Sulfonamide derivatives of cis-imidazolines as potent p53-MDM2/MDMX protein-protein interaction inhibitors

P53: A key player in diverse cellular processes including nuclear stress and ribosome biogenesis, highlighting potential therapeutic compounds

The tumor suppressor proteins are key transcription factors involved in the regulation of various cellular processes, such as apoptosis, DNA repair, cell cycle, senescence, and metabolism. The tumor suppressor protein p53 responds to different type of stress signaling, such as hypoxia, DNA damage, nutrient deprivation, oncogene activation, by activating or repressing the expression of different genes that target processes mentioned earlier. p53 has the ability to modulate the activity of many other proteins and signaling pathway through protein-protein interaction, post-translational modifications, or non-coding RNAs. In many cancers the p53 is found to be mutated or inactivated, resulting in the loss of its tumor suppressor function and acquisition of new oncogenic properties. The tumor suppressor protein p53 also plays a role in the development of other metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease. In this review, we will summarize the current data and knowledge on the molecular mechanisms and the functions of p53 in different pathways and processes at the cellular level and discuss the its implications for human health and disease.

Recent development of azole-sulfonamide hybrids with the anticancer potential

Cancer exhibits heterogeneity that enables adaptability and remains grand challenges for effective treatment. Chemotherapy is a validated and critically important strategy for the treatment of cancer, but the emergence of multidrug resistance which may lead to recurrence of disease or even death is a major hurdle for successful chemotherapy. Azoles and sulfonamides are important anticancer pharmacophores, and azole-sulfonamide hybrids have the potential to simultaneously act on dual/multiple targets in cancer cells, holding great promise to overcome drug resistance. This review outlines the current scenario of azole-sulfonamide hybrids with the anticancer potential, and the structure-activity relationships as well as mechanisms of action are also discussed, covering articles published from 2020 onward.

Application of In Silico Filtering and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry for the Discovery of Small Molecule Inhibitors of MDM2

The initial discovery phase of protein modulators, which consists of filtering molecular libraries and in vitro direct binding validation, is central in drug discovery. Thus, virtual screening of large molecular libraries, together with the evaluation of binding affinity by isothermal calorimetry, generates an efficient experimental setup. Herein, we applied virtual screening for discovering small molecule inhibitors of MDM2, a major negative regulator of the tumor suppressor p53, and thus a promising therapeutic target. A library of 20 million small molecules was screened against an averaged model derived from multiple structural conformations of MDM2 based on published structures. Selected molecules originating from the computational filtering were tested in vitro for their direct binding to MDM2 via isothermal titration calorimetry. Three new molecules, representing distinct chemical scaffolds, showed binding to MDM2. These were further evaluated by exploring structure-similar chemical analogues. Two scaffolds were further evaluated by de novo synthesis of molecules derived from the initial molecules that bound MDM2, one with a central oxoazetidine acetamide and one with benzene sulfonamide. Several molecules derived from these scaffolds increased wild-type p53 activity in MCF7 cancer cells. These set a basis for further chemical optimization and the development of new chemical entities as anticancer drugs.

Click synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles using copper iodide nanoparticles anchored poly(sulfonamide-thiazole) modified layered double hydroxides/chitosan nanocomposite

Click synthesis is a class of biocompatible small molecule reactions commonly used in bioconjugation. This research presents a recyclable environmentally-friendly catalyst for 1,2,3-triazoles. To this end, we immobilized poly sulfonamide-thiazole (PST), a new group of sulfonamides, on the surface of layered double hydroxides/chitosan (LDH@CS). Afterward, it was decorated using copper iodide nanoparticles (CuI NPs). LDH@CS@PST/Cu was characterized various techniques, including HNMR, ¹³CNMR, FE-SEM, FT-IR, XRD, EDX, ICP-OES, and TGA/DTA. Overall, the results revealed that LDH@CS@PST/Cu is a promising green efficient for the domino reaction of phenacyl bromides with phenylacetylene and sodium azide.

Synthetic Design and Biological Evaluation of New p53-MDM2 Interaction Inhibitors Based on Imidazoline Core

The use of p53-MDM2 inhibitors is a prospective strategy in anti-cancer therapy for tumors expressing wild type p53 protein. In this study, we have applied a simple approach of two-step synthesis of imidazoline-based alkoxyaryl compounds, which are able to efficiently inhibit p53-MDM2 protein–protein interactions, promote accumulation of p53 and p53-inducible proteins in various cancer cell lines. Compounds 2l and 2k cause significant upregulation of p53 and p53-inducible proteins in five human cancer cell lines, one of which possesses overexpression of MDM2.

Chlorosulfonic acid coated on porous organic polymer as a bifunctional catalyst for the one-pot three-component synthesis of 1,8-naphthyridines

The synthesis of six-membered oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocycles has been regarded as the most fundamental issue in organic chemistry and the chemical industry because these heterocycles are used in producing high-value products. In this study, an efficient, economic, sustainable, and green protocol for their multicomponent synthesis has been developed. The one-pot direct Knoevenagel condensation–Michael addition–cyclization sequences for the transformation of aromatic aldehydes, malononitrile, and 2-aminopyridine generate the corresponding 1,8-naphthyridines over a novel mesoporous bifunctional organocatalyst supported cholorosulfonic acid [poly(triazine-benzene sulfonamide)-SO₃H (PTBSA-SO₃H)] under ambient conditions. The catalyst was used for the formation of 1,8-naphthyridine derivatives for six runs. The current strategy provided a wider substrate range, and short reaction times.

Chlorosulfonic acid coated on porous organic polymer as a bifunctional catalyst for one-pot three-component synthesis of 1,8-naphthyridines