Compounds 4c Research Articles

6-Bromo quinazoline derivatives as cytotoxic agents: design, synthesis, molecular docking and MD simulation

Based on unselectively, several side effects and drug resistance of available anticancer agents, the development and research for novel anticancer agents is necessary. In this study, a new series of quinazoline-4(3H)-one derivatives having a thiol group at position 2 of the quinazoline ring (8a-8 h) were designed and synthesized as potential anticancer agents. The Chemical structures of all compounds were characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and Mass spectroscopy. The antiproliferative activity of all derivatives were determined against two cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and SW480) and one normal cell lines (MRC-5) by the MTT method. Cisplatin, Erlotinib and Doxorubicin were used as positive controls. The results of in vitro screening showed that 8a with an aliphatic linker to SH group was the most potent compound with IC50 values of 15.85 ± 3.32 and 17.85 ± 0.92 µM against MCF-7 and SW480 cell lines, respectively. 8a indicated significantly better potency compared to Erlotinib in the MCF-7 cell line. The cytotoxic results obtained from testing compound 8a on the normal cell line, revealing an IC50 value of 84.20 ± 1.72 µM, provide compelling evidence of its selectivity in distinguishing between tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cell lines. Structure–activity relationship indicated that the variation in the anticancer activities of quinazoline-4(3H)-one derivatives was affected by different substitutions on the SH position. Molecular docking and MD simulation were carried out for consideration of the binding affinity of compounds against EGFR and EGFR-mutated. The binding energy of compounds 8a and 8c were calculated at -6.7 and − 5.3 kcal.mol− 1, respectively. Compounds 8a and 8c were found to establish hydrogen bonds and some other important interactions with key residue. The DFT analysis was also performed at the B3LYP/6–31 + G(d, p) level for compounds 8a, 8c and Erlotinib. Compound 8a was thermodynamically more stable than 8c. Also, the calculated theoretical and experimental data for the IR spectrum were in agreement. The obtained results delineated that the 8a can be considered an appropriate pharmacophore to develop as an anti-proliferative agent.

Design, Synthesis, and the Biological Evaluation of Some New Fused Thiazolotriazine Derivatives

Thiazolotriazine is an essential medicinal chemistry molecule due to its biological properties, particularly antifungalactivity. Antifungal drug resistance is rising worldwide, necessitating the development of innovative, safer, and more effectiveantifungals. This study intended to uncover safer and more effective thiazolotriazine antifungals. ProTox II software was employedto forecast the toxicity of the designed thiazolotriazines. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using the Swiss-ADMEdatabase. The Molecular Operating Environment software (2019.0102 version) was employed for the docking studies utilizing 14-α-demethylase protein (PDB ID: 3LD6). Compounds 4c, 4d, and 4e were prepared and evaluated for in vitro antifungal activity.The computational studies revealed compounds 4a, 4b, 5b, 5c, 6b, 6c and 6d as carcinogenic; 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d and 4e demonstratedbetter pharmacokinetic behaviour; and docking results of 4c, 4d, and 4e were superior than fluconazole (FLU). The moleculardocking studies establish 4c, 4d, and 4e as SDM inhibitors, suggesting a mechanism similar to FLU and ketoconazole (KET). Theantifungal activity evaluation revealed 4d (MIC = 6.25 μg/ml) as a more potent antifungal agent than KET (MIC = 12.5 μg/ml) andFLU (MIC = 12.5 μg/ml). Compounds 4c and 4e showed equal antifungal activity to KET (MIC = 12.5 μg/ml) and FLU (MIC = 12.5μg/ml). Compounds 4c, 4d, and 4e displayed encouraging antifungal activity with a favorable safety profile. Assessing the broadspectrum of 4c, 4d, and 4e against various pathogenic fungi, including resistant forms, is recommended.

Synthesis of curcumin derivatives targeting androgen receptor for castration-resistant prostate cancer therapy.

