Design, synthesis, crystal structure and in vitro cytotoxic properties of a novel Schiff base derived from indole and biphenyl

Synthesis, crystal structures, antiproliferative activities and reverse docking studies of eight novel Schiff bases derived from benzil

Eight novel Schiff bases derived from benzil dihydrazone (BDH) or benzil monohydrazone (BMH) and four fused-ring carbonyl compounds (3-formylindole, FI; 3-acetylindole, AI; 3-formyl-1-methylindole, MFI; 1-formylnaphthalene, FN) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, ESI-QTOF-MS, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction. They are (1Z,2Z)-1,2-bis{(E)-[(1H-indol-3-yl)methylidene]hydrazinylidene}-1,2-diphenylethane (BDHFI), C₃₂H₂₄N₆, (1Z,2Z)-1,2-bis{(E)-[1-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethylidene]hydrazinylidene}-1,2-diphenylethane (BDHAI), C₃₄H₂₈N₆, (1Z,2Z)-1,2-bis{(E)-[(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylidene]hydrazinylidene}-1,2-diphenylethane (BMHMFI) acetonitrile hemisolvate, C₃₄H₂₈N₆·0.5CH₃CN, (1Z,2Z)-1,2-bis{(E)-[(naphthalen-1-yl)methylidene]hydrazinylidene}-1,2-diphenylethane (BDHFN), C₃₆H₂₆N₄, (Z)-2-{(E)-[(1H-indol-3-yl)methylidene]hydrazinylidene}-1,2-diphenylethanone (BMHFI), C₂₃H₁₇N₃O, (Z)-2-{(E)-[1-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethylidene]hydrazinylidene}-1,2-diphenylethanone (BMHAI), C₂₄H₁₉N₃O, (Z)-2-{(E)-[(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylidene]hydrazinylidene}-1,2-diphenylethanone (BMHMFI), C₂₄H₁₉N₃O, and (Z)-2-{(E)-[(naphthalen-1-yl)methylidene]hydrazinylidene}-1,2-diphenylethanone (BMHFN) C₂₅H₁₈N₂O. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxicity of the eight title compounds was evaluated against two tumour cell lines (A549 human lung cancer and 4T₁ mouse breast cancer) and two normal cell lines (MRC-5 normal lung cells and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts) by MTT assay. The results indicate that four (BDHMFI, BDHFN, BMHMFI and BMHFN) are inactive and the other four (BDHFI, BDHAI, BMHFI and BMHAI) show severe toxicities against human A549 and mouse 4T₁ cells, similar to the standard cisplatin. All the compounds exhibited weaker cytotoxicity against normal cells than cancer cells. The Swiss Target Prediction web server was applied for the prediction of protein targets. After analyzing the differences in frequency hits between these active and inactive Schiff bases, 18 probable targets were selected for reverse docking with the Surflex-dock function in SYBYL-X 2.0 software. Three target proteins, i.e. human ether-á-go-go-related (hERG) potassium channel, the inhibitor of apoptosis protein 3 and serine/threonine-protein kinase PIM1, were chosen as the targets. Finally, the ligand-based structure-activity relationships were analyzed based on the putative protein target (hERG) docking results, which will be used to design and synthesize novel hERG ion channel inhibitors.

Synthesis, structure and antiproliferative and optical activities of two new biphenyl-derived Schiff bases

