Design, Synthesis, Anticancer Evaluation and Molecular Modeling of Novel Estrogen Derivatives

Meta-stable state photoacid containing β-estradiol fragment with photomodulated biological activity and anti-cancer stem cells properties

Photopharmacology is a young and rapidly developing field of research that offers significant potential for new insights into targeted therapy. While it primarily focuses on cancer treatment, it also holds promise for other diseases. The key feature of photopharmacological agents is the presence of a photosensitive and biologically active component in the same molecule. In our current study, we synthesized a spiropyran-based meta-stable state photoacid containing a fragment of β-estradiol. This compound exhibits negative photochromism and photocontrolled fluorescence under visible-light irradiation due to the initial stabilization of its self-protonated form in solution. We conducted comprehensive biological studies on the HeLa cells model to assess the short- and long-term cytotoxicity of the photoacid, its metabolic effects, its influence on signaling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition super-system pathways, and the proportion of the population enriched with cancer stem cells. Our findings reveal that this derivative demonstrates low cytotoxicity to HeLa cells, yet it is capable of dramatically reducing malignant cells side population enriched in cancer stem cells. Additionally, appropriate structural modification lead to an increase in some other biological effects compared to β-estradiol. In particular, our substance possesses rare properties of AP-1 suppression and demonstrates some pro-oxidant and metabolic effects, which can be regulated by visible light irradiation. As a result, the new estradiol-based photoacid may be considered a promising multi-acting photopharmacological agent for the next-generation anti-cancer research & development.

New sulfonamide-based glycosides incorporated 1,2,3-triazole as cytotoxic agents through VEGFR-2 and carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity

New sulfonamide-triazole-glycoside hybrids derivatives were designed, synthesised, and investigated for anticancer efficacy. The target glycosides' cytotoxic activity was studied with a panel of human cancer cell lines. Sulfonamide-based derivatives, 4, 7 and 9 exhibited promising activity against HepG-2 and MCF-7 (IC50 = 8.39-16.90 μM against HepG-2 and 19.57-21.15 μM against MCF-7) comparing with doxorubicin (IC50 = 13.76 ± 0.45, 17.44 ± 0.46 μM against HepG-2 and MCF-7, rescpectively). To detect the probable action mechanism, the inhibitory activity of these targets was studied against VEGFR-2, carbonic anhydrase isoforms hCA IX and hCA XII. Compoumds 7 and 9 gave favorable potency (IC50 = 1.33, 0.38 μM against VEGFR-2, 66, 40 nM against hCA IX and 7.6, 3.2 nM against hCA XII, respectively), comparing with sorafenib and SLC-0111 (IC50 = 0.43 μM, 53 and 4.8 nM, respectively). Moreover, the docking simulation was assessed to supply better rationalization and gain insight into the binding affinity between the promising derivatives and their targeted enzymes that was used for further modification in the anticancer field.

Antiproliferation and apoptosis studies of estrone pharmacophores in triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that shows high metastatic capability and poor prognosis. The aggressive behavior of TNBC may involve amplified EGFR expression. Currently, no targeted therapy has been approved for treating TNBC, which urgently needs novel treatment options. In this study, we report that estrone analogs with novel pharmacophores exhibited high potency toward TNBC cells through multiple mechanisms, inhibition of cell proliferation via EGFR receptor, and induction of mitochondrial apoptosis. Molecular docking studies revealed that hit analogs MMA307 and MMA321 were potent against the EGFR receptor (pdb code: 1M17) in silico and were over 10-fold more potent than sorafenib (positive control) when dosed against MDA-MB-468 cells in vitro. MMA307 and MMA321 induced mitochondrial apoptosis as characterized by condensed nuclei with fragmented chromatin, phosphatidylserine flip and modulated expressions of Apaf1, cytochrome c, and caspases 3 and 9. MMA307 and MMA321 inhibited TNBC proliferation through suppression of EGFR and activated EGFR (Y1068) expressions. Similarly, EGFR signaling pathways, RAF/ERK and AKT/mTOR, were inhibited as pARaf, pERK1/2 (characterizes RAF/ERK pathway) and pAKT, pmTOR, p70S6Kα (characterizes AKT/mTOR pathway) were all suppressed. Moreover, MMA307 and MMA321 inhibited TNBC cell growth through downregulation of cyclin D1 expression and arresting TNBC cells in the G1 phase of cell cycle. This study reports for the first time that estrone congeners with novel pharmacophores may be an effective therapy for TNBC. Findings from this research provide a solid foundation for further preclinical and clinical studies in developing estrone derivatives as novel TNBC therapeutics.