In this work, a series of curcumin derivatives (1a-1h, 2a-2g, and 3a-3c) were synthesized for the suppression of castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. All synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HRMS, and melting point. The invitro cytotoxicity study shows that compounds 1a, 1e, 1f, 1h, 2g, 3a, and 3c display similar or enhanced cytotoxicity against 22Rv1 and C4-2 cells as compared to ASC-J9, other synthesized compounds display reduced cytotoxicity against 22Rv1 and C4-2 cells as compared to ASC-J9. Molecular docking simulation was performed to study the binding affinity and probable binding modes of the synthesized compounds with androgen receptor. The results show that all synthesized compounds exhibit higher cdocker interaction energies as compared to ASC-J9. Compounds 1h, 2g, and 3c not only show strong cytotoxicity against 22Rv1 and C4-2 cells but also exhibit high binding affinity with androgen receptor. In androgen receptor suppression study, compounds 1f and 2g show similar androgen receptor suppression effect as compared to ASC-J9 on C4-2 cells, compound 3c displays significantly enhanced AR suppression effect as compared to ASC-J9, 1f and 2g. Compounds 1a, 1e, 1f, 1h, 2g, 3a and 3c prepared in this work have significant potential for castration-resistant prostate cancer therapy.

Synthesis, characterization of isoxazole derivatives and evaluation of their antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer activity

Introduction and aim. The synthesis of heterocyclic compounds containing oxygen and nitrogen is profoundly intriguing due to their mechanistic implications in both research and development within organic chemistry and drug discovery. The primary aim of this study is to fabricate a range of pharmacologically active drugs containing the isoxazole moiety. Material and methods. The synthesis of new derivatives of isoxazole was achieved through a one-pot condensation reaction of 2-[(Substituted phenyl)hydrazono]malononitrile (1) and 3-[(Substituted phenyl)azo]-2,4-Pentanedione (2) with sodium acetate and hydroxylamine hydrochloride (1:1) in ethanol. All the compounds were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity, in vitro antioxidant and anticancer activity. The synthesized compounds underwent characterization through FTIR, 1 H NMR, and 13C NMR analyses, supported by mass spectral data and elemental analysis. Results. A set of novel isoxazole derivatives was synthesized with a favorable yield. Among compounds 1d, 1e, 2c, 2d, and 2e exhibited notable antioxidant activities. Compounds 1a, 1b, and 1c demonstrated significant anticancer potential against prostate cancer [PC3] cell lines compared to normal HEK cell lines, while 2a displayed the highest inhibitory zone against Escherichia coli. Conclusion. Novel compounds with multifaceted biological activities have been successfully designed, and a synthetic route to create isoxazole derivatives has been devised and verified.

Discovery of Loureirin analogues with colorectal cancer suppressive activity via regulating cell cycle and Fas death receptor

Chalcones and dihydrochalcones (DHCs) are important bioactive natural products (BNPs) isolated from traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, 13 chalcones were designed with the inspiration of Loureirin, a DHC extracted from Resina Draconis, and synthesized by classical Claisen-Schmidt reactions. Afterwards the reduction reactions were carried out to obtain the corresponding DHCs. Cytotoxicity assay indicated chalcones and DHCs possessed selective cytotoxicity against colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The preliminary structure-activity relationships (SAR) of these compounds suggested the α, β-unsaturated ketone of the chalcones were crucial for the anticancer activity. Interestingly, compounds 3d and 4c exhibited selective anticancer activity against CRC cell line HCT116 with IC50s of 8.4 and 17.9 μM but not normal cell. Moreover, 4c could also inhibit the migration and invasion of CRC cells. Mechanism investigations showed 4c could induce cell cycle G2/M arrest by regulating cell cycle-associated proteins and could also up-regulate Fas cell surface death receptor. The virtual docking further pointed out that compounds 3d and 4c could nicely bind to the Fas/FADD death domain complex (ID: 3EZQ). Furthermore, silencing of Fas significantly enhanced the proliferation of CRC cells and attenuated the cytotoxicity induced by 4c. These results suggested 4c exerted its anticancer activity possibly regulating cell cycle and Fas death receptor. In summary, this study investigated the anticancer activity and mechanism of Loureirin analogues in CRC, suggesting these compounds may warrant further investigation as promising anticancer drug candidates for the treatment of CRC.

