Synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation of novel 1,8-acridinedione derivatives bearing phthalimide moiety as potential antitumor agents

Metal-organic framework MIL-101(Fe) functionalized with folic acid as a multifunctional nanocarrier for targeted chemotherapy-photodynamic therapy

A novel folic acid-conjugated, iron-based MOF (MIL-101(Fe)) loaded with 1,8-acridinediones (DO8) was developed for targeted photodynamic therapy (PDT) of HepG-2 cells. This composite aims to trigger an anticancer response through sequential PDT and chemotherapy. The nanocomposite exhibited high stability in a physiological environment with a pH of 7.4. It was also able to release DO8 continuously in an acidic environment with a pH of 5, which shows that it can adapt to the conditions in the tumor microenvironment. The MIL-101(Fe)MOF-FA@DO8 nanoparticles (NPs) with 30% and 50% DO8 have been studied in vitro under different conditions (light and dark) and have been shown to be compatible with living tissues and specifically target HepG-2 cells. The IC50 values of 50% DO8 and 30% DO8 loaded MOF-FA were found to be 88.67 and 105.9 μg mL-1 under dark conditions, respectively. Under light conditions, they demonstrated the highest efficacy in inhibiting tumor cell growth. The IC50 values were found to be 8.94 and 11.78 μg mL-1. Flow cytometry analysis of annexin V/PI-stained apoptotic and necrotic cells in HepG-2 cells treated with the modified MIL-101-FA@50% DO8 NPs at IC50 doses under both dark and light conditions indicates that the primary mechanism of cell death is necrosis, likely due to the enhanced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under light conditions compared to that under dark conditions. This increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation leads to extensive membrane rupture, resulting in significant cell damage after treatment with the modified MIL-101-FA@50% DO8 NPs. These findings underscore the potential of this nanocomposite as an effective PDT agent for targeted cancer therapy.

Synthesis, in vivo evaluation, and in silico molecular docking of benzo[h]quinoline derivatives as potential Culex pipiens L. larvicides

A new series of benzo[h]quinoline-containing heterocycles was synthesized via reactions of benzo[h]quinolinyl-2(3H)-furanone with some nitrogen bidentate nucleophiles, leading to the formation of pyridazinone, pyrrolinone, benzimidazole, and benzoxazinone derivatives. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their insecticidal activity against Culex pipiens L. larvae. Among these, pyridazinone 3 demonstrated the highest insecticidal activity with an LC50 value of 1.4 µg/mL (3.40 µM), significantly outperforming the reference insecticide chlorpyrifos. Molecular docking studies were conducted to explore the potential interactions between these compounds and key mosquito neuroreceptors, such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE), nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR), and the alpha subunit of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC). The docking results indicated strong binding affinities, suggesting that these derivatives could disrupt the normal functions of these neuroreceptors, contributing to their insecticidal activity. Additionally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to assess the stability and binding interactions of compound 3 with AChE which revealed stable and strong interactions with key residues in the enzyme's active site, such as Trp212, Asp200, and Ile198, leading to reduced conformational flexibility and enhanced binding stability. These findings were further supported by MM-GBSA binding free energy calculations, which aligned with the compound's observed high inhibitory potency. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis demonstrated that specific structural modifications, especially those involving pyridazinone and benzoxazinone frameworks, had a significant impact on the insecticidal potency of the derivatives. Additionally, ADME profiling indicated favorable pharmacokinetic properties, supporting the potential of these compounds as effective larvicides. This study presents novel insights into the synthesis and insecticidal potential of benzo[h]quinoline derivatives, which could contribute to developing more effective and sustainable solutions for controlling mosquito populations, especially amidst growing concerns of insecticide resistance in disease vectors.

Antiproliferative Activity and Molecular Docking of Some Pyrazole-Based Quinazolinone, Benzimidazole, and Tetrazinethione Derivatives