New Thiophenyl-pyrazolyl-thiazole Hybrids as DHFR Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Antimicrobial Evaluation, Molecular Modeling, and Biodistribution Studies

The antibiotic resistance problems constitute a considerable threat to human health worldwide; thus, the discovery of new antimicrobial candidates to conquer this issue is an imperative requirement. From this view, new thiophenyl-pyrazolyl-thiazole hybrids 3-10 were synthesized and screened for their antibacterial efficiency versus Gram - and Gram + bacterial strains compared to the reference drug amoxicillin. It was noticed that the new hybrids displayed significant antibacterial efficacy versus Gram - bacteria, especially against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Also, all the screened candidates demonstrated a noticeable antifungal effect against Candida albicans (MICs = 3.9-125 μg/mL) relative to fluconazole (MIC = 250 μg/mL). Moreover, the new hybrids were investigated for their antituberculosis potency against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (RCMB 010126). Derivatives 4c, 6b, 8b, 9b, and 10b demonstrated prominent antituberculosis efficiency (MICs = 0.12-1.95 μg/mL) compared with the reference drug isoniazid (MIC = 0.12 μg/mL). The latter derivatives were further assessed for their inhibitory potency versus M. tuberculosis DHFR enzyme. The compounds 4c, 6b and 10b presented a remarkable suppression effect with IC50 values of 4.21, 5.70, and 10.59 μM, respectively, compared to that of trimethoprim (IC50 = 6.23 μM). Furthermore, biodistribution profile using radiolabeling way revealed a perceived uptake of 131I-compound 6b into infection induced models. The docking study for the new hybrids 4c, 6b, 8b, 9b and 10b was performed to illustrate the various binding modes with Mtb DHFR enzyme. In silico ADMET studies for the most potent inhibitors 4c, 6b and 10b were also accomplished to predict their pharmacokinetic and physicochemical features.

Novel Indoline Spiropyrans Based on Human Hormones β-Estradiol and Estrone: Synthesis, Structure, Chromogenic and Cytotoxic Properties

The introduction of a switchable function into the structure of a bioactive compound can endow it with unique capabilities for regulating biological activity under the influence of various types of external stimuli, which makes such hybrid compounds promising objects for photopharmacology, targeted drug delivery and bio-imaging. This work is devoted to the synthesis and study of new spirocyclic derivatives of important human hormones-β-estradiol and estrone-possessing a wide range of biological activities. The obtained hybrid compounds represent an indoline spiropyrans family, a widely known class of organic photochromic compounds. The structure of the compounds was confirmed by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, IR, HRMS and single-crystal X-ray analysis. The intermolecular interactions in the crystals of spiropyran (3) were defined by Hirshfeld surfaces and 2D fingerprint plots, which were successfully acquired from CrystalExplorer (v21.5). All target hybrids demonstrated pronounced activity in the visible region of the spectrum. The mechanisms of thermal isomerization processes of spiropyrans and their protonated merocyanine forms were studied by DFT methods, which revealed the energetic advantage of the protonation process with the formation of a β-cisoid CCCH conformer at the first stage and its further isomerization to more stable β-transoid forms. The proposed mechanism of acidochromic transformation was confirmed by the additional NMR study data that allowed for the detecting of the intermediate CCCH isomer. The study of the short-term cytotoxicity of new spirocyclic derivatives of estrogens and their 2-formyl-precursors was performed on the HeLa cell model. The precursors and spiropyrans differed in toxicity, suggesting their variable applicability in novel anti-cancer technologies.

