Identification and structure-activity relationships of chromene-derived selective estrogen receptor modulators for treatment of postmenopausal symptoms

Design and evaluation of sulfadiazine derivatives as potent dual inhibitors of EGFRWT and EGFRT790M: integrating biological, molecular docking, and ADMET analysis

A series of derivatives (5-14) were synthesized through the diazotization of sulfadiazine with active methylene compounds. The chemical structures of these newly designed compounds were validated through spectral and elemental analysis techniques. The antiproliferative potential of derivatives 5-14 was assessed against three distinct cancer cell lines (A431, A549, and H1975) using the MTT assay. The results revealed that compounds 8, 12, and 14 exhibited the most potent antiproliferative activity, with IC50 values ranging from 2.31 to 7.56 μM. Notably, these values were significantly lower than those of known EGFR inhibitors, including erlotinib, gefitinib, and osimertinib, suggesting the potential of these derivatives as novel antiproliferative agents. Furthermore, compound 12 was identified as the most potent inhibitor of both EGFRWT and EGFRT790M protein kinases, with IC50 values of 14.5 and 35.4 nM, respectively. These results outperformed those of gefitinib and osimertinib, which exhibited IC50 values of 18.2 and 368.2 nM, and 57.8 and 8.5 nM, respectively. Molecular docking studies of compounds 8, 12, and 14 within the ATP-binding sites of both EGFRWT and EGFRT790M corroborated the in vitro results when compared to erlotinib, gefitinib, and osimertinib. The docking results indicated that compound 8 exhibited a favorable binding affinity for both EGFRWT and EGFRT790M, with binding scores of -6.40 kcal mol-1 and -7.53 kcal mol-1, respectively, which were comparable to those of gefitinib and osimertinib, with binding scores of -8.01 and -8.72 kcal mol-1, respectively. Furthermore, an assessment of the most promising EGFR inhibitors (8, 12, and 14) using the egg-boiled method for their in silico ADME properties revealed significant lipophilicity, blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration, and gastrointestinal (GIT) absorption. Collectively, our designed analogs, particularly compounds 8, 12, and 14, exhibit promising dual antiproliferative and EGFRWT and EGFRT790M kinase inhibitory properties, positioning them as efficient candidates for further therapeutic development.

Polymer Supported Nitrogen-Bridged Symmetrical Binuclear Dioxidomolybdenum(VI) Complexes and Their Homogeneous Analogues as Potential Catalysts for Efficient Synthesis of 2-Amino-3-Cyano-4H-Chromenes/Pyrans

Reaction of 2-chloromethyl-1H-benzimidazole with known intermediates (i-iii), prepared from diaminoguanidine hydrochloride with salicylaldehyde, 5-bromosalicylaldehyde or 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylaldehyde, in the presence of triethylamine (NEt3) led to the formation of benzimidazole appended new ligands, H4L1-H4L3 (I-III). The homogeneous nitrogen-bridged symmetrical binuclear complexes, [(MoVIO2)2(L1)(H2O)2] (1), [(MoVIO2)2(L2)(H2O)2] (2) and [(MoVIO2)2(L3)(MeOH)2] (3) have been isolated by reacting these ligands with [MoVIO2(acac)2] in a 1 : 2 molar ratio in refluxing methanol. Using 1 : 1 (ligand to Mo precursor) molar ratio under above reaction conditions resulted in the corresponding mononuclear complexes, [MoVIO2(H2L1)(MeOH)] (4), [MoVIO2(H2L2)(H2O)] (5) and [MoVIO2(H2L3)(MeOH)] (6). The binuclear heterogeneous compounds [(MoVIO2)2(L1)(DMF)2]@PS (PS-1), [(MoVIO2)2(L2)(DMF)2]@PS (PS-2) and [(MoVIO2)2(L3)(DMF)2]@PS (PS-3) have been obtained by immobilization of 1-3 onto chloromethylated polystyrene (PS) beads. All synthesized ligands, homogeneous as well as supported compounds have been characterized by elemental analyses and various spectroscopic methods. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study of complexes 1 and 3 confirms their nitrogen-bridged symmetrical binuclear structures while 4 is mononuclear. Heterogeneous compounds (PS-1-PS-3) have further been studied by microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy along with energy dispersive spectroscopy. These compounds (homogeneous and heterogeneous) were explored for catalytic applications to one-pot multicomponent reactions (MCRs) for efficient synthesis of biologically active 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-chromenes/pyrans (21 examples). Optimising various reaction parameters helped in achieving as high as 97 % yields of products. Though, only half equivalent of the binuclear complexes (1-3) was required compared to mononuclear analogues (4-6) to achieve comparable yields, heterogeneous catalysts have an added advantage due to their stability and recyclability. Suitable reaction mechanism has also been proposed based on isolated intermediates.

