Suppression of Tumor Growth and Cell Migration by Indole-Based Benzenesulfonamides and Their Synergistic Effects in Combination with Doxorubicin

Pharmacological inhibition of the enzyme activity targeting carbonic anhydrases (CAs) demonstrated antiglaucoma and anticancer effects through pH control. Recently, we reported a series of indole-based benzenesulfonamides as potent CA inhibitors. The present study aimed to evaluate the antitumor effects of these compounds against various cancer cell lines, including breast cancer (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and SK-BR-3), lung cancer (A549), and pancreatic cancer (Panc1) cells. Overall, more potent cytotoxicity was observed on MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 cells than on lung or pancreatic cancer cells. Among the 15 compounds tested, and exhibited potent cytotoxic and antimigratory activities against MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 cells in the CoCl-induced hypoxic condition. While and markedly reduced the viability of control siRNA-treated cells, these compounds could not significantly reduce the viability of CA IX-knockdown cells, suggesting the role of CA IX in their anticancer activities. To assess whether these compounds exerted synergism with a conventional anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX), the cytotoxic effects of or combined with DOX were analyzed using Chou-Talalay and Bliss independence methods. Our data revealed that both and significantly enhanced the anticancer activity of DOX. Among the tested pairs, the combination of DOX with showed the strongest synergism on SK-BR-3 cells. Moreover, this combination further attenuated cell migration compared to the respective drug. Collectively, our results demonstrated that and suppressed tumor growth and cell migration of MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 cells through inhibition of CA IX, and the combination of these compounds with DOX exhibited synergistic cytotoxic effects on these breast cancer cells. Therefore, and may serve as potential anticancer agents alone or in combination with DOX against breast cancer.