New pyrazolopyridine and pyrazolothiazole-based compounds as anti-proliferative agents targeting c-Met kinase inhibition: design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and computational studies

c-Met tyrosine kinase plays a key role in the oncogenic process. Inhibition of the c-Met has emerged as an attractive target for human cancer treatment. This work deals with the design and synthesis of a new set of derivatives bearing pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine, pyrazolo[3,4-b]thieno[3,2-e]pyridine, and pyrazolo[3,4-d]thiazole-5-thione scaffolds, 5a,b, 8a-f, and 10a,b, respectively, utilizing 3-methyl-1-tosyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one (1) as a key starting material. All the new compounds were evaluated as antiproliferative agents against HepG-2, MCF-7, and HCT-116 human cancer cell lines utilizing 5-fluorouracil and erlotinib as two standard drugs. Compounds 5a,b and 10a,b represented the most promising cytotoxic activity of IC₅₀ values ranging from 3.42 ± 1.31 to 17.16 ± 0.37 μM. Both 5a and 5b showed the most cytotoxicity and selectivity toward HepG-2, with IC₅₀ values of 3.42 ± 1.31 μM and 3.56 ± 1.5 μM, respectively. The enzyme assay demonstrated that 5a and 5b had inhibition potency on c-Met with IC₅₀ values in nanomolar range of 4.27 ± 0.31 and 7.95 ± 0.17 nM, respectively in comparison with the reference drug cabozantinib (IC₅₀; 5.38 ± 0.35 nM). The impact of 5a on the cell cycle and apoptosis induction potential in HepG-2 and on the apoptotic parameters; Bax, Bcl-2, p53, and caspase-3 was also investigated. Finally, the molecular docking simulation of the most promising derivatives 5a and 5b was screened against c-Met to investigate the binding patterns of both compounds in the active site of the c-Met enzyme. In silico ADME studies were also performed for 5a and 5b to predict their physicochemical and pharmacokinetic characteristics.

New Benzimidazole-, 1,2,4-Triazole-, and 1,3,5-Triazine-Based Derivatives as Potential EGFRWT and EGFRT790M Inhibitors: Microwave-Assisted Synthesis, Anticancer Evaluation, and Molecular Docking Study

A new series of benzimidazole, 1,2,4-triazole, and 1,3,5-triazine derivatives were designed and synthesized using a microwave irradiation synthetic approach utilizing 2-phenylacetyl isothiocyanate (1) as a key starting material. All the new analogues were evaluated as anticancer agents against a panel of cancer cell lines utilizing doxorubicin as a standard drug. Most of the tested derivatives exhibited selective cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and A-549 cancer cell lines. Furthermore, the new target compounds 5, 6, and 7 as the most potent antiproliferative agents have been assessed as in vitro EGFR^WT and EGFR^T790M inhibitors compared to the reference drugs erlotinib and AZD9291. They represented more potent suppression activity against the mutated EGFR^T790M than the wild-type EGFR^WT. Moreover, the compounds 5, 6, and 7 down-regulated the oncogenic parameter p53 ubiquitination. A docking simulation of compound 6b was carried out to correlate its molecular structure with its significant EGFR inhibition potency and its possible binding interactions within the active site of EGFR^WT and the mutant EGFR^T790M.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new derivatives of thieno-thiazole and dihydrothiazolo-thiazole scaffolds integrated with a pyrazoline nucleus as anticancer and multi-targeting kinase inhibitors

Deregulation of various protein kinases is considered as one of the important factors resulting in cancer development and metastasis, thus multi-targeting the kinase family is one of the most important strategies in current cancer therapy. This context represents the design and synthesis of two sets of derivatives bearing a pyrazoline-3-one ring conjugated either with a thieno[3,2-d]thiazole or with a dihydrothiazolo[4,5-d]thiazole scaffold via an NH linker, 3a–d and 5a–d respectively, using the pyrazolinone–thiazolinone derivative 1 as a key precursor. All the newly synthesized compounds were assessed in vitro for their anticancer activity against two cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and HepG-2). The safety profile of the most active cytotoxic candidates 1 and 3c was further examined against the normal cell line WI-38. The compounds 1 and 3c were further evaluated as multi-targeting kinase inhibitors against EGFR, VEGFR-2 and BRAF^V600E, exhibiting promising suppression impact. Additionally, the latter compounds were investigated for their impact on cell cycle and apoptosis induction potential in the MCF-7 cell line. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of all the new analogues was evaluated against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeast and fungi in comparison to streptomycin and amphotericin-B as reference drugs. Interestingly, both 1 and 3c showed the most promising microbial inhibitory effect. Molecular docking studies showed promising binding patterns of the compounds 1 and 3c with the prospective targets, EGFR, VEGFR-2 and BRAF^V600E. Finally, additional toxicity studies were performed for the new derivatives which showed their good drug-like properties and low toxicity risks in humans.

