Design, synthesis and molecular docking of novel substituted azepines as inhibitors of PI3K/Akt/TSC2/mTOR signaling pathway in colorectal carcinoma

Enantioselective synthesis, characterization, molecular docking simulation and ADMET profiling of α-alkylated carbonyl compounds as antimicrobial agents

All living organisms produce only one enantiomer, so we found that all natural compounds are presented in enantiomerically pure form. Asymmetric synthesis is highly spread in medicinal chemistry because enantiomerically pure drugs are highly applicable. This study initially demonstrated the feasibility of a good idea for the asymmetric synthesis of α-alkylated carbonyl compounds with high enantiomeric purity ranging from 91 to 94% using different quinazolinone derivatives. The structure of all compounds was confirmed via elemental analysis and different spectroscopic data and the enantioselectivity was determined via HPLC using silica gel column. The synthesized compounds' mode of action was investigated using molecular docking against the outer membrane protein A (OMPA) and exo-1,3-beta-glucanase, with interpreting their pharmacokinetics aspects. The results of the antimicrobial effectiveness of these compounds revealed that compound 6a has a broad biocidal activity and this in-vitro study was in line with the in-silico results. Overall, the formulated compound 6a can be employed as antimicrobial agent without any toxicity with high bioavailability in medical applications.

Hepatoprotective impact of Nigella sativa silver nanocomposite against genotoxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation induced by thioacetamide

Protection from liver damage and the repercussion of that harm is thought to be crucial for reducing the number of deaths each year. This work was developed to evaluate the possible role of silver nanocomposite prepared using Nigella sativa (N. sativa) aqueous extract against the hepatic damage brought on by thioacetamide (TAA), with particular attention to how they affect the NF-κβ, TNF-α, IL-1β, and COX-2 signaling pathways. There were seven groups of male Wistar rats used as follows: control, saline, N. sativa aqueous extract (NSAE; 200 mg/kg/d), N. sativa silver nanocomposite (NS-AgNC; 0.25 mg/kg/d), TAA (100 mg/kg; thrice weekly), NSAE + TTA, and NS-AgNC + TAA, respectively. The experiment continued for six weeks. The results showed that NS-AgNPs significantly enhanced liver functions (p<0.05) (albumin, ALP, LDH, AST, total protein, ALT, and globulin) and oxidant/antioxidant biomarkers (p<0.05) (H2O2, MDA, PCC, NO, SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, GST and, GSH), contrasted with TAA group. Moreover, a significant (p<0.05) downregulation of the gene expressions (COX-2, TNF-α, IL-1β, and NF-κβ) was also achieved by using silver nanocomposite therapy. These findings have been supported by histological analysis. Collectively, NS-AgNC exhibits more prominent and well-recognized protective impacts than NSAE in modulating the anti-inflammatory, genotoxicity and oxidative stress effects against TAA-induced liver injuries.

Synthesis and molecular docking simulations of novel azepines based on quinazolinone moiety as prospective antimicrobial and antitumor hedgehog signaling inhibitors

A series of novel azepine derivatives based on quinazolinone moiety was synthesized through the reaction of quinazolinone chalcones (2a-d) either with 2-amino aniline in acidic medium to give diazepines (3a-d) or with 2-aminophenol to offer oxazepine (4a-d). The structure of the synthesized compounds was confirmed via melting points, elemental analyses, and different spectroscopic techniques. Moreover, these newly compounds mode of action was investigated in-silico using molecular docking against the outer membrane protein A (OMPA), exo-1,3-beta-glucanase for their antimicrobial activity, and against Smoothened (SMO), transcription factor glioma-associated homology (SUFU/GLI-1), the main proteins of Hedgehog signaling pathway to inspect their anticancer potential. Our results showed that, diazepine (3a) and oxazepine (4a) offered the highest binding energy against the target OMPA/ exo-1,3-beta-glucanase proteins and exhibited the potent antimicrobial activities against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, B. subtilis, C. Albicans and A. flavus. As well, diazepine (3a) and oxazepine (4a) achieved the best results among the other compounds, in their binding energy against the target SMO, SUFU/GLI-1 proteins. The in-vitro cytotoxic study was done for them on panel of cancer cell lines HCT-116, HepG2, and MCF-7 and normal cell line WI-38. Conclusively, it was revealed that molecular docking in-silico simulations and the in-vitro experiments were agreed. As a result, our findings elucidated that diazepine (3a) and oxazepine (4a), have the potential to be used as antimicrobial agents and as possible cancer treatment medications.

