Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Bioactivity Study of Novel Hybrid Benzimidazole Urea Derivatives: A Promising α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase Inhibitor Candidate with Antioxidant Activity

A novel series of benzimidazole ureas 3a-h were elaborated using 2-(1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl) aniline 1 and the appropriate isocyanates 2a-h. The antioxidant and possible antidiabetic activities of the target benzimidazole-ureas 3a-h were evaluated. Almost all compounds 3a-h displayed strong to moderate antioxidant activities. When tested using the three antioxidant techniques, TAC, FRAP, and MCA, compounds 3b and 3c exhibited marked activity. The most active antioxidant compound in this family was compound 3g, which had excellent activity using four different methods: TAC, FRAP, DPPH-SA, and MCA. In vitro antidiabetic assays against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes revealed that the majority of the compounds tested had good to moderate activity. The most favorable results were obtained with compounds 3c, 3e, and 3g, and analysis revealed that compounds 3c (IC₅₀ = 18.65 ± 0.23 μM), 3e (IC₅₀ = 20.7 ± 0.06 μM), and 3g (IC₅₀ = 22.33 ± 0.12 μM) had good α-amylase inhibitory potential comparable to standard acarbose (IC₅₀ = 14.21 ± 0.06 μM). Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of 3c (IC₅₀ = 17.47 ± 0.03 μM), 3e (IC₅₀ = 21.97 ± 0.19 μM), and 3g (IC₅₀ = 23.01 ± 0.12 μM) on α-glucosidase was also comparable to acarbose (IC₅₀ = 15.41 ± 0.32 μM). According to in silico molecular docking studies, compounds 3a-h had considerable affinity for the active sites of human lysosomal acid α-glucosidase (HLAG) and pancreatic α-amylase (HPA), indicating that the majority of the examined compounds had potential anti-hyperglycemic action.

Formulation, Optimization and Evaluation of Cytarabine-Loaded Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: From In Vitro to In Vivo Evaluation of Anticancer Activity

Innovative drug delivery systems based on iron oxide nanoparticles (INPs) has generated a lot of interest worldwide and have prime biomedical benefits in anticancer therapy. There are still issues reported regarding the stability, absorption, and toxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles (INPs) when administered due to its rapid surface oxidation and agglomeration with blood proteins. To solve this problem, we have synthesized trehalose-coated stabilized iron oxide nanoparticles (TINPs) by a co-precipitation technique. The surface coating of INPs with trehalose helps to improve the stability, prevents protein binding, and increase absorption uptake inside the body. Developed TINPs was then loaded with anticancer drug cytarabine by chemical crosslinking encapsulation method using suitable solvent. Engineered cytarabine-loaded trehalose-coated stabilized iron oxide nanoparticles (CY-TINPs) were optimized for particle size, zeta potential (-13.03 mV), and solid-state characterization such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) studies. The particle size of 50 nm was achieved for developed CY-TINPs. The developed CY-TINPs was further evaluated for in vitro cell line investigations which confirmed potential cytotoxic activity. Developed CY-TINPs show remarkable enhancement in in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters C_max as 425.26 ± 2.11 and AUC_0-72 as 11,546.64 ± 139.82 as compared to pure drug. Compared to traditional drug delivery, the CY-TINPs formulation can effectively delay release, improve bioavailability, and boost cytotoxic activity against tumors.

Elaboration of novel urea bearing schiff bases as potent in vitro anticancer candidates with low in vivo acute oral toxicity