Deregulation of various protein kinases is considered as one of the important factors resulting in cancer development and metastasis, thus multi-targeting the kinase family is one of the most important strategies in current cancer therapy.

Synthesis, anticancer activity and molecular docking of new triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines based thienopyrimidine system and their derived N-glycosides and thioglycosides

A series of new substituted triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine derivatives linked to thienopyrimidine ring system were prepared as a hybrid heterocyclic systems, as possible nucleobases analogs, starting from the key carboxamide derivative 2 and its azide precursor via heterocyclization reactions and their structures were characterized. Glycosylation of the prepared triazolopyrimidine derivatives was performed and afforded, regioselctively, the corresponding thienopyrimidine-triazolopyrimidine hybrid N¹-glycosides and their thioglycoside analogues in good yields. The synthesized glycosyl heterocycles were studied for their cytotoxic activity against HepG-2 and MCF-7 human cancer cells and significant results were obtained. Compounds 7a, 8 b, 9 b, 9a and 7 b demonstrated promising activities comparable to the activity of the doxorubicin for (HepG-2) cell line. Furthermore, a number of the afforded triazolopyrimidine glycosides were found potent against cancer cells (MCF-7). Furthermore, docking simulation the promising thienopyrimidine analogues 7-13 was done against EGFR kinase to provide a binding model that could serve in discovery of further anticancer agents.

New pyridine and chromene scaffolds as potent vasorelaxant and anticancer agents

Based on studies that have reported the association between cancer and cardiovascular diseases, new series of pyridine- (3a–o) and/or chromene- (4a–e) carbonitrile analogous were designed, synthesized and screened for their vasodilation and cytotoxic properties. The majority of the new chemical entities demonstrated significant vasodilation efficacies, compounds 3a, 3h, 3j, 3m, 3o, 4d and 4e exhibited the most promising potency with IC₅₀ = 437.9, 481.0, 484.5, 444.8, 312.1, 427.6 and 417.2 μM, respectively, exceeding prazosin hydrochloride (IC₅₀ = 487.3 μM). Compounds 3b–e, 3k and 3l also, revealed moderate vasodilation activity with IC₅₀ values ranging from 489.7 to 584.5 μM. In addition, the anti-proliferative activity evaluation of the experimental compounds at 10 μM on the MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cell lines illustrated the excellent anti-proliferative properties of derivatives 3d, 3g and 3i. Compound 3d was the most potent analogue with IC₅₀ = 4.55 ± 0.88 and 9.87 ± 0.89 μM against MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231, respectively. Moreover, compound 3d stimulated apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the S phase in MCF-7 cells in addition to its capability in accumulation of cells in pre-G1 phase and activating caspase-3. Furthermore, the molecular docking of 3d was performed to discover the binding modes within the active site of caspase-3. 3d, as the only common bi-functional agent among the tested hits, demonstrated that new pyridine-3-carbonitrile derivatives bearing cycloheptyl ring systems offer potential as new therapeutic candidates with combined vasodilation and anticancer properties.

Series of pyridine- (3a–o) and/or chromene- (4a–e) carbonitrile scaffolds have been designed, synthesized and evaluated for their bi-function activities, 3d was the only common derivative having combined vasodilation and anticancer properties.

Synthesis, Characterization, In Vitro Anticancer Potentiality, and Antimicrobial Activities of Novel Peptide-Glycyrrhetinic-Acid-Based Derivatives

