1,3,4-Thiadiazoline−coumarin hybrid compounds containing D-glucose/D-galactose moieties: Synthesis and evaluation of their antiproliferative activity

The current landscape of coumarin hybrids with antibreast cancer therapeutic applications: An updated review

Globally, breast cancer (BC) has the highest prevalence among malignant diseases. BC is also the primary cause of death among women. Notably, BC morbidity has been increasing continuously at an approximate growth rate of 2.2% per year. Persistent BC is a major public health issue worldwide. Consequently, novel chemotherapeutic agents to combat this lethal disease should be developed urgently. Coumarins with interesting structural and mechanistic variations exhibit promising activity in several forms of BC, including BCs with multidrug resistance. In particular, coumarin hybrids composed of coumarin and one or more anti-BC pharmacophores can target different biological components in BC cells simultaneously. Thus, coumarin hybrids are useful scaffolds that can help improve the anti-BC efficacy of coumarins, reduce side effects, improve pharmacokinetics, minimize drug-drug interactions, and circumvent drug resistance. This review, in which articles published from 2020 to the present day have been evaluated, highlights the landscape of coumarin hybrids that exhibit therapeutic effects against breast cancer. These findings can aid further investigations on novel antibreast-cancer therapeutics.

Synthesis, biofilm formation inhibitory, and inflammation inhibitory activities of new coumarin derivatives

Coumarins are heterocycles of great interest in the development of valuable active structures in chemistry and biological domains. The ability of coumarins to inhibit biofilm formation of Gram positive bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus), Gram negative bacterium (Escherichia coli) as well as the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has been previously described. In the present work, new hybrid coumarin-heterocycles have been synthesized via the reaction of coumarin-6-sulfonyl chloride and 6-aminocoumarin with different small heterocycle moieties. The biological efficacy of the new compounds was evaluated towards their ability to inhibit biofilm formation and their anti-inflammatory properties. The antimicrobial activities of the newly synthesized compounds were tested against Gram positive bacterium (S. aureus ATCC 6538), Gram negative bacterium (E. coli ATCC 25922), yeast (Candida albicans ATCC 10231) and the fungus (Aspergillus niger NRRL-A326). Compounds 4d, 4e, 4f, 6a and 9 showed significant MIC and MBC values against S. aureus, E. coli, C. albicans, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) with especial incidence on compound 9 which surpasses all the other compounds giving MIC and MBC values of (4.88 and 9.76 µg/mL for S. aureus), (78.13 and 312.5 µg/mL for E. coli), (9.77 and 78.13 µg/mL for C. albicans), and (39.06 and 76.7 µg/mL for MRSA), respectively. With reference to the antibiofilm activity, compound 9 exhibited potent antibiofilm activity with IC50 of 60, 133.32, and 19.67 µg/mL against S. aureus, E. coli, and MRSA, (respectively) considering the reference drug (neomycin). Out of all studied compounds, the anti-inflammatory results indicated that compound 4d effectively inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-(LPS-) stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells, giving NO% inhibition of 70% compared to Sulindac (55.2%).

Anticancer mechanism of coumarin-based derivatives

The structural motif of coumarins is related with various biological activities and pharmacological properties. Both natural coumarin extracted from various plants or a new coumarin derivative synthesized by modification of the basic structure of coumarin, in vitro experiments showed that coumarins are a promising class of anti-tumor agents with high selectivity. Cancer is a complex and multifaceted group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled and abnormal growth of cells in the body. This review focuses on the anticancer mechanism of various coumarins synthesized and isolated in more than a decade. Isopentenyloxycoumarins inhibit angiogenesis by reducing CCl2 chemokine levels. Ferulin C is a potent colchicine-binding agent that destabilizes microtubules, exhibiting antiproliferative and anti-metastatic effects in breast cancer cells through PAK1 and PAK2-mediated signaling. Trimers of triphenylethylene-coumarin hybrids demonstrated significant proliferation inhibition in HeLa, A549, K562, and MCF-7 cell lines. Platinum(IV) complexes with 4-hydroxycoumarin have the potential for high genotoxicity against tumor cells, inducing apoptosis in SKOV-3 cells by up-regulating caspase 3 and caspase 9 expression. Derivatives of 3-benzyl coumarin seco-B-ring induce apoptosis, mediated through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Sesquiterpene coumarins inhibit the efflux pump of multidrug resistance-associated protein. Coumarin imidazolyl derivatives inhibit the aromatase enzyme, a major contributor to estrogen overproduction in estrogen-dependent breast cancer.

