Novel camphor-based pyrimidine derivatives induced cancer cell death through a ROS-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis pathway

Is Camphor the Future in Supporting Therapy for Skin Infections?

The aim of this review is to present the potential application of camphor-a bicyclic monoterpene ketone-in the prevention of skin infections. Skin diseases represent a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by prolonged symptoms that significantly diminish the quality of life. They affect the dermis, the epidermis, and even subcutaneous tissue. They very often have a bacterial or fungal background. Therapy for dermatological skin disorders is difficult and long-term. Therefore, it is important to find a compound, preferably of natural origin, that (i) prevents the initiation of this infection and (ii) supports the skin's repair process. Based on its documented anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-acne, anesthetic, strengthening, and warming properties, camphor can be used as a preventative measure in dermatological infectious diseases and as a component in medical and cosmetic products. This work discusses the structure and physicochemical properties of camphor, its occurrence, and methods of obtaining it from natural sources as well as through chemical synthesis. The use of camphor in industrial preparations is also presented. Additionally, after a detailed review of the literature, the metabolism of camphor, its interactions with other medicinal substances, and its antimicrobial properties against bacteria and fungi involved in skin diseases are discussed with regard to their resistance.

Discovery of Pyrimidine- and Coumarin-Linked Hybrid Molecules as Inducers of JNK Phosphorylation through ROS Generation in Breast Cancer Cells

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer exhibits early relapses, poor prognoses, and high recurrence rates. Herein, a JNK-targeting compound has been developed that may be of utility in HER2-positive mammary carcinoma. The design of a pyrimidine-and coumarin-linked structure targeting JNK was explored and the lead structure PC-12 [4-(3-((2-((4-chlorobenzyl)thio) pyrimidin-4-yl)oxy)propoxy)-6-fluoro-2H-chromen-2-one (5d)] was observed to selectively inhibit the proliferation of HER2-positive BC cells. The compound PC-12 exerted DNA damage and induced apoptosis in HER-2 positive BC cells more significantly compared to HER-2 negative BC cells. PC-12 induced PARP cleavage and down-regulated the expression of IAP-1, BCL-2, SURVIVIN, and CYCLIN D1 in BC cells. In silico and theoretical calculations showed that PC-12 could interact with JNK, and in vitro studies demonstrated that it enhanced JNK phosphorylation through ROS generation. Overall, these findings will assist the discovery of new compounds targeting JNK for use in HER2-positive BC cells.

An efficient tetrahydroquinazolin-2-amine derivative-grafted cellulose fluorescent probe for detection of Cu2+ and Zn2

Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ play crucial roles in many physiological processes, and their disorder will cause harm to human health. An efficient difunctional fluorescent probe CMC-GE-PQA for simultaneous detection of Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ was synthesized based on carboxymethyl cellulose. The probe CMC-GE-PQA exhibited a moderate blue fluorescence color. Interestingly, this probe showed a distinct fluorescence enhancement response toward Zn²⁺, while it displayed a significant fluorescence quenching response toward Cu²⁺. The detection limits of CMC-GE-PQA for Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ were calculated as low as 5.0 × 10^-8 M and 1.0 × 10^-7 M, respectively. The detection mechanisms of CMC-GE-PQA for Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ were fully verified by Job's plot, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The probe CMC-GE-PQA was applied to determine the trace amounts of Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ in environmental water samples. In addition, the probe CMC-GE-PQA-based fluorescent film and hydrogel were manufactured to achieve the portable detection of Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Pyrimidine Amine Derivatives Bearing Bicyclic Monoterpene Moieties

A series of novel pinanyl pyrimidine amine derivatives (1e~1n) and camphoryl pyrimidine amine derivatives (2b~2f) bearing bicyclic monoterpene moieties were designed and synthesized from natural and renewable nopinone and camphor. All chemical structures of target compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS spectra analyses, and the antimicrobial activities were evaluated. The results indicated that most compounds showed considerable antibacterial and antifungal activities against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans. Among them, 1f showed potent antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria, 1i exhibited excellent inhibition against Streptococcus pneumoniae (1 μg/mL) and Escherichia coli (1 μg/mL), which was better than the control drug amikacin (2 μg/mL). As to antifungal activity against Candida albicans (C. albicans), compound 1l showed comparable activity (16 μg/mL) to the control drug ketoconazole. Furthermore, five active compounds with better antimicrobial activities also showed anti-inflammatory potencies against mouse mononuclear macrophages leukemia cells (RAW). Especially, 1f (IC50 = 1.37 μM) and 2f (IC50 = 1.87μM) are more potent than the control drug aspirin (IC50 = 1.91 μM).

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of new camphor pyrimidine and camphor thiazole derivatives using conventional and microwave irradiation techniques and in vitro evaluation as potential antimicrobial agents

BACKGROUND

A series of new pyrimidines and thiazoles containing camphor moiety were synthesized under both conventional and microwave irradiation techniques.

METHODS

The condensation of camphor either with aminoguanidine or thiosemicarbazide gives the camphor hydrazine carboximidiamide 2 and the camphor thiosemicarbazone 3, respectively. Refluxing of 3 with chloroacetonitrile afforded the camphor thiazol-4-imine 4. Compounds 2 and 4 were used as precursors for the synthesis of target products.

RESULTS

The reaction of 2 with different species such as arylidene malononitrile, acetylacetone, and ethyl acetoacetate gave the corresponding camphor pyrimidine derivatives 5a,b-7 while refluxing of compound 4 with different reagents e.g. aldehydes, isatin, ninhydrin, acetic anhydride, benzene sulphonyl chloride, and p-nitro-benzoyl chloride afforded the camphor thiazole derivatives 8a-d-13, respectively.

CONCLUSION

A comparison between the conventional way and the eco-friendly microwave irradiation method occurred in the synthesis of the same compounds, which the latter was more efficient. The elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and Mass spectra confirm the structures of the obtained new compounds. The potential use of some selected derivatives as antimicrobial agents was investigated and gave promising results.

Recent Advancements in the Development of Anti-Breast Cancer Synthetic Small Molecules

Among all cancer types, breast cancer (BC) still stands as one of the most serious diseases responsible for a large number of cancer-associated deaths among women worldwide, and diagnosed cases are increasing year by year worldwide. For a very long time, hormonal therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy were used for breast cancer treatment. However, these treatment approaches are becoming progressively futile because of multidrug resistance and serious side effects. Consequently, there is a pressing demand to develop more efficient and safer agents that can fight breast cancer belligerence and inhibit cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Currently, there is an avalanche of newly designed and synthesized molecular entities targeting multiple types of breast cancer. This review highlights several important synthesized compounds with promising anti-BC activity that are categorized according to their chemical structures.