Synthesis and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Pyran, Dihydropyridine and Thiophene Derivatives of 3-Acetylcoumarin

Microwave-assisted protocol towards synthesis of heterocyclic molecules: a comparative analysis with conventional synthetic methodologies (years 2019-2023): a review

Microwave-assisted protocols have become extensively accepted across various scientific and technological domains because of their numerous advantages, shorter reaction times, higher yields, and often milder reaction conditions. In this review, we focus on the synthesis of N, O, and S-containing heterocyclic structural cores, crucial in the development of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials science following through conventional and microwave method via eliminating the side products and enhances the product yield that is nowadays the biggest barrier for a synthetic chemist. The major findings emphasizes the substantial advantages of microwave-assisted techniques over conventional synthetic protocols. This comparative study underscores the potential of microwave-assisted techniques to revolutionize heterocyclic compound synthesis, providing insights into optimizing reaction conditions and expanding the scope of chemical synthesis in industrial applications.

Latest developments in coumarin-based anticancer agents: mechanism of action and structure-activity relationship studies

Many researchers around the world are working on the development of novel anticancer drugs with different mechanisms of action. In this case, coumarin is a highly promising pharmacophore for the development of novel anticancer drugs. Besides, the hybridization of this moiety with other anticancer pharmacophores has emerged as a potent breakthrough in the treatment of cancer to decrease its side effects and increase its efficiency. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent development of coumarin derivatives and their application as novel anticancer drugs. Herein, we highlight and describe the largest number of research works reported in this field from 2015 to August 2023, along with their mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationship studies, making this review different from the other review articles published on this topic to date.

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of new series of thiazoles, pyridines and pyrazoles based on coumarin moiety

Microbial infections are currently a widespread disease in hospitals and community health centres and are a major cause of death worldwide. In pursuit of searching new antimicrobial agents, coumarin linked to thiazoles, pyridines and pyrazoles have been developed and evaluated for their antimicrobial properties against two Gram + bacteria, two Gram - bacteria as well as two fungi. Some of the prepared coumarins displayed high to moderate activity against the tested microorganisms with respect to the reference drugs. However, compound 3 exhibited antimicrobial effect equal to the reference drug Ciprofloxacin for Gram - baceria Enterobacter cloacae. Compound 12 was found to be the most potent compound against Bacillus pumilis with MIC of 7.69 (µmol/ml). Compounds 3, 4 and 12 showed remarkable activity against Streptococcus faecalis with MIC of 14.34, 3.67 and 15.36 (µmol/ml), respectively. Regarding Escherichia coli, most compounds recorded high to moderate MIC values (4.73-45.46 µmol/ml). Moreover, in case of E. cloacae compound 9 was the most potent compound with MIC value of 22.76 (µmol/ml).

Enzymatic Process for Cystoseira barbata Valorization: Ethanol Production and Additional By-Products

The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of dried Cystoseira barbata alga for ethanol production through alcoholic fermentation. The influence of the main factors affecting the fermentation are studied in the frame of a 23 factorial experimental plan. The main factors influencing the process are the fermentation temperature (t from 25 °C to 35 °C), the solid to liquid ratio (S/L from 0.040 g/g to 0.080 g/g), and the cellulase ratio (R from 8 U/g d.m to 16 U/g d.m.). The maximum volatile compounds yield of 0.2808 g/g d.m and ethanol yield of 0.0158 g/g d.m were favored by the following experimental conditions: process temperature of 35 °C, solid to liquid ratio of 0.0415, and enzyme ratio of 16 U/g d.m. A statistical model was used to correlate the product yield with the process factors. Additionally, 19 interesting bioactive compounds were found in the enzymatic hydrolysis and alcoholic fermentation broths which seem likely to maintain natural defence mechanisms against diseases and physical disorders.

Chimeric Drug Design with a Noncharged Carrier for Mitochondrial Delivery

Recently, it was proposed that the thiophene ring is capable of promoting mitochondrial accumulation when linked to fluorescent markers. As a noncharged group, thiophene presents several advantages from a synthetic point of view, making it easier to incorporate such a side moiety into different molecules. Herein, we confirm the general applicability of the thiophene group as a mitochondrial carrier for drugs and fluorescent markers based on a new concept of nonprotonable, noncharged transporter. We implemented this concept in a medicinal chemistry application by developing an antitumor, metabolic chimeric drug based on the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK) inhibitor dichloroacetate (DCA). The promising features of the thiophene moiety as a noncharged carrier for targeting mitochondria may represent a starting point for the design of new metabolism-targeting drugs.

Visible-Light-Initiated One-Pot, Three-Component Synthesis of 2-Amino-4H-pyran-3,5-dicarbonitrile Derivatives

A novel approach for the visible-light-initiated synthesis of 2-amino-4H-pyran-3,5-dicarbonitrile derivatives via a one-pot, three-component reaction of aldehydes or isatins, malononitrile, and α-cyano ketones has been developed. The reaction was carried out at room temperature in ethanol/water to give the corresponding products with a wide range of functional groups in high yields. This process did not require any additives or chromatographic separation and could be applied for gram-scale synthesis.

