Synthesis of Tolmetin Hydrazide-Hydrazones and Discovery of a Potent Apoptosis Inducer in Colon Cancer Cells

In vitro and in vivo activity of a novel oxamide-hydrazone hybrid derivative against triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer with poor clinical outcome, and currently, no effective targeted therapies are available. Since cancer develops owing to deregulation of apoptosis, employing therapeutic strategies with the ability to target the molecules involved in apoptosis induction would provide a valid approach to hinder tumor progression. Hydrazide-hydrazones and oxamide molecules are the subject of intense studies due to their anticancer effects via apoptosis induction. In the present study, we attempted to elucidate the mechanism of action of a synthesized compound (compound A) in inducing cell death. Annexin/PI and Western blotting analyses, DAPI staining, mitochondrial membrane potential probe, and flow cytometry were applied for the in vitro evaluations. 4T1 syngeneic mouse model and immunohistochemistry were used for the in vivo assessments. Compound A caused cell death by inducing apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells in a mitochondrial-dependent manner at high concentrations after 72 h of incubation. Compound A also impeded tumor growth in a 4T1 syngeneic mouse model as evidenced by hematoxylin and eosin staining of the tumors. Furthermore, it significantly diminished the expression of pro-caspase-3, Ki67, and CD31 markers in the tumor sections. Conclusively, this study for the first time reports the anti-cancer efficacy of compound A in both in vitro and in vivo models and its potential in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer.

Synthesis and crystal structure of N1,N2-di-methyl-ethane-dihydrazide

The title compound, N 1,N 2-di-methyl-ethane-dihydrazide, C4H10N4O2, was obtained by the methyl-ation of oxalyl dihydrazide protected with phthalimide. The mol-ecule is essentially non-planar with a dihedral angle between the two planar hydrazide fragments of 86.5 (2)°. This geometry contributes to the formation of a multi-contact three-dimensional supra-molecular network via C-H⋯O, N-H⋯O and N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds.

Design, Synthesis, and Anticancer Evaluation of Novel Tetracaine Hydrazide-Hydrazones

Tetracaine is an ester derivative used as a local anesthetic molecule. In this study, a series of novel Tetracaine derivatives bearing hydrazide-hydrazone moiety were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for anticancer activity. The structures of these compounds were characterized by spectral (¹H NMR,¹³C NMR, FT-IR, and HRMS analyses) methods. All synthesized compounds were screened for anticancer activity against two different human cancer cell lines (Colo-205 and HepG2). Among the synthesized molecules, compounds 2f and 2m showed the most potent anticancer activity against the Colo-205 cell line (IC₅₀ = 50.0 and 20.5 μM, respectively). Compounds 2k, 2p, and 2s demonstrated the best anticancer activity against the HepG2 cell line (IC₅₀ = 30.5, 35.9, and 20.8 μM, respectively). mRNA transcription levels of Bax and caspase-3 genes were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of both Colo-205 and HepG2 cell lines. Doxorubicin was used as a positive sensitivity reference standard. qRT-PCR analysis showed that there was a time-dependent rise in the expression levels of Bax and Caspase 3 on apoptosis. Inhibition of apoptotic proteins PI3K, Akt, PTEN, pPTEN, FoXO1, FoXO3a, TXNIP, and p27 was investigated in Colo-205 and HepG2 cells treated with compounds 2f, 2m, 2k, 2p, and 2s by using Western blotting.

Antiproliferative pharmacophore azo-hydrazone analogue BT-1F exerts death signalling pathway targeting STAT3 in solid tumour

BACKGROUND

Anomalous activation of intra-cellular signalling cascades confers neoplastic properties on malignant cells. The JAK2/STAT3 proteins play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of most of the solid malignancies. The over expression of STAT3 in these tumours results in an evasion of apoptosis and thereby pathogenesis. Hence, strategy to target STAT3 to regress tumour development is an emerging new concept. As an approach, anti-neoplastic drug, Azo-hydrozone analogue, BT-1F with potential anti-proliferative effect was evaluated to demonstrate its capacity to counteract STAT3 signal with mechanistic approach.