Researchers are actively looking for novel anticancer medications because cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. A fascinating area of study in medicinal chemistry is the screening of antioxidants for novel anticancer medicines, as antioxidants have lately been used as therapeutic candidates to combat a variety of ailments in aerobic species. Additionally, pyrazole-based heterocycle synthesis is a productive approach to the drug development process. To ascertain the molecular geometry and frontier orbital analysis, a DFT simulation of the produced compounds was conducted. Compound 7 showed the lowest energy gap and hardness, while compound 7 had the maximum softness. Therefore, a few quinazoline, benzimidazole, and tetrazinethione derivatives based on pyrazoles that were synthesized in our earlier work and exhibited antioxidant qualities were tested for their in vitro antiproliferative activity against the MCF7 and HCT116 cancer cell lines. The two cancer cell lines were most effectively inhibited by derivatives of sulfonamide and tetrazinethione. The molecular docking simulation toward CDK2 protein specified the best docking score of tetrazinethione 7 followed by sulfonamide derivative 4, compared to doxorubicin and roscovitine (kinase inhibitor). Most of the amino acids interacting with these compounds were involved in that interaction with the co-crystallized ligand. Their favorable oral bioavailability and drug-likeness characteristics were demonstrated by a modeling pharmacokinetics investigation. This research could help create novel antiproliferative drugs that are both efficient and selective.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Trihalomethyl Ketone Derivatives of Neocarzilin A as Improved Antimetastatic Agents

Vesicle Amine Transport-1 (VAT1) is a protein that is overexpressed in many cancers, including breast cancer, glioblastoma, and angiosarcoma. High VAT1 expression correlates with poor overall survival, and genetic knockout models of VAT1 indicate potent antimigratory activity, suggesting that VAT1 is a promising antimetastasis target. Recently, the natural product neocarzilin A (NCA) from Streptomyces carzinostaticus was reported to be the first validated small-molecule inhibitor of VAT1, having strong activity in metastasis models of angiosarcoma and breast cancer. While knockdown of VAT1 has no effect on cell viability, NCA has significant cytotoxicity, suggesting that NCA is not selective for VAT1. Additionally, NCA has poor aqueous solubility, making in vivo administration of NCA challenging and thus limiting its therapeutic potential. Here, we report the design, synthesis, bioactivity, and pharmacokinetics of novel NCA derivatives with improved drug-like properties. Specifically, we have developed derivatives with altered warheads, replacing chlorines on the trichloroketone with fluorines. Using a modified synthetic route, we accessed NCA derivatives with greater than 25-fold improvements in solubility and 30-fold improvements in the antimigratory to antiproliferative bioactivity ratio. The two best derivatives, along with the parent, were analyzed for oral bioavailability, with the two more soluble derivatives showing greatly improved bioavailability. Overall, these studies have resulted in the development of VAT1 inhibitors with improved properties, which will enable further study of the pharmacological inhibition of VAT1 as an antimetastatic strategy. Additionally, these studies provide insights into novel trihalomethyl ketone warheads and identify chlorodifluoroketone as a potent and selective new warhead.

Some Thiazolopyrimidine Derivatives: Synthesis, DFT, Cytotoxicity, and Pharmacokinetics Modeling Study

A pyrimidinethione candidate carrying pyrazole and thiophene scaffolds was produced by a Biginelli cyclocondensation reaction of a pyrazolecarbaldehyde with pentan-2,4-dione and thiourea. To create some heteroannulated thiazolopyrimidines, the pyrimidinethione was subjected to cyclocondensation reactions with ethyl chloroacetate, 1,2-dibromoethane, chloroacetonitrile, and oxalyl chloride. A DFT simulation was performed for a frontier-orbital analysis to determine the molecular geometry. Among the products, 6-acetyl-7-methyl-5-[1-phen­yl-3-(2-thienyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-5H-[1,3]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine-2,3-dione displayed the highest softness and the lowest energy gap in the DFT calculations. Moreover, it had the highest electrophilicity index, suggesting possible biological impacts. The compounds obtained were evaluated against cell lines of breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) as antiproliferative agents. A simulation of the molecular docking of our compounds with the epidermal growth factor receptor demonstrated the rationality of our design and identified the binding mode. A model pharmacokinetics analysis showed that the products have the expected and desirable drug-like and bioavailability properties.

A supramolecular magnetic and multifunctional Titriplex V-grafted chitosan organocatalyst for the synthesis of acridine-1,8-diones and 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyran derivatives

