Group memebers:

  • Marija Sakač, PhD Full Professor
  • Janoš Čanadi, PhD Full Professor
  • Suzana Jovanović-Šanta, PhD Full Professor
  • Edward Petri, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad
  • Anđelka Ćelić, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad
  • Jovana Ajduković, PhD Associate professor
  • Andrea Nikolić, PhD Associate professor
  • Marina Savić, PhD Associate professor
  • Aleksandar Oklješa, PhD Assistant Professor
  • Dimitar Jakimov, Research Associate, Oncology Institute of Vojvodina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad
  • Ivana Kuzminac, Teachin assistant with PhD
  • Sofija Bekić, PhD Research Associate
  • MSc Maja Marinović, Junior Researcher, Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad

Contact person:

Marija Sakač, PhD Full Professor

marija.sakac@dh.uns.ac.rs

tel: +381-21-485-2772

fax: +381-21-454-065

On-going projects:

Synthesis, characterization and biological studies of steroid derivatives and their molecular aggregates

the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia

Project number: 172021

Duration: 2011-2019

Project leader: Prof. Dr. Marija Sakač

Research focus

The research group is concentrated on the synthesis of new steroid derivatives starting from natural, primarily, androgenic and estrogenic hormones. Another important subject of research is biological testing of synthesized compounds. Within these studies, the testing of antihormonal and antitumor potentials is carried out, which among other things involves testing the ability of binding synthesized compounds to hormon receptors and inhibitor activity against selected enzymes involved in steroidogenesis. Testing antiproliferative activity against selected human malignant cell lines is also performed. Furthermore, the group deals with in silico molecular modeling and docking. The effects of the newly synthesized compounds on different in vitro model systems are investigated in cooperation with the colleagues from other research groups.

Equipment

  • Bruker Avance III 400 MHz NMR spectrometar
  • Perkin-Elmer SpectrumTwo FTIR spectrometar
  • Microwave Synthesis Sistem-CEM Discover BenchMate
  • High-pressure laboratory autoclave Roth Karlsruhe (100 mL)

Collaborations

  • Organic Synthesis and Analysis Group, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Niš, prof. dr. Niko Radulović.
  • Institute of Technical Sciences of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia, prof. dr. Nenad L. Ignjatović.
  • Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, prof. dr Sanja Podunavac-Kuzmanović and prof. dr. Lidija Jevrić.
  • Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic, dr. Pavlína Maloy Rezacova.
  • Institute of Molecular Biology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, dr. Lubica Urbanikova and dr. Jacob Bauer.
  • Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugalija, prof dr Vitor Costa
  • Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven USA, prof. dr. Barbara Ehrlich.
  • First Department of Medicine, University of Szeged, Korányi fasor 8-10 H-6720 Szeged, Hungary, dr. Mihály Szécsi.
  • Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, University of Szeged, Eötvös u. 6, Szeged, Hungary, dr. István Zupkó.
  • Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of National Academy of Sciences, Minsk, Belarus, prof. dr. Sergey Usanov.

Other

Team members reviewed a large number of scientific papers in international journals, such as: Steroids, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry Research, Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction, Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry, Synthetic Communications, Molecules, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Letters in Drug Design & Discovery, Journal of Molecular Structure, Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society, Chemical Biology & Drug Design, Current Medicinal Chemistry, Natural Product Research etc.

