Design and biological evaluation of novel 4-(2-fluorophenoxy)quinoline derivatives bearing an imidazolone moiety as c-Met kinase inhibitors

Discovery of LAH-1 as potent c-Met inhibitor for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

ABSTRCTDysregulated HGF/c-Met pathway has been implicated in multiple human cancers and has become an attractive target for cancer intervention. Herein, we report the discovery of N-(3-fluoro-4-((2-(3-hydroxyazetidine-1-carboxamido)pyridin-4-yl)oxy)phenyl)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4-methyl-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridazine-3-carboxamide (LAH-1), which demonstrated nanomolar MET kinase activity as well as desirable antiproliferative activity, especially against EBC-1 cells. Mechanism studies confirmed the effects of LAH-1 on modulation of HGF/c-Met pathway, induction of cell apoptosis, inhibition on colony formation as well as cell migration and invasion. In addition, LAH-1 also showed desirable in vitro ADME properties as well as acceptable in vivo PK parameters. The design, synthesis, and characterisation of LAH-1 are described herein.

Design and biological evaluation of 3-substituted quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-dione derivatives as dual c-Met/VEGFR-2-TK inhibitors

The dual c-Met/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) TK inhibition is a good strategy to overcome therapeutic resistance to small molecules VEGFR-2 inhibitors. In this study, we designed 3-substituted quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-dione derivatives as dual c-Met/VEGFR-2 TK inhibitors. We introduced new synthetic methods for reported derivatives of 3-substituted quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-dione 2a-g, in addition to the preparation of some new derivatives namely, 3 and 4a-j. Three compounds namely, 2c, 4b, and 4e showed substantial amount of inhibition for both c-Met and VEGFR-2 TK (IC₅₀ range 0.052-0.084 µM). Both compounds 4b, 4e showed HB with highly conserved residue Asp1222 in the HB region of c-Met TK. For VEGFR-2 TK, compound 4b showed HB with a highly conserved residue Asp1046 in the HB region. Compound 4e showed HB with Glu885 and Asp1046. Moreover, in silico prediction of pharmacokinetic and physicochemical parameters of target compounds was carried out using SwissADME website. The quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-dione derivatives are promising antiproliferative candidates that require further optimisation.HighlightsNew 3-substituted quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-dione derivatives were synthesised and characterised.Compounds 4b and 4e showed higher cytotoxic activity than cabozantinib against HCT-116 colorectal cell lines.Both compounds 4b and 4e showed less toxicity to WI38 normal cell line compared to HCT 116 colon cancer cell line.Compound 4b was superior to cabozantinib in VEGFR-2 inhibition while compound 2c was equipotent to cabozantinib.Compounds 4b and 4e showed remarkable c-Met inhibitory activity.Compounds 4b and 4e arrested cell cycle and induced significant levels of apoptosis.In silico ADME prediction revealed high oral bioavailability and enhanced water solubility of target compounds as compared to cabozantinib.Target compounds interacted with both c-Met and VEGFR-2 active site in similar way to cabozantinib.

Updates on the versatile quinoline heterocycles as anticancer agents

Quinoline motifs have befallen significant molecules due to their assortment of interest in medicine, chemical synthesis, coordination chemistry, also in the field of applied chemistry. Therefore, various researchers have produced these molecules as objective structures and studied their natal potential. The current chapter endows with concise attention about cancer, anticancer agents, sources (natural) of quinoline, and together with an innovative scope of quinoline-related medicines. Further, the present section gives knowledge concerned with the anticancer activity of synthesized quinolines and their derivatives.

Diazocarbonyl and Related Compounds in the Synthesis of Azoles

Diazocarbonyl compounds have found numerous applications in many areas of chemistry. Among the most developed fields of diazo chemistry is the preparation of azoles from diazo compounds. This approach represents a useful alternative to more conventional methods of the synthesis of azoles. A comprehensive review on the preparation of various azoles (oxazoles, thiazoles, imidazoles, pyrazoles, triazoles, and tetrazoles) from diazocarbonyl and related compounds is presented for the first time along with discussion of advantages and disadvantages of «diazo» approaches to azoles.

