Design, synthesis, characterization, molecular docking and computational studies of 3-phenyl-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one derivatives

Dual COX-2 and 15-LOX inhibition study of novel 4-arylidine-2-mercapto-1-phenyl-1H-imidazolidin-5(4H)-ones: Design, synthesis, docking, and anti-inflammatory activity

Novel arylidene-5(4H)-imidazolone derivatives 4a-r were designed and evaluated as multidrug-directed ligands, that is, inflammatory, proinflammatory mediators, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibitors. All of the tested compounds showed cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 inhibitory effect more than celecoxib and less than indomethacin and also demonstrated an improved inhibitory activity against 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX). Compounds 4f, 4l, and 4p exhibited COX-2 selectivity comparable to that of celecoxib, while 4k was the most selective COX-2 inhibitor. Interestingly, the screened results showed that compound 4k exhibited a superior inhibition effect against 15-LOX and was found to be the most selective COX-2 inhibitor over celecoxib, whereas compound 4f showed promising COX-2 and 15-LOX inhibitory activities besides its inhibitory effect against ROS production and its lowering effect of both tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 levels by ∼80%. Moreover, compound 4f attenuated the lipopolysaccharide-mediated increase in NF-κB activation in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The preferred binding affinity of these molecules was confirmed by docking studies. We conclude that arylidene-5(4H)-imidazolone scaffolds provide promising hits for developing new synthons with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

Synthesis, X-ray crystallography, computational investigation on quinoxaline derivatives as potent against adenosine receptor A2AAR

Quinoxaline represents one of the most important classes of heterocyclic compounds, which have exhibited a wide range of biological activities and industrial importance in many different fields. In this regard, we have synthetized two new quinoxaline derivatives. Their structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The compounds show potent activity against adenosine receptors A2AAR based on structural activity relationship studies. Further molecular docking, molecular dynamics, ADMET analysis, and DFT (density functional theory) calculations were performed to understand the titled compound's future drug candidacy. DFT computations confirmed the good stability of the synthesized compounds, as evidenced by the optimized molecular geometry, HOMO-LUMO energy gap, and intermolecular interactions. NBO analysis confirmed intermolecular interactions mediated by lone pair, bonding, and anti-bonding orbitals. All DFT findings were consistent with experimental results, indicating that the synthesized molecules are highly stable. These findings suggest that the synthesized compounds are promising candidates for further development as drugs for the treatment of A2AAR-related diseases.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and in silico investigations of benzotriazole derivatives as potential inhibitors of NIMA related kinase

In the current study, a novel compound, bis(3-(2H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-2-yl)-2-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)-5-(2,4,4-trimethylpentan-2-yl)phenyl)methane (TAJ1), has been synthesized by the reaction of 6,6'-methylenebis(2-(2H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-2-yl)-4-(2,4,4-trimethylpentan-2-yl)phenol) (1), propargyl bromide (2) and potassium carbonate. Spectroscopic (FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR) and single-crystal assays proved the structure of the synthesized sample. XRD analysis confirmed the structure of the synthesized compound, showing that it possesses two aromatic parts linked via a -CH2 carbon with a bond angle of 108.40°. The cell line activity reported a percent growth reduction for different cell types (HeLa cells, MCF-7 cells, and Vero cells) under various treatment conditions (TAJ1, cisplatin, and doxorubicin) after 24 hours and 48 hours. The percent growth reduction represents a decrease in cell growth compared to a control condition. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were utilized to examine the frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) and overall chemical reactivity descriptors of TAJ1. The molecule's chemical reactivity and stability were assessed by determining the HOMO-LUMO energy gap. TAJ1 displayed a HOMO energy level of -0.224 eV, a LUMO energy level of -0.065 eV, and a HOMO-LUMO gap of 0.159 eV. Additionally, molecular docking analysis was performed to assess the binding affinities of TAJ1 with various proteins. The compound TAJ1 showed potent interactions with NEK2, exhibiting -10.5 kcal mol-1 binding energy. Although TAJ1 has demonstrated interactions with NEK7, NEK9, TP53, NF-KAPPA-B, and caspase-3 proteins, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent, it is important to evaluate the conformational stability of the protein-ligand complex. Hence, molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to assess this stability. To analyze the complex, root mean square deviation (RMSD) and root mean square fluctuation analyses were performed. The results of these analyses indicate that the top hits obtained from the virtual screening possess the ability to act as effective NEK2 inhibitors. Therefore, further investigation of the inhibitory potential of these identified compounds using in vitro and in vivo approaches is recommended.