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is one of many interesting pentacyclic triterpenoids showing significant anticancer activity by triggering apoptosis in tumor cell lines. This study deals with the design and synthesis of new glycyrrhetinic acid (GA)-amino acid peptides and peptide ester derivatives. The structures of the new derivatives were established through various spectral and microanalytical data. The novel compounds were screened for their in vitro cytotoxic activity. The evaluation results showed that the new peptides produced promising cytotoxic activity against the human breast MCF-7 cancer cell line while comparing to doxorubicin. On the other hand, only compounds 3, 5, and 7 produced potent activity against human colon HCT-116 cancer cell line. The human liver cancer (HepG-2) cell line represented a higher sensitivity to peptide 7 (IC50; 3.30 μg/mL), while it appeared insensitive to the rest of the tested peptides. Furthermore, compounds 1, 3, and 5 exhibited a promising safety profile against human normal skin fibroblasts cell line BJ-1. In order to investigate the mode of action, compound 5 was selected as a representative example to study its in vitro effect against the apoptotic parameters and Bax/BCL-2/p53/caspase-7/caspase-3/tubulin, and DNA fragmentation to investigate beta (TUBb). Additionally, all the new analogues were subjected to antimicrobial assay against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and the yeast candida Albicans. All the tested GA analogues 1-8 exhibited more antibacterial effect against Micrococcus Luteus than gentamicin, but they exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against the tested bacterial and yeast strains. Molecular docking studies were also simulated for compound 5 to give better rationalization and put insight to the features of its structure.

New pyrimidine and pyrazole-based compounds as potential EGFR inhibitors: Synthesis, anticancer, antimicrobial evaluation and computational studies

This study was focused on the synthesis of new pyrimidines 4a,b, 5a,b and pyrazoles 6a, b as ATP mimicking tyrosine kinase inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The new compounds were assessed as cytotoxic candidates against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG-2). All the new compounds appeared as more potent cytotoxic agents than erlotinib, while only compound 4a exhibited more potency than 5-flourouracil and 4b analogue was equipotent to it. Accordingly, the kinase suppression effect of 4a and 4b was further evaluated against EGFR^WT, EGFR^L858R and EGFR^T790M. Both pyrimidine analogues 4a and 4b displayed outstanding inhibitory activity against EGFR^WT and its two mutated isoforms EGFR^L858R and EGFR^T790M in comparing to erlotinib and osimertinib as reference drugs. Additionally, all the new analogues were subjected to antimicrobial assay. Interestingly, both 4a and 4b represented the most promising activity of wide spectrum antimicrobial effect against the examined microbes in comparison to gentamycin and ketoconazole as standard drugs. Moreover, docking results proved the good binding interactions of the compounds 4a and 4b with EGFR^WT and EGFR^T790M which were in accordance with the results of the in vitro enzyme assay. Additional in silico ADMET studies were performed for the new derivatives which represented their good oral absorption, good drug-likeness properties and low toxicity risks in human.

Highlights on Steroidal Arylidene Derivatives as a Source of Pharmacologically Active Compounds: A Review

Steroids constitute a unique class of chemical compounds, playing an important role in physiopathological processes, and have high pharmacological interest. Additionally, steroids have been associated with a relatively low toxicity and high bioavailability. Nowadays, multiple steroidal derivatives are clinically available for the treatment of numerous diseases. Moreover, different structural modifications on their skeleton have been explored, aiming to develop compounds with new and improved pharmacological properties. Thus, steroidal arylidene derivatives emerged as a relevant example of these modifications. This family of compounds has been mainly described as 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and aromatase inhibitors, as well as neuroprotective and anticancer agents. Besides, due to their straightforward preparation and intrinsic chemical reactivity, steroidal arylidene derivatives are important synthetic intermediates for the preparation of other compounds, particularly bearing heterocyclic systems. In fact, starting from arylidenesteroids, it was possible to develop bioactive steroidal pyrazolines, pyrazoles, pyrimidines, pyridines, spiro-pyrrolidines, amongst others. Most of these products have also been studied as anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents, as well as 5α-reductase and aromatase inhibitors. This work aims to provide a comprehensive overview of steroidal arylidene derivatives described in the literature, highlighting their bioactivities and importance as synthetic intermediates for other pharmacologically active compounds.

Application of Various Molecular Modelling Methods in the Study of Estrogens and Xenoestrogens

In this review, applications of various molecular modelling methods in the study of estrogens and xenoestrogens are summarized. Selected biomolecules that are the most commonly chosen as molecular modelling objects in this field are presented. In most of the reviewed works, ligand docking using solely force field methods was performed, employing various molecular targets involved in metabolism and action of estrogens. Other molecular modelling methods such as molecular dynamics and combined quantum mechanics with molecular mechanics have also been successfully used to predict the properties of estrogens and xenoestrogens. Among published works, a great number also focused on the application of different types of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analyses to examine estrogen's structures and activities. Although the interactions between estrogens and xenoestrogens with various proteins are the most commonly studied, other aspects such as penetration of estrogens through lipid bilayers or their ability to adsorb on different materials are also explored using theoretical calculations. Apart from molecular mechanics and statistical methods, quantum mechanics calculations are also employed in the studies of estrogens and xenoestrogens. Their applications include computation of spectroscopic properties, both vibrational and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and also in quantum molecular dynamics simulations and crystal structure prediction. The main aim of this review is to present the great potential and versatility of various molecular modelling methods in the studies on estrogens and xenoestrogens.

