An efficient and green synthesis of polyfunctionalized spirothiazolidin-4-ones using sulfonated mesoporous silica as a reusable catalyst

Contemporary progress in the green synthesis of spiro-thiazolidines and their medicinal significance: a review

The development of new strategies for the production of nitrogen and sulfur-containing heterocycles remains an extremely alluring but challenging proposition. Among these heterocyclic compounds, spiro-thiazolidines are a distinct class of heterocyclic motifs with an all-encompassing range of pharmaceutical activities such as anti-histaminic, anti-proliferative, anesthetic, hypnotic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, anthelmintic, CNS stimulant, and anti-viral potentials. Consequently, investigators have produced these heterocycles through diversified intricate pathways as object structures for medicinal studies. Notwithstanding their innumerable manmade solicitations, there is yet no special periodical on MCRs concerning spiro-thiazolidine via green synthesis. Thus, this in-depth review encompasses the excursion of MCRs to spiro-thiazolidines, including the environment-friendly synthetic approaches, reaction situations, rationale behind the optimal selection of catalyst, scope, anticipated mechanism, and biological activities. In this review, we have focussed on the furthermost current developments in spiro-thiazolidine creation under different conditions, such as ionic liquid-assisted, microwave-assisted, on-water, solid-supported acid-catalyzed, asymmetric, and nanocatalyst-assisted syntheses, developed over the last 8 years. This study details works regarding the total amalgamation of spiro-thiazolidines under N- and S-containing heterocycles. Furthermore, this article summarizes the developments of artificially and pharmaceutically important spiro-thiazolidine candidates.

Recent Design and Structure-Activity Relationship Studies on the Modifications of DHFR Inhibitors as Anticancer Agents

BACKGROUND

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) has been known for decades as a molecular target for antibacterial, antifungal and anti-malarial treatments. This enzyme is becoming increasingly important in the design of new anticancer drugs, which is confirmed by numerous studies including modelling, synthesis and in vitro biological research. This review aims to present and discuss some remarkable recent advances in the research of new DHFR inhibitors with potential anticancer activity.

METHODS

The scientific literature of the last decade on the different types of DHFR inhibitors has been searched. The studies on design, synthesis and investigation structure-activity relationships were summarized and divided into several subsections depending on the leading molecule and its structural modification. Various methods of synthesis, potential anticancer activity and possible practical applications as DHFR inhibitors of new chemical compounds were described and discussed.

RESULTS

This review presents the current state of knowledge on the modification of known DHFR inhibitors and the structures and searches for about eighty new molecules, designed as potential anticancer drugs. In addition, DHFR inhibitors acting on thymidylate synthase (TS), carbon anhydrase (CA) and even DNA-binding are presented in this paper.

CONCLUSION

Thorough physicochemical characterization and biological investigations highlight the structure-activity relationship of DHFR inhibitors. This will enable even better design and synthesis of active compounds, which would have the expected mechanism of action and the desired activity.

Exploiting a multicomponent domino reaction strategy for the tailoring of versatile environmentally sensitive fluorophore-based nicotinonitriles incorporating pyrene and fluorene moieties

A simplistic and highly effective protocol for the synthesis of a new class of poly-functionalized innovative nicotinonitriles incorporating pyrene and/or fluorene moieties has been developed through the domino four-component condensation reaction of 1-(pyren-1-yl)ethanone/1-(9H-fluoren-2-yl)ethanone, numerous aromatic aldehydes, and 3-oxo-3-(pyren-1-yl)propanenitrile/3-(9H-fluoren-2-yl)-3-oxopropanenitrile and ammonium acetate in acetic acid as a reaction medium. The advantages of this approach are the short reaction time, excellent yield, and the easy experimental workup that affords substrate diversity and operative competence under metal-free reaction conditions for the formation of C–C and C–N bonds. The substituent effects on the photophysical property-based absorption and the emission of the synthesized compounds in dichloromethane have been well-investigated. Strong absorption quenching of around 100 nm was observed when substitution of the benzene ring at the C₄-position of the pyridine moiety occurred with an electron-donating (–N(CH₃)₂) group. All of the newly synthesized nicotinonitrile derivatives showed strong blue-green fluorescence emission with maxima in the range between 420–630 nm. These highly pronounced emission spectra will help this family of compounds to find application in many areas and the field of materials science.

A simplistic and highly effective protocol for the synthesis of a new class of poly-functionalized innovative nicotinonitriles incorporating pyrene and/or fluorene moieties has been developed through the domino four-component condensation reaction.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel N 4 -substituted sulfonamides: acetamides derivatives as dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitors

Background

Sulfonamide derivatives are of great attention due to their wide spectrum of biological activities. Sulfonamides conjugated with acetamide fragments exhibit antimicrobial and anticancer activities. The inhibition dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is considered as one of the most prominent mechanism though which sulfonamide derivatives exhibits antimicrobial and antitumor activities.

Results

In this study, a new series of 2-(arylamino)acetamides and N-arylacetamides containing sulfonamide moieties were designed, synthesized, characterized and assessed for their antimicrobial activity and screened for cytotoxic activity against human lung carcinoma (A-549) and human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines. A molecular docking study was performed to identify the mode of action of the synthesized compounds and their good binding interactions were observed with the active sites of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).

Conclusion

Most of the synthesized compounds showed significant activity against A-549 and MCF-7 when compared to 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), which was used as a reference drug. Some of these synthesized compounds are active as antibacterial and antifungal agents.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13065-019-0603-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Facile access to regio- and stereoselective synthesis of highly functionalized spiro[indoline-3,2'-pyrrolidines] incorporating a pyrene moiety: experimental, photophysical and theoretical approach

The regio- and stereochemical polar [3 + 2] cycloaddition of azomethine ylides, which were generated in situ by the reaction of isatin and sarcosine or benzylamine, with (E)-3-aryl-1-(pyren-1-yl)prop-2-en-1-ones as dipolarophiles, was studied using experimental and theoretical methods. The chemical structures and relative configurations of all products have been fully established by 1D and 2D homonuclear and heteronuclear correlation NMR spectrometry. The effects of the electronic and steric factors of the reactions were discussed. The photophysical properties of the synthesized spiro[indoline-3,2'-pyrrolidin]-2-ones and 5'-phenyl-spiro[indoline-3,2'-pyrrolidin]-2-ones were studied. The mechanism of the reactions was investigated using global and local reactivity indices and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis at the B3LYP/6-31G level of theory. The relationship between the electrophilicity index ω of the dipolarophiles and the Hammett constant σ p has been studied. The theoretical scale of reactivity correctly explains the electrophilic activation/deactivation effects promoted by electron-withdrawing and electron-releasing substituents in the para-position of the dipolarophiles.