Novel synthesis of a new class of substituted S-glycosylisothiourea derivatives and their conversion to 5-amino-1,2,4-triazoles

The one-pot reaction of potassium cyanocarbamimidothiolates with acetylated bromo sugars produced a novel class of substituted glycosylisothiourea derivatives 5a–h that demonstrated their Z-configuration. Some of the later compounds 5a–d were treated with NH3 in methanol at 25 °C, to afford the unprotected thioglycoside functionalized compounds 6a–c with excellent yields. To characterize the structure of the newly synthesized compounds, various techniques, such as elemental analysis and spectral data (13C NMR, IR, and 1H NMR) were employed. Furthermore, the substituted S-glycosylisothioureas 5 and 6 were subjected to a reaction with hydrazine hydrate, resulting in the formation of corresponding 5-amino-1,2,4-triazole derivatives 7a–d. The antibacterial properties of all newly synthesized compounds were thoroughly assessed and evaluated. Among these compounds, the most potent antimicrobial agents were found to be compounds 5a, 5g, 6a, 6b, and 6c.

Immunomodulation and anticancer evaluation of quinazoline-based thalidomide analogs: Design, synthesis, docking, and dynamic simulation

A new series of thalidomide analogs were synthesized and evaluated against HepG-2, HCT-116, PC3, and MCF-7. With IC50 values ranging from 2.41 to 14.78 μM, compounds 4c, 5g, and 7 demonstrated substantial potencies against all examined cell lines in comparison to thalidomide (IC50 = 32.12 - 76.91 μM)). The most active compounds were further evaluated for their in vitro immunomodulatory activities via IL6, TNF-α and human caspase-3 in MCF-7 cells using thalidomide as a positive control. Compounds 5g and 4c showed significant reductions in IL6 (80.65 %) and TNF-α (76.14 %), compared to thalidomide (45.11 % and 41.39, respectively). Furthermore, compound 4c exhibited a significant elevation in caspase-3 level (409.33 pg/mL) compared to thalidomide (349.55 pg/mL). In addition, the most active compounds were examined for their COX-I, COX-II, VEGFR inhibitory activities. Compound 5g was the most active member against COX-I (0.80 μM), compound 4c was the most active member against COX-II (0.80 μM), and compound 4c was the most active member against VEGFR (253 nM). Furthermore, the flowcytometry analyses revealed that compound 4c can arrest the cell line at Pre-G1 phase and induce a significant apoptotic effect (75.75 %) compared to control cells (2.62 %) and thalidomide (65.34 %). Our derivatives were subjected to molecular modeling to assess their binding to Cereblon and also dynamic simulations.

Design, synthesis, antineoplastic activity of new pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as dual CDK2/GSK3β kinase inhibitors; molecular docking study, and ADME prediction

In the current study, novel pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives 5a–h were designed and synthesized as targeted anti-cancer agents through dual CDK2/GSK-3β inhibition. The designed compounds demonstrated moderate to potent activity on the evaluated cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T-47D). Compounds 5c and 5 g showed the most promising cytotoxic activity against the tested cell lines surpassing that of the used reference standard; staurosporine. On the other hand, both compounds showed good safety and tolerability on normal fibroblast cell line (MCR5). The final compounds 5c and 5 g showed a promising dual CDK2/GSK-3β inhibitory activity with IC50 of 0.244 and 0.128 μM, respectively, against CDK2, and IC50 of 0.317 and 0.160 μM, respectively, against GSK-3β. Investigating the effect of compounds 5c and 5 g on CDK2 and GSK-3β downstream cascades showed that they reduced the relative cellular content of phosphorylated RB1 and β-catenin compared to that in the untreated MCF-7 cells. Moreover, compounds 5c and 5 g showed a reasonable selective inhibition against the target kinases CDK2/GSK-3β in comparison to a set of seven off-target kinases. Furthermore, the most potent compound 5 g caused cell cycle arrest at the S phase in MCF-7 cells preventing the cells’ progression to G2/M phase inducing cell apoptosis. Molecular docking studies showed that the final pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives have analogous binding modes in the target kinases interacting with the hinge region key amino acids. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the predicted binding mode by molecular docking. Moreover, in silico predictions indicated their favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties in addition to their promising cytotoxic activity.