Synthesis, Characterization, Computational Studies, Molecular Docking, and In Vitro Anticancer Activity of Dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromene and 2-Aminobenzochromene Derivatives

2-Aminobenzochromenes and dihydropyranochromenes represent a unique class of biologically active compounds. Recent organic syntheses focus on the development of environmentally benign synthetic protocols, and as a part of this concept, we have taken a considerable interest in the synthesis of this class of biologically active compounds using an environment-friendly, reusable heterogeneous Amberlite IRA 400-Cl resin catalyst. This work further aims to highlight the importance and advantages of these compounds and to compare the experimental data obtained with those of the theoretical calculations made using the density functional theory (DFT) method. Molecular docking studies on the selected compounds were also carried out to study the effectiveness of these compounds in liver fibrosis treatment. Furthermore, we have performed molecular docking studies and an in vitro study of the anticancer activity of dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromenes and 2-aminobenzochromenes against human colon cancer cells [HT29].

Vanillin-Based Indolin-2-one Derivative Bearing a Pyridyl Moiety as a Promising Anti-Breast Cancer Agent via Anti-Estrogenic Activity

The structure-based design introduced indoles as an essential motif in designing new selective estrogen receptor modulators employed for treating breast cancer. Therefore, here, a series of synthesized vanillin-substituted indolin-2-ones were screened against the NCI-60 cancer cell panel followed by in vivo, in vitro, and in silico studies. Physicochemical parameters were evaluated with HPLC and SwissADME tools. The compounds demonstrated promising anti-cancer activity for the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line (GI = 6-63%). The compound with the highest activity (6j) was selective for the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line (IC₅₀ = 17.01 μM) with no effect on the MCF-12A normal breast cell line supported by real-time cell analysis. A morphological examination of the used cell lines confirmed a cytostatic effect of compound 6j. It inhibited both in vivo and in vitro estrogenic activity, triggering a 38% reduction in uterine weight induced by estrogen in an immature rat model and hindering 62% of ER-α receptors in in vitro settings. In silico molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies supported the stability of the ER-α and compound 6j protein-ligand complex. Herein, we report that indolin-2-one derivative 6j is a promising lead compound for further pharmaceutical formulations as a potential anti-breast cancer drug.

Synthesis and DFT Study of 7-Bromophenylnaphthopyran Moieties

A one-pot, three-component reaction of 6-bromo-2-naphthol (1), p-chlorobenzaldehyde (2) and malononitrile or ethyl cyanoacetate (3) in ethanol/piperidine under reflux was performed to afford 4H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyrano-3-carbonitrile (4a) and ethyl 4H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyrano-3-carboxylate (4b) derivatives, respectively. The structure of these compounds was determined using IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectra. The molecular geometry of compounds 4a and 4b was determined at the B3LYP/631+G(d) level. The geometric optimization was performed on two tautomers and two conformers. Tautomers were separated by about 7.942 kcal/mol, while rotational conformers were separated by just 0.511 kcal/mol. The global electrophilicity, hardness, softness and local condensed Fukui functions were calculated and considered as molecular reactivity descriptors, moreover the frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) were also calculated.