Synthesis and molecular docking study of new pyrazole derivatives as potent anti-breast cancer agents targeting VEGFR-2 kinase

Based on the previous studies that revealed the valuable role of pyrazole scaffold in cancer management and VEGFR-2 inhibition, a new set of pyrazole conjugated with pyrazoline, triazolopyrimidine and pyrazolone moieties were synthesized and investigated for their anticancer efficiency against human breast cancer MCF-7. The anticancer screening revealed the significant sensitivity of breast carcinoma towards compounds 4b, 5c, 6c, 7b, 7c and 12c with IC₅₀ values ranging from 16.50 - 26.73 µM in comparison with tamoxifen (IC₅₀ = 23.31 µM). Moreover, the new analogues were further examined for their VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity, among the tested derivatives 5c, 6c, 7b, 7c and 12c displayed prominent inhibitory efficiency versus VEGFR-2 kinase with % inhibition ranging from 70 to 79%. Compounds 6c, 7c and 12c revealed inhibitory efficiency in nanomolar level with IC₅₀ (913.51, 225.17 and 828.23 nM, respectively) comparing to sorafenib (IC₅₀ = 186.54 nM). Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the promising compound 12c prompted pre-G1 apoptosis and cell growth cessation at G2/M phase and stimulated apoptosis via activation of caspase-3. Moreover, molecular docking study of the promising derivatives was performed to highlight their binding modes and interactions with the amino acid residues of VEGFR-2 enzyme.

Chiral Pyridine-3,5-bis- (L-phenylalaninyl-L-leucinyl) Schiff Base Peptides as Potential Anticancer Agents: Design, Synthesis, and Molecular Docking Studies Targeting Lactate Dehydrogenase-A

A series of branched tetrapeptide Schiff bases 3–6 were designed and synthesized from corresponding tetrapeptide hydrazide 2 as a starting material.In vitroevaluation of the synthesized compounds 4–6 against breast MCF-7 carcinoma cells identified their excellent anticancer potency, with IC₅₀ ranging from 8.12 ± 0.14 to 17.55 ± 0.27 μM in comparison with the references, cisplatin and milaplatin (IC₅₀= 13.34 ± 0.11and 18.43 ± 0.13 μM, respectively). Furthermore, all derivatives demonstrated promising activity upon evaluation of theirin vitroandin vivosuppression of p53 ubiquitination and inhibition assessment for LDHA kinase. Finally, molecular docking studies were performed to predict the possible binding features of the potent derivatives within the ATP pocket of LDHA in an attempt to get a lead for developing a more potent LDHA inhibitor with anti-proliferative potency.

Investigation of the In-Vivo Cytotoxicity and the In Silico-Prediction of MDM2-p53 Inhibitor Potential of Euphorbia peplus Methanolic Extract in Rats

This study explored the probable in vivo cardiac and renal toxicities together with in silico approaches for predicting the apoptogenic potential of Euphorbia peplus methanolic extract (EPME) in rats. Cardiac and renal injury biomarkers were estimated with histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluations of both kidney and heart. The probable underlying mechanism of E. peplus compounds to potentiate p53 activity is examined using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) docking software and validated experimentally by immunohistochemical localization of p53 protein in the kidney and heart tissues. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of E. peplus revealed the presence of nine different compounds dominated by di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Significant elevations of troponin, creatine phosphokinase, creatine kinase-myocardium bound, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, urea, creatinine, and uric acid were evident in the EPME treated rats. The EPME treated rats showed strong renal and cardiac p53 expression and moderate cardiac TNF-α expression. Further, our in silico results predicted the higher affinity and good inhibition of DEHP, glyceryl linolenate, and lucenin 2 to the MDM2-p53 interface compared to the standard reference 15 a compound. Conclusively, EPME long-term exposure could adversely affect the cardiac and renal tissues probably due to their inflammatory and apoptotic activity. Moreover, the in silico study hypothesizes that EPME inhibits MDM2-mediated degradation of p53 suggesting possible anticancer potentials which confirmed experimental by strong p53 expression in renal and cardiac tissues.

