
E-mail address: [email protected] (J. Jose).
0968-0896/$ - see front matter 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2012.02.017

colon, breast and lung,7 and its impact in cell survival and neoplasia is supported by a growing amount of evidence.7,8
In the last three decades numerous inhibitors addressed to the
target CK2 have been identied: One of the rst reported inhibitors
dichlororibobenzimidazole (DRB) showed a rather weak IC50 of
15 lM.9 Tetrabromobenzotriazole (TBB) revealed an IC50 of
1.6 lM10 and the anthraquinone emodin was reported to have an
IC50 of 0.89 lM.11 Further inhibitors with IC50 in the upper submicromolar range include the polybrominated benzimidazoles
(IC50 from 0.93 to 0.49 lM) described by Andrzejewska et al.12
and their polyiodinated derivatives, which are around tenfold more
potent.13 The potent and selective indoloquinazoline acetic acid
derivative IQA revealed an IC50 of 0.08 lM,14 and for the natural
polyphenol ellagic acid an IC50 of 0.04 lM was found (Fig. 1).15
Thus far only one very potent and highly selective inhibitor, the
benzonaphthyridine derivative CX-4945 (Fig. 1), with an IC50 of
0.001 lM, has reached advanced clinical trials for the treatment
of cancer.16
Besides the concept of alternative inhibition modes17 (e.g.,
CK2b-targeted inhibitors18 or inhibitors disturbing CK2a/CK2bsubunit interaction19), most of the published inhibitors share
common structural features: they consist of small and planar heterocyclic scaffolds, able to t into the nucleotide-binding pocket of
CK2a. They serve as ATP/GTP-competitive inhibitors of CK2 and

2283

C. Hundsdrfer et al. / Bioorg. Med. Chem. 20 (2012) 22822289

OH

(a)
N

HO

NH
O

OH

OH

OH

HO

HN

Cl

O
IQA

CX-4945

Ellagic acid
H3 C
H

(b)

N O
O

N
H
S36888

Figure 1. (a) Known CK2 inhibitors IQA, ellagic acid and CX-4945. (b) S36888, a topoisomerase II inhibitor of the indeno[1,2-b]indole type.

displace the cofactor.16,17,20,21 These structural features are also

found in indeno[1,2-b]indoles such as S36888 (Fig. 1). These compounds have previously been shown to act as DNA-intercalators
and inhibitors of topoisomerase II with considerable cytotoxic
activity towards cancer cells.22
Based on the assumption, that the small and planar heterocyclic
indeno[1,2-b]indoles could t into the ATP/GTP-binding pocket of
the CK2, we aimed to develop a new class of CK2 inhibitors. Within
19 indeno[1,2-b]indoles synthesized, four potent CK2 inhibitors
were found. One of them, 5-isopropyl-7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole-9,10(5H,6H)-dione 4b, inhibited the human CK2 in the
sub-micromolar range. As it displayed only low inhibition towards
a panel of 22 other human kinases, our results suggest 4b to be a
rather selective inhibitor of CK2. The mode of inhibition was
shown to be ATP-competitive and we present evidence of cell
permeability.
2. Results and discussion
2.1. Synthesis
Compounds of type 4 were synthesized according to a recently
published deoxygenation procedure of vic-dihydroxyindeno[1,2b]indoles 3 using N,N,N0 ,N0 -tetramethylsulfuric acid diamide (tetramethyl-thionylamide, TMTA) as a novel reagent. This resulted in
moderate to very good yields of 6095% (Scheme 1).23,24 Compounds 3 were prepared by condensation of indanetrione hydrate
1 and 3-amino-cyclohex-2-enones 2 in yields ranging from 40% to
90%. Precursor 1 is commercially available and 2 is readily available by reuxing a solution of cyclohexane-1,3-diones and primary
amines in benzene with azeotropic removal of water.23,24
For the chiral derivatives 4l and 4m, a coupling constant of
10.5 Hz (3JH7H8) between H-7 and H-8 was observed, showing a
1,2-diaxial coupling of the protons at C-7 and C-8. This results in
the conformers with both the methyl and the carbomethoxy
groups at C-7 and C-8 in equatorial position on the half-chair,
which is in accordance with the crystal structure for the enaminone precursor described by Greenhill et al.25 with the (S)-conguration at C-7 and the (R)-conguration at C-8.
The enaminone precursors of 4n and 4o were prepared from
symmetric 1,3-cyclohexanediones. Condensation of the dione with

O
OH
H

OH
O
1

N
R1

R4
R3

R2
2

O
OH
HO

N
R1
3

H
R4
R3
2
R

ii

N
R1

H
R4
R3
2
R

Scheme 1. Preparation of indeno[1,2-b]indoles 4. For R1, R2, R3 and R4 refer to Table

1. Reagents and conditions: (i) CHCl3 or MeOH, rt, 824 h; (ii) DMF, acetic acid,
TMTA, rt, 3-12 h.

the amines can occur at both carbonyls with the same probability.
Thus, a racemic mixture of both enantiomers of 4n and 4o is
formed and was used for primary testing. Due to low activity of
the racemate in CK2 testing, the isomers were not separated.
For derivative 4n, 1,2-diaxial coupling constants between H-7
and H-6/H-8 of 10.7 Hz (3JH6H7 and 3JH7H8) were observed, giving
evidence of the equatorial position of the phenyl ring at C-7 for
both enantiomers.
Also for 4o, H-7 shows large couplings with the vicinal protons
H-6/H-8 of 10.1 and 11.1 Hz (3JH6H7 and 3JH7H8) proving the equatorial position of the methyl group at C-7 for both enantiomers.
In order to convert the 7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole-9,10
(5H,6H)-diones 4 into the aromatic 9-hydroxyindeno[1,2-b]indole10(5H)-ones 5 some representative dehydrogenation reactions
were explored. The reaction with mercury(II)acetate in boiling
acetonitrile according to Iida et al.26 did not give the desired products. Efforts to aromatize 4 by dehydrogenation in the presence of
10% Pd/C in boiling xylene27 resulted in the formation of 5,

2284

C. Hundsdrfer et al. / Bioorg. Med. Chem. 20 (2012) 22822289

O
H

R4

iii

H
R2

N
R1

OH

N
R1

R4
R2

Scheme 2. Preparation of indeno[1,2-b]indoles 5. For R1, R2 and R4 refer to Table 1.

