Anticancer sulfonamide hybrids that inhibit bladder cancer cells growth and migration as tubulin polymerisation inhibitors

Discovery of novel arylamide derivatives containing piperazine moiety as inhibitors of tubulin polymerisation with potent liver cancer inhibitory activity

In this work, a series of novel arylamide derivatives containing piperazine moiety were designed and synthesised as tubulin polymerisation inhibitors. Among 25 target compounds, compound 16f (MY-1121) exhibited low nanomolar IC50 values ranging from 0.089 to 0.238 μM against nine human cancer cells. Its inhibitory effects on liver cancer cells were particularly evident with IC50 values of 89.42 and 91.62 nM for SMMC-7721 and HuH-7 cells, respectively. Further mechanism studies demonstrated that compound 16f (MY-1121) could bind to the colchicine binding site of β-tubulin and directly act on β-tubulin, thus inhibiting tubulin polymerisation. Additionally, compound 16f (MY-1121) could inhibit colony forming ability, cause morphological changes, block cell cycle arrest at the G2 phase, induce cell apoptosis, and regulate the expression of cell cycle and cell apoptosis related proteins in liver cancer cells. Overall, the promising bioactivities of compound 16f (MY-1121) make the novel arylamide derivatives have the value for further development as tubulin polymerisation inhibitors with potent anticancer activities.

Sulfonamide-Derived Dithiocarbamate Gold(I) Complexes Induce the Apoptosis of Colon Cancer Cells by the Activation of Caspase 3 and Redox Imbalance

Two new families of dithiocarbamate gold(I) complexes derived from benzenesulfonamide with phosphine or carbene as ancillary ligands have been synthesized and characterized. In the screening of their in vitro activity on human colon carcinoma cells (Caco-2), we found that the more lipophilic complexes—those with the phosphine PPh₃—exhibited the highest anticancer activity whilst also displaying significant cancer cell selectivity. [Au(S₂CNHSO₂C₆H₅)(PPh₃)] (1) and [Au(S₂CNHSO₂-p-Me-C₆H₄)(IMePropargyl)] (8) produce cell death, probably by intrinsic apoptosis (mitochondrial membrane potential modification) and caspase 3 activation, causing cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase with p53 activation. Besides this, both complexes might act as multi-target anticancer drugs, as they inhibit the activity of the enzymes thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and carbonic anhydrase (CA IX) with the alteration of the redox balance, and show a pro-oxidant effect.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel bis-substituted aromatic amide dithiocarbamate derivatives as colchicine site tubulin polymerization inhibitors with potent anticancer activities

As the continuation of our work on the development of tubulin inhibitors with potential anticancer activities, novel bis-substituted aromatic amide dithiocarbamate derivatives were designed by contacting bis-substituted aryl scaffolds (potential anti-tubulin fragments) with N-containing heterocycles (potential anti-tubulin fragments) in one hybrid using the anticancer dithioformate unit as the linker. The antiproliferative activity against three digestive tract tumor cells was evaluated and preliminary structure activity relationships were summarized. Among these compounds, compound 20q exhibited most potent antiproliferative activity against MGC-803, HCT-116, Kyse30 and Kyse450 cells with IC₅₀ values of 0.084, 0.227, 0.069 and 0.078 μM, respectively. In further studies, compound 20q was identified as a novel tubulin inhibitor targeting the colchicine binding site. Compound 20q could inhibit the microtubule assembly and disrupt cytoskeleton in Kyse30 and Kyse450 cells. The results of molecular docking suggested that compound 20q could tightly bind into the colchicine binding site of tubulin by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Compound 20q dose-dependently inhibited the cell growth and colony formation, effectively arrested cells at the G2/M phase and induce mitochondrial apoptosis in Kyse30 and Kyse450 cells. In addition, Compound 20q could regulate the expression of G2/M phase and mitochondrial apoptosis related proteins. Collectively, compound 20q was here reported as a novel tubulin inhibitor with potential anticancer activities.