A small-molecule activator of the unfolded protein response eradicates human breast tumors in mice

Metastatic estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive breast cancer is presently incurable. Seeking to target these drug-resistant cancers, we report the discovery of a compound, called ErSO, that activates the anticipatory unfolded protein response (a-UPR) and induces rapid and selective necrosis of ERα-positive breast cancer cell lines in vitro. We then tested ErSO in vivo in several preclinical orthotopic and metastasis mouse models carrying different xenografts of human breast cancer lines or patient-derived breast tumors. In multiple orthotopic models, ErSO treatment given either orally or intraperitoneally for 14 to 21 days induced tumor regression without recurrence. In a cell line tail vein metastasis model, ErSO was also effective at inducing regression of most lung, bone, and liver metastases. ErSO treatment induced almost complete regression of brain metastases in mice carrying intracranial human breast cancer cell line xenografts. Tumors that did not undergo complete regression and regrew remained sensitive to retreatment with ErSO. ErSO was well tolerated in mice, rats, and dogs at doses above those needed for therapeutic responses and had little or no effect on normal ERα-expressing murine tissues. ErSO mediated its anticancer effects through activation of the a-UPR, suggesting that activation of a tumor protective pathway could induce tumor regression.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activity of Certain Benzo[h]chromene Derivatives

BACKGROUND

Benzo[h]chromenes attracted great attention because of their widespread biological activities, including anti-proliferate activity, and the discovery of novel effective anti-cancer agents is imperative.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective was to synthesize new benzo[h]chromene derivatives and some reported derivatives, and then test all of them for their anti-cancer activities.

METHODS

The structures of the newly synthesized derivatives were confirmed by elemental and spectral analysis (IR, Mass, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR). 35 compounds were selected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for single-dose testing against 60 cell lines and 3 active compounds were selected for 5-doses testing. Also, these 3 compounds were tested as EGFR-inhibitors; using sorafenib as standard, and as Tubulin polymerization inhibitors using colchicines as a standard drug. Moreover, molecular docking study for the most active derivative on these 2 enzymes was also carried out.

RESULTS

Compounds 1a, 1c and 2b have the highest activities among all 35 tested compounds especially compound 1c.

CONCLUSION

compound 1c has promising anti-cancer activities compared to the used standards and may need further modification and investigations.

A New Family of Benzo[h]Chromene Based Azo Dye: Synthesis, In-Silico and DFT Studies with In Vitro Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Assessment

The high biological activity of the chromene compounds coupled with the intriguing optical features of azo chromophores prompted our desire to construct novel derivatives of chromene incorporating azo moieties 4a-l, which have been prepared via a three-component reaction of 1-naphthalenol-4-[(4-ethoxyphenyl) azo], 1, with the benzaldehyde derivatives and malononitrile. The structural identities of the azo-chromene 4a-l were confirmed on the basis of their spectral data and elemental analysis, and a UV-visible study was performed in a Dimethylformamide (DMF) solution for these molecules. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity was investigated against four human pathogens (Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria) and four fungi, employing an agar well diffusion method, with their minimum inhibitory concentrations being reported. Molecules 4a, 4g, and 4h were discovered to be more efficacious against Syncephalastrum racemosum (RCMB 05922) in comparison to the reference drugs, while compounds 4b and 4h demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) in evaluation against the reference drugs. Moreover, their cytotoxicity was assessed against three different human cell lines, including human colon carcinoma (HCT-116), human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2), and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) with a selection of molecules illustrating potency against the HCT-116 and MCF-7 cell lines. Furthermore, the molecular modeling results depicted the binding interactions of the synthesized compounds 3b and 3h in the active site of the E. coli DNA gyrase B enzyme with a clear SAR (structure-activity relationship) analysis. Lastly, the density functional theory's (DFTs) theoretical calculations were performed to quantify the energy levels of the Frontier Molecular Orbitals (FMOs) and their energy gaps, dipole moments, and molecular electrostatic potentials. These data were utilized in the chemical descriptor estimations to confirm the biological activity.