A novel series of urea Schiff base derivatives were synthesized via the condensation of o-phenylenediamine, naphthyl isocyanate and appropriate aryl aldehyde. The results of the in vitro cytotoxic activities of compounds 5a–h against cancer cells lines PC3, SKOV-3 and HeLa, revealed that almost all compounds exhibited good to moderate activities Compound 5g owing bromine atom at p-position displayed higher activity compared to homolog 5b possessing chlorine atom due to adequate diameter of bromine which is more favourable than chlorine for the inhibition activity. In addition, compound 5h is the best candidate of this series exhibiting excellent activity for three cancer cells lines. Compound 5h demonstrated also an excellent activity with IC50 value of 0.6±0.3μg/mL for prostate cancer cell line PC3 and it is considered more effective than the standard drug doxorubicin Dox (IC50 = 2.6±0.03μg/mL). The most active compound 5h displayed the best activity against ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 with IC50 = 1.8±0.2μg/mL. This results are higher than clinically used drug Dox (IC50. 2.2±0.02μg/mL). The results of screening activities cytotoxic effect toward cervix cancer cell line HeLa, affirm that compound 5h manifest an activity with IC50 value of 2.2±0.4μg/mL comparable to Dox (IC50. 1.9±0.04μg/mL). In the current study, in vivo acute oral toxicity assessment of urea Schiff base hybrid compounds 5a – h indicated that there was no mortality on treated female mice during 14 days assessment test compared with the vehicle-treated group confirming the safety with LD50 greater than 2000 mg/kg. In the actual study, the results affirmed that compounds 5a–h manifested in vivo no toxicity to saint cells, the compounds 5b, 5g and 5h presented higher anticancer activities against three cancer cells which authorizes promoters to use them as candidate anticancer agents.

Emerging Importance of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors against Cancer: Quo Vadis to Cure?

GLOBOCAN 2020 estimated more than 19.3 million new cases, and about 10 million patients were deceased from cancer in 2020. Clinical manifestations showed that several growth factor receptors consisting of transmembrane and cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase (TK) domains play a vital role in cancer progression. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are crucial intermediaries of the several cellular pathways and carcinogenesis that directly affect the prognosis and survival of higher tumor grade patients. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are efficacious drugs for targeted therapy of various cancers. Therefore, RTKs have become a promising therapeutic target to cure cancer. A recent report shows that TKIs are vital mediators of signal transduction and cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. In this review, we discuss the structure and function of RTKs to explore their prime role in cancer therapy. Various TKIs have been developed to date that contribute a lot to treating several types of cancer. These TKI based anticancer drug molecules are also discussed in detail, incorporating their therapeutic efficacy, mechanism of action, and side effects. Additionally, this article focuses on TKIs which are running in the clinical trial and pre-clinical studies. Further, to gain insight into the pathophysiological mechanism of TKIs, we also reviewed the impact of RTK resistance on TKI clinical drugs along with their mechanistic acquired resistance in different cancer types.

Anti-breast cancer action of carbonic anhydrase IX inhibitor 4-[4-(4-Benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethyl-piperazin-1-yl)-benzylidene-hydrazinocarbonyl]-benzenesulfonamide (BSM-0004): in vitro and in vivo studies

Anti-breast cancer action of novel human carbonic anhydrase IX (hCA IX) inhibitor BSM-0004 has been investigated using in vitro and in vivo models of breast cancer. BSM-0004 was found to be a potent and selective hCA IX inhibitor with a Ki value of 96 nM. In vitro anticancer effect of BSM-0004 was analysed against MCF 7 and MDA-MA-231 cells, BSM-0004 exerted an effective cytotoxic effect under normoxic and hypoxic conditions, inducing apoptosis in MCF 7 cells. Additionally, this compound significantly regulates the expression of crucial biomarkers associated with apoptosis. The investigation was extended to confirm the efficacy of this hCA IX inhibitor against in vivo model of breast cancer. The results specified that the treatment of BSM-0004 displayed an effective in vivo anticancer effect, reducing tumour growth in a xenograft cancer model. Hence, our investigation delivers an effective anti-breast cancer agent that engenders the anticancer effect by inhibiting hCA IX.

Oxidative peptide bond formation of glycine-amino acid using 2-(aminomethyl)malononitrile as a glycine unit

Amide linkage of glycine-amino acid was synthesized by coupling of substituted 2-(aminomethyl)malononitrile as a C-terminal glycine unit and N-terminal amine using CsOAc and O2 in an aqueous solution. This is a coupling reagent-free and catalyst-free peptide synthesis via oxidative amide bond formation. Various tripeptides and tetrapeptides were synthesized efficiently and the sulfide moiety is inert even under an oxygen atmosphere.

