Convenient route to benzo[1,2,3]selenadiazole–isoxazole hybrids and evaluation of their in vitro cytotoxicity

Semicarbazone, thiosemicarbazone tailed isoxazoline-pyrazole: synthesis, DFT, biological and computational assessment

Aim: A series of semicarbazone and thiosemicarbazone-tailed hybrids comprising pyrazole and acetylisoxazoline were prepared from (R)-carvone and characterized by technique spectroscopies Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), IR and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Density Functional Theory (DFT) determined the structural parameters. Their cytotoxic activity was evaluated in vitro against four human cancer cell lines.Methods & results: All the studied semi and thiosemicarbazone demonstrate a promising potential as anticancer agents. The mechanism of action of these compounds involves apoptosis in HT-1080 cells, supported by an increase in the level of caspase-3/7 activity, which also arrests the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. Molecular docking studies were performed to establish the potential of the most active compounds 4a and 5a. ADMET analysis showed appropriate pharmacokinetic properties, allowing structure prediction for anticancer activity.

Hybrids of thiazolidinone with 1,2,3-triazole derivatives: design, synthesis, biological evaluation, in silico studies, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and ADMET profiling

A new series of thiazolidinone linked 1,2,3-triazole hybrids 5a-h was designed and synthesized using the copper-catalyzed Huisgen azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) between thiazolidinone linked alkyne and aromatic azides. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were established by NMR (1H and 13C) and HRMS. The targeted thiazolidinone-1,2,3-triazole hybrids were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against four human cancer cell lines, including fibrosarcoma (HT-1080), lung carcinoma (A-549), and breast carcinoma (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliun bromide (MTT). The obtained data showed that most of these compounds have moderate anti-proliferative activity with IC50 values between 10.26 ± 0.71 and 53.93 ± 1.20 μM. The compound 5a exhibited higher activity with an IC50 value of 10.26 ± 0.71 µM, compared to 5d with an IC50 value of 11.56 ± 1.98 µM for the HT-1080 and MCF-7 cancer cells line, respectively. Moreover, Annexin-V apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry for hybrid compounds 5a and 5d against HT-1080 and MCF-7 competitor cell lines, as they increase the level of active caspase 3/7. The experimental results were further confirmed by docking studies followed by molecular dynamic simulations. Both the potent derivatives i.e. 5a and 5d have comparable docking scores and MD simulations results showed that the docked complex of 5a is somewhat more stable than 5d primarily for protein p53. The ADMET profile of both derivatives established their safety zone and drug-like potential.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Selenium-Containing Agents Acting on Cancer-A New Hope?

Selenium-containing agents are more and more considered as an innovative potential treatment option for cancer. Light is shed not only on the considerable advancements made in understanding the complex biology and chemistry related to selenium-containing small molecules but also on Se-nanoparticles. Numerous Se-containing agents have been widely investigated in recent years in cancer therapy in relation to tumour development and dissemination, drug delivery, multidrug resistance (MDR) and immune system-related (anti)cancer effects. Despite numerous efforts, Se-agents apart from selenocysteine and selenomethionine have not yet reached clinical trials for cancer therapy. The purpose of this review is to provide a concise critical overview of the current state of the art in the development of highly potent target-specific Se-containing agents.

Synthesis, characterization, molecular docking, and anticancer activities of new 1,3,4-oxadiazole-5-fluorocytosine hybrid derivatives

Analogs of pyrimidine and 1,3,4-oxadiazole are two well established class of molecules proven as potent antiviral and anticancer agents in the pharmaceutical industry. We envisioned designing new molecules where these two heterocycles were conjugated with the goal of enhancing biological activity. In this vein, we synthesized a series of novel pyrimidine-1,3,4-oxadiazole conjugated hybrid molecules as potential anticancer and antiviral agents. Herein, we present a new design for 5-fluorocytosine-1,3,4-oxadiazole hybrids (5a-h) connected via a methylene bridge. An efficient synthesis of new derivatives was established, and all compounds were fully characterized by NMR and MS. Eight compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against fibrosarcoma (HT-1080), breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), lung carcinoma (A-549), and for their antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. Among all compounds tested, the compound 5e showed marked growth inhibition against all cell lines tested, particularly in HT-1080, with IC50 values of 19.56 µM. Meanwhile, all tested compounds showed no anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity, with EC50 >100 µM. The mechanism of cell death was investigated using Annexin V staining, caspase-3/7 activity, and analysis of cell cycle progression. The compound 5e induced apoptosis by the activation of caspase-3/7 and cell-cycle arrest in HT-1080 and A-549 cells at the G2M phase. The molecular docking suggested that the compound 5e activated caspase-3 via the formation of a stable complex protein-ligand.

Novel isoxazoline-linked 1,3,4-thiadiazole hybrids as anticancer agents: Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation

In the current study, natural (R)-carvone was utilized as a starting material for the efficient synthesis of two series of isoxazoline derivatives bearing the 1,3,4-thiadiazole moiety. The new compounds were obtained in good yields and were characterized by ¹ H and ¹³ C NMR and HRMS analysis. The newly synthesized monoterpenic isoxazoline 1,3,4-thiadiazole and their thiosemicarbazone intermediate derivatives were evaluated for their anticancer activity in four cancer cell lines (HT-1080, A-549, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231). Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited moderate to high anticancer effects. Compound 13c showed the highest anticancer activity with IC₅₀ values ranging from 19.33 ± 1.81 to 34.81 ± 3.03 µM. Further investigation revealed that compounds 12e and 13c could inhibit the cell growth of HT-1080 and MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis through caspase-3/7 activation. The apoptotic effect was accompanied by an S phase and G2/M cell cycle arrest for 13c and 12e, respectively. Compounds 12e and 13c were assessed in silico using molecular docking and molecular dynamics. We found that compound 13c is moderately active against the caspase-3 protein, which triggers apoptosis via intrinsic and extrinsic routes, making compound 13c a promising candidate to activate the proapoptotic protein (caspase-3).