Synthesis and Analysis of Potential DNA Intercalators Containing Quinoline-Glucose Hybrids

A Small Sugar Molecule with Huge Potential in Targeted Cancer Therapy

The number of cancer-related diseases is still growing. Despite the availability of a large number of anticancer drugs, the ideal drug is still being sought that would be effective, selective, and overcome the effect of multidrug resistance. Therefore, researchers are still looking for ways to improve the properties of already-used chemotherapeutics. One of the possibilities is the development of targeted therapies. The use of prodrugs that release the bioactive substance only under the influence of factors characteristic of the tumor microenvironment makes it possible to deliver the drug precisely to the cancer cells. Obtaining such compounds is possible by coupling a therapeutic agent with a ligand targeting receptors, to which the attached ligand shows affinity and is overexpressed in cancer cells. Another way is to encapsulate the drug in a carrier that is stable in physiological conditions and sensitive to conditions of the tumor microenvironment. Such a carrier can be directed by attaching to it a ligand recognized by receptors typical of tumor cells. Sugars seem to be ideal ligands for obtaining prodrugs targeted at receptors overexpressed in cancer cells. They can also be ligands modifying polymers' drug carriers. Furthermore, polysaccharides can act as selective nanocarriers for numerous chemotherapeutics. The proof of this thesis is the huge number of papers devoted to their use for modification or targeted transport of anticancer compounds. In this work, selected examples of broad-defined sugars application for improving the properties of both already-used drugs and substances exhibiting anticancer activity are presented.

Quinoline anticancer agents active on DNA and DNA-interacting proteins: From classical to emerging therapeutic targets

Quinoline is one of the most important and versatile nitrogen heterocycles embodied in several biologically active molecules. Within the numerous quinolines developed as antiproliferative agents, this review is focused on compounds interfering with DNA structure or with proteins/enzymes involved in the regulation of double helix functional processes. In this light, a special focus is given to the quinoline compounds, acting with classical/well-known mechanisms of action (DNA intercalators or Topoisomerase inhibitors). In particular, the quinoline drugs amsacrine and camptothecin (CPT) have been studied as key lead compounds for the development of new agents with improved PK and tolerability properties. Moreover, notable attention has been paid to the quinoline molecules, which are able to interfere with emerging targets involved in cancer progression, as G-quadruplexes or the epigenetic ones (e.g.: histone deacetylase, DNA and histones methyltransferase). The antiproliferative and the enzymatic inhibition data of the reviewed compounds have been analyzed. Furthermore, concerning the SAR (structure-activity relationship) aspects, the most recurrent ligand-protein interactions are summarized, underling the structural requirements for each kind of mechanism of action.

Threading Intercalator-Induced Nanocondensates and Role of Endogenous Metal Ions in Decondensation for DNA Delivery

The interplay of condensation and decondensation of DNA plays a crucial role in chromosome maintenance and gene expression. The molecular architectonics governing the chromatin condensation-decondensation cycle are worth studying, as DNA performs unique and distinct roles in each state and switches between two states without the loss of structural and functional integrity. This phenomenon has been adapted and implemented in transfection studies. Effective gene delivery into the cells to achieve respectable transfection efficiency has remained a challenge and emphasizes the need for understanding the steps involved in DNA delivery and transfection. Especially, recognizing the factors that effectively regulate DNA decondensation can provide logical solutions to the hurdles affecting the transfection efficiency. We designed a set of small molecule-based threading intercalation ligands as model condensing agents to study various factors influencing the DNA condensation and decondensation process. This study revealed condensation of DNA into nanocondensate by the threading intercalator and endogenous stimuli induced effective decondensation. Further, DNA nanocondensates are tracked using the intrinsic fluorescence in the lower pH of endocytic pathway and were evaluated as nonviral vectors for in cellulo delivery of plasmids. The correlation of decondensation of DNA nanocondensate with endogenous metal ions at their physiological concentrations provided valuable insights and implications for intracellular DNA delivery.