Reagents and conditions: (iii) 1,4-dioxane, DDQ, 6070 C, 2472 h.

contaminated by a number of additional compounds such as

dimerization products, which made the separation difcult. Finally, a slightly modied version of Rebeks approach to mitomycins
by means of DDQ gave the best results.28,29 The reaction in 1,4dioxane at 60-70 C gave 5 in moderate to good yields of 5474%
(Scheme 2). However, the products were strongly dependent on
the reaction conditions. In reuxing 1,4-dioxane as well as in
reuxing acetonitrile a lot of additional byproducts were formed.
A total of 19 indeno[1,2-b]indole-derivatives were prepared in
yields that ranged from moderate to very good (Table 1).
2.2. Inhibition of human CK2 holoenzyme
The indeno[1,2-b]indole derivatives were tested for their inhibitory activity towards human CK2 holoenzyme (Table 1). The synthetic peptide RRRDDDSDDD was used as the substrate, which is
reported to be most efciently phosphorylated by CK2.30 For initial
testing, inhibition was determined relative to the controls at inhibitor concentrations of 10 lM in DMSO as the solvent. The radioactivity of the pure solvent without inhibitor was used as negative
control and set to 0% inhibition; Reactions without CK2 were used
as positive control and set to 100% inhibition. Compounds with
more than 50% inhibition at a concentration of 10 lM were subjected to an IC50 determination. For this purpose, inhibition was
measured at nal concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 30 lM in
appropriate intervals. IC50 were calculated from the resulting
doseresponse curves. Each value was determined at least in triplicate in independent experiments. For the known inhibitor emodin we measured an IC50 of 0.46 lM in this assay, which is in
good agreement with the reported value of 0.89 lM.11
From the 19 synthesized indeno[1,2-b]indoles, we found four potent compounds with an inhibition of more than 50% at a

concentration of 10 lM (4b, 4d, 4f and 4g). Two of them (4b and

4d) revealed IC50 in the sub-micromolar range (0.11 and 0.82 lM).
The CK2 inhibition by compounds 4 was in most cases (4b, 4c, 4j
vs 5b, 5c, 5j) stronger than their dehydrogenated counterparts 5.
An exception was the phenolic indeno[1,2-b]indole 5n, which
showed higher inhibition than its analog 4n. Both derivatives bear
the sterically demanding phenyl ring at R2, which is shifted in-plane
in 5n. Additionally, the lower activity of 4n could be, at least in part,
due to the use of the racemic mixture of both isomers, assuming that
only one isomer was active towards CK2. In general for compounds 4,
substitutions at R2 or R3, with one or two methyl groups (4k, 4o) or a
phenyl ring (4n), lowered the inhibitory activity of the compounds.
An ester group at R4 (4l, 4m) had barely any effect on potency. Phenyl
or phenylalkyl residues at the indole nitrogen led to a stronger inhibition (4d, 4f and 4g), but for longer alkyl-linkers (4e) inhibitory
activity was lost again. N-substitution with 2-pyridyl-alkyl and
methoxy-substituted phenyl-alkyl residues led to a somewhat lesser activity compared to the phenyl-alkyl derivatives with the same
chain-length. Best effects for the cyclohexeneone derivatives 4 were
achieved with an isopropyl residue at the indole nitrogen (4b),
leading to a sevenfold stronger inhibition than the most potent
phenylalkyl derivative. Within the phenolic derivatives 5, N-substitution with the isopropyl group also led to the strongest inhibition
(48% for 5b).
2.3. Mode of inhibition
To determine the mode of inhibition, we measured CK2 activity
using the non-radiometric capillary electrophoresis (CE) method of
Gratz et al.31 For the strongest inhibitor 4b, IC50 were determined
at six different ATP concentrations ranging from approximately
1/10 to 10 times the Km for ATP. At an ATP concentration at the
Km which was also used for the radiometric measurements, the
IC50 for 4b was 0.36 lM, which is in good agreement with the
radiometrically determined IC50 of 0.11 lM. A linear increase of
the IC50 with increasing ATP could be observed (Fig. 2), showing
the assumed ATP competitivity.32
2.4. Determination of Ki
With the demonstrated mode of inhibition, the inhibition constant (Ki) can be calculated from the IC50 using the ChengPrusoff

Table 1
Synthesized indeno[1,2-b]indole derivatives and inhibition of human CK2 holoenzyme

a
b
c

Compound

R1

R2

R3

R4

Inhibition (%)a

IC50 (lM)b

4a
4b
4c
4d
4e
4f
4g
4h
4i
4j
4k
4l
4m
4nc
4oc
5b
5c
5j
5n

H
iso-C3H7
CH2C6H5
(CH2)2C6H5
(CH2)3C6H5
CH(CH3)C6H5
C6H5
CH2-2-C5H4N
CH2C6H4-4-OCH3
(CH2)2C6H3-3,4-(OCH3)2
CH2C6H5
H
CH2C6H5
CH2C6H5
CH2C6H5
iso-C3H7
CH2C6H5
(CH2)2C6H3-3,4-(OCH3)2
CH2C6H5

H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
CH3
CH3
CH3
C6H5
CH3
H
H
H
C6H5

H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
CH3
H
H
H
H

H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
CO2CH3
CO2CH3
H
H
H
H
H
H

19
93.4
48
67
27
66
60
30
41
50
10
28
15
3
11
48
25
34
31

n.d.
0.11
n.d.
0.82
n.d.
4.66
1.44
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.
n.d.

Given is the average percent inhibition at 10 lM.

n.d.: not determined.
A racemic mixture of both enantiomers was used for testing.