Synthesis of Five-Membered Cyclic Guanidines via Cascade [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of α-Haloamides with Organo-cyanamides

The convenient preparation of N2-unprotected five-membered cyclic guanidines was achieved through a cascade [3 + 2] cycloaddition between organo-cyanamides and α-haloamides under mild conditions in good to excellent yields (up to 99%). The corresponding cyclic guanidines could be easily transformed into hydantoins via hydrolysis.

A comprehensive review on the biological interest of quinoline and its derivatives

Amongst heterocyclic compounds, quinoline is an advantaged scaffold that appears as a significant assembly motif for the development of new drug entities. Quinoline and its derivatives tested with diverse biological activity constitute an important class of compounds for new drug development. Therefore, many scientific communities have developed these compounds as intent structure and evaluated their biological activities. The present, review provides brief natural sources of quinoline and including a new extent of quinoline-based marketed drugs. This review also confers information about the biological activities of quinoline derivatives such as antibacterial, antifungal, antimycobacterial, antiviral, anti-protozoal, antimalarial, anticancer, cardiovascular, CNS effects, antioxidant, anticonvulsant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic and miscellaneous activities.

Synthesis, Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Oxidant Activity of Azo-Oxazolone and Their Ring Opening Azo-Benzamide Derivatives

This article describes the controlled synthesis and characterization of azo oxazolone scaffold compounds containing multifunctional groups such as carbonyl group, imine and carbon-carbon double bond. The reaction of the azo-oxazolone with aromatic amines led to the ring-opening of the azo-oxazolone into the corresponding azo-benzamide derivatives in a short time (average 10 min), resulting in high yield (>90%). All newly synthesized compounds were characterized by the common spectral analysis such as UV, IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³CNMR, Elemental analysis and MS spectrometry.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to synthesize new bioactive azo-benzamides by using azo-oxazolone as a synthon utilizing its ring-opening function.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Azo-benzamide derivatives were prepared in very good yield via ring-opening reaction of azo-oxazolone with aromatic amines in the presence of acetic acid under reflux for few minutes.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Chemical structures of the newly synthesized compounds were characterized by UV, IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, Elemental analysis and MS spectrometry.

CONCLUSION

The new azo-oxazolone 4 and azo-benzamide compounds 5a, 5c, 5f, 5h, 5j were screened against Escherichia coli as G(-ve) and Staphylococcus aureus as G(+ve) using ciprofloxacin as a standard. All compounds showed high inhibition potency against E-Coli but low inhibition for S-aureus. Compounds 4, 5c, and 5J showed more reactivity against E-coli. Others: Also, the compounds were tested for their anti-oxidant activity by both DPPH and FRAP methods. The results showed that some compounds possessed moderate anti-oxidant activity in comparison to ascorbic acid as control, typically the compounds bearing OCH₃ and OCH₂CH₃ groups.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel c-Met/HDAC dual inhibitors

In this work three novel series of c-Met/HDAC bifunctional inhibitors were designed and synthesized by merging pharmacophores of c-Met and HDAC inhibitors. The most potent compound 11j inhibited c-Met kinase and HDAC1 with IC₅₀ values of 21.44 and 45.22 nM, respectively. In addition, 11j showed efficient antiproliferative activities against both MCF-7 and A549 cells with greater potency than the reference drug SAHA and Cabozantinib. This work may lay the foundation for developing novel dual c-Met/HDAC inhibitors as potential anticancer therapeutics.

