Design and evaluation of novel oxadiazole derivatives as potential prostate cancer agents

Synthesis, molecular docking and biological evaluation of 1,2,4-oxadiazole based novel non-steroidal derivatives against prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in men leading to second most death causing cancer in men. Despite the availability of multiple treatment still the prevalence is high for prostate cancer. Steroidal antagonists associated with poor bioavailability, side effects while non-steroidal antagonists show serious side effects like gynecomastia. Therefore, there is a need of potential candidate for the treatment of prostate cancer with better bioavailability, good therapeutic effect and minimal side effects. In the same context, we have designed the series, SP1-SP25 based 3-phenyl-5-styryl-1,2,4-oxadiazole as the core structure. We successfully synthesized all 25 molecules in this series and characterized them using 1H, 13C NMR, and mass spectroscopy. Subsequently, we conducted MTT assays using PC-3 cells and observed that all the compounds exhibited a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability. Notably, compounds SP04, SP16, and SP19 demonstrated a significant decrease in cell viability and exhibited potent activity compared to the other synthesized molecules and standard drug bicalutamide. Among them, SP04 emerged as the one of the most potent compounds with an IC50 value of 238.13 nM and an 89.99 % inhibition of PC-3 cells, compared to synthesized molecules and standard drug bicalutamide. Furthermore, we conducted ROS assays and androgen receptor inhibition assays using the potent compound SP04 and bicalutamide. The results indicated that SP04 increased ROS production and decreased androgen receptor expression dose-dependent manner. Additionally, we conducted a docking study to analyse the interaction patterns within the active site of the androgen receptor. ADMET analysis revealed that all the compounds exhibited favorable physicochemical properties and manageable toxicity profiles.

Comprehensive Review on Recent Strategies for Management of Prostate Cancer: Therapeutic Targets and SAR

Prostate cancer is a disease that is affecting a large population worldwide. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has become a foundation for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, as used in most clinical settings from neo-adjuvant to metastatic stage. In spite of the success of ADT in managing the disease in the majority of men, hormonal manipulation fails eventually. New molecules are developed for patients with various hormone-refractory diseases. Advancements in molecular oncology have increased understanding of numerous cellular mechanisms which control cell death in the prostate and these insights can lead to the development of more efficacious and tolerable therapies for carcinoma of the prostate. This review is focused on numerous therapies that might be a boon for prostate therapy like signaling inhibitors, vaccines, and inhibitors of androgen receptors. Along with these, various bioactive molecules and their derivatives are highlighted, which act as potential antiprostate cancer agents. This article also emphasized the recent advances in the field of medicinal chemistry of prostate cancer agents.

A Rationalized Approach to Design and Discover Novel Non-steroidal Derivatives through Computational Aid for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in men, leading to the second most common cause of death in men. Despite the availability of multiple treatments, the prevalence of prostate cancer remains high. Steroidal antagonists are associated with poor bioavailability and side effects, while non-steroidal antagonists show serious side effects, such as gynecomastia. Therefore, there is a need for a potential candidate for the treatment of prostate cancer with better bioavailability, good therapeutic effects, and minimal side effects.

OBJECTIVE

This current research work focused on identifying a novel non-steroidal androgen receptor antagonist through computational tools, such as docking and in silico ADMET analysis.

METHODS

Molecules were designed based on a literature survey, followed by molecular docking of all designed compounds and ADMET analysis of the hit compounds.

RESULTS

A library of 600 non-steroidal derivatives (cis and trans) was designed, and molecular docking was performed in the active site of the androgen receptor (PDBID: 1Z95) using Auto- Dock Vina 1.5.6. Docking studies resulted in 15 potent hits, which were then subjected to ADME analysis using SwissADME. ADME analysis predicted three compounds (SK-79, SK-109, and SK-169) with the best ADME profile and better bioavailability. Toxicity studies using Protox-II were performed on the three best compounds (SK-79, SK-109, and SK-169), which predicted ideal toxicity for these lead compounds.

CONCLUSION

This research work will provide ample opportunities to explore medicinal and computational research areas. It will facilitate the development of novel androgen receptor antagonists in future experimental studies.

Thiol-promoted intermolecular cyclization to synthesize 1,2,4-oxadiazoles including tioxazafen under transition metal-free conditions

A simple and efficient one-pot intermolecular annulation reaction for the synthesis of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles from amidoximes and benzyl thiols has been developed, in which benzyl thiols act as not only reactants but also organo-catalysts. The control experiments proved that thiol substrates could facilitate the dehydroaromatization step. High yield, functional group diversity and transition metal-free, extra oxidant-free, and mild conditions are the important practical features. Moreover, this protocol provides an effective alternative method for the synthesis of a commercially available broad-spectrum nematicide, tioxazafen.