C. Hundsdrfer et al. / Bioorg. Med. Chem. 20 (2012) 22822289

2285

Figure 4. Plot of K app

against the concentration of 4b, for the determination of Ki.
m
Figure 2. Graphical determination of the inhibition modality. IC50 were plotted
against the corresponding ATP concentrations. The abscissa was plotted on a
logarithmic scale for clarity.

Poor absorption and low permeability is predicted for drugs with

C log P P 5 and TPSA P 140 2.3638
To support this prediction, cytotoxicity of 4b towards a human
cancer cell line was evaluated. Therefore, growth inhibition by
compound 4b was measured using the human esophageal cancer
cell line KYSE-70. At a concentration of 20 lM, a growth inhibition
of 25% (3%, n = 3) was observed. Although the effect was weak,
this demonstrates membrane permeability of the compound. The
low effects of 4b towards the cancer cell line could be due to
biological conversion of the compounds into inactive derivatives.
Alternatively, multidrug resistance efux transporters as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which are known to be responsible for the drug
resistance of tumors,39 could have lead to a reduction of intracellular concentrations of the active compound.
2.6. Selectivity proling

Figure 3. Determination of K app

for different concentrations of the inhibitor 4b.
m
Double reciprocal plot of reaction velocity against the cosubstrate concentration.

equation for competitive inhibition.33 Based on the measurements

from the radiometric method, the Ki for the strongest inhibitor 4b
was 0.06 lM.
For comparison, Ki for 4b was also determined directly by the
method described by Copeland.34 Therefore, reaction velocities
(v) at different inhibitor and ATP concentrations were measured
with the CE-based CK2 activity assay31 and were plotted in a
LineweaverBurk diagram against the varied ATP concentrations
(Fig. 3). 1/vmax is given by the intersections with the ordinate,
1/K app
m are given by the intersections with the abscissa. As already
shown in Section 2.3, competitive inhibition is demonstrated by
the increasing K app
with increasing inhibitor concentrations and
m
the unaffected vmax.34
For the calculation of Ki, K app
were plotted against the correm
sponding inhibitor concentrations (Fig. 4). The negative Ki is given
by the intersection of the linear regression with the abscissa. For
the CE-based measurements, a Ki of 0.15 lM for 4b was determined, which is in good agreement with the calculated Ki of
0.06 lM from the radiometric measurements.
2.5. Cell permeability
For an evaluation of the cell permeability of 4b, fragment-based
partition coefcients (C log P) and topological polar surface areas
(TPSA) were calculated. The data suggest, that 4b should be able
to penetrate cell membranes, with a C log P of 3.317 and a TPSA
of 39.076 2 (calculated by the Molinspiration web services35).

Compound 4b, which showed the highest inhibition of CK2

(IC50 = 0.11 lM), was screened for inhibitory activity against a panel of 22 different human kinases (Table 2). IC50 were measured by
testing 10 concentrations of each compound in singlicate and calculated from the resulting doseresponse curves. The known
inhibitor ellagic acid, with a reported IC50 towards the CK2 of
0.04 lM,15 was used as a reference.
Compound 4b showed selectivity towards CK2 in the panel
tested. None of the 22 other kinases were signicantly inhibited
by 4b (IC50 >35 lM). The inhibition of CK2 by this compound is
therefore 300-fold higher than any other kinase tested. Preliminary
studies against a panel of 11 kinases suggest that ellagic acid is a
strong and selective inhibitor of CK2.15 Our results suggest that
4b is a much more selective inhibitor than ellagic acid, which also
inhibited eight other kinases with IC50 values below 1 lM (ARK5,
EGF-R, IGF1R, SRC, VEGF-R2, INS-R, MET and TIE2).
3. Conclusions and outlook
We show that substituted indeno[1,2-b]indole derivatives are a
novel class of potent inhibitors of the human protein kinase CK2. A
set of 19 indeno[1,2-b]indoles was prepared in moderate to very
good yields and tested for their inhibitory activity and selectivity.
Four compounds with good inhibitory activity were found. The
most active derivative, 4b, with an IC50 of 0.11 lM showed selectivity towards the human CK2, as judged by low inhibition of 22
different human kinases. Competitive inhibition of compound 4b
was demonstrated. Inhibition constants were determined by the
standard radiometric activity assay and a novel capillary electrophoresis based method, giving comparable Ki of 0.06 and
0.15 lM, respectively. Membrane permeability of the strongest
inhibitor 4b could be demonstrated by theoretical predictions

2286

C. Hundsdrfer et al. / Bioorg. Med. Chem. 20 (2012) 22822289

Table 2
Inhibitiona of 22 different protein kinases by indeno[1,2-b]indole 4b and the known inhibitor ellagic acid (EA)

Kinase

AKT1

ARK5

Aurora-A

Aurora-B

B-RAF

CDK2/CycA

CDK4/CycD1

EGF-R

EPHB4

ERBB2

FAK

4b
EA

>35
3.34

>35
0.51

>35
2.48

>35
2.50

>35
1.76

>35
3.39

>35
1.09

>35
0.69

>35
1.83

>35
3.54

>35
3.11

Kinase

IGF1R

SRC

VEGF-R2

VEGF-R3

INS-R

MET

PDGFR -b

PLK1

SAK

TIE2

COT

4b
EA

>35
0.25

>35
0.80

>35
0.79

>35
1.54

>35
0.34

>35
0.58

>35
1.30

>35
3.34

>35
2.97

>35
0.26

>35
2.37

Given are IC50 in lM.