Recent contributions of quinolines to antimalarial and anticancer drug discovery research

Quinoline, a privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry, has always been associated with a multitude of biological activities. Especially in antimalarial and anticancer research, quinoline played (and still plays) a central role, giving rise to the development of an array of quinoline-containing pharmaceuticals in these therapeutic areas. However, both diseases still affect millions of people every year, pointing to the necessity of new therapies. Quinolines have a long-standing history as antimalarial agents, but established quinoline-containing antimalarial drugs are now facing widespread resistance of the Plasmodium parasite. Nevertheless, as evidenced by a massive number of recent literature contributions, they are still of great value for future developments in this field. On the other hand, the number of currently approved anticancer drugs containing a quinoline scaffold are limited, but a strong increase and interest in quinoline compounds as potential anticancer agents can be seen in the last few years. In this review, a literature overview of recent contributions made by quinoline-containing compounds as potent antimalarial or anticancer agents is provided, covering publications between 2018 and 2020.

A novel sulfamethoxazole derivative as an inhibitory agent against HSP70: A combination of computational with in vitro studies

In the current study, a novel derivative of sulfamethoxazole (a sulfonamide containing anti-biotic) named ZM-093 (IUPAC name: (E)-4-((4-(bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino)phenyl)diazenyl)-N-(5-methylisoxazole-3-yl)benzenesulfonamide) was synthesized via common diazotization-coupling reactions from sulfamethoxazole and subsequently characterized through NMR/FT-IR spectroscopy. After evaluation, the compound was geometrically optimized at the DFT level of theory with BL3YP method and 6/31++G (d,p) basis set and from the optimized structure, several molecular descriptors important in the biological reactivity of the compound, such as global reactivity parameters, molecular electrostatic potential, average local ionization energy, and drug-likeness features of the compound were computationally analyzed. The experimental in vitro investigations of the interaction between ZM-093 and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), a protein that is highly expressed in several types of cancers, exhibited a significant inhibitory effect against the chaperone activity of HSP70 for the titled compound (P-value < 0.01) and the comparison between the experimental studies with the mentioned computational analysis, as well as molecular docking, illustrated that ZM-093 may inhibit HSP70 through binding to its substrate-binding domain. Finally, by taking all the previous results into account, a new method for assessing the inhibitory activity of ligand to HSP70 is introduced based on protonography, a recently developed method that is dependent on the catalytic activity of carbonic anhydrase on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Current Study of RhoA and Associated Signaling Pathways in Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth-most common cancer in the world, with an estimated 1.034 million new cases in 2015, and the third-highest cause of cancer deaths, estimated at 785,558, in 2014. Early diagnosis and treatment greatly affect the survival rate in patients with GC: the 5-year survival rate of early GC reaches 90%-95%, while the mortality rate significantly increases if GC develops to the late stage. Recently, studies for the role of RhoA in the diseases have become a hot topic, especially in the development of tumors. A study found that RhoA can regulate actin polymerization, cell adhesion, motor-myosin, cell transformation, and the ability to participate in the activities of cell movement, proliferation, migration, which are closely related to the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. However, the specific role of RhoA in tumor cells remains to be studied. Therefore, our current study aimed to briefly review the role of RhoA in GC, especially for its associated signaling pathways involved in the GC progression.

Methoxy and bromo scans on N-(5-methoxyphenyl) methoxybenzenesulphonamides reveal potent cytotoxic compounds, especially against the human breast adenocarcinoma MCF7 cell line

Thirty seven N-(5-methoxyphenyl)-4-methoxybenzenesulphonamide with methoxy or/and bromo substitutions (series 1-4) and with different substituents on the sulphonamide nitrogen have been synthesised. 21 showed sub-micromolar cytotoxicity against HeLa and HT-29 human tumour cell lines, and were particularly effective against MCF7. The most potent series has 2,5-dimethoxyanilines, especially the 4-brominated compounds 23–25. The active compounds inhibit microtubular protein polymerisation at micromolar concentrations, thus pointing at tubulin as the target. Co-treatment with the MDR inhibitor verapamil suggests that they are not MDR substrates. Compound 25 showed nanomolar antiproliferative potency. It severely disrupts the microtubule network in cells and arrests cells at the G₂/M cell-cycle phase, thus confirming tubulin targeting. 25 triggered apoptotic cell death, and induced autophagy. Docking studies suggest binding in a distinct way to the colchicine site. These compounds are promising new antitumor agents acting on tubulin.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of conformational states and noncovalent interactions in crystalline sulfonamides with a methoxyphenyl moiety

The conformational and noncovalent interaction properties of sulfonamides with a methoxyphenyl moiety were examined by both experimental and theoretical methods.