Discovery of novel 2H-chromene-3-carbonyl derivatives as selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs): Design, synthesis and biological evaluation

Selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) not only block ERα activity but degrade this receptor at the same time and are effective in relapsed ERα positive breast cancer patients who have accepted other endocrine therapies. Herein, through scaffold hopping of coumarin skeleton, a series of 2H-chromene-3-carbonyl-based SERDs with phenyl acrylic acid group as the side chain were designed and synthesized. Compound XH04 containing 7-hydroxy-2H-chromene-3-carbonyl skeleton exhibited the most potent activities in 2D (IC₅₀ = 0.8 μM) and 3D cells culture models (MCF-7) and had the best ERα binding affinity as well. Furthermore, the significant antiestrogen property of compound XH04 was confirmed by inhibiting the expression of progesterone receptor (PgR) mRNA in MCF-7 cells. On the other hand, the outgoing ERα degradation property of compound XH04 was qualitatively and quantificationally verified by immunofluorescence analysis and Western blot assay in MCF-7 cells. Besides, compound XH04 repressed the expression level of Ki67 in MCF-7 cells and induced the apoptosis increase of this tumor cells in a dose-dependent manner like approved-SERD fulvestrant (2), while compound XH04 exhibited better preliminary pharmacokinetics in human and rat liver microsomes in vitro and a lower LogD_7.4 value than fulvestrant. And further molecular docking study revealed that compound XH04 possessed a proverbial and typical binding model with ERα like other reported SERD. All these results confirmed that 7-hydroxy-2H-chromene-3-carbonyl structure could be a feasible skeleton for design of ERα antagonists including SERDs and compound XH04 is a promising candidate for further development of ERα + breast cancer therapy agents.

The Quest for Orally Available Selective Estrogen Receptor Degraders (SERDs)

Estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα) is the target of endocrine therapies for the treatment of more than 70 % of ERα-positive breast cancers. Selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) antagonize estrogen binding and target the receptor for degradation, representing the last line of treatment for resistant metastatic breast cancer patients. However, the clinical efficacy of the lone clinically approved SERD (Fulvestrant) is limited by its poor oral bioavailability. Recently, several analogues of GW5638, an acrylic acid-based ERα ligand developed by Glaxo Research Institute in 1994, have been reported as promising orally bioavailable SERDs. Some of these compounds are currently in clinical trials, while various other structurally novel SERDs have also been reported by pharma as well as academic research groups. This review provides a critical analysis of the recent developments in orally available SERDs, with a focus on the structure-activity relationships, binding interactions and pharmacokinetic properties of these compounds.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 3-cyano-4H-chromene Derivatives Bearing Carbamate Functionality

Background:

2-Aminochromene derivatives display important pharmacological properties, including mainly antibiotic and anticancer activities.

Objective:

The study aims to synthesize new chromene derivatives via a new approach using Grignard reagents, for the evaluation of their antibiotic and antifungal properties.

Method:

A series of novel 3-cyano-4-aminochromene derivatives bearing alkyl substituents at the 4-position was prepared for biological evaluation.

Results:

These compounds were obtained by the addition of various Grignard reagents into Nethoxycarbonyl- 3-cyanoiminocoumarines in moderate to good yields (72-96%). The reaction is completely regioselective. The new chromene derivatives were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activities against a panel of six bacterial and three fungal strains using agar dilution method.

Conclusion:

The antibacterial activity of the chromene derivatives was more pronounced on Gram-positive bacteria than on Gram-negative bacteria with a significant activity observed against Staphylococcus aureus. An interesting antifungal activity against Fusarium sp. and Fusarium oxysporum was also noticed.

