The phthalimide analogues N-3-hydroxypropylphthalimide and N-carboxymethyl-3-nitrophthalimide exhibit activity in experimental models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain

An Efficient Synthesis of 1-(1,3-Dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)-3-aryl Urea Analogs as Anticancer and Antioxidant Agents: An Insight into Experimental and In Silico Studies

The present investigation reports the efficient multistep synthesis of 1-(1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)-3-aryl urea analogs (7a-f) in good yields. All the 1-(1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)-3-aryl urea analogs (7a-f) were characterized by spectroscopic techniques. Five among the six compounds were tested against 56 cancer cell lines at 10 µM as per the standard protocol. 1-(4-Bromophenyl)-3-(1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)urea (7c) exhibited moderate but significant anticancer activity against EKVX, CAKI-1, UACC-62, MCF7, LOX IMVI, and ACHN with percentage growth inhibitions (PGIs) of 75.46, 78.52, 80.81, 83.48, 84.52, and 89.61, respectively. Compound 7c was found to exhibit better anticancer activity than thalidomide against non-small cell lung, CNS, melanoma, renal, prostate, and breast cancer cell lines. It was also found to exhibit superior anticancer activity against melanoma cancer compared to imatinib. Among the tested compounds, the 4-bromosubstitution (7c) on the phenyl ring demonstrated good anticancer activity. Docking scores ranging from -6.363 to -7.565 kcal/mol were observed in the docking studies against the molecular target EGFR. The ligand 7c displayed an efficient binding against the EGFR with a docking score of -7.558 kcal/mol and displayed an H-bond interaction with Lys745 and the carbonyl functional group. Compound 7c demonstrated a moderate inhibition of EGFR with an IC50 of 42.91 ± 0.80 nM, in comparison to erlotinib (IC50 = 26.85 ± 0.72 nM), the standard drug. The antioxidant potential was also calculated for the compounds (7a-f), which exhibited good to low activity. 1-(2-Methoxyphenyl)-3-(1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)urea (7f) and 1-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-3-(1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)urea (7d) demonstrated significant antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 15.99 ± 0.10 and 16.05 ± 0.15 µM, respectively. The 2- and 4-methoxysubstitutions on the N-phenyl ring showed good antioxidant activity among the series of compounds (7a-f). An in silico ADMET prediction studies showed the compounds' adherence to Lipinski's rule of five: they were free from toxicities, including mutagenicity, cytotoxicity, and immunotoxicity, but not for hepatotoxicity. The toxicity prediction demonstrated LD50 values between 1000 and 5000 mg/Kg, putting the compounds either in class IV or class V toxicity classes. Our findings might create opportunities for more advancements in cancer therapeutics.

A New N-Substituted 1H-Isoindole-1,3(2H)-Dione Derivative-Synthesis, Structure and Affinity for Cyclooxygenase Based on In Vitro Studies and Molecular Docking

Isoindoline-1,3-dione derivatives constitute an important group of medicinal substances. In this study, nine new 1H-isoindole-1,3(2H)-dione derivatives and five potential pharmacophores were obtained in good yield (47.24–92.91%). The structure of the new imides was confirmed by the methods of elemental and spectral analysis: FT–IR, H NMR, and MS. Based on the obtained results of ESI–MS the probable path of the molecules decay and the hypothetical structure of the resulting pseudo-molecular ions have been proposed. The physicochemical properties of the new phthalimides were determined on the basis of Lipiński’s rule. The biological properties were determined in terms of their cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitory activity. Three compounds showed greater inhibition of COX-2, three compounds inhibited COX-1 more strongly than the reference compound meloxicam. From the obtained results, the affinity ratio COX-2/COX-1 was calculated. Two compounds had a value greater than that of meloxicam. All tested compounds showed oxidative or nitrosan stress (ROS and RNS) scavenging activity. The degree of chromatin relaxation outside the cell nucleus was lower than the control after incubation with all test compounds. The newly synthesized phthalimide derivatives showed no cytotoxic activity in the concentration range studied (10–90 µM). A molecular docking study was used to determined interactions inside the active site of cyclooxygenases.

Antileishmanial activity of 4-phenyl-1-[2-(phthalimido-2-yl)ethyl]-1H-1,2,3-triazole (PT4) derivative on Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania braziliensis: In silico ADMET, in vitro activity, docking and molecular dynamic simulations

Organic compounds obtained by click chemistry reactions have demonstrated a broad spectrum of biological activities being widely applied for the development of molecules against pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), caused by intracellular protozoa parasite of genus Leishmania, comprises a complex of clinical manifestations that affect the skin and mucous membranes. The available drugs for the treatment are toxic and costly, with long periods of treatment, and the emergence of resistant strains has been reported. In this study we investigated the in vitro effects of a phthalimide-1,2,3-triazole derivative, the 4-Phenyl-1-[2-(phthalimido-2-yl)ethyl]-1H-1,2,3-triazole (PT4) obtained by click chemistry, on mammalian cells and on L. amazonensis and L. braziliensis, the causative agents of CL in Brazil. In silico ADMET evaluation of PT4 showed that this molecule has good pharmacokinetic properties with no violation of Lipinski's rules. The in vitro assays showed that PT4 was more selective for both Leishmania species than to mammalian cells. This compound also presented low cytotoxicity to mammalian cells with CC₅₀ > 500 μM. Treatment of promastigote forms with different concentrations of PT4 resulted in ultrastructural alterations, such as plasma membrane wrinkling, shortening of cell body, increased cell volume and cell rupture. The molecular dynamic simulations showed that PT4 interacts with Lanosterol 14 α-demethylase from Leishmania, an essential enzyme of lipid synthesis pathway in this parasite. Our results demonstrated PT4 was effective against both species of Leishmania. PT4 caused a decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased production of reactive oxygen species, which may lead to parasite death. Taken together, our results pointed PT4 as promissing therapeutic agent against CL.