Synthesis and pharmacological properties of polysubstituted 2-amino-4H-pyran-3-carbonitrile derivatives

2-Amino-3-cyano-4H-chromenes are structural core motifs that received increasing attention in the last years due to their interesting potential pharmacological properties. In this review, the synthetic methods for these compounds are classified based on the type of catalyst in the pertinent reactions. In addition, the wide range of pharmacological properties of these compounds is covered in a separate section.

Coumarin-containing hybrids and their anticancer activities

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and it results in around 9 million deaths annually. The anticancer agents play an intriguing role in the treatment of cancers, while the severe anticancer scenario and the emergence of drug-resistant especially multidrug-resistant cancers create a huge demand for novel anticancer drugs with different mechanisms of action. The coumarin scaffold is ubiquitous in nature and is a highly privileged motif for the development of novel drugs due to its biodiversity and versatility. Coumarin derivatives can exert diverse antiproliferative mechanisms, and some of them such as Irosustat are under clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers, revealing their potential as putative anticancer drugs. Hybridization of coumarin moiety with other anticancer pharmacophores is a promising strategy to reduce side effects, overcome the drug resistance, and may provide valuable therapeutic intervention for the treatment of cancers. Thus, coumarin-containing hybrids occupy an important position in the development of novel anticancer agents. This review aims to summarize the recent advances made towards the development of coumarin-containing hybrids as potential anticancer agents, covering articles published between 2015 and 2019, and the structure-activity relationship together with mechanisms of action are also discussed.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Thiazolyl-Coumarin Derivatives as Potent Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors with Antifibrotic Activity

New histone deacetylases (HDAC) inhibitors with low toxicity to non-cancerous cells, are a prevalent issue at present because these enzymes are actively involved in fibrotic diseases. We designed and synthesized a novel series of thiazolyl-coumarins, substituted at position 6 (R = H, Br, OCH₃), linked to classic zinc binding groups, such as hydroxamic and carboxylic acid moieties and alternative zinc binding groups such as disulfide and catechol. Their in vitro inhibitory activities against HDACs were evaluated. Disulfide and hydroxamic acid derivatives were the most potent ones. Assays with neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts demonstrated low cytotoxic effects for all compounds. Regarding the parameters associated to cardiac fibrosis development, the compounds showed antiproliferative effects, and triggered a strong decrease on the expression levels of both α-SMA and procollagen I. In conclusion, the new thiazolyl-coumarin derivatives inhibit HDAC activity and decrease profibrotic effects on cardiac fibroblasts.

5-(Thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives: synthesis, molecular docking and in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation as potential anticancer agents

Background

Nowadays, cancer is an important public health problem in all countries. Limitations of current chemotherapy for neoplastic diseases such as severe adverse reactions and tumor resistance to the chemotherapeutic drugs have been led to a temptation for focusing on the discovery and development of new compounds with potential anticancer activity. The importance of thiophene and thiadiazole rings as scaffolds present in a wide range of therapeutic agents has been well reported and has driven the synthesis of a large number of novel antitumor agents.

Methods

A series of new 1,3,4-thiadiazoles were synthesized by heterocyclization of N-(4-nitrophenyl)thiophene-2-carbohydrazonoyl chloride with a variety of hydrazine-carbodithioate derivatives. The mechanisms of these reactions were discussed and the structure of the new products was elucidated via spectral data and elemental analysis. All the new synthesized compounds were investigated for in vitro activities against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2) and human lung cancer (A-549) cell lines compared with cisplatin standard anticancer drug. Moreover, molecular docking using MOE 2014.09 software was also carried out for the high potent compound 20b with the binding site of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR, PDB ID (3NU0)).

Results

The results showed that compound 20b has promising activities against HepG-2 and A-549 cell lines (IC50 value of 4.37±0.7 and 8.03±0.5 μM, respectively) and the results of molecular docking supported the biological activity with total binding energy equals −1.6 E (Kcal/mol).

Conclusion

Overall, we synthesized a new series of 1,3,4-thiadiazoles as potential antitumor agents against HepG-2 and A-549 cell lines.

The Current Status of O-Heterocycles: A Synthetic and Medicinal Overview

O-Heterocycles have been explored in the field of medicinal chemistry for a long time, but their significance has not been duly recognised and they are often shunned in favour of N-heterocycles. The design of bioactive molecules for nearly every pathophysiological condition is primarily focused on novel N-heterocycles. The main reasons for such bias include the ease of synthesis and possible mimicking of physiological molecules by N-heterocycles. But considering only this criterion rarely provides breakthrough molecules for a given disease condition, and instead the risks of toxicity or side effects are increased with such molecules. On the other hand, owing to improved synthetic feasibility, O-heterocycles have established themselves as equally potent lead molecules for a wide range of pathophysiological conditions. In the last decade there have been hundreds of reports validating the fact that equally potent molecules can be designed and developed by using O-heterocycles, and these are also expected to have comparably low toxicity. Even so, researchers tend to remain biased toward the use of N-heterocycles over O-heterocycles. Thus, this review provides a critical analysis of the synthesis and medicinal attributes of O-heterocycles, such as pyrones, oxazolones, furanones, oxetanes, oxazolidinones, and dioxolonones, and others, reported in the last five years, underlining the need for and the advantages guiding researchers toward them.

