A biochemistry-oriented drug design: synthesis, anticancer activity, enzymes inhibition, molecular docking studies of novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives

In this study, we researched the reactions of 5-(5-bromofuran-2-yl)-4-methyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol and 5-thiophene-(3-ylmethyl)-4R-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiols with some halogen-containing compounds, a number of new compounds were synthesized (1.1-1.5 and 2.1-2.8). These compounds showed excellent to good inhibitory activities on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes. For obtaining the effects of these compounds on AChE and BChE enzymes were determined spectrophotometrically according to Ellman. IC50 values of these enzymes were ranging between 1.63 and 17.68 nM for AChE and 8.71 and 84.02 nM for BChE. After, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality for men over the age of 65 in developed countries. Current treatment options remain limited in the treatment of advanced-stage prostate cancer leading to biochemical recurrence in almost 40% of the patients. Therefore, there is an urgent need for development of novel therapeutic tools for treatment of prostate cancer patients. In this study, we aimed at analyzing the potential of all compounds against prostate cancer cells. We found that, of the tested compounds, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 showed significant cytotoxic activities against PC3 prostate cancer cells, although their effect on the viability of normal prostate cells was limited. These findings suggest their selective targeting potential for prostate cancer cells and offer them as candidate therapeutic agents against prostate cancer. The inhibitory activities of some chemical compounds, such as (1.1-1.5 and 2.1-2.8) were assessed by performing the molecular docking study in the presence of AChE, BChE and prostate cancer protein. MM/GBSA methods are calculated binding free energy. Finally, ADME/T analysis was performed to examine the drug properties of the 13 studied molecules.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Molecular docking studies, anti-Alzheimer's disease, antidiabetic, and anti-acute myeloid leukemia potentials of narcissoside

In this research, we explored their capacity for Narcissoside antioxidant and anticholinergic, antidiabetic, and anti-acute myeloid leukaemia. Narcissoside's antioxidant activities were elucidated by the use of various bioanalytical assays. Narcissoside's radical scavenging activities were evaluated by DPPH^• and ABTS^•+ scavenging activities. On the other hand, IC₅₀ values were calculated for DPPH^•, and ABTS^•+ scavenging, acetylcholinesterase, and α-glucosidase inhibition effects of narcissoside. IC₅₀ values narcissoside, as 11.54 nM for AChE and 65.58 nM for α-glucosidase were calculated with % Activity-[Inhibitory] graphs. Then, ADME/T analysis of narcissoside molecule was performed to calculate the drug becoming parameters.

Evaluation of the effects of newly synthesized metallophthalocyanines on breast cancer cell lines with photodynamic therapy

In this study, the new phthalonitrile derivative 3-(4-(3-oxobutyl)phenoxy)phthalonitrile (1) and its non-peripheral metallophthalocyanine derivatives [zinc (2), copper (3), cobalt (4), manganese (5), gallium (6), and indium (7)] were synthesized. The newly synthesized phthalocyanines were characterized by standard spectroscopic methods, such as FT-IR, ¹H NMR, UV-Vis, fluorescence spectroscopies, and MALDI-TOF spectrometry. Aggregation behaviors of the novel phthalocyanines were investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The effect of pH change on the electronic and emission spectra of the newly synthesized phthalocyanine derivatives was studied in THF media. The electronic spectra of the new zinc (2), copper (3), and cobalt (4) phthalocyanines exhibited bathochromic shifts in acidic pH values due to the presence of monoprotonated forms. Surprisingly, the same effect was not observed for manganese (5) and indium (7) phthalocyanines. On the other hand, gallium (6) showed a slight red-shifted band with the addition of HCl to the medium. Also, it was determined that the synthesized zinc (2) and gallium (6) phthalocyanines had a selective phototoxic effect on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line compared to the MCF-10A healthy breast cell line. The IC₅₀ values of zinc (2) and gallium (6) phthalocyanines were determined for MCF-7 and MCF-10A cell lines. The IC₅₀ values of MCF-7 for compounds 2 and 6 were found to be 1.721 ± 0.4 μg mL^-1 and 7.406 ± 0.32 μg mL^-1, respectively. The IC₅₀ values of MCF-10A for phthalocyanines 2 and 6 were found to be 48.90 ± 0.69 μg mL^-1 and 14.77 ± 1.09 μg mL^-1, respectively. In the LDH (lactate dehydrogenase)-ELISA study, the LDH levels that formed on a cellular basis after the application were measured, and it was observed that the cells were directed towards apoptosis. In addition, it was observed that cancer cells underwent more apoptosis than healthy cells as a result of this application with cell-cycle and dead cell kits performed by flow cytometry. This research shows that non-peripheral substituted gallium and zinc phthalocyanine derivatives (2 and 6) can be suitable photosensitizers for the photodynamic treatment of breast cancers.