Exploring novel dilazep derivatives as hENT1 inhibitors and potentially covalent molecular tools.

The human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (SLC29A1, hENT1) is a solute carrier that modulates the passive transport of nucleosides and nucleobases, such as adenosine. This nucleoside regulates various physiological processes, such as vasodilation and -constriction, neurotransmission and immune defense. Marketed drugs such as dilazep and dipyridamole have proven useful in cardiovascular afflictions, but the application of hENT1 inhibitors can be beneficial in a number of other diseases. In this study, 39 derivatives of dilazep's close analogue ST7092 were designed, synthesized and subsequently assessed using [3H]NBTI displacement assays and molecular docking. Different substitution patterns of the trimethoxy benzoates of ST7092 reduced interactions within the binding pocket, resulting in diminished hENT1 affinity. Conversely, [3H]NBTI displacement by potentially covalent compounds 14b, 14c, and 14d resulted in high affinities (Ki values between 1.1 and 17.5 nM) for the transporter, primarily by the ability of accommodating the inhibitors in various ways in the binding pocket. However, any indication of covalent binding with amino acid residue C439 remained absent, conceivably as a result of decreased nucleophilic residue reactivity. In conclusion, this research introduces novel dilazep derivatives that are active as hENT1 inhibitors, along with the first high affinity dilazep derivatives equipped with an electrophilic warhead. These findings will aid the rational and structure-based development of novel hENT1 inhibitors and pharmacological tools to study hENT1's function, binding mechanisms, and its relevance in (patho)physiological conditions.

Synthesis of pyrrole-heterocyclic derivatives as anti-Alzheimer and antidiabetic candidates: An in vitro-in silico study

In this study, pyrrole-based heterocyclic compounds (2a-k) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectra. 11 representatives of the pyrrole derivatives were chosen as objects for the studying biological activity. Among them were the ensembles of pyrroles with other pharmacologically active heterocycles, such as pyridines, aminopyrimidines, benzo[b][1,4]diazocin-2(1H)-ones, and fused pyrrole compounds, namely pyrrolo[1′,2′:3,4]imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines. The compounds 2c, 2e, and 2k were synthesized for the first time in this study. This assessment focused on their inhibitory potential against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and α-glycosidase (α-Gly) enzymes. Among the studied compounds, 4-[5-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-vinyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl]-6-phenylpyrimidin-2-amine (2e) and 4-[5-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl]-6-phenylpyrimidin-2-amine (2f) emerged as leading candidates, demonstrating potent inhibition against AChE and α-glycosidase enzymes with favorable pharmacokinetic profiles. AChE was most effectively inhibited by compounds of 2f and 2i (Ki: 4.50 ± 0.16 and 6.01 ± 0.15 nM). The results from biological activities, molecular docking, dynamics simulations, and ADME predictions collectively highlight the potential of these compounds to be an inhibitor candidate for AChE and α-Gly.

Novel carbazole-oxadiazole derivatives as anti-α-glucosidase and anti-α-amylase agents: Design, synthesis, molecular docking, and biological evaluation

To find novel inhibitors of α-glucosidase and α-amylase, a series of new carbazole-oxadiazole derivatives (6a-6n) were prepared, and screened for their anti-α-glucosidase and anti-α-amylase effects. Most of the tested derivatives showed different degrees of α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity (IC50: 21.39 ± 0.69–92.05 ± 1.54 μM, 45.53 ± 1.50–126.14 ± 6.33 μM, respectively) compared to the standard acarbose (IC50: 427.00 ± 9.56 μM, 24.68 ± 1.10 μM, respectively). Thereinto, 6c (IC50 = 21.39 ± 0.69 μM) displayed the most effective anti-α-glucosidase activity and 6e presented the best anti-α-amylase activity with an IC50 value of 45.53 ± 1.50 μM. Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis suggested that 6c and 6e behaved as mixed α-glucosidase inhibitor and mixed α-amylase inhibitor, respectively. The results of circular dichroism, atomic force microscope, and molecular docking simulation exposed interaction mechanisms between two preferred compounds (6c and 6e) and their corresponding enzymes. Combined with the possible properties of reducing the elevation in postprandial blood glucose, oral activity, positive bioavailability, and low cytotoxicity of 6c and 6e, it could be concluded that the target derivatives may be able to act as lead molecules for the development of new hypoglycemic agents.

