The effect of HS-111, a novel thiazolamine derivative, on apoptosis and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies, yet there have been no significant advances in effective therapeutics. In this study, HS-111 was synthesized as a novel thiazolamine derivative, N-(5-(2-chlorobenzyl) thiazole-2-yl) benzofuran-2-carboxamide, and its anticancer effect and mechanism were examined in human HCC cells. HS-111 strongly suppressed the growth of HCC cells in a dose-dependent manner. Also, apoptosis by HS-111 was identified by DAPI and TUNEL staining, and the increases of the cleaved caspase-3 were observed. In addition, HS-111 decreased protein expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1 alpha) and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and inhibited tube formation and the migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). These results showed that HS-111 not only inhibited cell growth and angiogenesis, but also induced apoptosis of human HCC cells. We suggest that HS-111 may be a potential candidate for chemotherapy against HCC.