and the cytotoxic potential of this compound towards an esophageal cancer cell line. Taken together, the results show that indeno
[1,2-b]indoles, such as 4b, are a promising starting point for the
further development of potent and selective CK2 inhibitors, leading
to potential drugs for the treatment of malignancies and non-cancer related diseases. Synthesis and evaluation of further derivatives, in particular N-isopropyl substituted derivatives, is in
progress.
4. Experimental section
4.1. General
Melting points: Bchi melting point apparatus by Dr. Tottoli;
not corrected. IR spectra: Perkin Elmer FT-IR 1600, using KBr discs.
NMR spectra: Bruker AC 200F (1H: 200 MHz/13C: 50 MHz) with
TMS as the internal standard and Varian AS 400 Mercuryplus
(13C: 100 MHz) with the solvent peak as the internal standard in
the designated solvents, using d (ppm) scale; signals, labeled by 
exchanged by addition of D2O. 13C NMR spectra of 5j could not
be obtained due to insufcient solubility in all standard deuterated
solvents. EI mass-spectra: Finnigan 4200 quadrupole massspectrometer, equipped with a MASPEC data system; 70 eV
ionizing potential. Microanalyses: Perkin Elmer Elemental
Analyzer 2400/II. MPLC or ash chromatography was performed
on 230400 mesh silica (Merck). Solvents were puried by standard methods and dried over molecular sieves or sodium. Yields
refer to the amount of the products after one recrystallization
and are not optimized.
4.2. Synthesis of 7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole-9,10(5H,6H)diones (4)23,24,40
The synthesis and characterization of compounds 4 of Table 1
has been previously described by Hemmerling and Reiss.23 We describe here again the methods to obtain compounds 4 that were
shown to be pharmacologically most active (4b, 4d). We also describe the compounds that served as reactants (4c, 4j, 4n) in the
reactions to prepare compounds 5.
General Procedure A: Compound 3 (5.0 mmol) was dissolved in
15 mL DMF and 3 mL acetic acid was added. After addition of TMTA
(20 mmol) the solution was stirred for the time indicated. After
this time a precipitate has deposited, which was separated by suction. The ltrate was evaporated in vacuo, the oily residue diluted
with H2O, and the solution was basied with NaHCO3. Extraction
with CHCl3 gave a second crop, which was puried by MPLC on
SiO2/EtOAc-hexane or CHCl3-EtOAc.
General Procedure B: Compound 3 (5.0 mmol) was dissolved in
15 mL DMF and 3 mL acetic acid was added. After addition of TMTA
(20 mmol) the solution was stirred for the time indicated. After
this time, the solution was poured into 500 mL H2O. The suspension was stirred for 3 h and the solids separated by ltration. The
solid was air dried and crystallized. The ltrate was evaporated

to a small volume and worked up as described under General Procedure A.

4.2.1. 5-Isopropyl-7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole-9,10(5H,6H)dione (4b)
General Procedure B. Reaction time: 3 h. Yield: 89%. Mp: 201 C
(EtOAc). IR (KBr): m (cm1) = 2944, 1707, 1665, 1609, 1520, 1485,
1426, 1319, 1297. 1H NMR (200 MHz, TMS, CDCl3): d
(ppm) = 1.65 (d, J = 7 Hz, 6H, 2CH3), 2.12.2 (m, 2H, H-7), 2.42.5
(m(t), 2H, CH2), 2.82.9 (m(t), 2H, CH2), 4.5 4.7 (m, 1H, CH),
7.07.5 (m, 4H, Ar-H). EI-MS (70 eV): m/z (%) = 279 (49) [M+],
278 (24), 264 (10), 237 (11), 223 (10), 209 (25), 208 (22), 181
(43), 180 (18), 153 (22), 152 (19), 130 (15), 126 (13), 125 (10),
102 (11), 78 (14), 77 (16), 75 (13), 69 (11), 51 (13), 43 (98), 42
(16), 41 (100). Anal. Calcd for C18H17NO2 (279.34): C, 77.40; H,
6.13; N, 5.02. Found: C, 76.93; H, 6.00; N, 4.90.
4.2.2. 5-Benzyl-7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole-9,10(5H,6H)dione (4c)
General Procedure B. Reaction time: 3 h. Yield: 95%. Mp: 185 C
(EtOAc). IR (KBr): m (cm1) = 1703, 1666, 1607, 1526, 1499, 1453,
1443, 1431, 1293. 1H NMR (200 MHz, TMS, CDCl3): d
(ppm) = 2.02.2 (m, 2H, H-7), 2.41 (m(t), 2H, CH2) 2.62 (m(t), 2H,
CH2), 5.17 (s, 2H, NCH2), 6.686.72 (m, 1H), 7.007.2 (m, 4H),
7.297.41(m, 4H). 13C NMR (50 MHz, TMS, CDCl3): d
(ppm) = 21.70, 22.85, 37.71, 49.14, 117.24, 117.88, 119.81,
123.43, 125.91, 125.98, 128.21, 128.25, 129.28, 132.44, 134.71,
134.89, 138.66, 150.66, 153.01, 184.18, 192.25. EI-MS (70 eV):
m/z (%) = 327 (38) [M+], 326 (12), 299 (4), 298 (3), 272 (3), 271
(5), 270 (6), 250 (5), 208 (5), 180 (4), 152 (4), 92 (8), 91 (100). Anal.
Calcd for C22H17NO2 (327.38): C, 80.71; H, 5.23; N, 4.28. Found: C,
80.81; H, 5.20; N, 4.24.
4.2.3. 5-Phenethyl-7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole9,10(5H,6H)-dione (4d)
General Procedure A. Reaction time: 5 h. Yield: 62%. Mp: 189
190 C (EtOAc). IR (KBr): m (cm1) = 1697, 1659, 1606, 1524,
1499, 1476, 1296. 1H NMR (200 MHz, TMS, DMSO-d6): d
(ppm) = 1.71.9 (m, 2H, CH2), 2.22.4 (m, 4H, 2CH2), 2.93.1 (m,
2H, CH2), 4.34.4 (m, 2H, NCH2), 7.07.4 (m, 9H, Ar-H). EI-MS
(70 eV): m/z (%) = 341 (100) [M+], 285 (12), 250 (8), 249 (10), 237
(38), 209 (37), 194 (19), 121 (25), 105 (19), 104 (15), 91 (11). Anal.
Calcd for C23H19NO2 (341.40): C, 80.92; H, 5.61, N, 4.10. Found: C,
80.92; H, 5.39; N, 4.04.
4.2.4. 5-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenethyl)-7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2b]indole-9,10(5H,6H)-dione (4j)
General Procedure B. Reaction time: 8 h. Yield: 90%. Mp: 189
190 C (DMF/H2O). IR (KBr): m (cm1) = 1699, 1663, 1605, 1516,
1502, 1450, 1430, 1292, 1264, 1245. 1H NMR (200 MHz, TMS,
CDCl3): d (ppm) = 1.81.95 (m, 2H, CH2), 2.07 (t, J = 6.0 Hz, 2H,
CH2), 2.35 (t, J = 6.0 Hz, 2H, CH2), 3.02 (t, J = 6.0, 2H, CH2), 3.74,
3.82 (2 s, 6H, 2OCH3), 4.16 (t, J = 6.0, 2H, NCH2), 6.42 (d, J = 1.7,