Novel phthalimide based analogues: design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular docking studies

Pyrazolylphthalimide derivative 4 was synthesized and reacted with different reagents to afford the target compounds imidazopyrazoles 5-7, pyrazolopyrimidines 9, 12, 14 and pyrazolotriazines 16, 17 containing phthalimide moiety. The prepared compounds were established by different spectral data and elemental analyses. Additionally, all synthesized derivatives were screened for their antibacterial activity against four types of Gram + ve and Gram-ve strains, and for antifungal activity against two fungi micro-organisms by well diffusion method. Moreover, the antiproliferative activity was tested for all compounds against human liver (HepG-2) cell line in comparison with the reference vinblastine. Moreover, drug-likeness and toxicity risk parameters of the newly synthesized compounds were calculated using in silico studies. The data from structure-actvity relationship (SAR) analysis suggested that phthalimide derivative bearing 3-aminopyrazolone moiety, 4 illustrated the best antimicrobial and antitumor activities and might be considered as a lead for further optimization. To investigate the mechanism of the antimicrobial and anticancer activities, enzymatic assay and molecular docking studies were carried out on E. coli topoisomerase II DNA gyrase B and VEGFR-2 enzymes.

In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Breast Cancer Activities of Some Newly Synthesized 5-(thiophen-2-yl)thieno-[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-one Candidates

In this study, some of new thiophenyl thienopyrimidinone derivatives 2–15 were prepared and tested as anti-cancer agents by using thiophenyl thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidinone derivative 2 as a starting material, which was prepared from cyclization of ethyl ester derivative 1 with formamide. Treatment of 2 with ethyl- chloroacetate gave thienopyrimidinone N-ethylacetate 3, which was reacted with hydrazine hydrate or anthranilic acid to afford acetohydrazide 4 and benzo[d][1,3]oxazin-4-one 5, respectively. Condensation of 4 with aromatic aldehydes or phenylisothiocyanate yielded Schiff base derivatives 6,7, and thiosemicarbazise 10, which were treated with 2-mercaptoacetic acid or chloroacetic acid to give the corresponding thiazolidinones 8, 9, and phenylimino-thiazolidinone 11, respectively. Treatment of 4 with ethylacetoacetate or acetic acid/acetic anhydride gave pyrazole 12 and acetyl acetohydrazide 13 derivatives, respectively. The latter compound 13 was reacted with ethyl cycno-acetate or malononitrile to give 14 and 15, respectively. In this work, we have studied the anti-cancer activity of the synthesized thienopyrimidinone derivatives against MCF-7 and MCF-10A cancer cells. Furthermore, in vivo experiments showed that the synthesized compounds significantly reduced tumor growth up to the 8^th day of treatment in comparison to control animal models. Additionally, the synthesized derivatives showed potential inhibitory effects against pim-1 kinase activities.

Potent Anti-Ovarian Cancer with Inhibitor Activities on both Topoisomerase II and V600EBRAF of Synthesized Substituted Estrone Candidates

A series of 16-(α-alkoxyalkane)-17-hydrazino-estra-1(10),2,4-trien[17,16-c]-3-ol (3a-l) and estra-1(10),2,4-trien-[17,16-c]pyrazoline-3-ol derivatives (4a-d) were synthesized from corresponding arylidines 2a,b which was prepared from estrone 1 as starting material. Condensation of 1 with aldehydes gave the corresponding arylidine derivatives 2a,b which were treated with hydrazine derivatives in alcohols to give the corresponding derivatives 3a-l, respectively. Additionally, treatment of 2a,b with methyl- or phenylhydrazine in ethanolic potassium hydroxide afforded the corresponding N-substituted pyrazoline derivatives 4a-d, respectively. All these derivatives showed potent anti-ovarian cancer both in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism of anti-ovarian cancer was suggested to process via topoisomerase II and V600EBRAF inhibition.