METHODS

Cell based screening for cytotoxicity was performed through MTT, LDH and Trypan blue. The BT-1F induced anti-clonogenic property by clonogenic assay. The apoptotic capacity was examined by crystal violet staining, flow cytometry, Annexin-FITC, DAPI and TUNEL assay. The altered signalling events were studied using immunoblot. The drug-induced anti-tumour effect was evaluated in an in-vivo solid tumour model and molecular interaction was further validated by in-silico studies.

RESULTS

The BT-1F exerts chemo-sensitivity specifically against EAC and A549 cells without altering its normal counterpart. The anti-proliferative/anti-clonogenic effect was due to the induction of apoptosis through inhibition of STAT3^Tyr705 signal. Eventually downstream signalling proteins p53, Bax, Bad and Bcl-xL were significantly altered. Further in-vivo experimental results validated  in-vitro findings. The computational approaches assures the BT-1F efficiency in binding with STAT3.

CONCLUSION

Systemic validation of STAT3 target drug, BT-1F in in-vitro, in-silico and in-vivo models has promising strategy for solid cancer treatment.

Design, synthesis, anticancer evaluation, and molecular modelling studies of novel tolmetin derivatives as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers

Novel tolmetin derivatives 5a-f to 8a-c were designed, synthesised, and evaluated for antiproliferative activity by NCI (USA) against a panel of 60 tumour cell lines. The cytotoxic activity of the most active tolmetin derivatives 5b and 5c was examined against HL-60, HCT-15, and UO-31 tumour cell lines. Compound 5b was found to be the most potent derivative against HL-60, HCT-15, and UO-31 cell lines with IC50 values of 10.32 ± 0.55, 6.62 ± 0.35, and 7.69 ± 0.41 µM, respectively. Molecular modelling studies of derivative 5b towards the VEGFR-2 active site were performed. Compound 5b displayed high inhibitory activity against VEGFR-2 (IC50 = 0.20 µM). It extremely reduced the HUVECs migration potential exhibiting deeply reduced wound healing patterns after 72 h. It induced apoptosis in HCT-15 cells (52.72-fold). This evidence was supported by an increase in the level of apoptotic caspases-3, -8, and -9 by 7.808-, 1.867-, and 7.622-fold, respectively. Compound 5b arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, the ADME studies showed that compound 5b possessed promising pharmacokinetic properties.

Naproxen Based 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Derivatives as EGFR Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Anticancer, and Computational Studies

A library of novel naproxen based 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (8-16 and 19-26) has been synthesized and screened for cytotoxicity as EGFR inhibitors. Among the synthesized hybrids, compound2-(4-((5-((S)-1-(2-methoxynaphthalen-6-yl)ethyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylthio)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)phenol(15) was the most potent compound against MCF-7 and HepG2cancer cells with IC50 of 2.13 and 1.63 µg/mL, respectively, and was equipotent to doxorubicin (IC50 1.62 µg/mL) towards HepG2. Furthermore, compound 15 inhibited EGFR kinase with IC50 0.41 μM compared to standard drug Erlotinib (IC50 0.30 μM). The active compound induces a high percentage of necrosis towards MCF-7, HePG2 and HCT 116 cells. The docking studies, DFT and MEP also supported the biological data. These results demonstrated that these synthesized naproxen hybrids have EGFR inhibition effects and can be used as leads for cancer therapy.

Design and synthesis of novel (S)-Naproxen hydrazide-hydrazones as potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors and their evaluation in vitro/in vivo breast cancer models

