Synthesis and carbonic anhydrase inhibitory properties of novel uracil derivatives

Efficient, rapid, and high-yield synthesis of aryl Schiff base derivatives and their in vitro and in silico inhibition studies of hCA I, hCA II, AChE, and BuChE

This study reports a rapid and efficient synthesis of four novel aryl Schiff base derivatives. Biological activity and molecular modeling studies were conducted to evaluate the inhibitory effects of these compounds on human carbonic anhydrases (hCA) and cholinesterases. The results indicate that the triazole-ring-containing compounds have strong inhibitory effects on hCA I, hCA II, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) targets. Besides comparing the Schiff bases synthesized in our study to reference molecules, we conducted in silico investigations to examine how these compounds interact with their targets. Our studies revealed that these compounds can occupy binding sites and establish interactions with crucial residues, thus inhibiting the functions of the targets. These findings have significant implications as they can be utilized to develop more potent compounds for treating the diseases that these target proteins play crucial roles in or to obtain drug precursors with enhanced efficacy.

Chemistry of heterocycles as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: A pathway to novel research in medicinal chemistry review

Nowadays, the scientific community has focused on dealing with different kinds of diseases by exploring the chemistry of various heterocycles as novel drugs. In this connection, medicinal chemists identified carbonic anhydrases (CA) as one of the biologically active targets for curing various diseases. The widespread distribution of these enzymes and the high degree of homology shared by the different isoforms offer substantial challenges to discovering potential drugs. Medicinal and synthetic organic chemists have been continuously involved in developing CA inhibitors. This review explored the chemistry of different heterocycles as CA inhibitors using the last 11 years of published research work. It provides a pathway for young researchers to further explore the chemistry of a variety of synthetic as well as natural heterocycles as CA inhibitors.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel salicylidene uracils: Cytotoxic activity on human cancer cell lines and inhibitory action on enzymatic activity

A series of salicylidene uracil (1-18) derived from 5-aminouracil and substituted salicylaldehydes were analyzed for cytotoxic activity and enzyme inhibitory potency. Nine out of eighteen derivatives (6-8, 10, 12-15, 18) are novel molecules synthesized for the first time in this work, and other derivatives were previously synthesized by our group. The compounds were characterized by Proton nuclear magnetic resonance, carbon nuclear magnetic resonance, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. All compounds were tested for their in vitro cytotoxicity against PC-3 (human prostate adenocarcinoma), A549 (human alveolar adenocarcinoma), and SHSY-5Y (human neuroblastoma) cancer cell lines and the nontumorigenic HEK293 (human embryonic kidney cells) cell line. The 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylaldehyde derived compound (8) was toxic to PC-3 human prostate adenocarcinoma cells, showing a promising IC50 value at 7.05 ± 0.76 μM. The present study also aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of the compounds against several key enzymes, namely carbonic anhydrase I and II (CA I and CA II), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and glutathione reductase (GR), which are implicated in various global disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, cancer, malaria, diabetes, and glaucoma. The inhibitory profiles of the tested compounds were assessed by determining their Ki values, which ranged from 2.96 to 9.24 nM for AChE, 3.78 to 12.57 nM for BChE, 8.42 to 25.74 nM for CA I, 7.24 to 19.74 nM for CA II, and 0.541 to 1.124 μM for GR. Molecular docking studies were also performed for all compounds. Most derivatives exhibited much more effective inhibitory action compared with clinically used standards. Thus, our findings indicate that the salicylidene derivatives presented in this study are promising drug candidates that need further evaluation.