Recent advances of heterocycle based anticancer hybrids

Cancer is one of the major causes of death across the world. Cancer is a broad word that encompasses a wide range of illnesses that can affect any part of the body. Cancer research has increased understanding of molecular biology and cellular biology, resulting in new cancer therapies. Despite of adverse effects, surgery, radiation, and anticancer medicines are the modern cancer treatments. Keeping in mind the excellent anticancer activity exhibited by various heterocyclics, various medicines with heterocyclic moiety have been developed to identify particular target regions. The chapter aims to discuss new discoveries in the field of anticancer pharmaceuticals comprising the thiazole, pyrazole, oxazole, and triazole rings over the last five years. The proposed anticancer drugs have a lot of future significance due to their high potency.

Recent updates on Synthetic Strategies and Biological Potential of 1,3,4-oxadiazole: Review

Abstract:

Among the large variety of nitrogen and oxygen-containing heterocycles, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, the scaffold, has attracted considerable attention owing to its ability to show an extensive range of pharmacological actions. According to literature investigations, prepared 1,3,4-oxadiazole and its derivative are pharmacologically significant and consist of a variety of activities, such as anticonvulsant, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidiabetic, etc. These heterocyclics are formed mainly by the cyclization reactions of various reactants under diverse reaction circumstances. Therefore, significant efforts of organic chemists have been directed towards the synthesis of new drug candidates containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole subunits connected to an established potential pharmacophore to improve the efficacy and potency. This article aims to highlight recent publications on the various synthesis techniques of 1,3,4-oxadiazole and related compounds over the previous ten years (2011–2021). The purpose of this review is to help researchers by summarizing several synthetic strategies for synthesizing oxadiazole.

1,3,4-Oxadiazole Containing Compounds As Therapeutic Targets For Cancer Therapy

BACKGROUND

Cancer is the first or second leading cause of premature death in 134 of 183 countries in the world. 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles are five memebered heterocyclic rings containing two nitrogen (two atoms) and oxygen (one atom). They show better thermal stability, metabolic stability, aqueous solubility and lower lipophilicity than the other isomeric oxadiazoles. They are important class of heterocycles present in many drug structures like Raltegravir, Furamizole Tidazosin, Nesapidil, Setileuton (MK-0633) and Zibotentan. Presence of this nucleus in the therapeutics has made them an indispensable anchor for drug design and development. Several 1,3,4-oxadiazoles are prepared and reported as anticancer agents by numerous scientists worldwide.

OBJECTIVES

The present review discusses the anticancer potentials together with the molecular targets of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles reported since 2010. The structure activity relationship (SAR) and molecular docking simulation on different targets have also been discussed herein. Some of the important cancer targets have also been explored.

METHODS

The most potent 1,3,4-oxadiazoles reported in literature was highlighted in the manuscript. The anticancer activity was reported in terms of growth percent (GP), percent growth inhibition (%GI), GI50, IC50, and LC50 and TGI.

RESULTS

1,3,4-Oxadiazoles are an important heterocyclic scaffolds with broad spectrum biological activities. They may be either mono substituted or disubstituted and act as an indispensable anchor for drug design and discovery due to their thermal stability together with low lipophilicity. They exhibited anticancer potentials and showed the inhibitions of various cancer targets.

CONCLUSION

The discussion outlined herein will proved to be a helpful and vital tool for medicinal chemists investigating and working with 1,3,4-oxadiazoles and anticancer research programs.

Groundbreaking Anticancer Activity of Highly Diversified Oxadiazole Scaffolds

Nowadays, an increasing number of heterocyclic-based drugs found application in medicinal chemistry and, in particular, as anticancer agents. In this context, oxadiazoles—five-membered aromatic rings—emerged for their interesting biological properties. Modification of oxadiazole scaffolds represents a valid strategy to increase their anticancer activity, especially on 1,2,4 and 1,3,4 regioisomers. In the last years, an increasing number of oxadiazole derivatives, with remarkable cytotoxicity for several tumor lines, were identified. Structural modifications, that ensure higher cytotoxicity towards malignant cells, represent a solid starting point in the development of novel oxadiazole-based drugs. To increase the specificity of this strategy, outstanding oxadiazole scaffolds have been designed to selectively interact with biological targets, including enzymes, globular proteins, and nucleic acids, showing more promising antitumor effects. In the present work, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the anticancer activity of these heterocycles, describing their effect on different targets and highlighting how their structural versatility has been exploited to modulate their biological properties.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel α-aminophosphonate oxadiazoles via optimized iron triflate catalyzed reaction as apoptotic inducers