Introducing novel potent anticancer agents of 1H-benzo[f]chromene scaffolds, targeting c-Src kinase enzyme with MDA-MB-231 cell line anti-invasion effect

In our effort to develop novel and powerful agents with anti-proliferative activity, two new series of 1H-benzo[f]chromene derivatives, 4a–h and 6a–h, were synthesised using heterocyclocondensation methodologies under microwave irradiation condition. The structures of the target compounds were established on the basis of their spectral data, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³ C NMR, ¹³ C NMR-DEPT/APT, and MS data. The new compounds have been examined for their anti-proliferative activity against three cancer cell lines, MCF-7, HCT-116, and HepG-2. Vinblastine and Doxorubicin have been used as positive controls in the viability assay. The obtained results confirmed that most of the tested molecules revealed strong and selective cytotoxic activity against the three cancer cell lines. Moreover, these molecules exhibited weak cytotoxicity on the HFL-1 line, which suggested that they might be ideal anticancer candidates. The SAR study of the new benzochromene compounds verified that the substituents on the phenyl ring of 1H-benzo[f]chromene nucleus, accompanied with the presence of bromine atom or methoxy group at the 8-position, increases the ability of these molecules against the different cell lines. Due to their high anti-proliferative activity, compounds 4c and 6e were selected to be examined their proficiency to inhibit the invasiveness of the highly sensitive and invasive breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231. The anti-invasion behaviour of these molecules against the highly sensitive, non-oestrogen, and progesterone MDA-MB-231 cell line gave rise to their decreasing metastatic effect compared to the reference drug. Furthermore, this report explores the apoptotic mechanistic pathway of the cytotoxicity of the target compounds and reveals that most of these compounds enhance the Caspase 3/7 activity that could be considered as potential anticancer agents.

Crystal structure of 3-amino-1-(4-bromophenyl)-9-methoxy-1H-benzo[f]chromene-2-carbonitrile, C21H15BrN2O2

C21H15BrN2O2, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 8.6873(3) Å, b = 9.9252(3) Å, c = 11.0013(3) Å, α = 77.977(2)°, β = 70.989(2)°, γ = 89.321(2)°, V = 875.55(5) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0369, wRref(F2) = 0.1043, T = 296(2) K.

Crystal structure of 3-amino-8-methoxy-1-(4-methoxy phenyl)-1H-benzo[f]chromene-2-carbonitrile, C22H18N2O3

C22H18N2O3, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 35.4037(10) Å, b = 6.0294(2) Å, c = 20.1702(7) Å, β = 122.239(4)°, V = 3641.8(2) Å3, Z = 8, R gt(F) = 0.0482, wR ref(F 2) = 0.1406, T = 296(2) K.

Structure-activity relationships and molecular docking studies of chromene and chromene based azo chromophores: A novel series of potent antimicrobial and anticancer agents

The design of novel materials with significant biological properties is a main target in drug design research. Chromene compounds represent an interesting medicinal scaffold in drug replacement systems. This report illustrates a successful synthesis and characterization of two novel series of chromene compounds using multi-component reactions. The synthesis of the first example of azo chromophores containing chromene moieties has also been established using the same methodology. The antimicrobial activity of the new molecules has been tested against seven human pathogens including two Gm+ve, two Gm-ve bacteria, and four fungi, and the results of the inhibition zones with minimum inhibitory concentrations were reported as compared to reference drugs. All the designed compounds showed significant potent antimicrobial activities, among of them, four potent compounds 4b, 4c, 13e, and 13i showed promising MIC from 0.007 to 3.9 µg/mL. In addition, antiproliferative analysis against three target cell lines was examined for the novel compounds. Compounds 4a, 4b, 4c, and 7c possessed significant antiproliferative activity against three cell lines with an IC₅₀ of 0.3 to 2 µg/mL. Apoptotic analysis was performed for the most potent compounds via caspase enzyme activity assays as a potential mechanism for their antiproliferative effects. Finally, the computational 2D QSAR and docking simulations were accomplished for structure-activity relationship analyses.