C. Hundsdrfer et al. / Bioorg. Med. Chem. 20 (2012) 22822289

2287

1H, H20 ), 6.53 (dd, J1 = 1.7 Hz, J2 = 8.0 Hz, 1 H, H6), 6.75 (d,
J = 8.0 Hz, 1H, H5), 6.857.5 (m, 4H, Ar-H). EI-MS (70 eV): m/z
(%) = 401 (22) [M+], 400 (7), 399 (10), 165 (25), 164 (29), 163 (5),
151 (100), 150 (12), 149 (17), 107 (14), 105 (11), 102 (11). Anal.
Calcd for C25H23NO4 (401.45): C, 74.79; H, 5.77; N, 3.49. Found:
C, 74.63; H, 5.84; N, 3.37.

1430, 1262, 1237, 1158, 1028. 1H NMR (200 MHz, TMS, CD2Cl2):
d(ppm) = 3.09 (t, J = 6.6 Hz, 2H, CH2), 3.62, 3.69 (2s, 6H, 2OCH3),
4.40 (t, J = 6.7 Hz, 2H, NCH2), 6.4 (m, 10H, Ar-H). EI-MS (70 eV):
m/z (%) = 399 (62) [M+], 248 (26), 165 (18), 151 (100). Anal. Calcd
for C25H21NO4 (399.44): C, 75.17; H, 5.30; N, 3.51. Found: C,
75.44; H, 5.24; N, 3.53.

4.2.5. 5-Benzyl-7-phenyl-7,8-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole9,10(5H,6H)-dione (4n)

General Procedure A. Reaction time: 12 h. Yield: 80%. Mp:
252 C (Toluene). IR (KBr): m (cm1) = 1705, 1669, 1605, 1499. 1H
NMR (200 MHz, TMS, CDCl3): d (ppm) = 2.643.01 (m, 4H, H-6,
H-8), 3.423.57 (m, 1H, H-7), 5.22 (s, 2H, NCH2), 6.736.82 (m,
1H, H-4), 7.067.52 (m, 13H, Ar-H). 13C NMR (50 MHz, TMS,
CDCl3): d (ppm) = 29.8, 41.4, 44.7, 49.2, 117.2, 117.8, 120.0,
123.9, 125.3, 125.9, 126.8, 127.2, 128.2, 128.4, 128.5, 128.8,
129.0, 129.4, 132.4, 134.6, 134.8, 138.7, 142.5, 149.2, 153.4,
184.1, 191.0. EI-MS (70 eV): m/z (%) = 403 (4) [M+], 312 (3),
299(12), 271 (13), 208 (13), 180 (4), 152 (5), 104 (4), 91 (100). Anal.
Calcd for C28H21NO2 (403.49): C, 83.35; H, 5.25; N, 3.47. Found: C,
83.54; H, 5.27; N, 3.33.

4.3.4. 5-Benzyl-9-hydroxy-7-phenylindeno[1,2-b]indole-10(5H)one (5n)

Preparation according to 5b with 4n. Reaction temperature:
60 C. Reaction time: 48 h. Purication by MPLC on silica: (Eluent:
EtOAc/hexane = 40:60 (v/v)). Yield: 74%. Mp: 254255 C (CH3CN)
IR (KBr): m (cm1) = 3426, 1667, 1636, 1601, 1576, 1519, 1505,
1496, 1482, 1444, 1428, 1421, 1352, 1273. 1H NMR (200 MHz,
TMS, CDCl3): d (ppm) = 5.47 (s, 2H, NCH2), 6.47 (s, 1 H, OH),
6.947.55 (m, 16H, Ar-H). 13C NMR (50 MHz, TMS, DMSO-d6): d
(ppm) = 47.8, 101.4, 107.2, 112.1, 113.8, 119.0, 122.4, 126.4,
126.5, 127.1, 127.5, 128.8, 128.8, 129.5, 132.4, 134.1, 136.8,
137.0, 140.1, 140.5, 144.9, 151.3, 157.7, 182.8. EI-MS (70 eV): m/z
(%) = 401 (10) [M+], 310 (19), 282 (10), 253 (5), 226 (4), 151 (2),
102 (5), 92 (7), 91 (100), 77 (7), 65 (20). Anal. Calcd, for
C28H19NO2 (401.46): C, 83.77; H, 4.77; N, 3.49. Found: C, 83.87;
H, 4.85; N, 3.49.