In this research, a new supramolecular magnetic modified chitosan, namely, Fe3O4@CS-TDI-Titriplex V, was designed and prepared conveniently by grafting diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Titriplex V) onto a biopolymeric chitosan backbone having urethane, urea, ester and amide functional groups. The obtained magnetic biopolymeric nanomaterial was properly characterized by different spectroscopic, microscopic or analytical methods including FTIR spectroscopy, EDX spectroscopy, XRD, FESEM, TG-DTA and VSM. The application of the supramolecular Fe3O4@CS-TDI-Titriplex V nanocomposite as a heterogeneous solid acidic organocatalyst was investigated to promote the three-component synthesis of both acridinediones and 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyran derivatives as important pharmaceutical scaffolds under green conditions. The obtained nanomaterial exhibited proper catalytic activity in the above mentioned transformations through multicomponent reaction (MCR) strategies. The reactions proceeded very well in the presence of the Fe3O4@CS-TDI-Titriplex V solid acid nanomaterial in EtOH to afford the corresponding acridinediones and 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyran derivatives in high to excellent yields. The key advantages of the present protocol include the use of a renewable, biopolymeric and biodegradable solid acid as well as a simple procedure for the preparation of the hybrid material. Furthermore, the Fe3O4@CS-TDI-Titriplex V nanomaterial was used four times with a slight decrease in its catalytic activity.

Synthesis, insecticidal Activity, and molecular docking analysis of some benzo[h]quinoline derivatives against Culex pipiens L. Larvae

Some heterocycles bearing a benzo[h]quinoline moiety were synthesized through treating a 3-((2-chlorobenzo[h]quinolin-3-yl)methylene)-5-(p-tolyl)furan-2(3H)-one with four nitrogen nucleophiles comprising ammonium acetate, benzylamine, dodecan-1-amine, and 1,2-diaminoethane. Also, thiation reactions of furanone and pyrrolinone derivatives were investigated. The insecticidal activity of these compounds against mosquito larvae (Culex pipiens L.) was evaluated. All tested compounds exhibited significant larvicidal activity, surpassing that of the conventional insecticide chlorpyrifos. In silico docking analysis revealed that these compounds may act as acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, potentially explaining their larvicidal effect. Additionally, interactions with other neuroreceptors, such as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and sodium channel voltage-gated alpha subunit were also predicted. The results obtained from this study reflected the potential of benzo[h]quinoline derivatives as promising candidates for developing more effective and sustainable mosquito control strategies. The ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) analyses displayed their desirable drug-likeness and oral bioavailability properties.

Moringa oleifera seed methanol extract with consolidated antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities

The wide biological activity of the Moringa oleifera represents a potential opportunity for developing selective cancer treatment drugs. The bioactive phytochemicals in Moringa seed extract (MSE) indicated large numbers of phytochemicals (21 compounds) with dominant abundance for cycloisolongifolene, 8,9-dehydro-9-vinyl, and chamazulene accounting for 12.7% and 12.19% of the total detected compounds. The MSE showed a potent anticancer effect toward Caco-2, MDA, and HepG-2 cells with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 9.15 ± 1.18, 4.85 ± 0.11, and 7.36 ± 0.22 µg/mL, respectively, with higher safety (≥31-folds) toward normal human cells (IC50 of 150.7 ± 11.11 µg/mL). It appears that MSE stimulates selective-dose-dependent cell shrinkage, and nuclear condensation in the tumor cells, which finally induces the apoptosis pathway to increase its anticancer action. Additionally, MSE showed a potent capability to stimulate cell cycle arrest in both main checkpoint phases (G0/G1 and G2/M) of cell population growth. The apoptotic death stimulation was confirmed through upregulation of tumor protein p53 (p53) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 (p21) expression by more than three- to sixfold and downregulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 expression (threefold) in MSE-treated cells compared to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-treated tumor cells. Furthermore, the MSE revealed strong anti-inflammatory activity with significant antioxidant activity by lowering nitric oxide levels and enhancing the superoxide dismutase activity. On the other hand, the MSE revealed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity in a dose-dependent manner against Staphylococcus aureus minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of 1.25 mg/mL), followed by Salmonella typhimurium (MIC of 1.23 mg/mL), whereas Escherichia coli was the least sensitive to MSE activity (MIC of 22.5 mg/mL) with significant antibiofilm activity against sensitive pathogens.

Acridinedione-phthalimide conjugates: Intramolecular electron transfer and singlet oxygen generation studies for optical and photodynamic therapy applications