Novel benzochromenes: design, synthesis, cytotoxicity, molecular docking and mechanistic investigations

Aim: A novel series of fused benzochromenes with expected cytotoxicity and HIF-1α inhibition was identified. Materials & methods: A bioisosterism-aided approach was applied to design new benzochromenes and assess their cytotoxicity against three cancer cell lines. The probable mechanistic effect and the in silico docking and pharmacokinetic profiles of the most effective derivatives were evaluated. Results: Compounds 3, 4, 5, 8 and 11 showed potent antiproliferative activity and excellent selectivity. Compound 8 showed significant HIF-1α inhibition with an IC50 value of 3.372 μM. It also enhanced apoptosis and arrested the HepG2 cell cycle at both the G0/G1 and S stages. Conclusion: Compound 8 was identified as a new potential anticancer candidate.

4-Methyl-7-((2-((5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)thio)ethyl)thio)-coumarin

The novel compound 4-methyl-7-((2-((5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)thio)ethyl)thio)-coumarin is obtained in good yield via a two-step protocol; that is, initial synthesis of the reagent 2-((2-chloroethyl)thio)-5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole followed by alkylation of 7-mercapto-4-methylcoumarin. The product’s structure is assigned by 1D and 2D NMR experiments and is confirmed by single-crystal XRD.

Synthesis and Anticancer Evaluation of New Thiazole and Thiadiazole Derivatives Bearing Acetanilide Moiety

New thiazole and thiadiazole derivatives bound to the acetanilide moiety were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity. The precursor N-(4-acetamidophenyl)-N'-phenylthiourea (2) was cyclocondensed with ethyl bromoacetate to afford a mixture of the two isomers, 2-(4-acetamidophenylimino)-3-phenylthiazolidin-4-one (3a, 23%) and 3-(4-acetamidophenyl)-2-phenyliminothiazolidin-4-one (3b, 71%). The Knoevenagel reaction of 3b with various aromatic aldehydes afforded 5-arylidene-2-phenyliminothiazolidin-4-one derivatives 5a-5e. Intramolecular cyclization of thiourea scaffold 2 with chloroacetone and/or phenacyl chloride gave the conforming thiazole derivatives 6a and 6b. A new series of thiadiazole derivatives 9a-9c and 11a-11c was synthesized by the reaction of N-(4-acetamidophenyl)-N'-phenylthiourea (2) with selected derivatives of hydrazonoyl halide in ethanol and triethylamine. The structures of the synthesized thiazole and thiadiazole compounds were elucidated by their compatible spectral data. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized thiazole and thiadiazole derivatives was screened against four human cancer cell lines and showed promising results. Thiazolidin-4-one compound 5d showed the strongest cytotoxic effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (IC50 = 8.80 ± 0.31 μg/mL), mammary gland breast cancer (IC50 = 7.22 ± 0.65 μg/mL) and colorectal carcinoma (IC50 = 9.35 ± 0.61 μg/mL) cell lines.

Anticancer, antioxidant activities and molecular docking study of thiazolidine-4-one and thiadiazol derivatives

Liver cancer accounts for a major portion of the global cancer burden. In many nations, the prevalence of this condition has risen in recent decades. New series of thiazolidinones and thiadiazolidine have been designed, synthesized, and evaluated for potential antioxidant and antihepatocarcinogenic activity. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using a DPPH assay. Furthermore, we examined the compounds against Hepg-2 cells using MTT assay, flow cytometry analysis through the cell cycle, reactive oxygen species, and apoptosis. The result showed that compound 6b has the highest antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ = 60.614 ± 0.739 µM. The anticancer activity showed that compounds 5 and 6b have significant toxicity against liver cancer cells Hepg2, IC₅₀ values (9.082 and 4.712) µM, respectively. Flow cytometry experiments revealed that compound 5 arrested Hepg-2 cells in the S process, while compound 6b arrested Hepg-2 cells in the G1. Compound 6b had a greater reduction in reactive oxygen species and late apoptosis than compound 5. Substantially, compound 5 had affinity energies of -7.6 and -8.5 for Akt and CDK4 proteins, respectively, but compound 6b had affinity energies of -7.8 and -10.1 for Akt1 and CDK4 proteins, respectively. Consequently, compound 6b had lower binding energies than compound 5. In this work, we used multiple bioinformatics methods to shed light on the prospective therapeutic use of these series as novel candidates to target immune cells in the tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinomas such as CD8+ T cells, endothelial cells, and hematopoietic stem cells.