A new carbonic anhydrase identified in the Gram-negative bacterium (Chromohalobacter sp.) and the interaction of anions with the enzyme

In this study, the characterization and inhibition characteristic of α-class carbonic anhydrase from Chromohalobacter (ChCA) was documented for the first time. The carbonic anhydrase enzyme had 47.77% yield and 54.45-fold purity. The specific activity of the enzyme was determined as 318.52 U/mg proteins. Alternative substrate (4-nitrophenyl trifluoroacetate, 4-nitrophenyl phosphate, 4-nitrophenyl sulphate and 4-nitrophenyl acetate) were tested for the enzyme. K_M and V_max values for 4-nitrophenyl acetate were 4.57 mM and 4.29 EU/mL and for 4-nitrophenyl trifluoroacetate were 2.39 mM and 2.41 EU/mL. The anions, Cl^-, NO₂^-, NO₃^-, Br^-, ClO₃^-, ClO₄^-, I^-, CO₃^2- and SO₄^2-, inhibited the ChCA hydratase activity. Among nine anions, the strongest inhibitor activities were obtained with micro molar concentrations of NO₂^-, NO₃^-, Br^-, I^-, CO₃^2- (K_I values of 160-255 μM). Other four anions tested (Cl^-, ClO₃^-, ClO₄^- and SO₄^2-) showed moderate inhibitory activities (K_I values of 680-813.5 μM). The results obtained demonstrate that the anions we tested inhibit the Chromohalobacter CA (ChCA) enzyme as in other α-CAs in mammals; however, the susceptibility of ChCA resulted from anions differed significantly from that of other organism CAs.

Synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of some novel Schiff bases as potential metabolic enzyme inhibitors

In this study, a series of novel Schiff base derivatives containing a pyrazolone ring (2a-e) were designed, successfully synthesized for the first time, and characterized by elemental analysis and some spectroscopic methods. These compounds were tested for their inhibitory activities on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and the human carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes I and II (hCA I and II). All synthesized molecules indicated significant inhibition effects with IC₅₀ values ranging from 14.15 to 107.62 nM against these enzymes. Compound 2d showed the most potent inhibitory activity among the tested molecules toward AChE and BChE (IC₅₀  = 15.07 and 14.15 nM) compared to the standard drug neostigmine. We determined that the IC₅₀ values of the tested molecules ranged between 16.86 and 57.96 nM for hCA I and 15.24-46.21 nM for hCA II. As a consequence, we may say that some of the Schiff base derivatives may be used as potential drug candidates in later studies.

Unexpected Reaction Products of Uracil and Its Methyl Derivatives with Acetic Anhydride and Methylene Chloride

New acetyl derivatives of uracil, 6-methyluracil, and thymine were obtained in the course of an unconventional synthesis in methylene chloride. It was shown that products with the acetyloxymethyl fragment are formed according to a mechanism different from that for products with the acetyloxyethyl group. In particular, for uracil it was proven that the reaction with Ac₂O, TEA, and CH₂Cl₂ leads to 1-acetyloxymethyluracil, where the N¹ substituent is composed of the -CH₂- fragment that originated from CH₂Cl₂ and the 1-acetyloxy moiety from Ac₂O. The reaction of uracil with Ac₂O, TEA, CH₂Cl₂, and DMAP leads to an acetyloxyethyl derivative in which the -CH₂-CH₂- fragment originates from TEA and the 1-acetyloxy moiety from Ac₂O. A possible mechanism for the formation of new compounds was suggested and supported by the density functional theory/B3LYP quantum mechanical calculations. New compounds (39 in total, including seven deuterated) were fully characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques.

Design, synthesis and molecular modelling studies of some pyrazole derivatives as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

In this study, newly synthesised compounds 6, 8, 10 and other compounds (1-5, 7 and 9) and their inhibitory properties against the human isoforms hCA I and hCA II were reported for the first time. Compounds 1-10 showed effective inhibition profiles with KI values in the range of 5.13-16.9 nM for hCA I and of 11.77-67.39 nM against hCA II, respectively. Molecular docking studies were also performed with Glide XP to get insight into the inhibitory activity and to evaluate the binding modes of the synthesised compounds to hCA I and II. More rigorous binding energy calculations using MM-GBSA protocol which agreed well with observed activities were then performed to improve the docking scores. Results of in silico calculations showed that all compounds obey drug likeness properties. The new compounds reported here might be promising lead compounds for the development of new potent inhibitors as alternatives to classical hCA inhibitors.

