9-N-Substituted berberine derivatives: Stabilization of G-quadruplex DNA and down-regulation of oncogene c-myc Original Research Article

A series of 9-N-substituted berberine derivatives (2a–j) were synthesized and evaluated as a new class of G-quadruplex binding ligands. G-quadruplex of DNA had been proven to be the transcription controller of human c-myc gene. The interaction of 9-N-substituted berberine derivatives with G-quadruplex DNA in c-myc was examined via EMSA, CD spectroscopy, FRET-melting method, PCR-stop assay, competitive dialysis, cell proliferation assay, and RT-PCR assay. The experiment results indicated that these derivatives could selectively induce and stabilize the formation of intramolecular parallel G-quadruplex in c-myc, which led to down-regulation of transcription of the c-myc in the HL60 lymphomas cell line. The related structure–activity relationships were also discussed.