Discovery of Potent Indolyl-Hydrazones as Kinase Inhibitors for Breast Cancer: Synthesis, X-ray Single-Crystal Analysis, and In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Cancer Activity Evaluation

According to data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 2.3 million women across the globe received a diagnosis of breast cancer in the year 2020, and among these cases, 685,000 resulted in fatalities. As the incidence of breast cancer statistics continues to rise, it is imperative to explore new avenues in the ongoing battle against this disease. Therefore, a number of new indolyl-hydrazones were synthesized by reacting the ethyl 3-formyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylate 1 with thiosemicarbazide, semicarbazide.HCl, 4-nitrophenyl hydrazine, 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine, and 4-amino-5-(1H-indol-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione to afford the new hit compounds, which were assigned chemical structures as thiosemicarbazone 3, bis(hydrazine derivative) 5, semicarbzone 6, Schiff base 8, and the corresponding hydrazones 10 and 12 by NMR, elemental analysis, and X-ray single-crystal analysis. The MTT assay was employed to investigate the compounds' cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Cytotoxicity results disclosed potent IC50 values against MCF-7, especially compounds 5, 8, and 12, with IC50 values of 2.73 ± 0.14, 4.38 ± 0.23, and 7.03 ± 0.37 μM, respectively, compared to staurosproine (IC50 = 8.32 ± 0.43 μM). Consequently, the activities of compounds 5, 8, and 12 in relation to cell migration were investigated using the wound-healing test. The findings revealed notable wound-healing efficacy, with respective percentages of wound closure measured at 48.8%, 60.7%, and 51.8%. The impact of the hit compounds on cell proliferation was assessed by examining their apoptosis-inducing properties. Intriguingly, compound 5 exhibited a significant enhancement in cell death within MCF-7 cells, registering a notable increase of 39.26% in comparison to the untreated control group, which demonstrated only 1.27% cell death. Furthermore, the mechanism of action of compound 5 was scrutinized through testing against kinase receptors. The results revealed significant kinase inhibition, particularly against PI3K-α, PI3K-β, PI3K-δ, CDK2, AKT-1, and EGFR, showcasing promising activity, compared to standard drugs targeting these receptors. In the conclusive phase, through in vivo assay, compound 5 demonstrated a substantial reduction in tumor volume, decreasing from 106 mm³ in the untreated control to 56.4 mm³. Moreover, it significantly attenuated tumor proliferation by 46.9%. In view of these findings, the identified leads exhibit promises for potential development into future medications for the treatment of breast cancer, as they effectively hinder both cell migration and proliferation.

Recruitment of hexahydroquinoline as anticancer scaffold targeting inhibition of wild and mutants EGFR (EGFRWT, EGFRT790M, and EGFRL858R)

Hexahydroquinoline (HHQ) scaffold was constructed and recruited for development of new series of anticancer agents. Thirty-two new compounds were synthesised where x-ray crystallography was performed to confirm enantiomerism. Thirteen compounds showed moderate to good activity against NCI 60 cancer cell lines, with GI % mean up to 74% for 10c. Expending erlotinib as a reference drug, target compounds were verified for their inhibiting activities against EGFRWT, EGFRT790M, and EGFRL858R where compound 10d was the best inhibitor with IC50 = 0.097, 0.280, and 0.051 µM, respectively, compared to erlotinib (IC50 = 0.082 µM, 0.342 µM, and 0.055 µM, respectively). Safety profile was validated using normal human lung (IMR-90) cells. 10c and 10d disrupted cell cycle at pre-G1 and G2/M phases in lung cancer, HOP-92, and cell line. Molecular docking study was achieved to understand the potential binding interactions and affinities in the active sites of three versions of EGFRs.