α-aminophosphonate oxadiazoles (5a-m) were prepared in high yields by reacting of 1,3,4-oxadiazole acetohydrazide (3) with appropriate aldehydes and diethyl phosphite under Kabachnik-Fields conditions using Iron triflate as a catalyst. The reaction conditions were optimized using D-optimal experimental design. Possible reaction mechanisms were considered, and structures of the new products were based upon compatible elementary and spectroscopic evidence. In vitro antitumor activities of these compounds were evaluated against human cancer cell lines of colon (HCT116), breast (MCF7) and liver (HepG2) and compared with anticancer drug, Doxorubicin, employing standard MTT assay. Compounds 5i and 5l demonstrated good antiproliferative activities against HCT116 tumor cells comparable to doxorubicin with low cytotoxicity towards normal fetal colon cell (FHC). Additionally, their capacity to activate apoptosis cascade was studied in HCT116 cell line by investigating the activation of proteolytic caspases cascade, the levels of Cytochrome C, Bax and Bcl-2. Active caspase-3 level was enhanced by 6-8-folds in HCT116 cell line when stimulated with compounds 5i and 5l compared to the control. The level of Caspases 8 & 9 was also increased signifying that intrinsic and extrinsic pathways are both activated. They also induced Bax and down regulated Bcl-2 protein level in addition to over-expressing Cytochrome C level in HCT116 cell line. Also, HCT116 cell cycle was mainly arrested at the Pre-G1 and G2/M phases when treated with compounds 5i and 5l.

Oxadiazole-An Important Bioactive Scaffold for Drug Discovery and Development Process Against HIV and Cancer- A Review

Background:

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cancer treatment have been a major task for research scientists and pharmaceutical industry for the last many years. Seeking to the development, many promising chemical entities especially five-membered heterocyclic rings like oxadiazole have revealed good anticancer and anti HIV activities. The current review enlists some recently developed anti-HIV and anti-cancer oxadiazole moieties.

Methods:

on the basis of structural modification for the syntheses of new oxadiazole analogs, the new anti-HIV and anti-cancer agents have been summarized, which can improve treatment of AIDs and cancer.

Results:

The oxadiazole ring is more potent in comparison to some other heterocyclic rings (five and six membered) towards anti-HIV and anti-cancer activities. The important mechanisms involved for anti HIV and anticancer activity are mainly inhibition of enzymes like protease, HIV-integrase, telomerase, histone deacetylase, methionine amino peptidase, thymidylate synthase and focal adhesion kinase and inhibition of some growth factors.

Conclusion:

By reviving the past literature about 50 most potent oxadiazole derivatives, depending upon activity and structural modifications, have been selected as potent anti-HIV, and anti-cancer agents. Thus, oxadiazole seems to be a ‘privileged structure’ for further screening and syntheses of the new drug analogs against life threatening HIV and cancer like diseases.

A Useful Synthesis of 2-Acylamino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles from Acylthiosemicarbazides Using Potassium Iodate and the Discovery of New Antibacterial Compounds

A useful method for the synthesis of 2-acylamino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles was developed. By using potassium iodate as an oxidant in water at 60 °C, a wide range of 2-acylamino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles were afforded in moderate to excellent yields within two hours. This method could provide a facile shortcut to generate a series of 2-acylamino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles in medicinal chemistry. Interestingly, some highly potent antibiotic compounds were found through this synthetic method, and some of them displayed a significant improvement in activity compared with the corresponding 1,4-diacylthiosemicarbazides. Compound 2n was the most active against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of 1.56 mg/mL, and compounds 2m and 2q were the most active against Bacillus subtilis with MIC of 0.78 mg/mL. The preliminary cytotoxic activities of the most potent compounds 2m, 2n, and 2q against the androgen-independent (PC-3) prostate cancer cell line were more than 30 μM (IC₅₀ > 30 μM).

A Review Exploring Therapeutic Worth of 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Tailored Compounds

1,3,4-Oxadiazole, a five-membered aromatic ring can be seen in a number of synthetic molecules. The peculiar structural feature of 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring with pyridine type of nitrogen atom is beneficial for 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives to have effective binding with different enzymes and receptors in biological systems through numerous weak interactions, thereby eliciting an array of bioactivities. Research in the area of development of 1,3,4-oxadiazole-based derivatives has become an interesting topic for the scientists. A number of 1,3,4-oxadiazole based compounds with high therapeutic potency are being extensively used for the treatment of different ailments, contributing to enormous development value. This work provides a systematic and comprehensive review highlighting current developments of 1,3,4-oxadiazole based compounds in the entire range of medicinal chemistry such as anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, antitubercular, anti-inflammatory, antineuropathic, antihypertensive, antihistaminic, antiparasitic, antiobesity, antiviral, and other medicinal agents. It is believed that this review will be of great help for new thoughts in the pursuit for rational designs for the development of more active and less toxic 1,3,4-oxadiazole based medicinal agents.

3-[5-(Pyridin-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]-4H-chromen-4-one

In the title molecule, C16H9N3O3, the plane of oxadiazole ring is almost coplanar with attached pyridine ring and chromenyl ring system, forming dihedral angles of 2.37 (3) and 6.71 (2)°, respectively. In the crystal, a pair of C—H...O and C—H...N hydrogen-bond interactions lead to the formation of dimers, which are linked together into [100] chains.