Synthesis of Bisindole Alkaloids and Their Mode of Action against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.

About 100,000 deaths are attributed annually to infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) despite concerted efforts toward vaccine development and clinical trials involving several preclinically efficacious drug candidates. This necessitates the development of alternative therapeutic options against this drug-resistant bacterial pathogen. Using the Masuda borylation-Suzuki coupling (MBSC) sequence, we previously synthesized and modified naturally occurring bisindole alkaloids, alocasin A, hyrtinadine A and scalaradine A, resulting in derivatives showing potent in vitro and in vivo antibacterial efficacy. Here, we report on a modified one-pot MBSC protocol for the synthesis of previously reported and several undescribed N-tosyl-protected bisindoles with anti-MRSA activities and moderate cytotoxicity against human monocytic and kidney cell lines. In continuation of the mode of action investigation of the previously synthesized membrane-permeabilizing hit compounds, mechanistic studies reveal that bisindoles impact the cytoplasmic membrane of Gram-positive bacteria by promiscuously interacting with lipid II and membrane phospholipids while rapidly dissipating membrane potential. The bactericidal and lipid II-interacting lead compounds 5c and 5f might be interesting starting points for drug development in the fight against MRSA.

Rutaecarpine-inspired scaffold-hopping strategy and Ullmann cross-coupling based synthetic approach: Identification of pyridopyrimidinone-indole based novel anticancer chemotypes

Natural products as starting templates have shown historically major contribution to development of drugs. Inspired by the structure–function of an anticancer natural alkaloid Rutaecarpine, the Scaffold-hopped Acyclic Analogues of Rutaecarpine (SAAR) with ‘N’-atom switch (1°-hop) and ring-opening (2°-hop) were investigated. A new synthetic route was developed for an effective access to the analogues, i.e. 2-indolyl-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidinones, which involved preparation of N-Boc-N’-phthaloyltryptamine/mexamine-bromides and pyridopyrmidinon-2-yl triflate, a nickel/palladium-catalysed Ullmann cross-coupling of these bromides and triflate, deprotection of phthalimide followed by N-aroylation, and Boc-deprotection. Fourteen novel SAAR-compounds were prepared, and they showed characteristic antiproliferative activity against various cancer cells. Three most active compounds (11a, 11b, and 11c) exhibited good antiproliferative activity, IC50 7.7–15.8 µM against human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7), lung cancer cells (A549), and colon cancer cells (HCT-116). The antiproliferative property was also observed in the colony formation assay. The SAAR compound 11b was found to have superior potency than original natural product Rutaecarpine and an anticancer drug 5-FU in antiproliferative activities with relatively lower cytotoxicity towards normal breast epithelial cells (MCF10A) and significantly higher inhibitory effect on cancer cells’ migration. The compound 11b was found to possess favourable in silico physicochemical characteristics (lipophilicity-MLOGP, TPSA, and water solubility-ESOL, and others), bioavailability score, and pharmacokinetic properties (GI absorption, BBB non-permeant, P-gp, and CYP2D6). Interestingly, the compound 11b did not show any medicinal chemistry structural alert of PAINS and Brenk filter. The study represents for the first time the successful discovery of new potent anticancer chemotypes using Rutaecarpine natural alkaloid as starting template and reaffirms the significance of natural product-inspired scaffold-hopping technique in drug discovery research.

Synthesis and Photophysical Characterization of Fluorescent Naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-Diones and Their Antimicrobial Activity against Staphylococcus Strains.

