Copper promoted desulfurization towards the synthesis of isothiocyanates

Exploration of morpholine-thiophene hybrid thiosemicarbazones for the treatment of ureolytic bacterial infections via targeting urease enzyme: Synthesis, biochemical screening and computational analysis

An important component of the pathogenicity of potentially pathogenic bacteria in humans is the urease enzyme. In order to avoid the detrimental impact of ureolytic bacterial infections, the inhibition of urease enzyme appears to be an appealing approach. Therefore, in the current study, morpholine-thiophene hybrid thiosemicarbazone derivatives (5a-i) were designed, synthesized and characterized through FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. A range of substituents including electron-rich, electron-deficient and inductively electron-withdrawing groups on the thiophene ring was successfully tolerated. The synthesized derivatives were evaluated in vitro for their potential to inhibit urease enzyme using the indophenol method. The majority of compounds were noticeably more potent than the conventional inhibitor, thiourea. The lead inhibitor, 2-(1-(5-chlorothiophen-2-yl)ethylidene)-N-(2-morpholinoethyl)hydrazinecarbothioamide (5g) inhibited the urease in an uncompetitive manner with an IC50 value of 3.80 ± 1.9 µM. The findings of the docking studies demonstrated that compound 5g has a strong affinity for the urease active site. Significant docking scores and efficient binding free energies were displayed by the lead inhibitor. Finally, the ADME properties of lead inhibitor (5g) suggested the druglikeness behavior with zero violation.

Novel 1,2,4-triazoles as selective carbonic anhydrase inhibitors showing ancillary anticathepsin B activity

Background: Exploration of the multi-target approach considering both human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) IX and XII and cathepsin B is a promising strategy to target cancer. Methodology & Results: 22 novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibition efficacy against hCA I, II, IX, XII isoforms and cathepsin B. The compounds demonstrated effective inhibition against hCA IX and/or XII isoforms with considerable selectivity over off-target hCA I/II. All compounds presented significant anticathepsin B activities at a low concentration of 10-7 M and in vitro results were also supported by the molecular modeling studies. Conclusion: Insights of present study can be utilized in the rational design of effective and selective hCA IX and XII inhibitors capable of inhibiting cathepsin B.

Recent advancement in the synthesis of isothiocyanates

Isothiocyanates exhibit various biological characteristics, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. Their significance extends to synthetic chemistry, where they serve as valuable platforms for versatile transformations. Consequently, they have attracted the attention of biologists and chemists. This review summarizes recent advancements in the synthesis of isothiocyanates. Access to a variety of starting materials is important to prepare isothiocyanates with diverse structures. This review categorizes synthetic methods into three types based on the starting materials and functional groups: (i) type A, derived from primary amines; (ii) type B, derived from other nitrogen functional groups; and (iii) type C, derived from non-nitrogen groups. Recent trends in synthetic methods have revealed the prevalence of type-A reactions derived from primary amines. However, type B reactions have rarely been reported. Notably, over the past four years, there has been a notable increase in type C reactions, indicating a growing interest in non-nitrogen-derived isothiocyanates. Overall, this review not only outlines the advancements in the synthesis of isothiocyanates but also highlights trends in the methodology.

Sulforaphane and Its Bifunctional Analogs: Synthesis and Biological Activity

For decades, various plants have been studied as sources of biologically active compounds. Compounds with anticancer and antimicrobial properties are the most frequently desired. Cruciferous plants, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and wasabi, have a special role in the research studies. Studies have shown that consumption of these plants reduce the risk of lung, breast, and prostate cancers. The high chemopreventive and anticancer potential of cruciferous plants results from the presence of a large amount of glucosinolates, which, under the influence of myrosinase, undergo an enzymatic transformation to biologically active isothiocyanates (ITCs). Natural isothiocyanates, such as benzyl isothiocyanate, phenethyl isothiocyanate, or the best-tested sulforaphane, possess anticancer activity at all stages of the carcinogenesis process, show antibacterial activity, and are used in organic synthesis. Methods of synthesis of sulforaphane, as well as its natural or synthetic bifunctional analogues with sulfinyl, sulfanyl, sulfonyl, phosphonate, phosphinate, phosphine oxide, carbonyl, ester, carboxamide, ether, or additional isothiocyanate functional groups, and with the unbranched alkyl chain containing 2-6 carbon atoms, are discussed in this review. The biological activity of these compounds are also reported. In the first section, glucosinolates, isothiocyanates, and mercapturic acids (their metabolites) are briefly characterized. Additionally, the most studied anticancer and antibacterial mechanisms of ITC actions are discussed.

