Anti-Candida, anti-enzyme activity and cytotoxicity of 3,5-diaryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carboximidamides

Synthesis, In Silico Study, and In Vitro Antifungal Activity of New 5-(1,3-Diphenyl-1H-Pyrazol-4-yl)-4-Tosyl-4,5-Dihydrooxazoles

The increase in multi-drug resistant Candida strains has caused a sharp rise in life-threatening fungal infections in immunosuppressed patients, including those with SARS-CoV-2. Novel antifungal drugs are needed to combat multi-drug-resistant yeasts. This study aimed to synthesize a new series of 2-oxazolines and evaluate the ligands in vitro for the inhibition of six Candida species and in silico for affinity to the CYP51 enzymes (obtained with molecular modeling and protein homology) of the same species. The 5-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-4-tosyl-4,5-dihydrooxazoles 6a-j were synthesized using the Van Leusen reaction between 1,3-diphenyl-4-formylpyrazoles 4a-j and TosMIC 5 in the presence of K2CO3 or KOH without heating, resulting in short reaction times, high compound purity, and high yields. The docking studies revealed good affinity for the active site of the CYP51 enzymes of the Candida species in the following order: 6a-j > 4a-j > fluconazole (the reference drug). The in vitro testing of the compounds against the Candida species showed lower MIC values for 6a-j than 4a-j, and for 4a-j than fluconazole, thus correlating well with the in silico findings. According to growth rescue assays, 6a-j and 4a-j (like fluconazole) inhibit ergosterol synthesis. The in silico toxicity assessment evidenced the safety of compounds 6a-j, which merit further research as possible antifungal drugs.

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of 4,5-Dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carboximidamide Hydrochloride against Salmonella spp

In the present study, the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of two 4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carboximidamide hydrochloride, (trifluoromethyl) phenyl-substituted (compound 1) and bromophenyl-substituted (compound 2), were evaluated against four Salmonella spp. serotypes through broth microdilution and biofilm-forming activity. Further, the cytotoxicity of the compounds was evaluated by cell viability assays using cultures of HeLa and Vero cell lines, and the mutagenic potential was assessed by the Ames test. In the broth microdilution test, compound 1 inhibited 90% of the strains tested at the minimum inhibitory concentration of 62.5 μg mL−1. Furthermore, both compounds prevented biofilm formation, with a reduction of up to 5.2 log10. HeLa and Vero cells exhibited 100% viability in the presence of compound 1. In contrast, low cell viability was observed in the presence of 15 µg mL−1 of compound 2. Furthermore, no mutagenic potential was detected at any of the tested concentrations of compound 1.

Retentive efficacy, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity comparisons between different types of commercial and experimental denture adhesives with antifungal action

The effect of the addition of nystatin and an alternative antifungal derived from pyrazoles in different commercial denture adhesives on their retentive efficacy, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans was evaluated. Commercial denture adhesives were prepared with the inclusion of nystatin and 3,5-diaryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carboximidamide (pyrazole) in three concentrations: 23.78 %w/w, 3.02 %w/w, and 0.31 %w/w (0.015 g, 0.0015 g, and 0.00015 g, respectively). The retentive efficacy was tested observing the influence of the medium, type of commercial denture type and the test condition (dipping). The antifungal action through disk diffusion and direct contact tests at 1, 4, 8 and 12 h and cytotoxic activity was evaluated in mouse fibroblasts (NIH/3T3) by the MTT reduction colorimetric assay. The addition of pyrazole and nystatin in commercial denture adhesives did not affect retentive efficacy rates and enhanced antifungal actions against Candida albicans. Results show a possibility of using denture adhesives as a delivery system for commercial antifungals (Nystatin) or pyrazole, with the second concentration (1,560 µg-3.02 %w/w) as the most efficient.

Recent Highlights on the Synthesis of Pyrazoles with Antimicrobial Activity

Background:

Heterocyclic compounds containing nitrogen atoms such as pyrazoles have a long history and applicability in the field of medicinal chemistry. Many compounds containing pyrazole moiety have been reported in the available literature for their prominent biological activities, including antimicrobial activity against different microorganisms. Over the years, there has been a concern with the many health problems associated with the dramatic increase of microbial infections and resistance to standard drugs, so there is a need for the development of more effective antimicrobial agents. Pyrazoles and their derivatives are promising candidates to bypass these problems with good safety profiles, and there is a wide range of synthetic methodologies for their obtainment. This review aims to compact a literature survey (2012-2017) very informative and helpful for researchers who wish to study or continue the development of new, potent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds.

Methods:

This review encompasses reports on the synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of synthetic pyrazoles from the year 2012 to 2017, which were extracted from bibliographic databases such as PubMed, scielo, sciencedirect, scifinder, and scopus. The main keywords in our search were “pyrazole” and “antimicrobial activity”, in which we made efforts to include synthetic and biological methodologies that can be useful for laboratories of different levels of infrastructure. Moreover, inclusion/ exclusion criteria was applied to select quality reports which could demonstrate different tools of antimicrobial evaluation, focusing on the advances made in the area, such as evaluation in silico and exploration of the possible mechanism of action for active compounds.

Results:

Thirty-four papers were included in this work, which was displayed chronologically from the year 2012 to 2017 in order to enhance the advances made in the area, with at least five reports from each year. We found that the most commonly tested bacterial strains are Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and from the year 2016 onwards Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The most common tested fungal strains are Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger. The majority of articles expressed the antimicrobial results as a zone of inhibition, leading to the determination of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and a probable mechanism of action for the most prominent compounds, considering cytotoxicity. Aromatic aldehydes and ketones are key reactants to obtain important precursors for the synthesis of pyrazoles, such as chalcones, together with alkyl or phenylhydrazines and thiosemicarbazide. A great variation in the reported MICs was found as there is no standard maximum limit, but many compounds exhibited antimicrobial activity comparable or better than standard drugs, from which 10 reports active compounds with MIC lower than 5 μg mL-1.

Conclusion:

The findings of this work support the importance of pyrazole moiety in the structure of antimicrobial compounds and the versatility of synthetic methodologies to obtain the target products. Results clearly indicate that they are attractive target compounds for new antimicrobial drugs development. We hope that this information will guide further studies on continuing the search for more effective, highly active antimicrobial agents.

Azine-Hydrazone Tautomerism of Guanylhydrazones: Evidence for the Preference Toward the Azine Tautomer

Guanylhydrazones have been known for a long time and have wide applications in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and material science; however, little attention has been paid toward their electronic and structural properties. Quantum chemical analysis on several therapeutically important guanylhydrazones indicated that all of them prefer the azine tautomeric state (by about 3-12 kcal/mol). A set of simple and conjugated azines were designed using quantum chemical methods, whose tautomeric preference toward the azine tautomer is in the range of 3-8 kcal/mol. Twenty new azines were synthesized and isolated in their neutral state. Variable temperature NMR study suggests existence of the azine tautomer even at higher temperatures with no traces of the hydrazone tautomer. The crystal structures of two representative compounds confirmed that the title compounds prefer to exist in their azine tautomeric form.