Pyrrolo [3,4-b]-quinolin-9-amine compound FZU-0038-056 suppresses triple-negative breast cancer partially through inhibiting the expression of Bcl-2

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a poorer prognosis than other subtypes of breast cancer; however, it lacks effective targeted therapies clinically. In this study, we found FZU-0038-056, a novel compound derived from last-stage functionalization of tetrahydro-β-carboline scaffold, showed the most potent anti-cancer activity against TNBC cells among the 42 synthesized derivatives. We found FZU-0038-056 significantly induces apoptosis in HCC1806 and HCC1937 TNBC cells. FZU-0038-056 reduces the expression levels of several anti-apoptosis proteins, including Bcl-2, Mcl-1 and XIAP. Furthermore, we found FZU-0038-056 induces apoptosis partially through inhibiting the expression of Bcl-2. Finally, we found FZU-0038-056 significantly suppresses HCC1806 xenograft tumor growth in nude mice without affecting their body weight. Therefore, FZU-0038-056 has the potential to be a new anticancer agent for treating human TNBC.