A medicinal chemist's perspective towards structure activity relationship of heterocycle based anti-cancer agents

AIM

To describe structure activity relationship of heterocyclic derivatives with multi-targeted anticancer activity.

OBJECTIVES

With the following goals in mind, this review tries to describe significant recent advances in the medicinal chemistry of heterocycle-based compounds: (1) To shed light on recent literature focused on heterocyclic derivatives' anticancer potential; (2) To discuss recent advances in the medicinal chemistry of heterocyclic derivatives, as well as their biological implications for cancer eradication; (3) To summarise the comprehensive correlation of structure activity relationship (SAR) with pharmacological outcomes in cancer therapy.

BACKGROUND

Cancer remains one of the major serious health issues devastating the world today. Cancer is a complex disease in which improperly altered cells proliferate at an uncontrolled, rapid, and severe rate. Variables such as poor dietary habits, high stress, age, and smoking, can all contribute to the development of cancer. Cancer can affect almost any organ or tissue, although the brain, breast, liver, and colon are the most frequently affected organs. From several years, surgical operations and irradiation are in use along with chemotherapy as a primary treatment of cancer but still effective treatment of cancer remains a huge challenge. Chemotherapy is now one of the most effective strategies to eradicate cancer, although it has been shown to have a number of cytotoxic and unfavourable effects on normal cells. Despite all of these cancer treatments, there are several other targets for anticancer drugs. Cancer can be effectively eradicated by focusing on these targets, which include both cell-specific and receptor-specific targets such as tyrosine kinase receptors (TKIs). Heterocyclic scaffolds also have a variety of applications in drug development and are a common moiety in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and textile industries.

METHODS

The association between structural activity relationship data of many powerful compounds and their anticancer potential in vitro and in vivo has been studied. SAR of powerful heterocyclic compounds can also be generated using molecular docking simulations, as reported vastly in literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Heterocycles have a wide range of applications, from natural compounds to synthesised derivatives with powerful anticancer properties. To avoid cytotoxicity or unfavourable effects on normal mammalian cells due to a lack of selectivity towards the target site, as well as to reduce the occurrence of drug resistance, safer anticancer lead compounds with higher potency and lower cytotoxicity are needed. This review emphasizes on design and development of heterocyclic lead compounds with promising anticancer potential.

Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors as potential anticancer agents: An update of recent progress

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a vital intermediate in cell signaling pathway including cell proliferation, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and metastatic spread and also having four divergent members with similar structural features, such as EGFR (HER1/ErbB1), ErbB2 (HER2/neu), ErbB3 (HER3), and ErbB4 (HER4). Despite this, clinically exploited inhibitors of EGFR (including erlotinib, lapatinib, gefitinib, selumetinib, etc.) are not specific thus provoking unenviable adverse effects. Some of the paramount obstacles to generate and develop new lead molecules of EGFR inhibitors are drug resistance, mutation, and also selectivity which inspire medicinal chemists to generate novel chemotypes. The discovery of therapeutic agents that inhibit the precise stage in tumorous cells such as EGFR is one of the chief successful targets in many cancer therapies, including lung and breast cancers. This review aims to compile the various recent progressions (2016-2021) in the discovery and development of diverse epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors belonging to distinct structural classes like pyrazoline, pyrazole, imidazole, pyrimidine, coumarin, benzothiazole, etc. We have summarized preclinical and clinical data, structure-activity relationships (SAR) containing mechanistic and in silico studies to provide proposals for the design and invention of new EGFR inhibitors with therapeutic significance. The detailed progress of the work in the field will provide inexorable scope for the development of novel drug candidates with greater selectivity and efficacy.

Novel thiazoline–coumarin hybrid compounds containing sugar moieties: synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking study as antiproliferative agents

1,3-Thiadiazoline–coumarin hybrid compounds containing d-glucose and d-galactose moieties have the cytotoxicity against MCF-7, HepG2, HeLa, SK-Mel-2, and LU-1 cells and also EGFR and HER2 kinases. Molecular docking showed key roles in enhancing potency against both enzymes.