Synthesis, antitumor activity and DNA binding features of benzothiazolyl and benzimidazolyl substituted isoindolines

New Benzimidazole-Triazole Derivatives as Topoisomerase I Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Anticancer Screening, and Molecular Modeling Studies

In this study, we designed, synthesized, and evaluated a series of 1,2,4-triazole benzimidazoles for their cytotoxic effects against the A549, C6, and NIH3T3 cell lines. Additionally, these compounds were assessed for their inhibitory activity against DNA topoisomerase I, aiming to develop novel anticancer agents. The synthesized final compounds 4a-h were characterized using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. Among them, compounds 4b and 4h emerged as the most potent agents against the A549 cell line, exhibiting an IC50 value of 7.34 ± 0.21 μM and 4.56 ± 0.18 μM, respectively. These results were compared to standard drugs, doxorubicin (IC50 = 12.420 ± 0.5 μM) and Hoechst 33342 (IC50 = 0.422 ± 0.02 μM). Notably, all tested compounds displayed higher cytotoxicity toward A549 cells than C6 cells. Compounds 4b and 4h demonstrated significant inhibitory activity against topoisomerase I, highlighting their potential as lead compounds in anticancer therapy. Subsequent in silico molecular docking studies were conducted to elucidate the potential binding interactions of compounds 4b and 4h with the target enzyme topoisomerase I. Molecular dynamics studies also assessed and validated the binding affinity and stability. These studies confirmed the promising binding affinity of these compounds, reinforcing their status as lead candidates. According to DFT, compound 4b having the lower energy gap value (ΔE = 3.598 eV) is more chemically reactive than the others, which is consistent with significant inhibitory activity against topoisomerase I. Furthermore, in silico ADME profiles for compounds 4b and 4h were evaluated using SwissADME, providing insights into their pharmacokinetic properties.

2-Aminobenzothiazoles in anticancer drug design and discovery

Cancer is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Substantial research efforts have been made to develop new chemical entities with improved anticancer efficacy. 2-Aminobenzothiazole is an important class of heterocycles containing one sulfur and two nitrogen atoms, which is associated with a broad spectrum of medical and pharmacological activities, including antitumor, antibacterial, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral activities. In recent years, an extraordinary collection of potent and low-toxicity 2-aminobenzothiazole compounds have been discovered as new anticancer agents. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of this class of compounds based on their activities against tumor-related proteins, including tyrosine kinases (CSF1R, EGFR, VEGFR-2, FAK, and MET), serine/threonine kinases (Aurora, CDK, CK, RAF, and DYRK2), PI3K kinase, BCL-XL, HSP90, mutant p53 protein, DNA topoisomerase, HDAC, NSD1, LSD1, FTO, mPGES-1, SCD, hCA IX/XII, and CXCR. In addition, the anticancer potentials of 2-aminobenzothiazole-derived chelators and metal complexes are also described here. Moreover, the design strategies, mechanism of actions, structure-activity relationships (SAR) and more advanced stages of pre-clinical development of 2-aminobenzothiazoles as new anticancer agents are extensively reviewed in this article. Finally, the examples that 2-aminobenzothiazoles showcase an advantage over other heterocyclic systems are also highlighted.

N-substitution Reactions of 2-Aminobenzimidazoles to Access Pharmacophores

Benzimidazole (BI) and its derivatives are interesting molecules in medicinal chemistry because several of these compounds have a diversity of biological activities and some of them are even used in clinical applications. In view of the importance of these compounds, synthetic chemists are still interested in finding new procedures for the synthesis of these classes of compounds. Astemizole (antihistaminic), Omeprazole (antiulcerative), and Rabendazole (fungicide) are important examples of compounds used in medicinal chemistry containing BI nuclei. It is interesting to observe that several of these compounds contain 2-aminobenzimidazole (2ABI) as the base nucleus. The structures of 2ABI derivatives are interesting because they have a planar delocalized structure with a cyclic guanidine group, which have three nitrogen atoms with free lone pairs and labile hydrogen atoms. The 10-π electron system of the aromatic BI ring conjugated with the nitrogen lone pair of the hexocyclic amino group, making these heterocycles to have an amphoteric character. Synthetic chemists have used 2ABI as a building block to produce BI derivatives as medicinally important molecules. In view of the importance of the BIs, and because no review was found in the literature about this topic, we reviewed and summarized the procedures related to the recent methodologies used in the N-substitution reactions of 2ABIs by using aliphatic and aromatic halogenides, dihalogenides, acid chlorides, alkylsulfonic chlorides, carboxylic acids, esters, ethyl chloroformates, anhydrides, SMe-isothioureas, alcohols, alkyl cyanates, thiocyanates, carbon disulfide and aldehydes or ketones to form Schiff bases. The use of diazotized 2ABI as intermediate to obtain 2-diazoBIs was included to produce Nsubstituted 2ABIs of pharmacological interest. Some commentaries about their biological activity were included.