Novel Triazole-Piperazine Hybrid Molecules Induce Apoptosis via Activation of the Mitochondrial Pathway and Exhibit Antitumor Efficacy in Osteosarcoma Xenograft Nude Mice Model

Mitochondria impart a crucial role in the regulation of programmed cell death and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, besides serving as a primary energy source. Mitochondria appeared as an important target for the therapy of cancer due to their significant contribution to cell survival and death. Here, we report the design and synthesis of a novel series of triazole-piperazine hybrids as potent anticancer agents. MCS-5 emerged as an excellent anticancer agent which showed better anticancer activity than the standard drug doxorubicin in in vitro and in vivo studies. MCS-5 displayed an IC₅₀ value of 1.92 μM and induced apoptosis in Cal72 (human osteosarcoma cell line) cells by targeting the mitochondrial pathway. This compound arrested the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and induced ROS production and mitochondrial potential collapse in Cal72 cells. MCS-5 displayed excellent anticancer activity in the Cal72 xenograft nude mice model, where it significantly reduced tumor progression, leading to enhanced life span in treated animals compared to control and doxorubicin treated animals without exerting noticeable toxicity. In addition, a 2DG optical probe guided study clearly evoked that MCS-5 remarkably reduced tumor metastasis in the Cal72 xenograft nude mice model. These results indicate that MCS-5 appeared as a novel chemical entity which is endowed with excellent in vitro as well as in vivo anticancer activity and may contribute significantly to the management of cancer in the future.

Design, synthesis, in silico and biological evaluation of novel 2-(4-(4-substituted piperazin-1-yl)benzylidene)hydrazine carboxamides

A series of novel 2-(4-(4-substituted piperazin-1-yl)benzylidene)hydrazinecarboxamide derivatives has been successfully designed and synthesized to evaluate their potential as carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors. The inhibitory potential of synthesized compounds against human CAI and CAII was evaluated. Compounds 3a-n exhibited [Formula: see text] values between [Formula: see text] against CAI and [Formula: see text] against CAII. Compound 3g was the most active inhibitor, with an [Formula: see text] value of [Formula: see text] against CAII. Molecular docking studies of compound 3g with CAII showed this compound fits nicely in the active site of CAII and it interacts with the zinc ion ([Formula: see text]) along with three histidine residues in the active site. Molecular dynamics simulation studies of compound 3g complexed with CAII also showed essential interactions which were maintained up to 40 ns of simulation. In vivo sub-acute toxicity study using 3g (300 mg/kg) was found non-toxic in adult Wistar rats.

Design, synthesis, in-silico and biological evaluation of novel donepezil derivatives as multi-target-directed ligands for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

A novel series of donepezil based multi-functional agents "(E)-5,6-dimethoxy-2-(4-(4-substituted piperazin-1-yl)benzylidene)-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ones" have been designed and synthesized as potential anti-Alzheimer's agents. In-vitro studies revealed that these compounds demonstrated moderate to good AChE and Aβ aggregation inhibitory activity. These derivatives are also endowed with admirable antioxidant activity. Among the entire series compounds IP-9, IP-13 and IP-15 appeared as most active multi-functional agents and displayed marked AChE inhibitory, Aβ disaggregation and antioxidant activity. Studies indicate that IP-13 and IP-15 showed better AChE inhibitory activity than the standard drug donepezil and IP-9, IP-13 as well as IP-15 exhibited better Aβ aggregation inhibitory activity than curcumin. These compounds (IP-9, IP-13 and IP-15) successfully diminished H₂O₂ induced oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells and displayed excellent neuroprotective activity against H₂O₂ as well as Aβ induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells in a concentration dependent manner. Moreover, these derivatives did not exert any significant toxicity in neuronal SH-SY5Y cells in cytotoxicity assay. To elucidate the plausible binding mode of the compounds IP-9, IP-13 and IP-15, molecular docking studies and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies were also performed and the results indicate their significant interactions with the active sites of AChE as well as Aβ_1-42 peptide. Thus, the present study evidently showed that IP-9, IP-13 and IP-15 are potent multi-functional agents against Alzheimer's disease and might serve as promising lead candidates for anti-Alzheimer drug development.