Substituted azoloquinolines and -quinazolines as new potent farnesyl protein transferase inhibitors

Discovery of fluorinated 2‑Styryl 4(3H)-quinazolinone as potential therapeutic hit for oral cancer

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant epithelial neoplasm, affects the mouth and throat, and accounts for 90 % of oral cancers. Considering the associated morbidity with neck dissections and the limitation of existing therapeutic agents, the discovery and development of new anticancer drugs/drug candidates for oral cancer treatment are of the utmost need. In this context, reported here is the identification of fluorinated 2‑styryl 4(3H)-quinazolinone as a promising hit for oral cancer. Preliminary studies indicate that the compound blocks the transition of G1 to S phase, thereby leading to arrest in the G1/S phase. Subsequent RNA-seq analysis revealed that the compound induces the activation of molecular pathways involved in apoptosis (such as TNF signalling through NF-κB, p53 pathways) and cell differentiation and suppresses the pathways of cellular growth and development (such as KRAS signaling) in CAL-27 cancer cells. It is noted that identified hit complies with a favorable range of ADME properties as per the computational analysis.

One-pot synthesis of benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]quinazoline derivatives via facile transition-metal-free tandem process

A one-pot transition metal-free method for synthesizing benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]quinazoline and imidazo[1,2-a]quinazoline derivatives has been developed. The approach is widely applicable to 2-fluoro-, 2-chloro-, 2-bromo- and 2-nitro-substituted aryl aldehyde and ketone substrates. The fluorescence properties of target compounds were studied.

Impact on farnesyltransferase inhibition of 4-chlorophenyl moiety replacement in the Zarnestra® series

Based on the structure of R115777 (tipifarnib, Zarnestra), a series of farnesyltransferase inhibitors have been synthesized by modification of the 2-quinolinone motif and transposition of the 4-chlorophenyl ring to the imidazole or its replacement by 5-membered rings. This has yielded a novel series of potent farnesyltransferase inhibitors.

Benzimidazolones and indoles as non-thiol farnesyltransferase inhibitors based on tipifarnib scaffold: synthesis and activity

A series of analogs of tipifarnib (1) has been synthesized as inhibitors of FTase by substituting the benzimidazolones and indoles for the 2-quinolone of tipifarnib. The novel benzimidazolones are potent and selective FTase inhibitors (FTIs) with IC(50) values of the best compounds close to that of tipifarnib. The current series demonstrate good cellular activity as measured in their inhibiting the Ras processing in NIH-3T3 cells, with compounds 2c and 2f displaying EC(50) values of 18 and 22nM, respectively.

4-Methyl-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl heterocycle as an alternative to the 1-methylimidazol-5-yl moiety in the Farnesyltransferase inhibitor ZARNESTRA ™

Replacement of the 1-methylimidazol-5-yl moiety in the farnesyltransferase inhibitor ZARNESTRA series by a 4-methyl-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl group gave us compounds with similar structure-activity relationship profiles showing that this triazole is potentially a good surrogate to imidazole for farnesyltransferase inhibition.