Anti-cancer properties and catalytic oxidation of sulfides based on vanadium(V) complexes of unprotected sugar-based Schiff-base ligands

An Insight into the Effect of Schiff Base and their d and f Block Metal Complexes on Various Cancer Cell Lines as Anticancer Agents: A Review

Over the last few decades, an alarming rise in the percentage of individuals with cancer and those with multi-resistant illnesses has forced researchers to explore possibilities for novel therapeutic approaches. Numerous medications currently exist to treat various disorders, and the development of small molecules as anticancer agents has considerable potential. However, the widespread prevalence of resistance to multiple drugs in cancer indicates that it is necessary to discover novel and promising compounds with ideal characteristics that could overcome the multidrug resistance issue. The utilisation of metallo-drugs has served as a productive anticancer chemotherapeutic method, and this approach may be implemented for combating multi-resistant tumours more successfully. Schiff bases have been receiving a lot of attention as a group of compounds due to their adaptable metal chelating abilities, innate biologic properties, and versatility to tweak the structure to optimise it for a specific biological purpose. The biological relevance of Schiff base and related complexes, notably their anticancer effects, has increased in their popularity as bio-inorganic chemistry has progressed. As a result of learning about Schiff bases antitumor efficacy against multiple cancer cell lines and their complexes, researchers are motivated to develop novel, side-effect-free anticancer treatments. According to study reports from the past ten years, we are still seeking a powerful anticancer contender. This study highlights the potential of Schiff bases, a broad class of chemical molecules, as potent anticancer agents. In combination with other anticancer strategies, they enhance the efficacy of treatment by elevating the cytotoxicity of chemotherapy, surmounting drug resistance, and promoting targeted therapy. Schiff bases also cause cancer cell DNA repair, improve immunotherapy, prevent angiogenesis, cause apoptosis, and lessen the side effects of chemotherapy. The present review explores the development of potential Schiff base and their d and f block metal complexes as anticancer agents against various cancer cell lines.

Antitumor Properties of a New Macrocyclic Tetranuclear Oxidovanadium(V) Complex with 3-Methoxysalicylidenvaline Ligand

A wide variety of metal-based compounds have been obtained and studied for their antitumor activity since the intensely used cytostatic drugs (e.g., cisplatin) failed to accomplish their expected pharmacological properties. Thus, we aimed to develop a new vanadium-based drug and assess its antitumor properties using the human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cell line. The compound was synthesized from vanadyl sulfate, DL-valine, and o-vanillin and was spectrally and structurally characterized (UV-Vis, IR, CD, and single-crystal/powder-XRD). Compound stability in biological media, cell uptake, and the interaction with albumin were assessed. The mechanisms of its antitumor activity were determined compared to cisplatin by performing cytotoxicity, oxidative and mitochondrial status, DNA fragmentation, β-Tubulin synthesis investigation, and cell cycle studies. Herein, we developed a macrocyclic tetranuclear oxidovanadium(V) compound, [(V^VO)(L)(CH₃O)]₄, having coordinated four Schiff base (H₂L) ligands, 3-methoxysalicylidenvaline. We showed that [(V^VO)(L)(CH₃O)]₄: (i) has pH-dependent stability in biological media, (ii) binds to albumin in a dose-dependent manner, (iii) is taken up by cells in a time-dependent way, (iv) has a higher capacity to induce cell death compared to cisplatin (IC₅₀ = 6 μM vs. 10 μM), by altering the oxidative and mitochondrial status in HepG2 cells. Unlike cisplatin, which blocks the cell cycle in the S-phase, the new vanadium-based compound arrests it in S and G2/M-phase, whereas no differences in the induction of DNA fragmentation and reduction of β-Tubulin synthesis between the two were determined. Thus, the [(V^VO)(L)(CH₃O)]₄ antitumor mechanism involved corroboration between the generation of oxidative species, mitochondrial dysfunction, degradation of DNA, cell cycle arrest in the S and G2/M-phase, and β-Tubulin synthesis reduction. Our studies demonstrate the potent antitumor activity of [(V^VO)(L)(CH₃O)]₄ and propose it as an attractive candidate for anticancer therapy.

An Insight into All Tested Small Molecules against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Albedinis: A Comparative Review

Bayoud disease affects date palms in North Africa and the Middle East, and many researchers have used various methods to fight it. One of those methods is the chemical use of synthetic compounds, which raises questions centred around the compounds and common features used to prepare targeted molecules. In this review, 100 compounds of tested small molecules, collected from 2002 to 2022 in Web of Sciences, were divided into ten different classes against the main cause of Bayoud disease pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (F.o.a.) with structure-activity relationship (SAR) interpretations for pharmacophore site predictions as (δ^-···δ^-), where 12 compounds are the most efficient (one compound from each group). The compounds, i.e., (Z)-1-(1.5-Dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-3-yl)-3-hydroxy but-2-en-1-one 7, (Z)-3-(phenyl)-1-(1,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-3-yl)-3-hydroxyprop-2-en-1-one 23, (Z)-1-(1,5-Dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-3-yl)-3-hydroxy-3-(pyridine-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one 29, and 2,3-bis-[(2-hydroxy-2-phenyl)ethenyl]-6-nitro-quinoxaline 61, have antifungal pharmacophore sites (δ^-···δ^-) in common in N1---O4, whereas other compounds have only one δ^- pharmacophore site pushed by the donor effect of the substituents on the phenyl rings. This specificity interferes in the biological activity against F.o.a. Further understanding of mechanistic drug-target interactions on this subject is currently underway.