Naproxen is a common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which is the most usually used propionic acid derivative for the treatment of many types of diseases. In this study, a series of novel (S)-Naproxen derivatives bearing hydrazide-hydrazone moiety were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for anticancer activity. The structures of these compounds were characterized by spectral (1H-13C NMR, FT-IR, and HR-MS analyses) methods. All synthesized compounds were screened for anticancer activity against two different human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7). Among them, (S)-2-(6-methoxynaphthalen-2-yl)-N'-{(E)-[2-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl]methylidene} propanehydrazide (3a) showed the most potent anticancer activity against both cancer cell lines with a good selectivity (IC50 = 22.42 and 59.81 µM, respectively). Furthermore, the molecular modeling of these compounds was studied on Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2. Inhibition of VEGFR-2 and apoptotic protein Bcl-2 was investigated in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with compound 3a by using Western Blotting. Apoptosis was also detected by staining with DAPI in fluorescence microscopy. Flow Cytometry analyses related to cell cycle phases showed that a dramatic increase in S and M phases was established compared to untreated control cells indicating the cancer cell cycle arrest. The anticancer activity of compound 3a was investigated in the Ehrlich acid tumor model, a well-validated in vivo ectopic breast cancer model, in mice. Our results showed that compound 3a had anticancer activity and decreased the tumor volume in both low (60 mg/kg) and high (120 mg/kg) doses in mice.

Recent Advances in Apoptosis: THE Role of Hydrazones

The process of programmed cell death in higher eukaryotes (apoptosis), is generally characterized by distinct morphological characteristics and energy-dependent biochemical mechanisms. Apoptosis is considered as a vital component of various processes including normal cell turnover, proper development and functioning of the immune system, hormone-dependent atrophy, embryonic development and chemical-induced cell death. Apoptosis seems to play an important key role in the progression of several human diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and many types of cancer. Promotion of apoptosis may be a good approach for the prevention of cancer cell proliferation. In early studies, antitumor compounds have been found to induce the apoptotic process in tumor cells. On the other hand, several hydrazones were reported to have lower toxicity than hydrazides due to the blockage of -NH2 group. Therefore, the design of hydrazones that activate and promote apoptosis is an attractive strategy for the discovery and development of potential anticancer agents. The aim of this review is to provide a general overview of current knowledge and the connection between apoptosis and hydrazone. It is also the guide for the apoptotic activities of new hydrazone derivatives.

Synthesis and Biological Activity of N-(arylsulfonyl) Valine Hydrazones and Assistance of NMR Spectroscopy for Definitive 3D Structure

Background:

Hydrazide-hydrazones constitute an important class of compounds for new drug development. In this study, a series of 39 new acylhydrazones (3-41), derived from (2S)-3-methyl- 2-[[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]amino]butanoic acid hydrazide were synthesized with further aim to achieve biologically active acylhydrazones carrying an amino acid side chain.

Methods:

Compounds 3-41 were synthesized by microwave-assisted method. All synthesized compounds have been tested for their anti-HIV activity compound 21 was subjected to a new set of 2DNMR analysis for the characterization of the isomers in solution and determination of its 3D structure.

Results:

The IC50 values for compounds 2-40 were found between >125-10.90 µg/ml against HIV- 1(IIIB) and HIV-2(ROD) strains in MT-4 cells. Compounds 3, 6, 10, 12, 23, 24, 27, 32, and 37 with CC50 values between 10.90-14.50 µg/ml were selected to evaluate for their antileukemia activity. IC50 values for these mentioned compounds were found as >100μM on human chronic myelogenous leukemia, K562 cell line.

Conclusion:

Some compounds with IC50 values between 10.90-14.50 μg/ml will be of benefit in the development of novel leads.

Synthesis, molecular docking and evaluation of novel sulfonyl hydrazones as anticancer agents and COX-2 inhibitors

In trying to develop new anticancer agents, a series of sulfonylhydrazones were synthesized. All synthesized compounds were checked for identity and purity using elemental analysis, TLC and HPLC and were characterized by their melting points, FT-IR and NMR spectral data. All synthesized compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against prostate cancer (PC3), breast cancer (MCF-7) and L929 mouse fibroblast cell lines. Among them, N'-[(2-chloro-3-methoxyphenyl)methylidene]-4-methylbenzenesulfonohydrazide (3k) showed the most potent anticancer activity against both cancer cells with good selectivity (IC₅₀ = 1.38 μM on PC3 with SI = 432.30 and IC₅₀ = 46.09 μM on MCF-7 with SI = 12.94). Further investigation confirmed that 3k displayed morphological alterations in PC3 and MCF-7 cells and promoted apoptosis through down-regulation of the Bcl-2 and upregulation of Bax expression. Additionally, compound 3k was identified as the most potent COX-2 inhibitor (91% inhibition) beside lower COX-1 inhibition. Molecular docking of the tested compounds represented important binding modes which may be responsible for their anticancer activity via inhibition of the COX-2 enzyme. Overall, the lead compound 3k deserves further development as a potential anticancer agent. Sulfonylhydrazones was synthesized and N'-[(2-chloro-3-methoxyphenyl)methylidene]-4- methylbenzenesulfonohydrazide (3k) was identified as the most potent anticancer agent and COX-2 inhibitor. In addition, this compound docked inside the active site of COX-2 succesfully.