Anticancer properties of thiophene derivatives in breast cancer MCF-7 cells

Substitutions in thiophene structure give rise to new derivatives with different biological and pharmacological activities. The present study investigated the cytotoxicity activity of some thiophene derivatives in breast cancer cells maintained in two-dimensional (2D) or in three-dimensional (3D) culture and evaluated the anticancer mechanism of these compounds. Cytotoxicity assays were performed against untransformed cells and against breast cancer cell MCF-7. Apoptosis analysis and in-vitro migration assay were also performed to evaluate the mechanism of induction of cell death. All thiophene derivatives reduced the cell viability in breast cancer cells, showing cytotoxic activity (IC50<30 µmol/l), and SB-200 compound showed the best selectivity index in MCF-7 cells compared with doxorubicin in 2D culture. All thiophene derivatives significantly induced G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest. However, only SB-83 treatment was effective against motility of MCF-7 cells in 2D culture (P=0.0059). The SB-200 derivative treatment induced an increased proportion of acridine orange/Hoechst double-stained cells (35.35 vs. 3.14%, P=0.0002) compared with nontreated cells, with apoptosis morphological alterations independent of caspase 7 activation (P>0.05). MCF-7 cells became less responsive to SB-200 and to doxorubicin in 3D culture compared with cells in 2D culture (higher IC50 values); however, SB-200 showed a better cytotoxic effect compared with doxorubicin in 3D culture. Therefore, the current study provides an insight into anticancer potential of thiophene derivatives, and further studies should be conducted to understand the mechanism by which thiophene derivatives act on cancer cells.

Synthesis of novel coumarin nucleus-based DPA drug-like molecular entity: In vitro DNA/Cu(II) binding, DNA cleavage and pro-oxidant mechanism for anticancer action

Despite substantial research on cancer therapeutics, systemic toxicity and drug-resistance limits the clinical application of many drugs like cisplatin. Therefore, new chemotherapeutic strategies against different malignancies are needed. Targeted cancer therapy is a new paradigm for cancer therapeutics which targets pathways or chemical entities specific to cancer cells than normal ones. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells contain elevated copper which plays an integral role in angiogenesis. Copper is an important metal ion associated with chromatin DNA, particularly with guanine. Thus, targeting copper via copper-specific chelators in cancer cells can serve as an effective anticancer strategy. New pharmacophore di(2-picolyl)amine (DPA)-3(bromoacetyl) coumarin (ligand-L) was synthesized and characterized by IR, ESI-MS, 1H- and 13C-NMR. Binding ability of ligand-L to DNA/Cu(II) was evaluated using a plethora of biophysical techniques which revealed ligand-L-DNA and ligand-L-Cu(II) interaction. Competitive displacement assay and docking confirmed non-intercalative binding mode of ligand-L with ctDNA. Cyclic voltammetry confirmed ligand-L causes quasi reversible Cu(II)/Cu(I) conversion. Further, acute toxicity studies revealed no toxic effects of ligand-L on mice. To evaluate the chemotherapeutic potential and anticancer mechanism of ligand-L, DNA damage via pBR322 cleavage assay and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were studied. Results demonstrate that ligand-L causes DNA cleavage involving ROS generation in the presence of Cu(II). In conclusion, ligand-L causes redox cycling of Cu(II) to generate ROS which leads to oxidative DNA damage and pro-oxidant cancer cell death. These findings will establish ligand-L as a lead molecule to synthesize new molecules with better copper chelating and pro-oxidant properties against different malignancies.

Green approach for synthesis of bioactive Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives based on thiophene moiety via multicomponent reaction

A novel green and efficient one-pot multicomponent reaction of dihydropyridine derivatives was reported as having good to excellent yield. In the presence of the catalyst ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN), different 1,3-diones and same starting materials as 5-bromothiophene-2-carboxaldehyde and ammonium acetate were used at room temperature under solvent-free condition for the Hantzsch pyridine synthesis within a short period of time. All compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity and, interestingly, we found that 5(b-f) show excellent activity compared with Ampicillin, whereas only the 5e compound shows excellent antifungal activity against Candida albicans compared with griseofulvin. The cytotoxicity of all compounds has been assessed against breast tumour cell lines (BT-549), but no activity was found. The X-ray structure of one such compound, 5a, viewed as a colourless block crystal, corresponded accurately to a primitive monoclinic cell.