Exploring of N-phthalimide-linked 1,2,3-triazole analogues with promising -anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity: synthesis, biological screening, and molecular modelling studies

In this study, a library of phthalimide Schiff base linked to 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles was designed, synthesised, and characterised by different spectral analyses. All analogues have been introduced for in vitro assay of their antiviral activity against COVID-19 virus using Vero cell as incubator with different concentrations. The data revealed most of these derivatives showed potent cellular anti-COVID-19 activity and prevent viral growth by more than 90% at two different concentrations with no or weak cytotoxic effect on Vero cells. Furthermore, in vitro assay was done against this enzyme for all analogues and the results showed two of them have IC50 data by 90 µM inhibitory activity. An extensive molecular docking simulation was run to analyse their antiviral mechanism that found the proper non-covalent interaction within the Mpro protease enzyme. Finally, we profiled two reversible inhibitors, COOH and F substituted analogues that might be promising drug candidates for further development have been discovered.

Copper supported modified magnetic carrageenan as a bio-based catalyst for the synthesis of novel scaffolds bearing the 1,2,3-triazole unit through the click reaction

The ongoing work delineates the design of a novel library of 1,2,3-triazole-attached phenylacetamides through molecular hybridization of propargyl and phenylacetamide derivatives. Copper-supported modified magnetic carrageenan serves as a green heterogeneous catalyst, ensuring high yield, efficient reaction times, high atom economy, utilization of an environmentally friendly catalyst from a natural source, and a straightforward workup procedure. The successful synthesis of the catalyst is confirmed and evaluated using various analytical techniques, while the synthetic compounds are characterized through 1H NMR and 13C NMR.

Identification of 1,2,3-triazole-phthalimide derivatives as potential drugs against COVID-19: a virtual screening, docking and molecular dynamic study

In this work we aimed to perform an in silico predictive screening, docking and molecular dynamic study to identify 1,2,3-triazole-phthalimide derivatives as drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2. The in silico prediction of pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of hundred one 1,2,3-triazole-phtalimide derivatives, obtained from SciFinder® library, were investigated. Compounds that did not show good gastrointestinal absorption, violated the Lipinski's rules, proved to be positive for the AMES test, and showed to be hepatotoxic or immunotoxic in our ADMET analysis, were filtered out of our study. The hit compounds were further subjected to molecular docking on SARS-CoV-2 target proteins. The ADMET analysis revealed that 43 derivatives violated the Lipinski's rules and 51 other compounds showed to be positive for the toxicity test. Seven 1,2,3-triazole-phthalimide derivatives (A7, A8, B05, E35, E38, E39, and E40) were selected for molecular docking and MFCC-ab initio analysis. The results of molecular docking pointed the derivative E40 as a promising compound interacting with multiple target proteins of SARS-CoV-2. The complex E40-Mpro was found to have minimum binding energy of -10.26 kcal/mol and a general energy balance, calculated by the quantum mechanical analysis, of -8.63 eV. MD simulation and MMGBSA calculations confirmed that the derivatives E38 and E40 have high binding energies of -63.47 ± 3 and -63.31 ± 7 kcal/mol against SARS-CoV-2 main protease. In addition, the derivative E40 exhibited excellent interaction values and inhibitory potential against SAR-Cov-2 main protease and viral nucleocapsid proteins, suggesting this derivative as a potent antiviral for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of COVID-19.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Scientific and Technological Prospecting of 1H-1,2,3-Triazoles

Abstract:

The use of 1H-1,2,3-triazoles has become an important scaffold for applications in different technological sectors. Therefore, we sought to carry out a technological monitoring to understand the international scenario involving 1H-1,2,3-triazoles from the patents filed, in addition to evaluating the relationship between the growth in the number of patents and the improvement of strategies for obtaining of these compounds via a metal-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction. Technological monitoring was performed with the support of the PatentInspiration® platform, using the keywords "1,2,3-triazol", "1,2,3-triazole", and "1,2,3-triazolyl". A total of 960 registered patents were found, most for the years 2014 and 2019. The main filers were prestigious multinational companies such as Syngenta, Merck, Sandoz, Pfizer, and Bayer. The United States, China, Japan, and Germany lead patent registrations, mainly addressing innovations in chemistry and metallurgy, human needs, and new technologies. These results help to understand the state of innovation for this topic, pointing out the characteristics of the main discoveries concerning 1H-1,2,3-triazole derivatives.

Stitching Triazoles to Arenes via a Transition Metal-Free Aryne Diels-Alder/1,3-Prototropic Shift/Dehydrobromination Cascade

The 1,2,3-triazole-fused polyaromatic frameworks are traditionally obtained through transition metal-catalyzed C-H/C-X arylation of the preinstalled triazoles at a very high temperature. Herein, a transition metal-free direct synthesis via an aryne Diels-Alder/1,3-prototropic shift/dehydrobromination cascade is reported. This method gives access to triazole-fused aromatics as well as the corresponding dihydrocarbocycles under mild reaction conditions.