CID-6033590 inhibits p38MAPK pathway and induces S-phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in DU145 and PC-3 cells

Metastatic prostate cancer, with no effective treatment, is among the leading causes of cancer-associated deaths in men. Overexpression of p38αMAPK has been observed in neuroendocrine prostate cancer patients and in both DU145 and PC-3 cell lines and represents a good drug target. Sulfonamide derivatives have shown biological activities against many human diseases, including cancer. CID-6033590, a sulfonylhydrazide compound, screened from PubChem database by molecular docking with p38αMAPK, was evaluated for anti-cancerous activities. CID-6033590 induced toxicity in both DU145 and PC-3 cells in a concentration and time-dependent manner with an IC₅₀ value of 60 μM and 66 μM, respectively. Sub-cytotoxic concentrations of the compound significantly induced S-phase cell cycle arrest, inhibited cyclinA/CDK2 complex and blocked cell proliferation. Further, CID-6033590 downregulated phosphorylation of p38MAPK (P-p38) as well as its downstream targets, Activating transcription factor 2 (ATF-2) and Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27). The compound increased ROS and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), downregulated Bcl-2 and survivin and cleaved poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3, indicating the induction of apoptosis. The evaluaion of the compound on noncancerous, human prostatic epithelial cell line RWPE-1, and healthy murine tissues yielded no significant toxicity. Taken together, we suggest CID-6033590 as a potential candidate for prostate cancer therapy.

Synthesis and investigation of antimicrobial activities of nitrofurazone analogues containing hydrazide-hydrazone moiety

In this research we synthesized and tested for in vitro antimicrobial activity 21 nitrofurazone analogues. The compounds we obtained were identified on the basis of ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The in vitro screening of antimicrobial properties of synthesized compounds revealed a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity. Compounds 28, 29, 32–43, and 45–48 showed very high bactericidal effect towards Staphylococcus spp. ATTC and Bacillus spp. ATTC (MIC = 0.002–7.81 µg/ml and MBC = 0.002–31.25 µg/ml). The levels of activity of several compounds were far better than those of nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin or cefuroxime.

Synthesis and antiproliferative evaluation of novel 2-(4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-ylthio)acetamide derivatives as inducers of apoptosis in cancer cells

In this study, a series of thiosemicarbazide derivatives 12-14, 1,2,4-triazol-3-thione derivatives 15-17 and compounds bearing 2-(4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-ylthio)acetamide structure 18-32 have been synthesized starting from phenolic compounds such as 2-naphthol, paracetamol and thymol. Structures and purity of the target compounds were confirmed by the use of their chromatographic and spectral data besides microanalysis. All of the synthesized new compounds 12-32 were evaluated for their anti-HIV activity. Among these compounds, three representatives 18, 19 and 25 were selected and evaluated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) against the full panel of 60 human cancer cell lines derived from nine different cancer types. Antiproliferative effects of the selected compounds were demonstrated in human tumor cell lines K-562, A549 and PC-3. These compounds inhibited cell growth assessed by MTT assay. Compound 18, 19 and 25 exhibited anti-cancer activity with IC50 values of 5.96 μM (PC-3 cells), 7.90 μM (A549/ATCC cells) and 7.71 μM (K-562 cells), respectively. After the cell viability assay, caspase activation and Bcl-2 activity of the selected compounds were measured and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was detected. Compounds 18, 19 and 25 showed a significant increase in caspase-3 activity in a dose-dependent manner. This was not observed for caspase-8 activity with compound 18 and 25, while compound 19 was significantly elevated only at the dose of 50 μM. In addition, all three compounds significantly decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential and expression of Bcl-2.