Synthesis, characterization and antitumor activity of novel ferrocene bisamide derivatives containing pyrimidine-moiety

Fabrication of a novel graphene oxide based magnetic nanocomposite and its usage as a highly effectual catalyst for the construction of N,N'-alkylidene bisamides

At first, a novel graphene oxide-based magnetic nanocomposite namely Si-propyl-functionalized N 1,N 1,N 2,N 2-tetramethylethylenediamine-N 1,N 2-diium hydrogen sulfate anchored to graphene oxide-supported Fe3O4 (nano-[GO@Fe3O4@R-NHMe2][HSO4]) was fabricated. After full characterization of the nanocomposite, its catalytic performance was examined for the solvent-free construction of N,N'-alkylidene bisamides from aryl aldehydes (1 eq.) and primary aromatic and aliphatic amides (2 eq.), in which the products were acquired in short times (15-30 min) and high to excellent yields (89-98%). Nano-[GO@Fe3O4@R-NHMe2][HSO4] could be magnetically isolated form the reaction medium, and reused three times without remarkable loss of catalytic activity.

Synthesis, docking, machine learning and antiproliferative activity of the 6-ferrocene/heterocycle-2-aminopyrimidine and 5-ferrocene-1H-Pyrazole derivatives obtained by microwave-assisted Atwal reaction as potential anticancer agents

A simple and fast methodology under microwave irradiation for the synthesis of 2-aminopyrimidine and pyrazole derivatives using Atwal reaction is reported. After the optimization of the reaction conditions, eight 2-aminolpyrimidines containing ferrocene and heterocycles and three ferrocene pyrazoles were synthesized from the respective chalcones in good yields. Eight compounds had their structure determined by X-ray diffraction. The molecular hybrid 6a-h and 9a-c were tested on four cancer cell lines - HCT116, PC3, HL60 and SNB19 - where four pyrimidine 6a, 6f-h and one pyrazole 9c derivatives show promising antiproliferative activity. In addition, docking simulation and machine learning methods were carried out to explain the biological activity achieved by the synthetized compounds.

Synthesis and In Vitro Anticancer Activity of 6-Ferrocenylpyrimidin-4(3H)-one Derivatives

AIM AND OBJECTIVE

Some ferrocenyl derivatives are active in vitro and in vivo against cancer. Generally, ferrocenyl derivatives for cancer research have three key components: a ferrocene moiety, a conjugated linker that lowers the oxidation potential and some derivative (peptide, nucleobase and others) that can interact with biomolecules. Since the pyrimidine fragment can easily pass through the membrane into the cells and become involved in metabolism; it appears to be promising. Furthermore, this fragment is an electron-acceptor group, so a spacer can be excluded. Therefore, the synthesis of 6-ferrocenylpyrimidin-4(3H)-one derivatives and the study of their anticancer activity have scientific and practical interest.

METHODS

The syntheses of 6-ferrocenylpyrimidin-4(3H)-one derivatives were performed by the condensation of ethyl 3-ferrocenyl-3-oxopropionate with thiourea or acetamidine or guanidine. The cytotoxicity of four 6- ferrocenylpyrimidin-4(3H)-one derivatives was evaluated by using the MTT assay in vitro against Human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 and normal human skin fibroblast HSF cells. The tested derivatives induced a concentration-dependent cytotoxic response in cell lines.

RESULTS

A study of the cytotoxic activity of 6-ferrocenylpyrimidin-4(3H)-one derivatives by the MTT test has found that all compounds have a dose-dependent toxic effect on the lines of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and normal human fibroblast cells (HSF). The most pronounced cytotoxic effect is exhibited by 2-methyl-6-ferrocenylpyrimidin- 4(3H)-one (MCF-7, IC50 17 ± 1 µM).

CONCLUSION

The experimental results confirm the importance of investigation and design of ferrocenylpyrimidin- 4(3H)-one derivatives as anticancer agents. Compounds where the pyrimidine derivatives are directly linked to the ferrocene unit rather than via a spacer group also may be of interest for antiproliferative drug design.

Ferrocene-containing hybrids as potential anticancer agents: Current developments, mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationships

Cancer is one of the most fatal threatens to human health throughout the world. The major challenges in the control and eradication of cancers are the continuous emergency of drug-resistant cancer and the low specificity of anticancer agents, creating an urgent need to develop novel anticancer agents. Organometallic compounds especially ferrocene derivatives possess remarkable structural and mechanistic diversity, inherent stability towards air, heat and light, low toxicity, low cost, reversible redox, ligand exchange, and catalytic properties, making them promising drug candidates for cancer therapy. Ferrocifen, a ferrocene-phenol hybrid, has demonstrated promising anticancer properties on drug-resistant cancers. Currently, Ferrocifen is in pre-clinical trial against cancers. Obviously, ferrocene moiety is a useful template for the development of novel anticancer agents. This review will provide an overview of ferrocene-containing hybrids with potential application in the treatment of cancers covering articles published between 2010 and 2020. The mechanisms of action, the critical aspects of design and structure-activity relationships are also discussed.

Isolation of intermediates in the synthesis of new 3,4-dihydro-2H-chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidines

Reaction ofN-alkyl-2-imino-2H-chromene-3-carboxamides with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) in the presence of sodium carbonate as catalyst in refluxing ethanol gave new tricyclic products identified as methyl 3-alkyl-2-(2-methoxy-2-oxoethyl)-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2-carboxylates. In the absence of sodium carbonate, dimethyl 2-((E)-3-(alkylcarbamoyl)-2H-chromen-2-ylideneamino)fumarates were isolated as intermediates. These intermediates could be successfully converted to the same new tricyclic products by heating in ethanol containing sodium carbonate. All new synthetic compounds were characterized on the basis of their FT-IR,1H and13C NMR spectra, and microanalytical data. To identify the correct stereoisomer of the intermediates, in one case a 2D nuclear Overhauser effect (2D-NOESY) spectrum together with density functional theory (DFT) calculation at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory was used.

Synthesis of new 3H-chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,6(5H,7H)-diones via the tandem intramolecular Pinner/Dimroth rearrangement

The reaction of 2-amino-4-aryl-7,7-dimethyl-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-chromene-3-carbonitriles with excess aliphatic carboxylic acids in the presence of phosphoryl chloride (POCl3) afforded new 2-alkyl-5-aryl-8,8-dimethyl-8,9-dihydro-3H-chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,6(5H,7H)-diones in high yields. The suggested mechanism involves a tandem intramolecular Pinner/Dimroth rearrangement. The synthesized compounds were characterized by infrared (IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) and elemental analysis.