Dihydropyrazothiazole derivatives as potential MMP-2/MMP-8 inhibitors for cancer therapy

Development in the Synthesis of Bioactive Thiazole-Based Heterocyclic Hybrids Utilizing Phenacyl Bromide

Heterocyclic hybrid frameworks represent a burgeoning domain within the realms of drug discovery and medicinal chemistry, attracting considerable attention in recent years. Thiazole pharmacophore fragments, inherent in natural products such as peptide alkaloids, metabolites, and cyclopeptides, have demonstrated a broad spectrum of pharmacological potentials. Given their profound biological significance, a plethora of thiazole-based hybrids have been synthesized through the conjugation of thiazole moieties with bioactive pyrazole and pyrazoline fragments. This review systematically presents a compendium of robust methodologies for the synthesis of thiazole-linked hybrids, employing the (3 + 2) heterocyclization reaction, specifically the Hantzsch-thiazole synthesis, utilizing phenacyl bromide as the substrate. The strategic approach of molecular hybridization has markedly enhanced drug efficacy, mitigated resistance to multiple drugs, and minimized toxicity concerns. The resultant thiazole-linked hybrids exhibit a myriad of medicinal properties viz. anticancer, antibacterial, anticonvulsant, antifungal, antiviral, and antioxidant activities. This compilation of methodologies and insights serves as a valuable resource for medicinal chemists and researchers engaged in the design of novel thiazole-linked hybrids endowed with therapeutic attribute.

Discovery of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors as anti-skin photoaging agents

Photodamage is the result of prolonged exposure of the skin to sunlight. This exposure causes an overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), leading to the abnormal degradation of collagen in the skin tissue and resulting in skin aging and damage. This review presents a detailed overview of MMPs as a potential target for addressing skin aging. Specifically, we elucidated the precise mechanisms by which MMP inhibitors exert their anti-photoaging effects. Furthermore, we comprehensively analyzed the current research progress on MMP inhibitors that demonstrate significant inhibitory activity against MMPs and anti-skin photoaging effects. The review also provides insights into the structure-activity relationships of these inhibitors. Our objective in conducting this review is to provide valuable practical information to researchers engaged in investigations on anti-skin photoaging.

Matrix Metalloproteinases Inhibitors in Cancer Treatment: An Updated Review (2013-2023)

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are identifiable members of proteolytic enzymes that can degrade a wide range of proteins in the extracellular matrix (ECM). MMPs can be categorized into six groups based on their substrate specificity and structural differences: collagenases, gelatinases, stromelysins, matrilysins, metalloelastase, and membrane-type MMPs. MMPs have been linked to a wide variety of biological processes, such as cell transformation and carcinogenesis. Over time, MMPs have been evaluated for their role in cancer progression, migration, and metastasis. Accordingly, various MMPs have become attractive therapeutic targets for anticancer drug development. The first generations of broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors displayed effective inhibitory activities but failed in clinical trials due to poor selectivity. Thanks to the evolution of X-ray crystallography, NMR analysis, and homology modeling studies, it has been possible to characterize the active sites of various MMPs and, consequently, to develop more selective, second-generation MMP inhibitors. In this review, we summarize the computational and synthesis approaches used in the development of MMP inhibitors and their evaluation as potential anticancer agents.

Selective Inhibitors of Medium-Size S1' Pocket Matrix Metalloproteinases: A Stepping Stone of Future Drug Discovery

Among various matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMPs having medium-size S1' pockets are established as promising biomolecular targets for executing crucial roles in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, no such MMP inhibitors (MMPIs) are available to date as drug candidates despite a lot of continuous research work for more than three decades. Due to a high degree of structural resemblance among these MMPs, designing selective MMPIs is quite challenging. However, the variability and uniqueness of the S1' pockets of these MMPs make them promising targets for designing selective MMPIs. In this perspective, the overall structural aspects of medium-size S1' pocket MMPs including the unique binding patterns of enzyme-inhibitor interactions have been discussed in detail to acquire knowledge regarding selective inhibitor designing. This overall knowledge will surely be a curtain raiser for the designing of selective MMPIs as drug candidates in the future.