Folic acid-sulfonamide conjugates as antibacterial agents: design, synthesis and molecular docking studies

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitors, as antibacterial agents, contain pyrimidine, pteridine, and azine moieties among many other scaffolds. Folic acid (FA), with a pteridine ring and amine group, was used as our focus scaffold, which was then conjugated with sulfonamides to develop new conjugates. The novel synthesized conjugates were characterized using infrared spectroscopy, and ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral studies and consequently screened for antimicrobial activities against bacterial strains with ampicillin as a positive control. Compound DS2 has the highest zone of inhibition (36.6 mm) with a percentage activity index (%AI) value of 122.8% against S. aureus and a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 15.63 μg mL^-1. DHFR enzyme inhibition was also evaluated using the synthesized conjugates through in vitro studies, and inhibition assays revealed that compound DS2 exhibited a 75.4 ± 0.12% (mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM)) inhibition, which is comparable with the standard DHFR inhibitor trimethoprim (74.6 ± 0.09%). The compounds attached to the unsubstituted aryl moiety of the sulfonamides revealed better inhibition against the bacterial strains as compared to the methyl substituted aryl sulfonamides. Molecular docking studies of the novel synthesized conjugates were also performed on the DHFR enzyme to identify the plausible binding modes to explore the binding mechanisms of these conjugates.

Disulfiram potentiates the anticancer effect of cisplatin in atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RT)

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is the most malignant tumor of the central nervous system that generally occurs in young children. Despite the use of intensive multimodal therapy for AT/RT, the prognosis is still poor. The brain tumor initiating cells in AT/RT cells has been suggested as one of the challenges in AT/RT treatment. These cells have high expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). We investigated the combination effect of the ALDH inhibitor, disulfiram and cisplatin in the treatment of AT/RT cells. Isobologram analysis revealed that the combination therapy synergistically increases AT/RT cell death. The enzyme activity of ALDH AT/RT cells was effectively reduced by the combination therapy. We proposed that the synergistic augmentation occurs, at least partially through an increase in cleaved Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-dependent apoptosis mediated by activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3). In the AT/RT mouse model, the combination therapy decreased tumor volume and prolonged survival. Immunofluorescence assay in mouse brain tissues were consistent with the expression of ATF3 and cleaved PARP. Our study demonstrates enhanced anti-cancer effect of combination therapy of disulfiram and cisplatin. This combination might provide a viable therapeutic strategy for AT/RT patients.

Synthesis, Anticancer Evaluation and Structure-Activity Analysis of Novel (E)- 5-(2-Arylvinyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamides

To learn more about the structure-activity relationships of (E)-3-(5-styryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide derivatives, which in our previous research displayed promising in vitro anticancer activity, we have synthesized a group of novel (E)-5-[(5-(2-arylvinyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)]-4-chloro-2-R1-benzenesulfonamides 7-36 as well as (E)-4-[5-styryl1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]benzenesulfonamides 47-50 and (E)-2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(2-arylvinyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazols 51-55. All target derivatives were evaluated for their anticancer activity on HeLa, HCT-116, and MCF-7 human tumor cell lines. The obtained results were analyzed in order to explain the influence of a structure of the 2-aryl-vinyl substituent and benzenesulfonamide scaffold on the anti-tumor activity. Compound 31, bearing 5-nitrothiophene moiety, exhibited the most potent anticancer activity against the HCT-116, MCF-7, and HeLa cell lines, with IC50 values of 0.5, 4, and 4.5 µM, respectively. Analysis of structure-activity relationship showed significant differences in activity depending on the substituent in position 3 of the benzenesulfonamide ring and indicated as the optimal meta position of the sulfonamide moiety relative to the oxadizole ring. In the next stage, chemometric analysis was performed basing on a set of computed molecular descriptors. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to examine the internal structure of the obtained data and the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis with multiple linear regression (MLR) method allowed for finding statistically significant models for predicting activity towards all three cancer cell lines.