4.3. Synthesis of 9-hydroxyindeno[1,2-b]indole-10(5H)-ones (5)

4.3.1. 9-Hydroxy-5-isopropylindeno[1,2-b]indole-10(5H)-one
(5b)
Compound 4b (1.0 g, 3.6 mmol) was dissolved in 1,4-dioxane
(150 mL) and a solution of DDQ (0.91 g, 4.0 mmol) was added.
The mixture was heated to 70 C and stirred for 24 h with TLC
monitoring. Half of the solvent was then evaporated in vacuo
and after cooling to rt the solid that separated was removed by suction. The ltrate was evaporated to dryness and the solid residue
subjected to MPLC at silica (eluent: EtOAc) gave 0.8 g of 5b. Yield:
65%. Mp: 182 C (MeOH). IR (KBr): m (cm1) = 2438, 1662, 1604,
1492, 1449, 1429, 1420, 1230. 1H NMR (200 MHz, TMS, CDCl3): d
(ppm) = 1.72 (d, J = 7 Hz, 6H, 2 CH3), 4.794.93 (m, 1H, CH), 6.66
6.70 (m, 1H, Ar-H), 6.75 (s, 1H, OH), 6.97.5 (m, 6H, Ar-H). 13C
NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6): d (ppm) = 182.80, 156.12, 151.22,
142.70, 140.28, 134.51, 132.47, 129.38, 124.26, 122.43, 120.06,
113.21, 109.33, 107.76, 104.73, 49.21, 21.22. EI-MS (70 eV): m/z
(%) = 277 (99) [M+], 262 (11), 235 (100), 220 (12), 207 (12), 206
(22), 179 (30), 178 (16), 177 (11), 151 (16), 150 (10), 76 (22). Anal.
Calcd for C18H15NO2 (277.32): C, 77.96; H, 5.45; N, 5.05. Found: C,
78.18; H, 5.66; N, 5.00.
4.3.2. 5-Benzyl-9-hydroxyindeno[1,2-b]indole-10(5H)-one (5c)
Preparation according to 5b with 4c. Reaction temperature:
65 C. Reaction time: 72 h. Yield: 54%. Mp: 198199 C (EtOH). IR
(KBr): m (cm1) = 3426, 1666, 1604, 1523, 1504, 1488, 1448,
1440, 1430, 1422, 1238. 1H-NMR (200 MHz, TMS, CDCl3): d
(ppm) = 5.49 (s, 2 H, NCH2), 6.54 (s, 1H, OH), 6.77.6 (m, 12H,
Ar-H). 13C NMR (50 MHz, TMS, CDCl3): d (ppm) = 49.23, 103.43,
108.16, 113.12, 115.38, 118.83, 123.54, 125.66, 126.34, 128.27,
129.20, 129.56, 132.44, 135.33, 135.69, 140.35, 144.02, 149.93,
156.80, 185.97. EI-MS (70 eV): m/z (%) = 325 (20) [M+], 248 (7),
234 (5), 206 (4), 177 (3), 151 (5), 92 (8), 91 (100). Anal. Calcd for
C22H15NO2 (325.37): C, 81.21; H, 4.65; N, 4.30. Found: C, 80.98;
H, 4.91; N, 4.37.
4.3.3. [2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)-ethyl]-9-hydroxyindeno[1,2b]indole-10(5H)-one (5j)
Preparation according to 5b with 4j. Reaction temperature:
65 C. Reaction time: 48 h. Yield: 58%. Mp: 137138 C (Toluene/
Cyclohexane). IR (KBr): m (cm1) = 3422, 1669, 1604, 1516, 1448,

4.4. Preparation of recombinant human CK2 enzyme and

testing of inhibitors
As described earlier,41 a-subunit (CSNK2A1) and b-subunit
(CSNK2B) of protein kinase CK2 were expressed separately in
E. coli (BL21(DE3) pT7-7). The starter cultures were grown overnight at 37 C until the stationary phase was reached. With the
separate starter cultures for each subunit, fresh medium was inoculated and cultivated until an OD500 of 0.6. For induction of protein
expression IPTG was added to a nal concentration of 1 mM and
was run at 30 C for 5-6 h for CSNK2A1 and at 37 C for 3 h for
CSNK2B. Bacterial cells were harvested by centrifugation
(6000g at 4 C for 10 min) and disrupted by sonication (3 times
30 s on ice). Cell debris was removed by centrifugation and the
bacterial extracts for both subunits were combined and subjected
to a three-column purication. Activity of the fractions was determined by measurements of the conversion of a peptide substrate
(RRRDDDSDDD). Fractions exhibiting CK2 enzymatic activity were
combined and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western Blot. They were
stored in aliquots at 80 C until used for testing. For testing of
inhibitors, 0.5 lL (0.25 U/mL) of CK2 holoenzyme was preincubated at room temperature for 10 min. The inhibitors (in
DMSO) were then added to a nal concentration of 10 lM in
20 lL of kinase buffer (50 mM Tris/HCl, pH 7.5, 100 mM NaCl,
10 mM MgCl2, 1 mM DTT). DMSO alone was used as negative control. The reaction was started by the addition of 30 lL assay buffer
(25 mM Tris/HCl, pH 8.5, 150 mM NaCl, 5 mM MgCl2, 1 mM DTT,
100 lM ATP, 0.19 mM peptide substrate, 0.6 lCi [c-32P]ATP). Final
concentrations in the reaction mixture were 60 lM for the cosubstrate ATP and 114 lM for the substrate peptide. The reaction was
carried out at 37 C for 15 min then the mixture was spotted onto a
P81 ion exchange paper (Whatman). After washing thrice with
excess phosphate (85 mM H3PO4) and subsequently with ethanol,
the lter was dried and the adhering radioactivity measured by a
scintillation counter (Packard). Initial inhibition at a xed concentration of 10 lM was determined relative to the controls. Pure solvent without inhibitor was used as negative control (0 %
inhibition), assays without CK2 were used as positive control
(100 % inhibition). For IC50 determination inhibition was measured
at nal concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 30 lM in appropriate