Nucleophilic Cyclization/Electrophilic Substitution of (2,2-Dialkoxyethyl)ureas: Highly Regioselective Access to Novel 4-(Het)arylimidazolidinones and Benzo[d][1,3]diazepinones

Imidazolidin-2-one and 1,3-benzodiazepin-2-one scaffolds are structural motifs of many biologically active compounds. Herein, we report a highly regioselective acid-catalyzed intramolecular nucleophilic cyclization/intermolecular electrophilic substitution reaction sequence of (2,2-dialkoxyethyl)ureas. The reaction benefits from readily available starting materials, a simple workup procedure, moderate to high yields of target compounds, and provides a convenient entry to previously unknown 4-(het)arylimidazolidinones and 5-(het)arylbenzodiazepinones. The proposed mechanism of the reaction is also discussed.

Quinoline-Based Molecules Targeting c-Met, EGF, and VEGF Receptors and the Proteins Involved in Related Carcinogenic Pathways

The quinoline ring system has long been known as a versatile nucleus in the design and synthesis of biologically active compounds. Currently, more than one hundred quinoline compounds have been approved in therapy as antimicrobial, local anaesthetic, antipsychotic, and anticancer drugs. In drug discovery, indeed, over the last few years, an increase in the publication of papers and patents about quinoline derivatives possessing antiproliferative properties has been observed. This trend can be justified by the versatility and accessibility of the quinoline scaffold, from which new derivatives can be easily designed and synthesized. Within the numerous quinoline small molecules developed as antiproliferative drugs, this review is focused on compounds effective on c-Met, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), and EGF (epidermal growth factor) receptors, pivotal targets for the activation of important carcinogenic pathways (Ras/Raf/MEK and PI3K/AkT/mTOR). These signalling cascades are closely connected and regulate the survival processes in the cell, such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and angiogenesis. The antiproliferative biological data of remarkable quinoline compounds have been analysed, confirming the pivotal importance of this ring system in the efficacy of several approved drugs. Furthermore, in view of an SAR (structure-activity relationship) study, the most recurrent ligand–protein interactions of the reviewed molecules are summarized.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel N-sulfonylamidine-based derivatives as c-Met inhibitors via Cu-catalyzed three-component reaction

In our continuing efforts to develop novel c-Met inhibitors as potential anticancer candidates, a series of new N-sulfonylamidine derivatives were designed, synthesized via Cu-catalyzed multicomponent reaction (MCR) as the key step, and evaluated for their in vitro biological activities against c-Met kinase and four cancer cell lines (A549, HT-29, MKN-45 and MDA-MB-231). Most of the target compounds showed moderate to significant potency at both the enzyme-based and cell-based assay and possessed selectivity for A549 and HT-29 cancer cell lines. The preliminary SAR studies demonstrated that compound 26af (c-Met IC₅₀ = 2.89 nM) was the most promising compound compared with the positive foretinib, which exhibited the remarkable antiproliferative activities, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.28 to 0.72 μM. Mechanistic studies of 26af showed the anticancer activity was closely related to the blocking phosphorylation of c-Met, leading to cell cycle arresting at G2/M phase and apoptosis of A549 cells by a concentration-dependent manner. The promising compound 26af was further identified as a relatively selective inhibitor of c-Met kinase, which also possessed an acceptable safety profile and favorable pharmacokinetic properties in BALB/c mouse. The favorable drug-likeness of 26af suggested that N-sulfonylamidines may be used as a promising scaffold for antitumor drug development. Additionally, the docking study and molecular dynamics simulations of 26af revealed a common mode of interaction with the binding site of c-Met. These positive results indicated that compound 26af is a potential anti-cancer candidate for clinical trials, and deserves further development as a selective c-Met inhibitor.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 4-phenoxyquinoline derivatives as potent c-Met kinase inhibitor

A series of novel 4-phenoxyquinoline derivatives containing 3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-quinoxaline moiety were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against five human cancer cell lines (A549, H460, HT-29, MKN-45 and U87MG) in vitro. Most of the tested compounds exhibited more potent inhibitory activities than the positive control foretinib. Compound 1b, 1s and 1t were further examined for their inhibitory activity against c-Met kinase. The most promising compound 1s (with c-Met IC₅₀ value of 1.42 nM) showed remarkable cytotoxicity against A549, H460, HT-29, MKN45 and U87MG cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 0.39 μM, 0.18 μM, 0.38 μM, 0.81 μM, respectively. Their preliminary structure-activity relationships (SARs) study indicated that the replacement of the aromatic ring with the cyclohexane improved their antiproliferative activity.