2-Benzyl-3-morpholino-7-(thiophen-2-yl)-6-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-6,7-dihydro-5H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-one

The new polyheterocyclic compound 2-benzyl-3-morpholino-7-(thiophen-2-yl)-6-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-6,7-dihydro-5H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-one (1) was synthesized via a one-pot process involving an Ugi-Zhu three-component reaction coupled to a cascade aza-Diels-Alder cycloaddition/N-acylation/decarboxylation/dehydration process, using toluene as the solvent, ytterbium (III) triflate as the Lewis acid catalyst, and microwave-dielectric heating to increase the overall yield by up to 73%, while decreasing the reaction time to less than one hour. Product 1 was fully characterized by its physicochemical properties and using spectroscopic techniques (IR, HRMS and NMR).

Recent Developments in Isoindole Chemistry

Isoindoles are highly reactive aromatic heterocycles that have a variety of important applications in areas such as medicine, analytical detection, and solar energy. Due to their highly reactive nature, isoindoles can be used to access their derivatives, which possess a diverse array of biological activities. However, their reactivity also makes isoindoles unstable and thus, difficult to prepare. Consequently, there has been a need for the development of novel methods that address some of the synthetic challenges and limitations, as well as reactions that utilize isoindoles to access potentially useful compounds. This review will give an overview of the novel reactions reported within the past decade (2012 to 2022) that involve 2H- and 1H-isoindoles and fused isoindoles as reactants, key intermediates, or products. This review is divided into two parts, with the first part focusing on the synthesis of isoindoles and the second part focusing on reactions of isoindoles. The scopes and limitations of the methods described therein will be discussed and the significance of their contributions to the literature will be highlighted. Similar reactions will also be compared.

1 Introduction

2 Synthesis of Isoindoles

2.1 Synthesis of 2H-Isoindoles

2.2 Synthesis of 1H-Isoindoles

3 Reactions of Isoindoles

3.1 Reactions of 2H-Isoindoles

3.2 Reactions of 1H-Isoindoles

4 Conclusions

A review on the design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationships of benzothiazole derivatives against hypoxic tumors

There has been a growing body of studies on benzothiazoles and benzothiazole derivatives as strong and effective antitumor agents against lung, liver, pancreas, breast, and brain tumors. Due to highly proliferative nature of the tumor cells, the oxygen levels get lower than that of a normal tissue in the tumor microenvironment. This situation is called as hypoxia and has been associated with increased ability for carcinogenesis. For the drug design and development strategies, hypoxic nature of the tumor tissues has been exploited more aggressively. Hypoxia itself acts as a signal initiating system to activate the pathways that eventually lead to the spread of the tumor cells into the different tissues, increases the rate of DNA damage and eventually ends up with more mutation levels that may increase the drug resistance. As one of the major mediators of hypoxic response, hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) has been shown to activate to angiogenesis, metastasis, apoptosis resistance, and many other protumorigenic responses in cancer development. In the current review, we will be discussing the design, synthesis and structure-activity relationships of benzothiazole derivatives against hypoxic tumors such lung, liver, pancreas, breast and brain as potential anticancer drug candidates. The focus points of the study will be the biology behind carcinogenesis and how hypoxia contributes to the process, recent studies on benzothiazole and its derivatives as anti-cancer agents against hypoxic cancers, conclusions and future perspectives. We believe that this review will be useful for the researchers in the field of drug design during their studies to generate novel benzothiazole-containing hybrids against hypoxic tumors with higher efficacies.

Synthesis, antiproliferative and antitrypanosomal activities, and DNA binding of novel 6-amidino-2-arylbenzothiazoles

A series of 6-amidinobenzothiazoles, linked via phenoxymethylene or directly to the 1,2,3-triazole ring with a p-substituted phenyl or benzyl moiety, were synthesised and evaluated in vitro against four human tumour cell lines and the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The influence of the type of amidino substituent and phenoxymethylene linker on antiproliferative and antitrypanosomal activities was observed, showing that the imidazoline moiety had a major impact on both activities. Benzothiazole imidazoline 14a, which was directly connected to N-1-phenyl-1,2,3-triazole, had the most potent growth-inhibitory effect (IC₅₀ = 0.25 µM) on colorectal adenocarcinoma (SW620), while benzothiazole imidazoline 11b, containing a phenoxymethylene linker, exhibited the best antitrypanosomal potency (IC₉₀ = 0.12 µM). DNA binding assays showed a non-covalent interaction of 6-amidinobenzothiazole ligands, indicating both minor groove binding and intercalation modes of DNA interaction. Our findings encourage further development of novel structurally related 6-amidino-2-arylbenzothiazoles to obtain more selective anticancer and anti-HAT agents.

