Synthesis, anti-ferroptosis, anti-quorum sensing, antibacterial and DNA interaction studies of chromene-hydrazone derivatives

Ferroptosis in health and disease

Ferroptosis is a pervasive non-apoptotic form of cell death highly relevant in various degenerative diseases and malignancies. The hallmark of ferroptosis is uncontrolled and overwhelming peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in membrane phospholipids, which eventually leads to rupture of the plasma membrane. Ferroptosis is unique in that it is essentially a spontaneous, uncatalyzed chemical process based on perturbed iron and redox homeostasis contributing to the cell death process, but that it is nonetheless modulated by many metabolic nodes that impinge on the cells' susceptibility to ferroptosis. Among the various nodes affecting ferroptosis sensitivity, several have emerged as promising candidates for pharmacological intervention, rendering ferroptosis-related proteins attractive targets for the treatment of numerous currently incurable diseases. Herein, the current members of a Germany-wide research consortium focusing on ferroptosis research, as well as key external experts in ferroptosis who have made seminal contributions to this rapidly growing and exciting field of research, have gathered to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art review on ferroptosis. Specific topics include: basic mechanisms, in vivo relevance, specialized methodologies, chemical and pharmacological tools, and the potential contribution of ferroptosis to disease etiopathology and progression. We hope that this article will not only provide established scientists and newcomers to the field with an overview of the multiple facets of ferroptosis, but also encourage additional efforts to characterize further molecular pathways modulating ferroptosis, with the ultimate goal to develop novel pharmacotherapies to tackle the various diseases associated with - or caused by - ferroptosis.

Synthesis, SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibition, molecular docking and in silico ADME studies of furanochromene-quinoline hydrazone derivatives

Seven furanochromene-quinoline derivatives containing a hydrazone linker were synthesized by condensing a furanochromene hydrazide with quinoline 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 8-carbaldehydes, including 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carbaldehye. Structure-activity correlations were investigated to determine the influence of the location of the hydrazone linker on the quinoline unit on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro enzyme inhibition. The 3-, 5-, 6- and 8-substituted derivatives showed moderate inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with IC50 values ranging from 16 to 44 μM. Additionally, all of the derivatives showed strong interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro substrate binding pocket, with docking energy scores ranging from -8.0 to -8.5 kcal/mol. These values are comparable to that of N3 peptide (-8.1 kcal/mol) and more favorable than GC-373 (-7.6 kcal/mol) and ML-188 (-7.5 kcal/mol), all of which are known SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. Furthermore, in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) profiles indicate that the derivatives have good drug-likeness properties. Overall, this study highlights the potential of the furanochromene-quinoline hydrazone scaffold as a SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor.

Small Schiff Base Molecules-A Possible Strategy to Combat Biofilm-Related Infections

Microorganisms participating in the development of biofilms exhibit heightened resistance to antibiotic treatment, therefore infections involving biofilms have become a problem in recent years as they are more difficult to treat. Consequently, research efforts are directed towards identifying novel molecules that not only possess antimicrobial properties but also demonstrate efficacy against biofilms. While numerous investigations have focused on antimicrobial capabilities of Schiff bases, their potential as antibiofilm agents remains largely unexplored. Thus, the objective of this article is to present a comprehensive overview of the existing scientific literature pertaining to small molecules categorized as Schiff bases with antibiofilm properties. The survey involved querying four databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Reaxys). Relevant articles published in the last 10 years were selected and categorized based on the molecular structure into two groups: classical Schiff bases and oximes and hydrazones. Despite the majority of studies indicating a moderate antibiofilm potential of Schiff bases, certain compounds exhibited a noteworthy effect, underscoring the significance of considering this type of molecular modeling when seeking to develop new molecules with antibiofilm effects.