Synthesis of novel potent cytotoxicy podophyllotoxin-naphthoquinone compounds via microwave-assited multicomponent domino reactions

Improved synthesis, molecular modeling and anti-inflammatory activity of new fluorinated dihydrofurano-naphthoquinone compounds

A series of new fluorinated dihydrofurano-napthoquinone compounds were sucessfully synthesized in good yields using microwave-assisted multi-component reactions of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, fluorinated aromatic aldehydes, and pyridinium bromide. The products were fully characterized using spectroscopic techniques and evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Among 12 new compounds, compounds 8b, 8d, and 8e showed high potent NO inhibitory activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells with IC50 values ranging from 1.54 to 3.92 µM. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages were remarkably decreased after the application of 8b, 8d, 8e and 8k. Molecular docking simulations revealed structure-activity relationships of 8b, 8d, and 8e toward NO synthase, cyclooxygenase (COX-2 over COX-1), and prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1). Further physicochemical and pharmacokinetic computations also demonstrated the drug-like characteristics of synthesized compounds. These findings demonstrated the importance of fluorinated dihydrofurano-napthoquinone moieties in the development of potential anti-inflammatory agents.

Unlocking the potential of 1,4-naphthoquinones: A comprehensive review of their anticancer properties

Cancer encompasses a group of pathologies with common characteristics, high incidence, and prevalence in all countries. Although there are treatments available for this disease, they are not always effective or safe, often failing to achieve the desired results. This is why it is necessary to continue the search for new therapies. One of the strategies for obtaining new antitumor drugs is the use of 1,4-naphthoquinone as a scaffold in synthetic or natural products with antitumor activity. This review focuses on compiling studies related to the antitumor activity of 1,4-naphthoquinone and its natural and synthetic derivatives over the last 10 years. The work describes the main natural naphthoquinones with antitumor activity and classifies the synthetic naphthoquinones based on the structural modifications made to the scaffold. Additionally, the formation of metal complexes using naphthoquinones as a ligand is considered. After a thorough review, 197 synthetic compounds with potent biological activity against cancer have been classified according to their chemical structures and their mechanisms of action have been described.

Synthesis, molecular docking analysis and in vitro evaluation of new heterocyclic hybrids of 4-aza-podophyllotoxin as potent cytotoxic agents

Two different synthetic approaches to novel heterocyclic hybrid compounds of 4-azapodophyllotoxin were investigated. The obtained products were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. MTT protocol was then performed to examine the cytotoxic activity of these products against KB, HepG2, A549, MCF7, and Hek-293 cell lines. The cytotoxic assessment indicated that all products displayed moderate to high cytotoxicity against all tested cancer cell lines. The most active compound 13k containing the 2-methoxypyridin-4-yl group exhibited selective cytotoxicity against KB, A549, and HepG2 cell lines with the IC50 values ranging from 0.23 to 0.27 μM, which were between 5- to 10-fold more potent than the positive control ellipticine. Compounds 13a (HetAr = thiophen-3-yl) and 13d (HetAr = 5-bromofuran-2-yl) displayed high cytotoxic selectivity for A549 and HepG2 cancer cell lines when compared to the other cancer cell lines and low toxicity to the normal Hek-293 cell line. Molecular docking study was conducted to evaluate the interaction of new synthesized compounds with the colchicine-binding-site of tubulin. Besides that, physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of the most active compounds 13h,k were predicted.

Recent advances in the multicomponent synthesis of heterocycles using tetronic acid

Tetronic acid, a versatile synthon, has been extensively investigated by numerous researchers in synthetic chemistry due to its crucial role in synthesizing heterocycles which makes this compound particularly advantageous in both pharmaceutical and biological fields. Various heterocycles can be synthesized using it as a precursor via multicomponent reactions (MCRs). Dicarbonyl groups can be considered the building blocks and key structural motifs of a wide range of natural compounds, which may contain different functional groups in the synthesis of heterocyclic frameworks. This review covers the literature from 2017 to 2022, and it encompasses the different one-pot protocols for synthesizing a variety of heterocyclic molecules.

The Relevance and Insights on 1,4-Naphthoquinones as Antimicrobial and Antitumoral Molecules: A Systematic Review

Natural product derivatives are essential in searching for compounds with important chemical, biological, and medical applications. Naphthoquinones are secondary metabolites found in plants and are used in traditional medicine to treat diverse human diseases. Considering this, the synthesis of naphthoquinone derivatives has been explored to contain compounds with potential biological activity. It has been reported that the chemical modification of naphthoquinones improves their pharmacological properties by introducing amines, amino acids, furan, pyran, pyrazole, triazole, indole, among other chemical groups. In this systematic review, we summarized the preparation of nitrogen naphthoquinones derivatives and discussed their biological effect associated with redox properties and other mechanisms. Preclinical evaluation of antibacterial and/or antitumoral naphthoquinones derivatives is included because cancer is a worldwide health problem, and there is a lack of effective drugs against multidrug-resistant bacteria. The information presented herein indicates that naphthoquinone derivatives could be considered for further studies to provide drugs efficient in treating cancer and multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Fluorinated Podophyllotoxin Derivatives