An Overview of Privileged Scaffold: Quinolines and Isoquinolines in Medicinal Chemistry as Anticancer Agents

Cancer is one of the most difficult diseases and causes of death for many decades. Many pieces of research are continuously going on to get a solution for cancer. Quinoline and isoquinoline derivatives have shown their possibilities to work as an antitumor agent in anticancer treatment. The members of this privileged scaffold quinoline and isoquinoline have shown their controlling impacts on cancer treatment through various modes. In particular, this review suggests the current scenario of quinoline and isoquinoline derivatives as antitumor agents and refine the path of these derivatives to find and develop new drugs against an evil known as cancer.

Crystal structure of fac-tricarbon-yl(cyclo-hexyl isocyanide-κC)(quinoline-2-carboxyl-ato-κ(2) N,O)rhenium(I)

In the title compound, [Re(C10H6NO2)(C7H11N)(CO)3], the Re(I) atom is coordinated by three carbonyl ligands in a facial arrangement and by the N, O and C atoms from a chelating quinaldate anion and a monodentate isocyanide ligand, respectively. The resultant C4NO coordination sphere is distorted octa-hedral. A lengthening of the axial Re-CO bond trans to the isocyanide ligand is indicative of the trans effect. Individual complexes are stacked into rods parallel to [001] through displaced π-π inter-actions. Weak C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions between the rods lead to the formation of layers parallel to (010). These layers are stacked along [010] by C-H⋯H-C van der Waals contacts.

Small molecule glycoconjugates with anticancer activity

Glycoconjugates are combinations of sugar moieties with organic compounds. Due to their biological resemblance, such structures often have properties that are desirable for drugs. In this study we designed and synthesised several glycoconjugates from small molecular quinolines and substituted gluco- and galactopyranosyl amines. Although the parent quinoline compounds were inactive in affordable concentrations, the glycoconjugates that were obtained appeared to be cytotoxic against cancer cells at the micromolar level. When combined with copper ions, their activity increased even further. Their mechanism of action is connected to the formation of reactive oxygen species and the intercalation of DNA.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel non-covalent binding quinazoline glycoside derivatives targeting the L858R and T790M variants of EGFR

A series of novel quinazoline glycoside derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their inhibition activities against EGFR-WT, EGFR/L858R/T790M, and skin epidermoid carcinoma cell line (A431).

#Nitrosocarbonyls 1: antiviral activity of N-(4-hydroxycyclohex-2-en-1-yl)quinoline-2-carboxamide against the influenza A virus H1N1

Influenza virus flu A H1N1 still remains a target for its inhibition with small molecules. Fleeting nitrosocarbonyl intermediates are at work in a short-cut synthesis of carbocyclic nucleoside analogues. The strategy of the synthetic approaches is presented along with the in vitro antiviral tests. The nucleoside derivatives were tested for their inhibitory activity against a variety of viruses. Promising antiviral activities were found for specific compounds in the case of flu A H1N1.

Recent advances in small organic molecules as DNA intercalating agents: synthesis, activity, and modeling

The interaction of small molecules with DNA plays an essential role in many biological processes. As DNA is often the target for majority of anticancer and antibiotic drugs, study about the interaction of drug and DNA has a key role in pharmacology. Moreover, understanding the interactions of small molecules with DNA is of prime significance in the rational design of more powerful and selective anticancer agents. Two of the most important and promising targets in cancer chemotherapy include DNA alkylating agents and DNA intercalators. For these last the DNA recognition is a critical step in their anti-tumor action and the intercalation is not only one kind of the interactions in DNA recognition but also a pivotal step of several clinically used anti-tumor drugs such as anthracyclines, acridines and anthraquinones. To push clinical cancer therapy, the discovery of new DNA intercalators has been considered a practical approach and a number of intercalators have been recently reported. The intercalative binding properties of such molecules can also be harnessed as diagnostic probes for DNA structure in addition to DNA-directed therapeutics. Moreover, the problem of intercalation site formation in the undistorted B-DNA of different length and sequence is matter of tremendous importance in molecular modeling studies and, nowadays, three models of DNA intercalation targets have been proposed that account for the binding features of intercalators. Finally, despite DNA being an important target for several drugs, most of the docking programs are validated only for proteins and their ligands. Therefore, a default protocol to identify DNA binding modes which uses a modified canonical DNA as receptor is needed.

Highly cytotoxic DNA-interacting copper(ii) coordination compounds

Copper complexes from Schiff-base ligands show high cytotoxicity against diverse cancer cell lines, with IC₅₀ values down to 0.23 μM.