2288

C. Hundsdrfer et al. / Bioorg. Med. Chem. 20 (2012) 22822289

For the determination of the mode of inhibition, the recently

established capillary electrophoretic CK2 activity assay was used.31
Enzymatic reactions were performed as described in Section 4.2.2,
but without the use of the [c-32P] labeled ATP in the assay buffer.
Total reaction volume was scaled up to 200 lL, composed of 80 lL
CK2-supplemented kinase buffer and 120 lL assay buffer. Reactions were stopped by the addition of 4 lL EDTA (0.5 M) and the
reaction mixture was analyzed by a PA800 capillary electrophoresis from Beckman Coulter (Krefeld, Germany). For electrophoretic
separation, 2 M acetic acid was used as the electrolyte. The separated substrate and product peptide were detected and quantied
using a DAD-detector at 214 nm. Measurements were performed
using six ATP concentrations ranging from approximately a tenth
to ten times the Km (75 lM) and for each ATP concentration IC50
were determined using nine inhibitor concentrations ranging from
0.001 lM to 100 lM. For the analysis of inhibition modality IC50
were plotted versus the ATP concentration.32

was measured in a 50 lL reaction volume in 96-well FlashPlates

from PerkinElmer/NEN (Boston, MA). The reaction contained
20 lL assay buffer, 5 lL aqueous ATP solution, 5 lL inhibitor (in
10% DMSO), 10 lL of the substrate, and 10 lL puried recombinant
human protein kinase. The assay for all enzymes contained 60 mM
HEPES-NaOH, pH 7.5, 3 mM MgCl2, 3 mM MnCl2, 3 lM sodium
orthovanadate, 1.2 mM dithiothreitol, 50 lg/mL PEG20000, and
1 lM [c-33P]ATP (approx. 5  105 cpm/well). Used substrates:
GSK3(14-27) for AKT1; tetra(LRRWSLG) for Aurora A and B;
MEK1 KM for B-RAF; Histone H1 for CDK2/CycA; RB-CTF for
CDK4/CycD1; Poly(E,Y)4:1 for EGF-R, EPHB4, ERBB2, FAK, IGF1-R,
SRC, VEGF-R2, VEGF-R3 and TIE2; Poly(A,E,K,Y)6:2:5:1 for INS-R,
MET and PDGF-Rb; Casein for PLK1; p38-alpha-KRKR for SAK;
Autophosphorylation was measured for ARK5 and COT. All protein
kinases were expressed in Sf9 insect cells as His-tagged or GST-fusion proteins and puried by afnity chromatography. Reactions
were incubated at 30 C for 80 minutes. The reaction was quenched
with 50 lL of 2% (v/v) H3PO4, plates were aspirated and washed
twice with 200 lL of 0.9% (w/v) NaCl or 200 lL H2O. Incorporation
of 33Pi was measured with a microplate scintillation counter
(Microbeta Trilux, Wallac). Assays were performed with a BeckmanCoulter/Sagian robotic system.

4.6. Determination of Ki

Acknowledgments

intervals. IC50 were calculated from the resulting dose-response

curves at least in triplicate in independent experiments.
4.5. Mode of inhibition

The Ki of 4b for the radiometric measurements was calculated

from IC50 with the ChengPrusoff equation for competitive inhibition (IC50 = Ki(1+([ATP]/Km)).33
For determination of Ki the method described by Copeland was
used.34 Reaction velocities were determined at different inhibitor
and cosubstrate concentrations with the CE-Method described in
Section 4.2.3. Reaction velocities were plotted in a Lineweaver
Burk plot against the varied ATP concentrations where 1/K app
m
are given by the intersections with the abscissa. K app
were then
m
plotted against the corresponding inhibitor concentrations and
Ki is given by the intersection of the linear regression with the
abscissa.
4.7. Cell permeability
Fragment-based partition coefcients (C log P) and topological
polar surface areas (TPSA) were calculated by the molinspiration
web services.35
The ability of the compounds to permeate cells was evaluated
indirectly with the Crystal Violet staining method as previously described.42,43 With this method, growth inhibition of adherent cancer cell lines is determined in 96-well microtiter plates. The human
esophageal cancer cell line used (KYSE-70) was obtained from the
DSMZ (German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures)
and was grown in streptomycin and penicillin G supplemented
RPMI 1640 medium containing 10% FCS (Sigma). Cells were incubated for 96 h with the compounds dissolved in DMF. Final concentration of the solvent was 0.1%. After incubation, cells were xed
20 min with 1% glutaraldehyde and then stained for half an hour
with 0.02% Crystal Violet in water. Following washing for half an
hour in water, the residual cell-bound dye was dissolved with ethanol/water (7:3 (v/v)) and the absorption (570 nm) was measured
with an Anthos 2010 plate reader (Anthos, Salzburg, Austria).
4.8. Kinase selectivity
The selectivity of 4b towards CK2 was investigated using a commercial radiometric protein kinase assay, which tested this inhibitor against a panel of 22 puried recombinant human kinases
(33PanQinase Activity Assay, ProQinase, Freiburg, Germany). The
assay was conducted as previously described.44 Briey, inhibition