The chemical reaction of 2-(methylsulfinyl)naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione (3) using different amines, including benzylamine (4a), morpholine (4b), thiomorpholine (4c), piperidine (4d), and 4-methylpiperazine (4e), produced corresponding new tricyclic naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione compounds (5a-e) in moderate-to-good yields. The photophysical properties and antimicrobial activities of these compounds (5a-e) were then characterized. Owing to the extended π-conjugated system of naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione skeleton and substituent effect, 5a-e showed fluorescence both in solution and in the solid state. The introduction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles at position 2 of the thiazole ring on naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione led to large bathochromic shifts in solution, and 5b-e exhibited orange-red fluorescence with emission maxima of over 600 nm in highly polar solvents. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a highly pathogenic bacterium, and infection with its antimicrobial-resistant pathogen methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) results in serious clinical problems. In this study, we also investigated the antimicrobial activities of 5a-e against S. aureus, MRSA, and S. epidermidis. Compounds 5c with thiomorpholine group and 5e with 4-methylpiperazine group showed potent antimicrobial activity against these bacteria. These results will lead to the development of new fluorescent dyes with antimicrobial activity in the future.

Design, Synthesis and Bioactivities of Novel Pyridyl Containing Pyrazole Oxime Ether Derivatives.

In this research, with an aim to develop novel pyrazole oxime ether derivatives possessing potential biological activity, thirty-two pyrazole oxime ethers, including a substituted pyridine ring, have been synthesized and structurally identified through 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. Bioassay data indicated that most of these compounds owned strong insecticidal properties against Mythimna separata, Tetranychus cinnabarinus, Plutella xylostella, and Aphis medicaginis at a dosage of 500 μg/mL, and some title compounds were active towards Nilaparvata lugens at 500 μg/mL. Furthermore, some of the designed compounds had potent insecticidal effects against M. separata, T. cinnabarinus, or A. medicaginis at 100 μg/mL, with the mortalities of compounds 8a, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f, 8g, 8o, 8s, 8v, 8x, and 8z against A. medicaginis, in particular, all reaching 100%. Even when the dosage was lowered to 20 μg/mL, compound 8s also expressed 50% insecticidal activity against M. separata, and compounds 8a, 8e, 8f, 8o, 8v, and 8x displayed more than 60% inhibition rates against A. medicaginis. The current results provided a significant basis for the rational design of biologically active pyrazole oxime ethers in future.

Design, synthesis, and anti-oomycete activity of 3-acyloxymaltol/ethyl maltol derivatives

Twenty 3-acyloxymaltol/ethyl maltol derivatives (7a-j and 8a-j) were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their anti-oomycete activity against Phytophthora capsici, respectively. Among all of twenty derivatives, more than half of the compounds 7f, 7h, 8a-h and 8j had anti-oomycete activity higher than the positive control zoxamide (EC50 = 22.23 mg/L), and the EC50 values of 18.66, 20.32, 12.80, 16.18, 10.59, 14.98, 16.80, 10.36, 15.32, 12.64, and 13.59 mg/L, respectively. Especially, compounds 8c and 8f exhibited the best anti-oomycete activity against P. capsici with EC50 values of 10.59 and 10.36 mg/L, respectively. Overall, hydroxyl group of maltol/ethyl maltol is important active modification site.

Exploring 2-Pyrazoline derivatives as potent antidiabetic agents and cholinesterase inhibitors: Their synthesis and molecular docking studies