Synthesis of N-phenylsulfonamide derivatives and investigation of some esterase enzymes inhibiting properties

In this study, synthesis of nine N-phenylsulfonamide derivatives was designed by starting from aniline, which is the simplest aromatic amine. These compounds were obtained in yields between 69 and 95%. Inhibitory properties of synthesized compounds on carbonic anhydrase I (CA I), CA II isoenzymes, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes were investigated. Inhibitors of CA isoenzymes are important therapeutic targets, particularly due to their preventive/activation potential in the treatment of diseases such as edema, glaucoma, cancer and osteoporosis. Cholinesterase inhibitors are valuable compounds that can be used in many different therapeutic applications, including Alzheimer's disease. The compound 8 for CA I, AChE and BChE, 2 for CA II showed a very active inhibition profile (K_I 45.7 ± 0.46 for CA I, 33.5 ± 0.38 nM for CA II, 31.5 ± 0.33 nM for AChE and 24.4 ± 0.29 nM for BChE). The results indicate that these N-phenyl-sulfonamide derivatives are potent CA and cholinesterases and new potential drugs.

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase with uracil derivatives: kinetic and computational studies

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitors are interesting compounds for different therapeutic applications, among which Alzheimer's disease. Here, we investigated the inhibition of these cholinesterases with uracil derivatives. The mechanism of inhibition of these enzymes was observed to be due to obstruction of the active site entrance by the inhibitors scaffold. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations demonstrated the possible key interactions between the studied ligands and amino acid residues at different regions of the active sites of AChE and BuChE. Being diverse of the classical AChE and BuChE inhibitors, the investigated uracil derivatives may be used as lead molecules for designing new therapeutically effective enzyme inhibitors.

Microbial production of uracil by an isolated Methylobacterium sp. WJ4 using methanol

In this study, we report the production of uracil from methanol by an isolated methylotrophic bacterium, Methylobacterium sp. WJ4. The use of methanol as alternative carbon feedstock is attractive option in biotechnology. As a feedstock of biotechnological processes, methanol has distinct advantages over methane. This is not only due to physical and chemical considerations, but also to the properties of the pertinent organisms. Besides, with a wide array of biological activities and synthetic accessibility, uracil is considered as privileged structures in drug discovery. Uracil analogues have been applied to treatments of patients with cancer or viral infections. In this respect, it is meaningful to produce uracil using methanol. The effect of process parameters and methanol concentration for uracil production were investigated and optimized. Uracil production was remarkably increased to 5.76mgg cell dry weight^-1 in optimized condition. The results were significant for further understanding of methylotrophic bacteria on uracil production.

The determination of the carbonic anhydrases activators in vitro effect of mixed donor crown ethers

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) play an important function in various physiological and pathological processes. Therefore, many researchers work in this field in order to design and synthesize new drugs. Both inhibitors and activators of CAs, which are associated with the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, are very important. The emergence of the use of CA activators in the treatment of Alzheimer has led many scholars to work on this issue. In this study, CA activators and inhibitors are determined. The crown ethers compounds (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9) were found to cause activation on enzyme activities of hCA I and II. The AC₅₀ values on hCA I and II of the compounds are in the range of 4.6565-374.979 μM. The 4 (IC₅₀ ; 1.301 and 3.215 μM for hCA I and II) and 5 (IC₅₀ ; 73.96 and 378.5 μM for hCA I and II) compounds were found to cause inhibition on enzyme activities of hCA I and II.