Recent Progress of Benzimidazole Hybrids for Anticancer Potential

This review presents the detailed account of factors leading to cancer and design strategy for the synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives as anticancer agents. The recent survey for cancer treatment in Cancer facts and figures 2017 American Chemical Society has shown progressive development in fighting cancer. Researchers all over the world in both developed and developing countries are in a continuous effort to tackle this serious concern. Benzimidazole and its derivatives showed a broad range of biological activities due to their resemblance with naturally occurring nitrogenous base i.e. purine. The review discussed benzimidazole derivatives showing anticancer properties through a different mechanism viz. intercalation, alkylating agents, topoisomerases, DHFR enzymes, and tubulin inhibitors. Benzimidazole derivatives act through a different mechanism and the substituents reported from the earlier and recent research articles are prerequisites for the synthesis of targeted based benzimidazole derivatives as anticancer agents. The review focuses on an easy comparison of the substituent essential for potency and selectivity through SAR presented in figures. This will further provide a better outlook or fulfills the challenges faced in the development of novel benzimidazole derivatives as anticancer.

Synthesis, anticancer evaluation and molecular docking studies of new benzimidazole- 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives as human topoisomerase types I poison

In this study, some benzimidazole-oxadiazole derivatives were synthesised and tested for their in vitro anticancer activities on five cancer cell lines, including HeLa, MCF7, A549, HepG2 and C6. Their structures were elucidated by IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, 2 D-NMR and HRMS spectroscopic methods. Among all screened compounds; 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5k, 5l, 5n and 5o exhibited potent selective cytotoxic activities against various tested cancer cell lines. Especially, compounds 5l and 5n exhibited the most antiproliferative activity than Hoechst 33342 and doxorubicin against HeLa cell line, with IC₅₀ of 0.224 ± 0.011 µM and 0.205 ± 0.010 µM, respectively. Furthermore, these potent lead cytotoxic agents were evaluated in terms of their inhibition potency against Topoisomerase I and it was determined that selected compounds inhibited the Topoisomerase I. Docking studies were performed and probable interactions in the DNA-Topo I enzyme complex was determined.

A one-pot synthesis of benzimidazoles via aerobic oxidative condensation of benzyl alcohols with o-phenylenediamines catalyzed by [MIMPs]+Cl-/NaNO2/TEMPO

The ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-(3-sulfopropyl)imidazolium chloride ([MIMPs]+Cl-) in combination with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) and sodium nitrite (NaNO2) as a catalytic system demonstrates high efficiency in the one-pot two-step aerobic oxidative condensation of benzyl alcohols with 1,2-phenylenediamines to give benzimidazoles. Various benzimidazoles are obtained in good to excellent yields by this strategy.

Hydrogen Peroxide Sensors Based on Fluorescence Quenching of the 2-AminobenzimidazoleFluorophore

The fluorescence emission of the parent 2-aminobenzimidazole (ABZ, 1), the mono- and disubstituted derivatives (2, 3), 2-aminonaphthoimidazole (4), and 4-amino dinaphthodiazepine 5 (λ_em = 315-400 nm) is strongly quenched in the presence of aqueous hydrogen peroxide. The quenching process is dual: for diazepine 5, quenching is dynamic at lower H₂O₂ concentrations with linear reduction of the fluorescence lifetime from 4.3 to 2.6 ns. At higher H₂O₂ concentrations, a second species appears in the absorption and emission spectra with fluorescence lifetimes of 1.3 ns, indicating the formation of a new (ground-state) hydrogen-bonded ABZ-H₂O₂ complex (static quenching). Sensors 1 and 2 show also dual quenching that fits with a static 1:1 and 1:2 model with K_1:1 = 8(11) M^-1 and K_1:2 = 21(147) M^-1 for 1(2). The formation of a 1:2 complex (1:(H₂O₂)₂) is also supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and spectra simulations.

Synthesis carbonic anhydrase enzyme inhibition and antioxidant activity of novel benzothiazole derivatives incorporating glycine, methionine, alanine, and phenylalanine moieties

Thirteen novel benzothiazole derivatives incorporating glycine, methionine, alanine, and phenylalanine were synthesised by facile acylation reactions through benzotriazole or DCC mediated reactions and their structures were identified by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and FT-IR spectroscopic techniques and elemental analysis. The carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitory activity of the new compounds was assessed against four human (h) isoforms, hCA I, hCA II, hCA V, and hCA XIII. Some of the synthesised compounds showed good in vitro carbonic anhydrase inhibitory properties, with inhibition constants in the micromolar level. The new amino acid benzothiazole conjugates found to be more effective against hCA V and hCA II inhibition. In vitro antioxidant activities of the novel compounds were determined by DPPH method. Most of the synthesised compounds showed moderate to low antioxidant activities compared to the control antioxidant compounds (BHA and α-tocopherol).

Synthesis of iminoisoindolinones via a cascade of the three-component Ugi reaction, palladium catalyzed isocyanide insertion, hydroxylation and an unexpected rearrangement reaction

A robust ligand-free palladium-catalyzed cascade reaction for the synthesis of diversely substituted iminoisoindolinones has been developed. The cascade reaction involves isocyanide insertion into Ugi-3CR adducts, accompanied by unexpected hydroxylation and rearrangement.