Synthesis, characterization, DFT, antioxidant, antibacterial, pharmacokinetics and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 main protease of some heterocyclic hydrazones

Three hydrazone derivatives have been synthesized using condensation reaction of 4-hydrazinylbenzoic acid with three aromatic aldehydes namely: thiophene-2-carbaldehyde, thiophene-3-carbaldehyde and 2-furaldehyde in ethanol at 78 °C reflux. The synthesized molecules have been characterized using spectroscopic and physicochemical methods including UV-Vis, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ¹⁵N NMR and melting point determination. Optimized molecular structures, UV-Vis and IR spectra modeling, the reactivity, the stability and some quantum chemical parameters of the synthesized molecules were modeled utilizing density functional theory (DFT). The obtained theoretical results were found in good agreement with the experimental results. On the other hand, the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the molecules under study were evaluated to better understand the associated mechanisms of action specifically. Also, predicted ADME-T and pharmacokinetic parameters indicated that these compounds showed good oral bioavailability. Finally, molecular docking has been used to predict the inhibitory activity of the studied hydrazone derivatives on the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro).

Acetophenone-Based 3,4-Dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-Thione as Potential Inhibitor of Tyrosinase and Ribonucleotide Reductase: Facile Synthesis, Crystal Structure, In-Vitro and In-Silico Investigations

The acetophenone-based 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thione was synthesized by the reaction of 4-methylpent-3-en-2-one (1), 4-acetyl aniline (2) and potassium thiocyanate. The spectroscopic analysis including: FTIR, 1H-NMR, and single crystal analysis proved the structure of synthesized compound (4), with the six-membered nonplanar ring in envelope conformation. In crystal structure, the intermolecular N-H ⋯ S and C-H ⋯ O hydrogen bonds link the molecule in a two-dimensional manner which is parallel to (010) the plane enclosing R22 (8) and R22 (10) ring motifs. After that, the Hirshfeld surfaces and their related two-dimensional fingerprint plots were used for thorough investigation of intermolecular interactions. According to Hirshfeld surface analysis, the most substantial contributions to the crystal packing are from H ⋯ H (59.5%), H ⋯ S/S ⋯ H (16.1%), and H ⋯ C/C ⋯ H (13.1%) interactions. The electronic properties and stability of the compound were investigated through density functional theory (DFT) studies using B3LYP functional and 6-31G* as a basis set. The compound 4 displayed the high chemical reactivity with chemical softness of 2.48. In comparison to the already reported known tyrosinase inhibitor, the newly synthesized derivatives exhibited almost seven-fold better inhibition of tyrosinase (IC50 = 1.97 μM), which was further supported by molecular docking studies. The compound 4 inside the active pocket of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) exhibited a binding energy of -19.68 kJ/mol, and with mammalian deoxy ribonucleic acid (DNA) it acts as an effective DNA groove binder with a binding energy of -21.32 kJ/mol. The results suggested further exploration of this compound at molecular level to synthesize more potential leads for the treatment of cancer.

Synthesis, crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis, DFT, molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation studies of (E)-2,6-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-3-methyl-4-(2-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)hydrazono)piperidine derivatives