Objective: The study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro and in silico anticancer activity of fluorinated podophyllotoxin derivatives. Methods: Microwave-assisted multicomponent reactions were carried out in an Anton Paar Microwave Synthetic Reactor Monowave 400 in order to synthesize fluorinated podophyllotoxin derivatives. These products were identified by spectral analysis and evaluated for their cytotoxicity against 4 types of human cancer cell lines (KB, HepG2, A549, and MCF7), as well as human embryonic kidney (Hek) 293 cells using MTT protocol. Molecular docking was conducted using 2 crystal structures of tubulin—colchicine (PDB ID: 4O2B) and topoisomerase II—etoposide (PDB ID: 3QX3) complexes. Results: Two potent cytotoxic fluorinated podophyllotoxin–naphthoquinone compounds were synthesized in good yields. They displayed high cytotoxic activity against all the tested cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 0.58 to 3.17 µM. Notably, product 8a showed low toxicity against the Hek-293 cell line. Molecular docking results showed that products 8a and 8b participated in the same key interactions provided by etoposide with both topoisomerase and DNA chain domains. The binding energy values calculated for 8a and 8b are acceptable. Conclusion: This study revealed that products 8a and 8b exhibited promising in vitro and in silico anticancer activity and could be recognized as promising anticancer agents.

Synthesis and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Fluoro and Trifluoromethyl Substituents Containing Novel Naphthoquinone-Fused Podophyllotoxins

A series of novel naphthoquinone-fused podophyllotoxins containing fluoro and trifluoromethyl substituents were synthesized in a medium with good yields using two different synthetic approaches: microwave-assisted four-component reactions of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, tetronic acid, fluorinated arylaldehydes, and ammonium acetate, and microwave-assisted three-component reactions of 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinone, tetronic acid, and fluorinated arylaldehydes. The structures of all products were confirmed by spectral analysis. Together, cytotoxicity assessment of the products against four human cancer cell lines (human carcinoma [KB], human hepatocellular carcinoma [HepG2], lung cancer [A549], breast carcinoma [MCF7], and human embryonic kidney [Hek-293]) was performed by MTT assay. Among the obtained compounds, compound 7f turned out to be the most potent anticancer agent with significant cytotoxic activity against KB, HepG2, and MCF cancer cell lines.

Synthesis and biological activity, and molecular modelling studies of potent cytotoxic podophyllotoxin-naphthoquinone compounds

A new approach for the synthesis of podophyllotoxin-naphthoquinone compounds using microwave-assisted three-component reactions is reported in this study. Novel podophyllotoxin-naphthoquinone derivatives with modification on ring E were synthesized. All the synthetic compounds were assessed in terms of their cytotoxicity profile against four cancer cell lines (KB, HepG2, A549, and MCF7), and noncancerous Hek-293 cell lines. Notably, treatment of SK-LU-1 cells with compounds 5a and 5b resulted in G2/M phase arrest of the cell cycle, caspase-3/7 activation, and apoptosis. Additionally, molecular docking studies were performed and showed important interaction of two compounds against residues in the colchicine-binding-site of tubulin as well. Taken together, compounds 5a and 5b were identified as potent anticancer agents.

A new approach for the synthesis of podophyllotoxin-naphthoquinone compounds using microwave-assisted three-component reactions is reported in this study.

Microwave-Assisted Three-Component Synthesis of Novel N-Arylated-Dihydrobenzo[g]quinoline-5,10-Diones and Their Potential Cytotoxic Activity

A convenient three-component synthetic approach was developed en route to new and significative N-arylated-dihydrobenzo[g]quinoline-5,10-diones using 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, a variety of aromatic aldehydes, and 4-(arylamino)furan-2(5H)-ones. A sequence of steps including Knoevenagel condensation, Michael addition, [1,3]-hydrogen shift, intramolecular cyclization and dehydration led to the formation of products. All the products were structurally characterized by spectroscopic techniques and assessed in terms of their cytotoxicity profile against four cancer cell lines (KB, HepG2, A549, and MCF7), and human embryonic kidney (Hek-293) cell lines.

4-(Dimethylamino)pyridine as an Efficient Catalyst for One-Pot Synthesis of 1,4-Pyranonaphthoquinone Derivatives viaMicrowave-Assisted Sequential Three Component Reaction in Green Solvent

Novel 1,4-pyranonaphthoquinone derivatives were successfully synthesized via the microwave-assisted three-component reaction of 1,4-naphthoquinone, malononitrile, and various arylaldehydes in ethanol in the presence of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) as a catalyst, and subsequently evaluated in terms of their antimicrobial and antifungal activities. This synthetic procedure has the notable advantages of environmental friendliness, short reaction time, good yield, and convenient operation.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel benzo[a]pyridazino[3,4-c]phenazine derivatives

A convenient microwave-assisted one-pot four-component synthetic approach was developed en route to novel functionalized benzo[a]pyridazino[3,4-c]phenazine derivatives starting from 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, aromatic aldehydes, methyl hydrazine and o-phenylenediamine. Nine new derivatives were successfully synthesized and subsequently evaluated in terms of their biological profiles. The results revealed good cytotoxic activities of compounds 6a, 6h against KB, HepG2, Lu1 and MCF7 human cancer cell lines. Besides that, compound 6d exhibited promising antimicrobial activities toward Staphylococcuc aureus and Bacillus subtilis bacterial strains with IC₅₀ < 6 μM.