We thank P. Proksch, Heinrich-Heine-University Dsseldorf,

and A. Bollacke, Westflische-Wilhelms-University Mnster, for
their helpful support.
Supplementary data
Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in
the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2012.02.017. These data
include MOL les and InChiKeys of the most important compounds
described in this article.
References and notes
1. Manning, G.; Whyte, D. B.; Martinez, R.; Hunter, T.; Sudarsanam, S. Science
1912, 2002, 298.
2. Salvi, M.; Sarno, S.; Cesaro, L.; Nakamura, H.; Pinna, L. A. Biochim. Biophys. Acta
(BBA)Mol. Cell Res. 2009, 1793, 847.
3. Niend, K.; Guerra, B.; Ermakowa, I.; Issinger, O.-G. EMBO J. 2001, 20, 5320.
4. Niend, K.; Putter, M.; Guerra, B.; Issinger, O.-G.; Schomburg, D. Nat. Struct. Mol.
Biol. 1999, 6, 1100.
5. Faust, M.; Montenarh, M. Cell Tissue Res. 2000, 301, 329.
6. Guerra, B.; Issinger, O.-G. Curr. Med. Chem. 1870, 2008, 15.
7. Ruzzene, M.; Pinna, L. A. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, Proteins Proteomics 2010, 1804, 499.
8. Ahmad, K. A.; Wang, G.; Unger, G.; Slaton, J.; Ahmed, K. Adv. Enzyme Regul.
2008, 48, 179.
9. Zandomeni, R. J. Biol. Chem. 1986, 261, 3414.
10. Sarno, S.; Reddy, H.; Meggio, F.; Ruzzene, M.; Davies, S. P.; Donella-Deana, A.;
Shugar, D.; Pinna, L. A. FEBS Lett. 2001, 496, 44.
11. Sarno, S.; de Moliner, E.; Ruzzene, M.; Pagano, M. A.; Battistutta, R.; Bain, J.;
Fabbro, D.; Schoepfer, J.; Elliott, M.; Furet, P.; Meggio, F.; Zanotti, G.; Pinna, L. A.
Biochem. J. 2003, 374, 639.
12. Andrzejewska, M.; Pagano, M. A.; Meggio, F.; Brunati, A. M.; Kazimierczuk, Z.
Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2003, 11, 3997.
13. Gianoncelli, A.; Cozza, G.; Orzeszko, A.; Meggio, F.; Kazimierczuk, Z.; Pinna, L. A.
Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2009, 17, 7281.
14. Vangrevelinghe, E.; Zimmermann, K.; Schoepfer, J.; Portmann, R.; Fabbro, D.;
Furet, P. J. Med. Chem. 2003, 46, 2656.
15. Cozza, G.; Bonvini, P.; Zorzi, E.; Poletto, G.; Pagano, M. A.; Sarno, S.; DonellaDeana, A.; Zagotto, G.; Rosolen, A.; Pinna, L. A.; Meggio, F.; Moro, S. J. Med.
Chem. 2006, 49, 2363.
16. Pierre, F.; Chua, P. C.; OBrien, S. E.; Siddiqui-Jain, A.; Bourbon, P.; Haddach, M.;
Michaux, J.; Nagasawa, J.; Schwaebe, M. K.; Stefan, E.; Vialettes, A.; Whitten, J.
P.; Chen, T. K.; Darjania, L.; Stanseld, R.; Anderes, K.; Bliesath, J.; Drygin, D.;
Ho, C.; Omori, M.; Proftt, C.; Streiner, N.; Trent, K.; Rice, W. G.; Ryckman, D. M.
J. Med. Chem. 2011, 54, 635.
17. Prudent, R.; Cochet, C. Chem. Biol. 2009, 16, 112.
18. Martel, V.; Filhol, O.; Colas, P.; Cochet, C. Oncogene 2006, 25, 7343.
19. Laudet, B.; Moucadel, V.; Prudent, R.; Filhol, O.; Wong, Y.-S.; Royer, D.; Cochet,
C. Mol. Cell. Biochem. 2008, 316, 63.

C. Hundsdrfer et al. / Bioorg. Med. Chem. 20 (2012) 22822289

20. Sarno, S.; Pinna, L. A. Mol. Biosyst. 2008, 4, 889.
21. Sarno, S.; Salvi, M.; Battistutta, R.; Zanotti, G.; Pinna, L. A. Biochim. Biophys. Acta,
Proteins Proteomics 2005, 1754, 263.
22. Bal, C.; Baldeyrou, B.; Moz, F.; Lansiaux, A.; Colson, P.; Kraus-Berthier, L.;
Lonce, S.; Pierr, A.; Boussard, M.-F.; Rousseau, A.; Wierzbicki, M.; Bailly, C.
Biochem. Pharmacol. 1911, 2004, 68.
23. Hemmerling, H. J.; Reiss, G. Synthesis 2009, 985.
24. Hemmerling, H.-J.; Merschenz-Quack, A.; Wunderlich, H. Z. Naturforsch., B:
Chem. Sci. 2004, 59, 1143.
25. Greenhill, J. V.; Chaaban, I.; Steel, P. J. J. Heterocycl. Chem. 1992, 29, 1375.
26. Iida, H.; Yuasa, Y.; Kibayashi, C. Synthesis 1982, 471.
27. Bouaziz, Z.; Nebois, P.; Poumaroux, A.; Fillion, H. Heterocycles 2000, 52, 977.
28. Rebek, J.; Shaber, S. H.; Shue, Y. K.; Gehret, J. C.; Zimmerman, S. J. Org. Chem.
1984, 49, 5164.
29. Edstrom, E. D. Synlett 1995, 49.
30. Kuenzel, E. A.; Mulligan, J. A.; Sommercorn, J.; Krebs, E. G. J. Biol. Chem. 1987,
262, 9136.
31. Gratz, A.; Gtz, C.; Jose, J. Electrophoresis 2010, 31, 634.
32. Copeland, R. A. Evaluation of Enzyme Inhibitors in Drug Discovery; John Wiley &
Sons: Hoboken, 2005.

2289

33. Cheng, Y.; Prusoff, W. H. Biochem. Pharmacol. 1973, 22, 3099.

34. Copeland, R. A. Enzymes A Practical Introduction to Structure, Mechanism and
Data Analysis; John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, 2000.
35. http://www.molinspiration.com/cgi-bin/properties. Accession date: January
12, 2012.
36. Lipinski, C. A.; Lombardo, F.; Dominy, B. W.; Feeney, P. J. Adv. Drug Del. Rev.
2001, 46, 3.
37. Clark, D. E. J. Pharm. Sci. 1999, 88, 807.
38. Ertl, P.; Rohde, B.; Selzer, P. J. Med. Chem. 2000, 43, 3714.
39. Gottesman, M. M. Annu. Rev. Med. 2002, 53, 615.
40. De Jonge, C.; Hagemann, H.; Hoentjen, G.; Mijs, W. Org. Synth. 1988, Coll. Vol. 6,
412.
41. Olgen, S.; Gotz, C.; Jose, J. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 2007, 30, 715.
42. Bracht, K.; Boubakari, G.; Grunert, R.; Bednarski, P. J. Anti-Cancer Drugs 2006,
17, 41.
43. Saczewski, F.; Reszka, P.; Gdaniec, M.; Grunert, R.; Bednarski, P. J. J. Med. Chem.
2004, 47, 3438.
44. Aly, A. H.; Edrada-Ebel, R.; Indriani, I. D.; Wray, V.; Mller, W. E. G.; Totzke, F.;
Zirrgiebel, U.; Schchtele, C.; Kubbutat, M. H. G.; Lin, W. H.; Proksch, P.; Ebel, R.
J. Nat. Prod. 2008, 71, 972.