Morphology induced enhanced photoconductivity of a phthalocyanine-based benzimidazole linked two-dimensional conjugated covalent organic polymer

A novel phthalocyanine-based benzimidazole linked conjugated covalent organic polymer (NiPc-COP1) has been synthesized with multiple randomly ordered crystalline morphologies.

Tetra-substituted phthalocyanines bearing thiazolidine derivatives: synthesis, anticancer activity on different cancer cell lines, and molecular docking studies

In the first step, (4R)-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (c) and 2-(2-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)phenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (1) were prepared. Then, the peripherally tetra-substituted metallophthalocyanines [ZnPc (2), CuPc (3), and CoPc (4)] were synthesized by using 1. The structures of the obtained compounds were characterized by common spectroscopic methods. Aggregation behaviors of the tetra-substituted metallophthalocyanines (2-4) were investigated by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy in the presence/absence of soft metal ions. The electronic spectra of the newly synthesized metallophthalocyanines [ZnPc (2), CuPc (3), and CoPc (4)] were analyzed by the Bayliss method. The fluorescence quantum yield of diamagnetic ZnPc (2) was obtained in DMSO at room temperature. Also, the anticancer activity of the newly synthesized metallophthalocyanine derivatives was studied on C6, DU-145, and WI-38 cell lines and investigated using six concentrations (3.125; 6.25; 12.5; 50; 75; 100 μg L-1). The cell cycle and apoptosis analyses of CuPc (3) were performed. In addition, the chemical and biological activities of 2-(2-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)phenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (1) and its novel type metallophthalocyanines [ZnPc (2), CuPc (3), and CoPc (4)] were compared with many parameters obtained from the Gaussian software and molecular docking methods.

Structural, spectroscopic and electrical investigations of novel organic thin films bearing push-pull azo - Phenol dye for UV photodetection applications

In the current study, novel thin films of a phenol-based push-pull azo dye, 2-acetyl-4-(4-chloro-phenylazo) phenol (ACAP), with tunable optical and electronic properties were designed, synthesized and characterized for UV photodetection applications. The crystalline structure and morphological features of the thermally evaporated ACAP thin films are investigated. The fabricated thin films exhibit an amorphous-like structure with low-intensity crystalline regions of average crystallite size of about 29.51 nm and a smooth surface with nanostructured sheets formation. The optical transmittance, reflectance, and absorption of ACAP thin films are measured in the spectral range UV-vis-NIR. A significant high UV absorption extending from 190 nm to 385 nm is observed with semi-transparency nature in the visible region. Furthermore, a good agreement is obtained between the estimated value of the direct energy gap that is obtained experimentally (3.62 eV) and that calculated from the theoretical DFT approach (3.74 eV). The dispersion behavior is analyzed in terms of the single oscillator model and is employed to estimate the dispersion parameters. Finally, an organic/inorganic heterojunction device based on Au/ACAP/n-Si/Al for UV photodetection is successfully fabricated. The current-voltage relations of the manufactured photodetector showed significant stability and sensitivity to the incident UV illumination. The fabricated UV photodetector exhibits responsivity ~25.7 mA/W, specific detectivity ~2 × 10⁹ Jones, efficiency ~16.74%, a fast and reproducible ON/OFF switching behavior with 480 ms and 218 ms rise and fall time, respectively.

