Synthesis of Novel Dual Target Inhibitors of CDK12 and PARP1 and Their Antitumor Activities in HER2-Positive Breast Cancers

Several anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) treatments have improved the landscape of HER2-positive breast Cancer (BC) over the past few years; due to the heterogeneity of the disease itself, the drug resistance mechanisms and relapse are still the main issue in HER2-positive BC. Here, we intended to target simultaneous inhibition of both poly ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) and cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) that have had an impact on this disease up to their implementation in clinical practice. We successfully screened PARP1 inhibitors (PARPis) containing bicyclic tetrahydropyridine pyrimidines with antitumor activity. Most synthesized compounds with various alcohols were more effective at killing tumor cells than olaparib (ola), especially in HER2-positive Cancer cells. Among them, compound 9 showed potent inhibitory effects on PARP1 enzymatic activity and the PAR protein level; moreover, the expression of CDK12 was inhibited by compound 9. Overall, compound 9 exhibited a significant antitumor effect by inhibiting DNA damage repair in tumors.