Insight into the structural requirement of aryl sulphonamide based gelatinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) inhibitors - Part I: 2D-QSAR, 3D-QSAR topomer CoMFA and Naïve Bayes studies - First report of 3D-QSAR Topomer CoMFA analysis for MMP-9 inhibitors and jointly inhibitors of gelatinases together

Gelatinases [gelatinase A - matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), gelatinase B - matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)] play key roles in many disease conditions including cancer. Despite some research work on gelatinases inhibitors both jointly and individually had been reported, challenges still exist in achieving potency as well as selectivity. Here in part I of a series of work, we have reported the structural requirement of some arylsulfonamides. In particular, regression-based 2D-QSARs, topomer CoMFA (comparative molecular field analysis) and Bayesian classification models were constructed to refine structural features for attaining better gelatinase inhibitory activity. The 2D-QSAR models exhibited good statistical significance. The descriptors nsssN, SHBint6, SHBint7, PubchemFP629 were directly correlated with the MMP-2 binding affinities whereas nsssN, SHBint10 and AATS2i were directly proportional to MMP-9 binding affinities. The topomer CoMFA results indicated that the steric and electrostatic fields play key roles in gelatinase inhibition. The established Naïve Bayes prediction models were evaluated by fivefold cross validation and an external test set. Furthermore, important molecular descriptors related to MMP-2 and MMP-9 binding affinities and some active/inactive fragments were identified. Thus, these observations may be helpful for further work of aryl sulphonamide based gelatinase inhibitors in future.

Discovery of Sulfated Small Molecule Inhibitors of Matrix Metalloproteinase-8

Elevated matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) activity contributes to the etiology of many diseases, including atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and sepsis. Yet, very few small molecule inhibitors of MMP-8 have been identified. We reasoned that the synthetic non-sugar mimetics of glycosaminoglycans may inhibit MMP-8 because natural glycosaminoglycans are known to modulate the functions of various MMPs. The screening a library of 58 synthetic, sulfated mimetics consisting of a dozen scaffolds led to the identification of only two scaffolds, including sulfated benzofurans and sulfated quinazolinones, as promising inhibitors of MMP-8. Interestingly, the sulfated quinazolinones displayed full antagonism of MMP-8 and sulfated benzofuran appeared to show partial antagonism. Of the two, sulfated quinazolinones exhibited a >10-fold selectivity for MMP-8 over MMP-9, a closely related metalloproteinase. Molecular modeling suggested the plausible occupancy of the S₁^′ pocket on MMP-8 as the distinguishing feature of the interaction. Overall, this work provides the first proof that the sulfated mimetics of glycosaminoglycans could lead to potent, selective, and catalytic activity-tunable, small molecular inhibitors of MMP-8.

Novel molecular discovery of promising amidine-based thiazole analogues as potent dual Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and 9 inhibitors: Anticancer activity data with prominent cell cycle arrest and DNA fragmentation analysis effects

Thiazole derivatives are known to possess various biological activities such as antiparasitic, antifungal, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important protease target involved in tumor progression including angiogenesis, tissue invasion, and migration. Therefore, MMPs have also been reported as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in many types of cancer. Herein, new aryl thiazoles were synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer effects on a panel of cancer cell lines including the invasive MDA-MB-231 line. Some of these compounds showed IC₅₀ values in the submicromolar range in anti-proliferative assays. In order to examine the relationship between their anticancer activity and MMPs targets, the compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on MMP-2 and 9. That data obtained revealed that most of these compounds were potent dual MMP-2/9 inhibitors at nanomolar concentrations. Among these, 2-(1-(2-(2-((E)-4-iodobenzylidene)hydrazineyl)-4-methylthiazol-5-yl)ethylidene)hydrazine-1-carboximidamide (4a) was the most potent non-selective dual MMP-2/9 inhibitor with inhibitory concentrations of 56 and 38 nM respectively. When compound 4a was tested in an MDA-MB-231, HCT-116, MCF-7 model, it effectively inhibited tumor growth, strongly induced cancer cell apoptosis, inhibit cell migration, and suppressed cell cycle progression leading to DNA fragmentation. Taken together, the results of our studies indicate that the newly discovered thiazole-based MMP-2/9 inhibitors have significant potential for anticancer treatment.

Design, synthesis, and carbonic anhydrase inhibition activity of benzenesulfonamide-linked novel pyrazoline derivatives

Carbonic anhydrases (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) are Zinc metalloenzymes and are present throughout most living organisms. Among the catalytically active isoforms are the cytosolic CA I and II, and tumor-associated CA IX and CA XII. The carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitory activities of newly synthesized pyrazoline-linked benzenesulfonamides 18-33 against human CA (hCA) isoforms I, II, IX, and XII were measured and compared with that of acetazolamide (AAZ), a standard inhibitor. Potent inhibitory activity against hCA I was exerted by compounds 18-25, with inhibition constant (KI) values of 87.8-244.1 nM, which were greater than that of AAZ (KI, 250.0 nM). Compounds 19, 21, 22, 29, 30, and 32 were proven to have inhibitory activities against hCA IX with KI values (5.5-37.0 nM) that were more effective than or nearly equal to that of AAZ (KI, 25.0 nM). Compounds 20-22, and 30 exerted potent inhibitory activities (KIs, 7.1-10.1 nM) against hCA XII, in comparison with AAZ (KI, 5.7 nM).