Lead Optimization of Benzoxepin-Type Selective Estrogen Receptor (ER) Modulators and Downregulators with Subtype-Specific ERα and ERβ Activity

Estrogen receptor α (ERα) is an important target for the design of drugs such as tamoxifen (2a) and fulvestrant (5). Three series of ER-ligands based on the benzoxepin scaffold structure were synthesized: series I containing an acrylic acid, series II with an acrylamide, and series III with a saturated carboxylic acid substituent. These compounds were shown to be high affinity ligands for the ER with nanomolar IC₅₀ binding values. Series I acrylic acid ligands were generally ERα selective. In particular, compound 13e featuring a phenylpenta-2,4-dienoic acid substituent was shown to be antiproliferative and downregulated ERα and ERβ expression in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Interestingly, from series III, the phenoxybutyric acid derivative compound 22 was not antiproliferative and selectively downregulated ERβ. A docking study of the benzoxepin ligands was undertaken. Compound 13e is a promising lead for development as a clinically relevant SERD, while compound 22 will be a useful experimental probe for helping to elucidate the role of ERβ in cancer cells.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking studies of novel 3-aryl-4-anilino-2H-chromen-2-one derivatives targeting ERα as anti-breast cancer agents

The estrogen receptor (ER) has played an important role in breast cancer development and progression and is a central target for anticancer drug discovery. In order to develop novel selective ERα modulators (SERMs), we designed and synthesized 18 novel 3-aryl-4-anilino-2H-chromen-2-one derivatives based on previously reported lead compounds. The biological results indicated that most of the compounds presented potent ERα binding affinity and possessed better anti-proliferative activities against MCF-7 and Ishikawa cell lines than the positive control tamoxifen. The piperidyl substituted compounds such as 16d and 18d demonstrated strong ERα binding affinities and excellent anti-proliferative activities respectively. Compound 18d displayed the most potent ERα binding affinity with RBA value of 2.83%, while 16d exhibited the best anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ value of 4.52±2.47μM. Further molecular docking studies were also carried out to investigate binding pattern of the newly synthesized compounds with ERα. All these results together with the structure-activity relationships (SARs) indicated that these 3-aryl-4-anilino-2H-chromen-2-one derivatives with basic side chain could serve as promising leads for further optimization as novel SERMs.

Design of New Benzo[h]chromene Derivatives: Antitumor Activities and Structure-Activity Relationships of the 2,3-Positions and Fused Rings at the 2,3-Positions

A series of novel 4H-benzo[h]chromenes 4, 6-11, 13, 14; 7H-benzo[h]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidines 15-18, 20, and 14H-benzo[h]chromeno[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine derivatives 19a-e, 24 was prepared. The structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized on the basis of their spectral data. Some of the target compounds were examined for their antiproliferative activity against three cell lines; breast carcinoma (MCF-7), human colon carcinoma (HCT-116) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2). The cytotoxic behavior has been tested using MTT assay and the inhibitory activity was referenced to three standard anticancer drugs: vinblastine, colchicine and doxorubicin. The bioassays demonstrated that some of the new compounds exerted remarkable inhibitory effects as compared to the standard drugs on the growth of the three tested human tumor cell lines. The structure-activity relationships (SAR) study highlights that the antitumor activity of the target compounds was significantly affected by the lipophilicity of the substituent at 2- or 3- and fused rings at the 2,3-positions.

Crystal structure of 3-amino-9-methoxy-1-phenyl-1H-benzo[f]chromene-2-carbonitrile, C21H16N2O2

C21H16N2O2, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 13.4768(7) Å, b = 6.9225(3) Å, c = 18.2840(8) Å, β = 107.601(2)°, V = 1625.92(13) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0593, wRref(F2) = 0.1529, T = 100 K.