Anti-quorum sensing activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 of benzimidazolium salts: electronic, spectral and structural investigations as theoretical approach

Quorum sensing (QS) is a system used in the expression of virulence factors by many pathogenic bacteria, and blockage of the system is seen as a new and effective strategy in combating with resistant bacteria. The inhibition effects of two benzimidazolium salts, namely 1-(2-methylbenzonitrile)-3-benzylbenzimidazolium bromide (2) and 1-(N-methylphthalimide)-3-(4-methylbenzyl)benzimidazolium bromide (3), on quorum sensing-related virulence factors such as pyocyanin, elastase, biofilm formation and swarming motility, which is an opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01, were investigated in this study. The results show that the compound 3 has a significant inhibition on biofilm formation with 94%. Furthermore, the compounds 2 and 3 reduced swarming motility by 64-69% as well as pyocyanin production by 49-64% in P. aeruginosa PA01 without preventing bacterial growth in the tested concentrations. HF, B3LYP and M06-2X methods were used with 3-21 g, 6-31 g, sdd basis sets to compare the chemical activity of the compounds. Theoretically, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and Infrared spectra of the compounds were calculated in the HF/6-31++g basis set. The biological activities of the relative compounds were theoretically studied against cancer proteins. Crystal structure of the BRCT repeat region from the breast cancer associated protein, ID: 1JNX, crystal structure of liver cancer protein, ID: 3WZE and crystal structure of lung cancer protein, ID: 5ZMA, were compared. In the docking studies, the best result was obtained with compound 2 against the lung cancer cell with a docking score parameter of -5.85.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Synthesis, molecular docking, and biological activities of new cyanopyridine derivatives containing phenylurea

A new class of cyanopyridine derivatives (10a-e and 11a-e) containing the phenylurea unit was synthesized and tested against some metabolic enzymes including acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and α-glycosidase (α-Gly). The new cyanopyridine derivatives showed K_i values in the range of 40.73 ± 6.54 to 87.05 ± 16.98 µM against AChE, 29.17 ± 4.88 to 124.03 ± 22.43 µM against BChE, and 3.66 ± 0.93 to 26.33 ± 5.05 µM against α-Gly. These inhibition effects were compared with standard enzyme inhibitors like tacrine (for AChE and BChE) and acarbose (for α-Gly). Also, these cyanopyridine derivatives with the best inhibition score were docked into the active site of the indicated metabolic enzymes. Finally, molecular docking calculations were made to compare the biological activities of the compounds against AChE (-8.81 kcal/mol for molecule 11d), BChE (-3.52 kcal/mol for molecule 11d), and α-Gly (-2.98 kcal/mol for molecule 11a). After molecular docking calculations, the ADME/T analysis was performed to examine the future drug use properties of the new cyanopyridine derivatives containing phenylurea.

Phthalocyanine Modified Electrodes in Electrochemical Analysis

Phthalocyanines are aromatic or macrocyclic organic compounds and attract great attention due to their numerous properties. They have many high-tech applications in different areas of the industry such as dyestuffs, thermal printing screens, photovoltaic solar cells, membrane catalytic reactors, semiconductor materials and gas sensors. In the last decade, electrochemical sensor studies have accelerated with the catalytic lighting. It plays a dominant role in the development and implementation of new generation sensors. The aim of this study is to review the electrochemical methods based on electrode modification with phthalocyanines and to shed light on new application areas of phthalocyanines. The focal point was based on the sensor applications of phthalocyanines in the determination of drugs, pesticides, organic materials and metals etc. by electrochemical methods. Experimental conditions and some validation parameters of the sensor applications such as metal phthalocyanine types, indicator electrodes, selectivity, working ranges, detection limits, and analytical applications were discussed. Consequently, this is the first review dealing with the applications of phthalocyanines in electrochemical sensors for the sensitive determination of analytes in a variety of matrices.