N-Naphthoyl Thiourea Derivatives: An Efficient Ultrasonic-Assisted Synthesis, Reaction, and In Vitro Anticancer Evaluations

This work demonstrates the optimization of an efficient, mild, and environmentally friendly synthetic approach to access a diverse library of N-naphthoyl thioureas. These derivatives could be exploited as precursor scaffolds for designing valuable heterocycles with anticipated biological activities. Additionally, the utilization of a copper complex derived from the newly synthesized N-naphthoyl thiourea ligand in the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) dye was explored. The antiproliferative effect of the synthesized derivatives was examined against MCF-7, HCT116, and A549 cancer cell lines. Most of the assembled derivatives revealed a significant cytotoxic effect, in some cases, greater than doxorubicin. Of these, the copper complex demonstrated significant antitumor activities (IC50 < 1.3 μM) and lesser cytotoxic impact (IC50 > 76 μM), indicating its possibility as a pioneering candidate for future carcinogenic pharmaceutics. Relations between the structure and activity also have been addressed.

Structural revision of the Mcl-1 inhibitor MIM1: synthesis and biological studies on ovarian cancer cells with evaluation of designed analogues

In the area of cancer research, the development of new and potent inhibitors of anti-apoptotic proteins is a very active and promising topic. The small molecule MIM1 has been reported earlier as one of the first selective inhibitors of the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1. In the present paper, we first revised the structure of this molecule based on extensive physicochemical analyses. Then we designed and synthesized a focused library of analogues for the corrected structure of MIM1. Next, these molecules were subjected to a panel of in cellulo biological studies, allowing the identification of dual Bcl-xL/Mcl-1 inhibitors, as well as selective Mcl-1 inhibitors. These results have been complemented by fluorescence polarization assays with the Mcl-1 protein. Preliminary structure-activity relationships were discussed and extensive molecular modelling studies allowed us to propose a rationale for the biological activity of this series of new inhibitors, in particular for the selectivity of inhibition of Mcl-1 versus Bcl-xL.

Organophosphine-free copper-catalyzed isothiocyanation of amines with sodium bromodifluoroacetate and sulfur

A copper-catalyzed isothiocyanation of amines with sodium bromodifluoroacetate and sulfur in the absence of organophosphine has been established. This approach represents a simple and efficient one-pot synthesis of isothiocyanates, and features excellent functional group tolerance and the use of a cheap, safe and odorless sulfur source. Moreover, this process could directly provide isothiocyanate analogous bioactive molecules, thiocarbonyl-containing pesticides and facile construction of benzoxazole and benzimidazole frames.

Isothiocyanation of amines using the Langlois reagent

The Langlois reagent was found to be effective for the isothiocyanation of primary amines in the presence of copper iodide and diethyl phosphonate.

Copper-catalyzed synthesis of 2-aminophenyl benzothiazoles: a novel approach

Substituted 2-aminophenyl benzothiazoles have been constructed from thiourea via copper-catalyzed desulfurization/nucleophilic substitution followed by domino intra- and intermolecular C–N cross-coupling reactions under moderate reaction conditions.

The synthesis of arylcyanamides: a copper-catalyzed consecutive desulfurization and C–N cross-coupling strategy

A one pot highly efficient and simple protocol for the construction of aromatic cyanamides from thioureaviadesulphurization/C–N cross coupling using a cheap, readily available and air stable copper source as a catalyst has been described.

Staudinger/aza-Wittig reaction to access Nβ-protected amino alkyl isothiocyanates

A unified approach to access Nβ-protected amino alkyl isothiocyanates using Nβ-protected amino alkyl azides through a general strategy of Staudinger/aza-Wittig reaction is described. The type of protocol used to access isothiocyanates depends on the availability of precursors and also, especially in the amino acid chemistry, on the behavior of other labile groups towards the reagents used in the protocols; fortunately, we were not concerned about both these factors as precursor-azides were prepared easily by standard protocols, and the present protocol can pave the way for accessing title compounds without affecting Boc, Cbz and Fmoc protecting groups, and benzyl and tertiary butyl groups in the side chains. The present strategy eliminates the need for the use of amines to obtain title compounds and thus, this method is step-economical; additional advantages include retention of chirality, convenient handling and easy purification. A few hitherto unreported compounds were also prepared, and all final compounds were completely characterized by IR, mass, optical rotation, and 1H and 13C NMR studies.