Efficient entry to diversely functionalized spirooxindoles from isatin and their biological activity

Synthesis of N-(4-chlorophenyl) substituted pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles enabling PKBβ/AKT2 inhibitory and in vitro anti-glioma activity

A series of N-(4-chlorophenyl) substituted pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles was synthesised and screened for their potential to inhibit kinases and exhibit anticancer activity against primary patient-derived glioblastoma 2D cells and 3D neurospheres. A collection of 10 compounds was evaluated against glioma cell lines, with compound 4j exhibiting promising glioma growth inhibitory properties. Compound 4j was screened against 139 purified kinases and exhibited low micromolar activity against kinase AKT2/PKBβ. AKT signalling is one of the main oncogenic pathways in glioma and is often targeted for novel therapeutics. Indeed, AKT2 levels correlated with glioma malignancy and poorer patient survival. Compound 4j inhibited the 3D neurosphere formation in primary patient-derived glioma stem cells and exhibited potent EC₅₀ against glioblastoma cell lines. Although exhibiting potency against glioma cells, 4j exhibited significantly less cytotoxicity against non-cancerous cells even at fourfold-fivefold the concentration. Herein we establish a novel biochemical kinase inhibitory function for N-(4-chlorophenyl) substituted pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles and further report their anti-glioma activity in vitro for the first time.KEY MESSAGEAnti-glioma pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole 4j inhibited the 3D neurosphere formation in primary patient-derived glioma stem cells. 4j also displayed PKBβ/AKT2 inhibitory activity. 4j is nontoxic towards non-cancerous cells.

Regio- and Stereoselective Synthesis of a New Series of Spirooxindole Pyrrolidine Grafted Thiochromene Scaffolds as Potential Anticancer Agents

A series of new spiro-heterocycles engrafted spirooxindole/pyrrolidine/thiochromene scaffolds was synthesized by the three-component 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions in a fully controlled regio- and stereo-selective fashion. Condensation of several substituted isatin derivatives with L-proline generated the azomethine ylides which subsequently reacted with chalcones based thiochromene scaffold, and finally afforded the target spiro-compounds. This simple protocol furnished a structurally complex, biologically relevant spiro-heterocycles in good yields through a one-pot process. All synthesized chalcone-based thiochromene, along with the spirooxindole/pyrrolidine/thiochromene scaffolds, were tested for their anticancer activity against four cancer cell lines (PC3, HeLa, MCF-7, and MDA-MB231). Toxicity of these compounds was also evaluated against human fibroblast BJ cell line, and they appeared to be not cytotoxic. For the prostate cancer (PC3) cell line, the most active hybrid, among synthesized series, was compound (7f, IC50 = 8.7 ± 0.7 µM). The most potent spirooxindole/pyrrolidine/thiochromene hybrid against cervical (HeLa) cancer cells was compound (7k, IC50 = 8.4 ± 0.5 µM) having chlorine and p-trifluoromethyl substituents attached to phenyl rings. Finally, against the MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 breast cancer cell lines, compound (7d) was the most active member of this series (IC50 = 7.36 ± 0.37, and 9.44 ± 0.32 µM, respectively).

The application of isatin-based multicomponent-reactions in the quest for new bioactive and druglike molecules

Oxindole derivatives are known for their great interest in the field of Medicinal Chemistry, as they display vast biological activities. Recent efforts concerning the preparation of oxindole derivatives using isatin-based multicomponent reactions (MCRs) constitute a great advance in generating druglike libraries fast and with wide scaffold diversity. In this review, we address those recent developments, exploring the synthetic pathways and biological activities described for these compounds, namely antitumor, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and central nervous system (CNS) pathologies. To add new depth to this work, we used a well-established web-based free tool (SwissADME) to evaluate the most promising scaffolds in what concerns their druglike properties, namely by evaluating their compliance with some of the most valuable rules applied by medicinal chemists in both academia and industrial settings (Lipinski, Ghose, Veber, Egan, Muegge). The aim of this review is to endorse isatin-based MCRs as a valuable synthetic approach to attain new hit compounds bearing the oxindole privileged structure, while critically exploring these scaffolds' druglike properties.