Bioactive 1,2,3-Triazoles: An Account on their Synthesis, Structural Diversity and Biological Applications

The triazole heterocycle is a privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry, since its structure is present in a large number of biologically active molecules, including several drugs currently in the market. Due to their vast applications, a wide variety of methods are described for their preparation, such as the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and processes involving diazo compounds and diazo transfer reactions. Considering the significant number of contributions from our research group to this chemistry in recent decades, in this account we discuss both the development of new methods for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles and the preparation of new triazole-functionalized biologically active molecules using classical approaches.

Synthesis, Anti-Inflammatory Activity and Molecular Docking Studies of 1,4,5,6-Tetrahydropyrimidine-2-Carboxamides

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most commonly used drugs in the world. The widespread use of NSAIDs is associated with a number of serious side effects and complications observed for both selective and non-selective COX inhibitors. Therefore, the search for new COX inhibitors, which along with their effectiveness will have minimal side effects, is a very important and urgent task. Methods: This work studied the synthesis of new 1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-carboxamides based on the reaction of 2-morpholin-4-yl-N-(het)aryl-2-thioxoacetamides with 1,3-diaminopropane. All obtained compounds were tested for anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in silico conditions. All synthesized 1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-carboxamides were tested for influence on the course of the exudative phase of the inflammatory process based on the carrageenan model of paw edema of laboratory nonlinear heterosexual white rats weighing 220-250 g, using Diclofenac as a reference. Optimization of the geometry of the studied structures and molecular docking was carried out using the ArgusLab 4.0.1 software package. Results: The target products were obtained with yields of 71-98% and easily isolated from the reaction mixture. The best anti-inflammatory activity was found in N-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-carboxamide and in N-[4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-carboxamide, suppression of the inflammatory response was 46.7 and 46.4%, respectively. The results of molecular docking with COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes were in good agreement with the experimental data, R2 ˃ 0.92 and R2 ˃ 0.83, respectively. Conclusion: The compounds under study were shown to be promising as potential anti-inflammatory agents.

Antileishmanial activity of 4-phenyl-1-[2-(phthalimido-2-yl)ethyl]-1H-1,2,3-triazole (PT4) derivative on Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania braziliensis: In silico ADMET, in vitro activity, docking and molecular dynamic simulations

Organic compounds obtained by click chemistry reactions have demonstrated a broad spectrum of biological activities being widely applied for the development of molecules against pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), caused by intracellular protozoa parasite of genus Leishmania, comprises a complex of clinical manifestations that affect the skin and mucous membranes. The available drugs for the treatment are toxic and costly, with long periods of treatment, and the emergence of resistant strains has been reported. In this study we investigated the in vitro effects of a phthalimide-1,2,3-triazole derivative, the 4-Phenyl-1-[2-(phthalimido-2-yl)ethyl]-1H-1,2,3-triazole (PT4) obtained by click chemistry, on mammalian cells and on L. amazonensis and L. braziliensis, the causative agents of CL in Brazil. In silico ADMET evaluation of PT4 showed that this molecule has good pharmacokinetic properties with no violation of Lipinski's rules. The in vitro assays showed that PT4 was more selective for both Leishmania species than to mammalian cells. This compound also presented low cytotoxicity to mammalian cells with CC₅₀ > 500 μM. Treatment of promastigote forms with different concentrations of PT4 resulted in ultrastructural alterations, such as plasma membrane wrinkling, shortening of cell body, increased cell volume and cell rupture. The molecular dynamic simulations showed that PT4 interacts with Lanosterol 14 α-demethylase from Leishmania, an essential enzyme of lipid synthesis pathway in this parasite. Our results demonstrated PT4 was effective against both species of Leishmania. PT4 caused a decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased production of reactive oxygen species, which may lead to parasite death. Taken together, our results pointed PT4 as promissing therapeutic agent against CL.

Synthesis of 1,4-Biphenyl-triazole Derivatives as Possible 17β-HSD1 Inhibitors: An in Silico Study

Triazoles occupy an important position in medicinal chemistry because of their various biological activities. The structural features of 1,2,3-triazoles enable them to act as a bioisostere of different functional groups such as amide, ester, carboxylic acid, and heterocycle, being capable of forming hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions or coordinate metal ions with biological targets. In this work, the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives via copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) is reported. Overexpression of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (17β-HSD1) is often found in breast cancer cells. Molecular similarity and docking analysis were used to evaluate the potential inhibitory activity of 1,2,3-triazoles synthesized over 17β-HSD1 for the treatment of mammary tumors. Our in silico analysis shows that compounds 4c, 4d, 4f, 4g, and 4j are good molecular scaffold candidates as 17β-HSD1 inhibitors.

K2S2O8-Mediated Hydroxyalkylation of Benzothiazoles with Alcohols in Aqueous Solution

The K2S2O8-mediated hydroxyalkylation of 2H-benzothiazoles with aliphatic alcohols in aqueous solution was described. The mild and convenient protocol generated a series of hydroxyalkylated benzothiazoles in moderate to good yields. Besides, benzimidazole and ethers were also compatible in this reaction, leading to corresponding C2 ether-substituted heteroarenes.