The synthesis of axially disubstituted silicon phthalocyanines, their quaternized derivatives and first inhibitory effect on human cytosolic carbonic anhydrase isozymes hCA I and II

In this study a novel silicon(iv) phthalocyanine bearing [(2E)-3-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-1-(4-phenoxy)prop-2-en-1-one] group and its quaternized derivative at their axial positions were synthesized for the first time. Axially disubstituted silicon(iv) phthalocyanines were also characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. The inhibition of two human cytosolic carbonic anhydrase (hCA, EC 4.2.1.1) isozymes I and II, with axially disubstituted silicon phthalocyanines and their quaternized derivatives were investigated by using the esterase assay, with 4-nitrophenyl acetate as substrate. Silicon phthalocyanines ZM-1-Si, ZM-5-Si, ZT-Si and their quaternized derivatives ZM-1-SiQ, ZM-5-SiQ, ZT-SiQ showed IC₅₀ values in the range of 0.0178–0.1653 μM for hCA I and of 0.0172–0.1212 μM against hCA II, respectively. This study is the first example of carbonic anhydrase enzyme inhibition of phthalocyanines.

In this study a novel silicon(iv) phthalocyanine bearing [(2E)-3-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-1-(4-phenoxy)prop-2-en-1-one] group and its quaternized derivative at their axial positions were synthesized for the first time.

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitory properties of some uracil derivatives

Inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase (CA) have been carried out in many therapeutic applications, especially antiglaucoma activity. In this study, we investigated some uracil derivatives (4–12) to inhibit human CA I (hCA I) and II (hCA II) isoenzymes. The K_I values of the compounds 4–12 are in the range of 0.085–428 µM for hCA I and of 0.1715–645 µM against hCA II, respectively. It is concluded from the kinetic investigations, all compounds used in the study act as competitive inhibitors with substrate, 4-NPA. Uracil derivatives are emerging agents for the inhibiton of carbonic anhydrase which could be used in biomedicine.

Synthesis and carbonic anhydrase inhibitory properties of novel chalcone substituted benzenesulfonamides

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) are crucial metalloenzymes involved in many bioprocesses, through catalysis of the reversible hydration/dehydration process of CO2/HCO3-. The inhibition of human CA isoforms I and II with a new series of sulfonamide derivatives incorporating substituted chalcone moieties were studied in this study. All these newly synthesized sulfonamides demonstrated important inhibitory profiles to these CA isoforms with KIs in the range of 9.88 to 55.43nM, making these compounds interesting leads, with potential applications in medicinal chemistry.

Pyridazinone substituted benzenesulfonamides as potent carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

A series of sulfonamide derivatives (2a-l) incorporating substituted pyridazinone moieties were investigated for the inhibition of two human cytosolic carbonic anhydrase isoforms, hCA I and hCA II. All these compounds, together with the clinically used sulfonamide acetazolamide were investigated as inhibitors of the physiologically relevant isozymes I and II. These sulfonamides showed very strong inhibition against all these isoforms with K(I)'s in the range of 0.98-8.5 nM which makes such molecules possible to be used as leads for discovery of novel effective CA inhibitors targeting other isoforms with medicinal chemistry applications.

Interaction of carbonic anhydrase isozymes I, II, and IX with some pyridine and phenol hydrazinecarbothioamide derivatives

A series of hydrazinecarbothioamide derivatives incorporating ethyl, phenyl, tolyl, benzyl, and allyl moieties were prepared and tested as possible inhibitors of three members of the pH regulatory enzyme family, carbonic anhydrase (CA; EC 4.2.1.1). The inhibitory and activatory potencies of the compounds against the cytosolic human isoforms hCA I and hCA II and the transmembrane, tumor-associated hCA IX were analyzed by a hydrase assay with CO2 as substrate, and the inhibition constants (KI) were calculated. Most compounds investigated here exhibited nanomolar or low micromolar inhibition constants against the three isoenzymes. KI values were in the range of 34.1-871 nM for hCA I and compounds 5-10 showed interesting activation of the hCA II with KA value of 0.81-12.5 μM. Compounds 11-16 exhibited moderate inhibition effects on hCA IX in the range of 0.317-1.245 μM but they were less effective for hCA II. Tested compounds were also investigated using in silico applications at the binding pockets of these three targets. The different mechanisms of inhibition by these tested compounds as compared to sulfonamides, and their diverse inhibition profile for these mammalian isozymes, makes this class of derivatives of great interest for the design of novel CA inhibitors.