Facile One-Pot Three Component Synthesis, Characterization, and Molecular Docking Simulations of Novel α-Aminophosphonate Derivatives Based Pyrazole Moiety as Potential Antimicrobial Agent

An efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of novel α-aminophosphonates (AAP) (3 a-m) through a one-pot three-component reaction of 1,3-disubstituted-1H-pyrazol-5-amine, aromatic aldehydes, and phosphite using lithium perchlorate as catalyst. All newly synthesized compounds were characterized via different spectroscopic techniques. The synthesized compounds' mode of action was investigated using molecular docking against the outer membrane protein A (OMPA) and exo-1,3-β-glucanase, with interpreting their pharmacokinetics aspects. The results of the antimicrobial effectiveness of these compounds revealed a broad spectrum of their biocidal activity and this in-vitro study was in line with the in- silico results. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that these compounds exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) with significant activity at low concentrations (7.5-30.0 mg/mL). Further, the radical scavenging (DPPH* ) activity of the synthesized compounds fluctuated, with compounds 3 h, 3 a, and 3 f showing the highest antioxidant activity. Overall, the formulated compounds can be employed as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents in medical applications.

Simple dihydropyridine-based colorimetric chemosensors for heavy metal ion detection, biological evaluation, molecular docking, and ADMET profiling

In this study, two novel chemosensors containing dihydropyridine fragment namely; (2E, 2E')-1,1'-(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-diyl)bis(3-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one) (1), (2E,2E',4E,4E')-1,1' -(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-diyl)bis(5-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)penta-2,4-dien-1-one) (2) have been synthesized and characterized. The solvatochromic behavior was explored in different solvents of various polarities. The visual detection, as well as UV-Vis and fluorescence measurements were carried out to explore the colorimetric and optical sensing properties of the investigated chemosensors towards various metal ions such as Al3+, Cr3+, Mn2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Mg2+, Hg2+ and Zn2+. The chemosensors 1 and 2 have strong detecting abilities, with excellent sensitivity and selectivity for Cu2+ and Fe3+, respectively, over the other metal ions. The chemosensors were totally reversible upon addition of EDTA to the formed complexes and displayed a turn on-off-on fluorescence response based on an effect of chelation-quenching fluorescence. The antioxidant activities of the investigated chemosensors were assessed. They were examined in-silico for their capacity to block the Akt signaling pathway, which is involved in cancer proliferation with interpreting their pharmacokinetics aspects. Furthermore, in-vitro antitumor evaluation against a panel of cancer cell lines for the investigated chemosensors has been examined. Conclusively, chemosensor 1 was more effective at scavenging free radicals and as an anticancer agent and could be exploited as a therapeutic candidate for cancer therapy than chemosensor 2 due to its potential inhibition of Akt protein.

Synthesis and in-vitro study of a novel ligustrazine diselenide as a potential chemotherapy drug for lung adenocarcinoma

A novel ligustrazine diselenide, 1,2-bis ((3,5,6-trimethylpyrazin-2-yl) methyl) diselenide (Se2), for potential treatment on adenocarcinoma of lung cancer was successfully synthesized and fully characterized by various analytical approaches. Cytotoxic, antiproliferative and apoptosis-triggering mechanism of Se2 compound have been investigated through human lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cell line A549. The study found that Se2 significantly inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometry showed that Se2 induced cell arrest and apoptosis in S and G2/M phase, and the apoptotic effect of Se2 were associated with the increase of caspase 3 and PARP-1 level approved by western blot assay. Further mechanism study results suggested that Se2 suppressed the migration,invasion and colony formation of A549 cells, significantly inhibited the PI3K/Akt/m-TOR signaling pathway. The study indicated that Se2 is a bioactive substance that can induce apoptosis of A549 cells in-vitro, and it is a potent candidate drug for LUAD.