Two novel Schiff bases derived from indole and biphenyl have been designed and synthesized, namely 3-((E)-{(E)-[1-(biphenyl-4-yl)ethylidene]hydrazinylidene}methyl)-1-methyl-1H-indole (3-BEHMI) acetonitrile monosolvate, C₂₄H₂₁N₃·CH₃CN, and 3-((E)-{(E)-[1-(biphenyl-4-yl)ethylidene]hydrazinylidene}methyl)-1-methyl-1H-indole (3-BEHEI) acetonitrile monosolvate, C₂₄H₂₁N₃·CH₃CN. Their structures were characterized by elemental analysis, quadrupole time-of-flight MS, NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The single-crystal packing structure of 3-BEHMI is largely dominated by C-H...π interactions and weak van der Waals interactions. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the two title compounds have been evaluated against two tumour cell lines (A549 human lung cancer and 4T₁ mouse breast cancer) and two normal cell lines (MRC-5 normal lung cells and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts) by MTT assay. The results indicate that 3-BEHEI exhibits a slightly weaker antiproliferative capability (IC₅₀ = ∼50 µM) than the previously reported similar Schiff base 3-BEHI (IC₅₀ = ∼20 µM). This is in line with docking results. 3-BEHMI demonstrates a weak cytotoxic activity, with IC₅₀ values around 110 µM, which disagrees with its docking results. Overall, the tested compounds manifest relevant cytotoxicities on the selected cancer cell lines and normal cell lines. The UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra were recorded and reproduced through the TD-DFT method with four types of hybrid density functionals, including B3LYP, M062X, PBE1PBE and WB97XD.

Order and disorder in (E)-[1-(biphenyl-4-yl)ethylidene]hydrazine: a structural, spectroscopic and theoretical study

An unexpected global disorder (co-existing rotational disorder and glide disorder) has been observed during an X-ray investigation of the crystal structure of (E)-[1-(biphenyl-4-yl)ethylidene]hydrazine, C14H14N2, at room temperature. When the temperature decreases to 273 K, the disorder disappears, but the quality of the data set is low. The diffraction data were collected again at 110 K. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis and polarizing-microscopy experiments, as well as a fourth set of single-crystal data collected at 283 K, proved that the order–disorder transformation occurs continuously. The analyses of these crystal structures and full-range relaxed potential energy surface scans showed that this kind of global disorder is not very difficult to achieve inside the crystal. Experimental and theoretical studiesviaUV–Vis and fluorescence spectra impart an understanding on the prediction methods of optical properties, which are essential for the rational design of biphenyl-based materials with pre-defined properties.

Revisiting the role of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase as a therapeutic target for cancer

Identified as a hallmark of cancer, metabolic reprogramming allows cancer cells to rapidly proliferate, resist chemotherapies, invade, metastasize, and survive a nutrient-deprived microenvironment. Rapidly growing cells depend on sufficient concentrations of nucleotides to sustain proliferation. One enzyme essential for the de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidine-based nucleotides is dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a known therapeutic target for multiple diseases. Brequinar, leflunomide, and teriflunomide, all of which are potent DHODH inhibitors, have been clinically evaluated but failed to receive FDA approval for the treatment of cancer. Inhibition of DHODH depletes intracellular pyrimidine nucleotide pools and results in cell cycle arrest in S-phase, sensitization to current chemotherapies, and differentiation in neural crest cells and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Furthermore, DHODH is a synthetic lethal susceptibility in several oncogenic backgrounds. Therefore, DHODH-targeted therapy has potential value as part of a combination therapy for the treatment of cancer. In this review, we focus on the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway as a target for cancer therapy, and in particular, DHODH. In the first part, we provide a comprehensive overview of this pathway and its regulation in cancer. We further describe the relevance of DHODH as a target for cancer therapy using bioinformatic analyses. We then explore the preclinical and clinical results of pharmacological strategies to target the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway, with an emphasis on DHODH. Finally, we discuss potential strategies to harness DHODH as a target for the treatment of cancer.

Theoretical insight into the disordered structure of (Z)-2-[(E)-(4-methoxybenzylidene)hydrazinylidene]-1,2-diphenylethanone: the role of noncovalent interactions

A global glide disorder has been discovered during an X-ray investigation of the crystal structure of (Z)-2-[(E)-(4-methoxybenzylidene)hydrazinylidene]-1,2-diphenylethanone (MHDE, C₂₂H₁₈N₂O₂) at room temperature. In another crystal, however, such disorder disappears (still at room temperature). Even though the disorder may be partly due to the poor quality of the harvested crystal, the structure can shed light on the nature of disorder. With the help of quantum chemical calculations, it is found that the global disorder seems to be connected with the need for stabilization of the somewhat rigid but mobile and unstable molecular structure. The most relevant feature driving the packing of the disordered structure concerns the slight perturbations (such as glide) of two or more disorder components (fractional occupancies) distributed throughout the crystal.