References

  1. Šestić, Lj., Ajduković, J., Bekić, S., Ćelić, A., Stojanović, S., Najman, S., Marinović, M., Petri, E., Škorić, D., Savić, M. (2023): Novel D-modified heterocyclic androstane derivatives as potential anticancer agents: Synthesis, characterization, in vitro and in silico Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 223: 106362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2023.106362
  2. Šestić, Lj., Ajduković, Marinović, M., Petri, E., Savić, M. (2023): In silico ADMET analysis of the A-, B- and D-modified androstane derivatives with potential anticancer effects. Steroids 189: 109147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.steroids.2022.109147
  3. Kovačević, S., Karadžić Banjac, M., Podunavac-Kuzmanović, S., Ajduković, J., Salaković, B., Rárová, L., Đorđević, M., Ivanov, M. (2023): Local QSAR modeling of cytotoxic activity of newly designed androstane 3-oximes towards malignant melanoma cells. Journal of Molecular Structure 1283: 135272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2023.135272
  4. Kuzminac, I., Savić, M., Ajduković, J., Nikolić, A. (2023): Steroid and Triterpenoid Compounds with Antiparasitic Properties (Review Article). Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 23: 791-815. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568026623666230126162419
  5. Kuzminac, I., Ćelić, A., Bekić, S., Kojić, V., Savić, M., Ignjatović, N. (2022): Hormone receptor binding, selectivity and cytotoxicity of steroid D-homo lactone loaded chitosan nanoparticles for the treatment of breast and prostate cancer cells, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces216:112597 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2022.112597
  6. Savić, M., Sakač, M., Kuzminac, I., Ajduković, J. (2022): Structural diversity of bioactive steroid compounds isolated from soft corals in the period 2015–2020 (Review). Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 218: 106061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2022.106061
  7. Kuzminac, I., Bekić, S., Ćelić, A., Jakimov, D., Sakač, M. (2022): Antitumor potential of novel 5α,6β-dibromo steroidal D-homo lactone, Steroids188:109118 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.steroids.2022.109118
  8. Kuzminac, I., Jakimov, D., Bekić, S., Ćelić, A., Marinović, M., Savić, M., Raičević, V., Kojić, V., Sakač, M. (2021): Synthesis and anticancer potential of novel 5,6-oxygenated and/or halogenated steroidal D-homo lactones, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry30:115935 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115935
  9. Ajduković, J., Jakimov, D., Rárová,, Strnad, M., Dzichenka, Y., Usanov, S., Škorić, D., Jovanović-Šanta, S., Sakač, M. (2021): Novel alkylaminoethyl derivatives of androstane 3-oximes as anticancer candidates: Synthesis and evaluation of cytotoxic effect. RSC Advances 11: 37449-37461. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1RA07613B
  10. Kulmány, Á., Herman, B., Zupkó, I., Sinreih, M., Rižner, T., Savić, , Oklješa, A., Nikolić, A., Nagy, V., Ocsovszki, I., Szécsi, M., Jovanović-Šanta, S. (2021) Heterocyclic androstane and estrane D-ring modified steroids: microwave-assisted synthesis, steroid-converting enzyme inhibition, apoptosis induction, and effects on genes encoding estrogen inactivating enzymes, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 214:105997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2021.105997
  11. Dzichenka, Y., Shapira, M., Yantsevich, A., Cherkesova, T., Grbović, Lj., Savić, , Usanov, S., Jovanović-Šanta, S. (2021) Modified bile acids and androstanes – Novel promising inhibitors of human cytochrome P450 17A1, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 205:105777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2020.105777
  12. Savić, , Kuzminac, I., Škorić, D., Jakimov, D., Rárová, L., Sakač, M. N., Djurendić, E. (2020) New oxygen-containing androstane derivatives: Synthesis and biological potential, Journal of Chemical Sciences 132:98 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12039-020-01803-3
  13. Savić, , Škorić, D., Kuzminac, I., Jakimov, D., Kojić, V., Rárová, L., Strnad, M., Djurendić, E. (2020) New A-homo lactam D-homo lactone androstane derivative: Synthesis and evaluation of cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro, Steroids 157:108596 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.steroids.2020.108596
  14. Vraneš, M., Papović, S., Idrissi, A., Zec, N., Panaget, T., Ajduković, J., Gadžurić, S. (2019): New methylpyridinium ionic liquids – Influence of the position of –CH3 group on physicochemical and structural properties. Journal of Molecular Liquids 283: 208-220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2019.03.075
  15. Savić, M., Ajduković, J., Plavša, J., Bekić, S., Ćelić, A., Klisurić, O., Jakimov, D., Petri, E., Djurendić, E. (2018): Evaluation of A-ring fused pyridine D-modified androstane derivatives for antiproliferative and aldo–keto reductase 1C3 inhibitory activity. Medicinal Chemistry Communications 9: 969- https://doi.org/10.1039/C8MD00077H
  16. Ajduković, J., Penov Gaši, K., Jakimov, D., Klisuric, O., Jovanovic-Šanta, S., Sakač, M., Aleksić, L., Djurendic, E. (2015): Synthesis, structural analysis and antitumor activity of novel 17α-picolyland 17(E)-picolinylidene A-modified androstane derivatives. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 23: 1557-1568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2015.02.001
  17. Savić, , Djurendić, E., Petri, E., Ćelić, A., Klisurić, O., Sakač, M., Jakimov, D., Kojić, V., Penov Gaši, K. (2013) Synthesis, structural analysis and antiproliferative activity of some novel D-homo lactone androstane derivatives, RSC Advances 3:10385-10395 https://doi.org/10.1039/C3RA41336E