A review: Biologically active 3,4-heterocycle-fused coumarins

The combination of heterocycles offers a new opportunity to create novel multicyclic compounds having improved biological activity. Coumarins are ubiquitous natural heterocycle widely adopted in the design of various biologically active compounds. Fusing different heterocycles with coumarin ring is one of the interesting approaches to generating novel hybrid molecules having highlighted biological activities. In the efforts to develop heterocyclic-fused coumarins, a wide range of 3,4-heterocycle-fused coumarins have been introduced bearing outstanding biological activity. The effect of heterocycles annulation at 3,4-positions of coumarin ring on the biological activity of the target structures were discussed. This review focuses on the important progress of 3,4-heterocycle-fused coumarins providing better insight for medicinal chemists on the design and preparation of biologically active heterocycle-fused coumarins with a significant therapeutic effect in the future.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Spirooxindole Derivatives Using One-Pot Multicomponent Cycloaddition Reaction and Evaluation of Their Antiproliferative Efficacy

A highly stereoselective, one-pot, multicomponent method has been developed to synthesize pyrrolizidine- and N-methyl pyrrolidine-substituted spirooxindole derivatives. The [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction involves the reaction between the dipole azomethine ylides, generated in situ from the reaction between isatin and secondary amino acids such as L-proline or sarcosine, and α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds as the dipolarophile. The reaction condition was optimized to achieve excellent regio- and stereoselectivity. Products were obtained in good yield using ethanol as a solvent at the reflux temperature. The newly synthesized spirooxindole derivatives were evaluated for their antiproliferative efficacy against National Cancer Institute (NCI)-60 cancer cell lines and DNA G-quadruplex (G4) interaction capacity. Compound 14b produced selective cytotoxicity against leukemia, renal, colon, and prostate cancer cell lines at a 10 μM concentration. The G4 interaction studies further suggested that these spirooxindole derivatives were devoid of any activity as DNA G4 ligands.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Fused Spiro-4H-Pyran Derivatives as Bacterial Biofilm Disruptor

This study aims to synthesize novel fused spiro-4H-pyran derivatives under green conditions to develop agents having antimicrobial activity. The synthesized compounds were initially screened for in vitro antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacterial strains, and all the compounds exhibited moderate to potent antibacterial activity. However, compound 4l showed significant inhibition toward all the bacterial strains, particularly against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 125 μg/mL for each. The toxicity studies of selected compounds (4c, 4e, 4l, and 4m) using human red blood cells as well as human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells showed nontoxic behavior at desired concentration. Growth kinetic and time-kill curve studies of 4l against S. pneumoniae and E. coli supported its bactericidal nature. Interestingly, compound 4l showed a synergistic effect when used in combination with ciprofloxacin against selected strains. Biofilm formation in the presence of a lead compound, as assessed by XTT assay, showed complete disruption of the bacterial biofilm visualized by scanning electron microscopy. Overall, the findings suggest 4l to be considered as a promising lead for further development as an antibacterial agent.

A practical green approach to diversified spirochromene/spiropyran scaffolds via a glucose–water synergy driven organocatalytic system

Development of a versatile, new glucose–water organocatalytic system promoted, one pot, practical green method for the synthesis of diversified spirochromenes/spiropyrans is reported.

Highly efficient, one-pot synthesis of novel bis-spirooxindoles with skeletal diversity via sequential multi-component reaction in PEG-400 as a biodegradable solvent

A green, efficient, multi-component protocol has been developed for synthesis of novel bis-spirooxindoles in short reaction time, easy workup and excellent yields.

Cerium oxide-catalyzed multicomponent condensation approach to spirooxindoles in water

An efficient and facile green synthesis of spirooxindole derivatives bearing pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole moiety has been achieved via a [Formula: see text]-NPs catalyzed four-component reaction in water. The protocol offers an environmentally benign and effective approach to highly functionalized and biologically interesting spiro[indoline-3,4[Formula: see text]-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole] derivatives. The synthesized compounds exhibit potent antioxidant and antibacterial activities.

Bis((1,4-dimethyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)methyl)amine-mediated anticancer effect triggered by sequence-specific cleavage of DNA leading to programmed cell death in the human U87 cell line

Bis((1,4-dimethyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)methyl)amine (DMCM) has been designed as a novel anti-cancer agent which is believed to have a sequence-specific groove binding interaction with DNA, leading to anticancer effects.

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination of racemic butadiene monoxide with isatin derivatives

Pd-catalyzed asymmetric aminations of butadiene monoxide with isatin derivatives using P/alkene ligands gave high yields, ees and regioselectivity ratios.