We reported herein the synthesis, characterization of hybrid conjugates composed of phthalimide (Phth) and acridine-1,8-diones (Acr) for optical and medical applications. For the synthetic procedure, a three-step synthetic strategy has been utilized. The optical properties of the examined 1,8-acridinedione-phthalimide connected molecules (AcrPhth 1-5) have been examined utilizing various spectroscopic techniques, e.g., steady-state absorption and fluorescence, and time-correlated single photon counting. The steady-state absorption studies showed that AcrPhth 1-5 absorbs the light in the UV and visible region. The fluorescence studies of AcrPhth 1-5 exhibited significant fluorescence quenching compared to the acridinedione control compounds (Acr 1-5) suggesting the occurrence of electron-transfer reactions from the electron donating acridinedione moiety (Acr) to the electron accepting phthalimide moiety (Phth). The rate and efficiency of the electron-transfer reactions were determined from the fluorescence lifetime measurements indicating the fast electron-transfer processes of the covalently connected AcrPhth 1-5 conjugates. Computational studies supported the intramolecular electron-transfer reaction of AcrPhth conjugates using ab initio B3LYP/6-311G methods. In the optimized structures, the HOMO was found to be entirely located on the Acr entity, while the LUMO was found to be entirely on the Phth entity. Further, the synthesized compounds were tested as photosensitizers for generating the singlet oxygen species, which is a key factor in the photodynamic therapy (PDT) applications. The nanosecond laser flash measurements enable us to detect the triplet-excited states of examined Acr and AcrPhth conjugates, determining the triplet quantum yields, and direct detecting the singlet oxygen in an accurate way. From this observation, the singlet quantum yields were found to be in the range of 0.12-0.27 (for Acr 1-5) and 0.07-0.19 (for AcrPhth 1-5 conjugates). The molecular docking studies revealed that compound AcrPhth 2 exhibited high binding affinity with for key genes (p53, TOP2B, p38, and EGFR) suggesting its potential as a targeted anticancer therapy.

Synthesis and in silico studies of certain benzo[f]quinoline-based heterocycles as antitumor agents

A series of benzoquinoline-employing heterocycles was synthesized by treating 3-chlorobenzo[f]quinoline-2-carbaldehyde with N-phenyl-3-methylpyrazolone, 4-aminoacetophenone, 1,2-diaminoethane, and 2-cyanoethanohydrazide. Also, pyridine, chromene, α,β-unsaturated nitrile, thiosemicarbazone, and 1,2-bis-aryl hydrazine derivatives were prepared from the cyanoethanohydrazone obtained. The DFT calculations and experiment outcomes were consistent. In vitro screening of their antiproliferative efficacy was examined against HCT116 and MCF7 cancer cell lines. The pyrazolone 2 and cyanoethanohydrazone 5 derivatives exhibited the most potency, which was demonstrated by their molecular docking towards the CDK-5 enzyme. The binding energies of compounds 2 and 5 were - 6.6320 kcal/mol (with RMSD of 0.9477 Å) and - 6.5696 kcal/mol (with RMSD of 1.4889 Å), respectively, which were near to that of co-crystallized ligand (EFP). This implies a notably strong binding affinity towards the CDK-5 enzyme. Thus, pyrazolone derivative 2 would be considered a promising candidate for further optimization to develop new chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) analyses displayed its desirable drug-likeness and oral bioavailability properties.

β-Enaminonitrile in the synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene candidates with DFT simulation, in vitro antiproliferative assessment, molecular docking, and modeling pharmacokinetics

Among sulfur-including heterocycles, the benzothiophene skeleton is one of the worthy structure fragments that exhibit structural similarities with active substrates to develop various potent lead molecules in drug design. Thus, some tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene candidates were prepared from the β-enaminonitrile scaffold via reactions with diverse carbon-centered electrophilic reagents and supported with DFT studies. The in vitro antiproliferative effect was screened against MCF7 and HePG2 cancer cell lines, and the results displayed the highest potency of imide 5, Schiff base 11, and phthalimido 12 candidates. A molecular docking study was operated to explore the probable binding modes of interaction, and the results revealed the good binding affinity of compounds 5, 11, and 12 toward the tubulin protein (PDB ID 5NM5) with respect to paclitaxel (a tubulin inhibitor) and co-crystallized ligand (GTP). Besides, modeling pharmacokinetics analyses displayed their desirable drug-likeness and bioavailability properties.

Synthesis and Biological Applications of Coumarinyl-Chalcones

Abstract:

This survey provides information on the synthesis and biological applications of coumarinyl-chalcones. Chalcones are unsaturated ketones involving the reactive ketoethylenic group (CO-CH=CH). Chalcones are naturally abundant in many medical plants, including vegetables, fruits, and foods. Natural and synthetic chalcone compounds exhibit a broad spectrum of biological properties like anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, antioxidant, antimalarial, and antimicrobial. Some conventional, microwave, and grinding techniques have been utilized for the synthesis of chalcones. Noteworthy, the Claisen- Schmidt condensation reaction remains the most popular and effective method for synthesis. It summarizes information about its synthetic methods as building blocks in some reactions like cyclization reactions and medical applications. This review article presents an overview of approaches and biological data for chalcones bearing a coumarin scaffold.