Scalable synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of 2-(3-(N-(substituted phenyl)sulfamoyl)ureido)benzothiazoles

A new series of 2-(3-(N-(substituted phenyl)sulfamoyl)ureido)benzothiazoles was synthesized via a one-pot efficient and scalable method, involving the condensation of 2-aminobenzothiazoles derivatives, substituted anilines, and chlorosulfonyl isocyanate. The products were obtained in good yield with a simple workup, and their structures were confirmed from their spectral analyses. The synthesized compounds were further screened for their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic strains. The molecules show promising activity in the MIC value range of 2-0.25 µg/ml against selected bacterial strains, especially against nonfermentative carbapenem-resistant bacteria (Pseudo VIM-2 and Acinetobacter baumanni).

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new quinoline derivatives as antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal agents

As a part of our project aimed at developing new safe chemotherapeutic agents against tropical diseases, a series of aryl derivatives of 2- and 3-aminoquinoline, some of them new compounds, was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as antiproliferative agents against Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite responsible for American trypanosomiasis (Chagas' disease), and Leishmania mexicana, the etiological agent of Leishmaniasis. Some of them showed a remarkable activity as parasite growth inhibitors. Fluorine-containing derivatives 11b and 11c were more than twice more potent than geneticin against intracellular promastigote form of Leishmania mexicana exhibiting both IC₅₀ values of 41.9 μM. The IC₅₀ values corresponding to fluorine and chlorine derivatives 11b-d were in the same order than benznidazole against epimastigote form. These drugs are interesting examples of effective antiparasitic agents with outstanding potential not only as lead drugs but also to be used for further in vivo studies. In addition, the obtained compounds showed no toxicity in Vero cells, which makes them good candidates to control tropical diseases. Regarding the probable mode of action, assayed quinoline derivatives interacted with hemin, inhibiting its degradation and generating oxidative stress that is not counteracted by the antioxidant defense system of the parasite.

A physico-chemical investigation of fluorine-enriched quinolines

A homogenous series of 2,4-bis(fluoroalkyl)-substituted quinolines was synthesized under mild reaction conditions and their physico-chemical (absorption and emission, electrochemistry, and TD-DFT) properties were thoroughly investigated.

Development of efficient docking strategies and structure-activity relationship study of the c-Met type II inhibitors

c-Met is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase and an important therapeutic target for anticancer drugs. In the present study, we systematically investigated the influence of a range of parameters on the correlation between experimental and calculated binding free energies of type II c-Met inhibitors. We especially focused on evaluating the impact of different force fields, binding energy calculation methods, docking protocols, conformation sampling strategies, and conformations of the binding site captured in several crystallographic structures. Our results suggest that the force fields, the protein flexibility, and the selected conformation of the binding site substantially influence the correlation coefficient, while the sampling strategies and ensemble docking only mildly affect the prediction accuracy. Structure-activity relationship study suggests that the structural determinants to the high binding affinity of the type II inhibitors originate from its overall linear shape, hydrophobicity, and two conserved hydrogen bonds. Results from this study will form the basis for establishing an efficient computational docking approach for c-Met type II inhibitors design.

One-Pot Synthesis of Substituted Trifluoromethylated 2,3-Dihydro-1H-imidazoles

An operationally simple one-pot reaction for the preparation of a novel class of racemic trifluoromethylated 2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazoles derived from electron-poor N,O-acetals and aryl Grignard reagents is described. In addition, access to highly functionalized 2-trifluoromethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazoles was accomplished by reaction of N-aryl hemiaminal ethers and N-aryl trifluoroethylamines in the presence of an excess of n-butyllithium.