1H and 13C NMR spectral assignments of chalcones bearing pyrazoline-carbothioamide groups

Pyrazolo-1-carbothioamides as EGR-1-DNA binding disruptors

Early growth response 1 (EGR-1) is a key transcription factor that boosts the inflammatory response. Therefore, targeting EGR-1 with small-molecule drugs may be a novel strategy for treating inflammatory diseases, such as atopic dermatitis. (E)-2-(2,4-dimethoxy-6-(4-methoxystyryl)phenyl)-3-hydroxy-6-nitro-4H-chromen-4-one (AB1711) was previously found to be an active compound that disrupts EGR-1-DNA binding. Structural modifications were performed to identify compounds with better activity. Seventy compounds with pyrazolo-1-carbothioamide moieties were derived. Fifty-one compounds showed greater disruption of EGR-1 DNA binding than that induced by AB1711. To determine why the compounds tested in this study showed good activity, pharmacophores were derived based on comparativemolecular field and comparative molecularsimilarity index analyses. Of the 70 compounds tested, compound 36, N-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(1-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)-5-(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carbothioamide showed the best activity. The binding mode between EGR-1 and compound 36 was elucidated using in silico docking. Pharmacophores derived from quantitative structure-activity relationships matched well with the results obtained from in silico docking. To determine the role of compound 36 in cells, further experiments, including electrophoretic mobility shift and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays, were carried out. These findings demonstrated that compound 36 is a good disruptor of EGR-1-DNA binding.

Colorectal anticancer activities of polymethoxylated 3-naphthyl-5-phenylpyrazoline-carbothioamides

To develop potent chemotherapeutic agents for treating colorectal cancers, polymethoxylated 3-naphthyl-5-phenylpyrazoline-carbothioamide derivatives were designed. Twenty-two novel derivatives were synthesized and their cytotoxicities were measured using a clonogenic long-term survival assay. Of these derivatives, 3-(1-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)-N-(3-methoxyphenyl)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-pyrazoline-1-carbothioamide (NPC 15) exhibited the best half-maximal cell growth inhibitory concentrations (196.35nM). To explain its cytotoxicity, further biological experiments were performed. Treatment with NPC 15 inhibited cell cycle progression and triggered apoptosis through the caspase-mediated pathway. Its inhibitory effects on several kinases participating in the cell cycle were investigated using an in vitro kinase assay. Its half-maximal inhibitory concentrations for aurora kinases A and B were 105.03μM and 8.53μM, respectively. Further analysis showed that NPC 15 decreased phosphorylation of aurora kinases A, B, and C and phosphorylation of histone H3, a substrate of aurora kinases A and B. Its molecular binding mode for aurora kinase B was elucidated using in silico docking. In summary, polymethoxylated 3-naphthyl-5-phenylpyrazoline-carbothioamides could be potent chemotherapeutic agents.