Assessment of the therapeutic potential of a novel phosphoramidate acyclic nucleoside on induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rat model

AIMS

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is renowned as a deadly primary cancer of hepatic origin. Sorafenib is the drug-of-choice for targeted treatment of unresectable end-stage HCC. Unfortunately, great proportion of HCC patients showed intolerance or unresponsiveness to treatment. This study assesses potency of novel ProTide; SH-PAN-19 against N-Nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)-induced HCC in male Wistar rats, compared to Sorafenib.

MAIN METHODS

Structural entity of the synthesized compound was substantiated via FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis. In vitro, SH-PAN-19 cytotoxicity was tested against 3 human cell lines; hepatocellular carcinoma; HepG-2, colorectal carcinoma; HCT-116 and normal fibroblasts; MRC-5. In vivo, therapeutic efficacy of SH-PAN-19 (300 mg/kg b.w./day) against HCC could be revealed and compared to that of Sorafenib (15 mg/kg b.w./day) by evaluating the morphometric, biochemical, histopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular key markers.

KEY FINDINGS

SH-PAN-19 was relatively safe toward MRC-5 cells (IC50 = 307.6 μg/mL), highly cytotoxic to HepG-2 cells (IC50 = 24.9 μg/mL) and prominently hepato-selective (TSI = 12.35). Oral LD50 of SH-PAN-19 was >3000 mg/kg b.w. DEN-injected rats suffered hepatomegaly, oxidative stress, elevated liver enzymes, hypoalbuminemia, bilirubinemia and skyrocketed AFP plasma titre. SH-PAN-19 alleviated the DEN-induced alterations in apoptotic, angiogenic and inflammatory markers. SH-PAN-19 produced a 2.5-folds increase in Caspase-9 and downregulated VEGFR-2, IL-6, TNF-α, TGFβ-1, MMP-9 and CcnD-1 to levels comparable to that elicited by Sorafenib. SH-PAN-19 resulted in near-complete pathological response versus partial response achieved by Sorafenib.

SIGNIFICANCE

This research illustrated that SH-PAN-19 is a promising chemotherapeutic agent capable of restoring cellular plasticity and could stop HCC progression.

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of thiophene-based heterocycles derived from thiophene-2-carbohydrazide

Aim: Thiophene-based heterocycles were synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Clostridium difficile and Candida albicans strains. Methods: Antimicrobial activity was determined using the broth microdilution method. Results: Spiro-indoline-oxadiazole 17 displayed the highest activity against C. difficile while having no effects against other bacterial strains. Compounds 8 and 16 displayed strong effects against TolC, an outer membrane protein, mutant E. coli. The results of computational chemical study and outcomes of experiments were in good agreement. A molecular docking study was conducted using a molecular operating environment to simulate the binding energies of the potent compounds with D-alanine ligase protein. Conclusion: This study suggests that spiro-indoline-oxadiazole 17 could be a good anticlostridial agent.

Synthesis, computational chemical study, antiproliferative activity screening, and molecular docking of some thiophene-based oxadiazole, triazole, and thiazolidinone derivatives

Thiophene-2-carbohydrazide was used in this study to produce some thiophene-containing oxadiazole, triazole, and thiazolidinone derivatives through reactions with various carbon-centered electrophiles. Besides, the hydrazone obtained was allowed to react with mercaptoacetic acid and acetic anhydride to construct thiazolidinone and oxadiazole derivatives. The results of computational chemical study and outcomes of the experiments were in good agreement. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of the produced compounds was examined against two human cell lines namely, breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) and colon cancer (HCT116) cell lines using doxorubicin as a reference anticancer agent. The produced hydrazones and spiro-indolin-oxadiazole derivatives were the most potent against the two cancer cell lines. The molecular docking was conducted to demonstrate the binding energies of produced substances toward human carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) protein. The binding energies of these ligands were near to that of the co-crystallized ligand (9FK). Compound 11b exhibits a binding energy of -5.5817 kcal mol-1, indicating tight binding to some key nucleobases and amino acids of CA IX protein, while compound 11a displays a higher binding energy compared to the reference ligand (9FK). This suggests that compounds 11b and 11a display a notably strong binding affinity towards the human carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) protein. ADME profiles of the potent compounds including physicochemical characteristics, lipophilicity, and drug-likeness were predicted.