Herein, unique pyrazoline derivatives were synthesized, and their structures were elucidated by various spectroscopic techniques. Moreover, potential in vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), α-glucosidase, and α-amylase inhibition effects of the compounds were also investigated. Molecular docking studies were performed to further elucidate the enzyme inhibitory activities. The compound 2c (IC50 = 1.64±0.04 and 4.18±0.22 µM, respectively) exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity against AChE and BChE, while compounds 2 m (IC50 = 4.29±0.20 µM) and 2i (IC50 = 4.31±0.08 µM) showed promising AChE inhibitory activity. On the other hand, compounds 2a (IC50= 5.01±0.13 µM) and 2i (IC50 = 5.06±0.72 µM) significantly inhibited BChE. In addition, all compounds except 2c and 2f showed great inhibitory activity against α-amylase at lower concentrations compared to acarbose (IC50 = 72.57 ± 3.16 µM). Similarly, all compounds except 2k exhibited higher inhibitory activity than acarbose (IC50 = 207.08±12.20 µM) against α-glucosidase. Among the compounds, 2a (IC50 = 15.05±5.64 µM), 2b (IC50 = 14.34±5.05 µM), and 2e (IC50 = 11.72±0.46 µM) had excellent inhibitory activity at certain concentrations. The data obtained from the molecular docking studies supported inhibitory activity results. This study presents potential leads for the development of antidiabetic and Alzheimer's therapeutics.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of panaxadiol ester derivatives possessing pyrazole and pyrrole moiety as HIF-1α inibitors

Hypoxia-inducing factor-1α (HIF-1α) is overexpressed in variety of tumor patients and plays an important role in the regulation of hypoxia response in tumor cells. Therefore, its inhibitors have become one of the targets for the treatment of a variety of cancers. Two series of panaxadiol (PD) ester derivatives containing pyrazole (18a–j) and pyrrole (19a–n) moiety were synthesized and their HIF-1α inhibitory activities were evaluated. Among all the target compouds, compounds 18c, 19d, and 19n (IC50 = 8.70–10.44 μM) showed better HIF-1α inhibitory activity than PD (IC50 = 13.35 μM). None of these compounds showed cytotoxicity above 100 μM and inhibited HIF-1α transcription in a dose-dependent manner. These compounds showed good antitumor activity and provide lead compounds for further design and activity study of PD ester derivatives.

Synthesis of new N-(5,6-methylenedioxybenzothiazole-2-yl)-2-[(substituted)thio/piperazine]acetamide/propanamide derivatives and evaluation of their AChE, BChE, and BACE-1 inhibitory activities.

In this study, the synthesis of N-(5,6-methylenedioxybenzothiazole-2-yl)-2-[(substituted)thio/piperazine]acetamide/propanamide derivatives (3a-3k) and to investigate their acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and β-secretase 1 (BACE-1) inhibition activity were aimed. Mass, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectra were utilized to determine the structure of the synthesized compounds. Compounds 3b, 3c, 3f, and 3j showed AChE inhibitory activity which compound 3c (IC50 = 0.030 ± 0.001 µM) showed AChE inhibitory activity as high as the reference drug donepezil (IC50 = 0.0201 ± 0.0010 µM). Conversely, none of the compounds showed BChE activity. Compounds 3c and 3j showed the highest BACE-1 inhibitory activity and IC50 value was found as 0.119 ± 0.004 µM for compound 3j whereas IC50 value was 0.110 ± 0.005 µM for donepezil, which is one of the reference substance. Molecular docking studies have been carried out using the data retrieved from the server of the Protein Data Bank (PDBID: 4EY7 and 2ZJM). Using in silico approach behavior active compounds (3c and 3j) and their binding modes clarified.

New benzimidazole-oxadiazole derivatives as potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors: Synthesis, anticancer evaluation, and docking study.

We report herein, the design and synthesis of benzimidazole-oxadiazole derivatives as new inhibitors for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2(VEGFR-2). The designed members were assessed for their in vitro anticancer activity against three cancer cell lines and two normal cell lines; A549, MCF-7, PANC-1, hTERT-HPNE and CCD-19Lu. Compounds 4c and 4d were found to be the most effective compounds against three cancer cell lines. Compounds 4c and 4d were then tested for their in vitro VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity, safety profiles, and selectivity indices using the normal hTERT-HPNE and CCD-19Lu cell lines. It was determined that compound 4c was the most effective and safe member of the produced chemical family. Vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA) immunolocalizations of compounds 4c and 4d were evaluated relative to control by VEGFA immunofluorescence staining. Compounds 4c and 4d inhibited VEGFR-2 enzyme with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values of 0.475 ± 0.021and 0.618 ± 0.028 µM, respectively. Molecular docking of the target compounds was carried out in the active site of VEGFR-2 (Protein Data Bank: 4ASD).