A novel drug to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections and hydroxyl chloroquine analogue, (E)-2,6-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-3-methyl-4-(2-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)hydrazono)piperidine (BCMTP) compound has been synthesized in one pot reaction. The novel compound BCMTP has been characterized by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction patterns. Crystal packing is stabilized by C8-H8A•••Cl10ⁱ, C41-H41•••Cl1ⁱⁱ and N1-H1A•••Cl6ⁱⁱⁱ intermolecular hydrogen bonds. From the geometrical parameters, it is observed that the piperidine ring adopts chair conformation. Hirshfeld surface analysis was carried out to quantify the interactions and an interaction energy analysis was done to study the interactions between pairs of molecules. The geometrical structure was optimized by density functional theory (DFT) method at B3LYP/6-31G (d, p) as the basic set. The smaller binding energy value provides the higher reactivity of BCMTP compound than hydroxyl chloroquine and was corrected by high electrophilic and low nucleophilic reactions. The stability and charge delocalization of the molecule were also considered by natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The HOMO-LUMO energies describe the charge transfer which takes place within the molecule. Molecular electrostatic potential has also been analysed. Molecular docking studies are implemented to analyse the binding energy of the BCMTP compound against standard drugs such as the crystal structure of ADP ribose phosphatase of NSP3 from SARS-CoV-2 in complex with MES and SARS-CoV-2 main protease with an unliganded active site (2019-nCoV, corona virus disease 2019, COVID-19) and found to be considered having better antiviral agents. Molecular dynamics simulation was performed for COVID-19 main protease (Mpro: 6WCF/6Y84) to understand the elements governing the inhibitory effect and the stability of interaction under dynamic conditions.

Structure and surface analyses of a newly synthesized acyl thiourea derivative along with its in silico and in vitro investigations for RNR, DNA binding, urease inhibition and radical scavenging activities

N-((4-Acetylphenyl)carbamothioyl)-2,4-dichlorobenzamide (4) was synthesized by the treatment of 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl chloride with potassium thiocyanate in a 1 : 1 molar ratio in dry acetone to afford the 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl isothiocyanate in situ which on reaction with acetyl aniline furnished (4) in good yield and high purity. The compound was confirmed by FTIR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The planar rings were situated at a dihedral angle of 33.32(6)°. The molecules, forming S(6) ring motifs with the intramolecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, were linked through intermolecular C-H⋯O and N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds, enclosing R2 2(8) ring motifs, into infinite double chains along [101]. C-H⋯π and π⋯π interactions with an inter-centroid distance of 3.694 (1) Å helped to consolidate a three-dimensional architecture. Hirshfeld surface (HS) analysis further indicated that the most important contributions for the crystal packing were from H⋯C/C⋯H (20.9%), H⋯H (20.5%), H⋯Cl/Cl⋯H (19.4%), H⋯O/O⋯H (13.8%) and H⋯S/S⋯H (8.9%) interactions. Thus C-H⋯π (ring), π⋯π, van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding played the major roles in the crystal packing. The electronic structure and computed DFT (density functional theory) parameters identified the reactivity profile of compound (4). In silico binding of (4) with RNA indicated the formation of a stable protein-ligand complex via hydrogen bonding, while DNA docking studies inferred (4) as a potent groove binder. The experimentally observed hypochromic change (57.2%) in the UV-visible spectrum of (4) in the presence of varying DNA concentrations together with the evaluated binding parameters (K b; 7.9 × 104 M-1, ΔG; -28.42 kJ mol-1) indicated spontaneous interaction of (4) with DNA via groove binding and hence supported the findings obtained through docking analysis. This compound also showed excellent urease inhibition activity in both in silico and vitro studies with an IC50 value of 0.0389 ± 0.0017 μM. However, the radical scavenging efficiency of (4) was found to be modest in comparison to vitamin C.

Synthesis, crystal structure investigation and computational approach to discover potential hydrazide derivatives as a potent inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme

This study reports the synthesis of two new hydrazide derivatives, namely, (E)-N'-(4- bromobenzylidene)-2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propanehydrazide (4a) and (E)-N'-benzylidene-2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propanehydrazide (4b), respectively. The compounds were synthesized by the reaction of benzaldehyde with Ibuprofen acid hydrazide. Their structures were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. To try to do a more detailed investigation, computational studies including Hirshfeld surface analyses, energy frameworks, density functional theory (DFT) optimizations, frontier orbital analyses, molecular electrostatic potential analyses, and natural bond orbital analyses of the studied compounds are performed. Moreover, molecular docking and dynamics simulations of complexes of the compounds with the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme were performed to determine the anti-inflammatory potential of the compounds. These analyses predicted the compounds to show maximum chemical interactions and be dynamically stable during simulation time. Furthermore, estimation of binding free energies confirmed the high binding affinity of the compounds for the COX-2 enzyme.