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Lorca M, Muscia GC, Pérez-Benavente S, Bautista JM, Acosta A, González C, Sabadini G, Mella J, Asís SE, Mellado M. 2D/3D-QSAR Model Development Based on a Quinoline Pharmacophoric Core for the Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum: An In Silico Approach with Experimental Validation. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:889. [PMID: 39065740 PMCID: PMC11279914 DOI: 10.3390/ph17070889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by Plasmodium spp. parasites, with widespread drug resistance to most antimalarial drugs. We report the development of two 3D-QSAR models based on comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), comparative molecular similarity index analysis (CoMSIA), and a 2D-QSAR model, using a database of 349 compounds with activity against the P. falciparum 3D7 strain. The models were validated internally and externally, complying with all metrics (q2 > 0.5, r2test > 0.6, r2m > 0.5, etc.). The final models have shown the following statistical values: r2test CoMFA = 0.878, r2test CoMSIA = 0.876, and r2test 2D-QSAR = 0.845. The models were experimentally tested through the synthesis and biological evaluation of ten quinoline derivatives against P. falciparum 3D7. The CoMSIA and 2D-QSAR models outperformed CoMFA in terms of better predictive capacity (MAE = 0.7006, 0.4849, and 1.2803, respectively). The physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of three selected quinoline derivatives were similar to chloroquine. Finally, the compounds showed low cytotoxicity (IC50 > 100 µM) on human HepG2 cells. These results suggest that the QSAR models accurately predict the toxicological profile, correlating well with experimental in vivo data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Lorca
- Instituto de Química y Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Av. Gran Bretaña 1111, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile; (M.L.); (G.S.)
| | - Gisela C. Muscia
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956, C1113AAB Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina;
| | - Susana Pérez-Benavente
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-B.); (J.M.B.)
| | - José M. Bautista
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-B.); (J.M.B.)
| | - Alison Acosta
- Universidad Andres Bello, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Viña del Mar 2531015, Chile;
| | - Cesar González
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Av. España 1680, Valparaíso 2390123, Chile;
| | - Gianfranco Sabadini
- Instituto de Química y Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Av. Gran Bretaña 1111, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile; (M.L.); (G.S.)
| | - Jaime Mella
- Instituto de Química y Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Av. Gran Bretaña 1111, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile; (M.L.); (G.S.)
- Centro de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion de Productos Bioactivos (CInBIO), Universidad de Valparaiso, Av. Gran Bretaña 1111, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile
| | - Silvia E. Asís
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956, C1113AAB Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina;
| | - Marco Mellado
- Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Central de Chile, Santiago 8330507, Chile
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Chen C, Peng Y, Wei Y, Liu M, Wang Y, Xiong S, Li H, He Q. New methods for resolution of hydroxychloroquine by forming diastereomeric salt and adding chiral mobile phase agent on RP-HPLC. Chirality 2024; 36:e23672. [PMID: 38693625 DOI: 10.1002/chir.23672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), 2-([4-([7-Chloro-4-quinolyl]amino)pentyl]ethylamino)ethanol, exhibited significant biological activity, while its side effects cannot be overlooked. The RP-HPLC enantio-separation was investigated for cost-effective and convenient optical purity analysis of HCQ. The thermodynamic resolution of Rac-HCQ, driven by enthalpy and entropy, was achieved on the C18 column using Carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD) as the chiral mobile phase agent (CMPA). The effects of CCM-β-CD, pH, and triethylamine (TEA) V% on the enantio-separation process were explored. Under the optimum conditions at 24°C, the retention times for the two enantiomers weret R 1 = 29.39 min $$ {t}_{R1}=29.39\ \min $$ andt R 2 = 32.42 min $$ {t}_{R2}=32.42\ \min $$ , resulting inR s = 1.87 $$ {R}_s=1.87 $$ . The resolution via diastereomeric salt formation of Rac-HCQ was developed to obtain the active pharmaceutical ingredient of single enantiomer S-HCQ. Di-p-Anisoyl-L-Tartaric Acid (L-DATA) was proved effective as the resolution agent for Rac-HCQ. Surprisingly, it was found that refluxing time was a key fact affecting the resolution efficiency, which meant the kinetic dominate during the process of the resolution. Four factors-solvent volume, refluxing time, filtration temperature, and molar ratio-were optimized using the single-factor method and the response surface method. Two cubic models were established, and the reliability was subsequently verified. Under the optimal conditions, the less soluble salt of 2L-DATA:S-HCQ was obtained with a yield of 96.9% and optical purity of 63.0%. The optical purity of this less soluble salt increases to 99.0% with a yield of 74.2% after three rounds recrystallization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yangfeng Peng
- School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongming Wei
- School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengyuan Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Siqi Xiong
- School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Huiyi Li
- School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Quan He
- Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Pavić K, Poje G, Pessanha de Carvalho L, Tandarić T, Marinović M, Fontinha D, Held J, Prudêncio M, Piantanida I, Vianello R, Krošl Knežević I, Perković I, Rajić Z. Discovery of harmiprims, harmine-primaquine hybrids, as potent and selective anticancer and antimalarial compounds. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 105:117734. [PMID: 38677112 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Although cancer and malaria are not etiologically nor pathophysiologically connected, due to their similarities successful repurposing of antimalarial drugs for cancer and vice-versa is known and used in clinical settings and drug research and discovery. With the growing resistance of cancer cells and Plasmodium to the known drugs, there is an urgent need to discover new chemotypes and enrich anticancer and antimalarial drug portfolios. In this paper, we present the design and synthesis of harmiprims, hybrids composed of harmine, an alkaloid of the β-carboline type bearing anticancer and antiplasmodial activities, and primaquine, 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial drug with low antiproliferative activity, covalently bound via triazole or urea. Evaluation of their antiproliferative activities in vitro revealed that N-9 substituted triazole-type harmiprime was the most selective compound against MCF-7, whereas C1-substituted ureido-type hybrid was the most active compound against all cell lines tested. On the other hand, dimeric harmiprime was not toxic at all. Although spectrophotometric studies and thermal denaturation experiments indicated binding of harmiprims to the ds-DNA groove, cell localization showed that harmiprims do not enter cell nucleus nor mitochondria, thus no inhibition of DNA-related processes can be expected. Cell cycle analysis revealed that C1-substituted ureido-type hybrid induced a G1 arrest and reduced the number of cells in the S phase after 24 h, persisting at 48 h, albeit with a less significant increase in G1, possibly due to adaptive cellular responses. In contrast, N-9 substituted triazole-type harmiprime exhibited less pronounced effects on the cell cycle, particularly after 48 h, which is consistent with its moderate activity against the MCF-7 cell line. On the other hand, screening of their antiplasmodial activities against the erythrocytic, hepatic, and gametocytic stages of the Plasmodium life cycle showed that dimeric harmiprime exerts powerful triple-stage antiplasmodial activity, while computational analysis showed its binding within the ATP binding site of PfHsp90.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Pavić
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Goran Poje
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Tana Tandarić
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, 75124 Uppsala, Sweden; Rudjer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marina Marinović
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Diana Fontinha
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jana Held
- University of Tübingen, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ivo Piantanida
- Rudjer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Robert Vianello
- Rudjer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Ivana Perković
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Zrinka Rajić
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
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Marinović M, Rimac H, de Carvalho LP, Rôla C, Santana S, Pavić K, Held J, Prudêncio M, Rajić Z. Design, synthesis and antiplasmodial evaluation of new amide-, carbamate-, and ureido-type harmicines. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 94:117468. [PMID: 37696205 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Malaria, one of the oldest parasitic diseases, remains a global health threat, and the increasing resistance of the malaria parasite to current antimalarials is forcing the discovery of new, effective drugs. Harmicines, hybrid compounds in which harmine/β-carboline alkaloids and cinnamic acid derivatives are linked via an amide bond or a triazole ring, represent new antiplasmodial agents. In this work, we used a multiple linear regression technique to build a linear quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model, based on a group of 40 previously prepared amide-type (AT) harmicines and their antiplasmodial activities against erythrocytic stage of chloroquine-sensitive strain of P. falciparum (Pf3D7). After analysing the QSAR model, new harmicines were designed and synthesized: six amide-type, eleven carbamate-type and two ureido-type harmicines at the N-9 position of the β-carboline core. Subsequently, we evaluated the antiplasmodial activity of the new harmicines against the erythrocytic and hepatic stages of the Plasmodium life cycle in vitro and their antiproliferative activity against HepG2 cells. UT harmicine (E)-1-(2-(7-methoxy-1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-9-yl)ethyl)-3-(3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)allyl)urea at the N-9 position of the β-carboline ring exhibited pronounced antiplasmodial activity against both the erythrocytic and the hepatic stages of the Plasmodium life cycle, accompanied by good selectivity towards Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Marinović
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Hrvoje Rimac
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - C Rôla
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - S Santana
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Kristina Pavić
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jana Held
- University of Tübingen, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Zrinka Rajić
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
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Poje G, Pessanha de Carvalho L, Held J, Moita D, Prudêncio M, Perković I, Tandarić T, Vianello R, Rajić Z. Design and synthesis of harmiquins, harmine and chloroquine hybrids as potent antiplasmodial agents. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 238:114408. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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Marinović M, Poje G, Perković I, Fontinha D, Prudêncio M, Held J, Pessanha de Carvalho L, Tandarić T, Vianello R, Rajić Z. Further investigation of harmicines as novel antiplasmodial agents: Synthesis, structure-activity relationship and insight into the mechanism of action. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 224:113687. [PMID: 34274829 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The rise of the resistance of the malaria parasite to the currently approved therapy urges the discovery and development of new efficient agents. Previously we have demonstrated that harmicines, hybrid compounds composed from β-carboline alkaloid harmine and cinnamic acid derivatives, linked via either triazole or amide bond, exert significant antiplasmodial activity. In this paper, we report synthesis, antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity of expanded series of novel triazole- and amide-type harmicines. Structure-activity relationship analysis revealed that amide-type harmicines 27, prepared at N-9 of the β-carboline core, exhibit superior potency against both erythrocytic stage of P. falciparum and hepatic stages of P. berghei. Notably, harmicine 27a, m-(trifluoromethyl)cinnamic acid derivative, exhibited the most favourable selectivity index (SI = 1105). Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the ATP binding site of P. falciparum heat shock protein 90 as a druggable binding location, confirmed the usefulness of the harmine's N-9 substitution and identified favourable N-H … π interactions involving Lys45 and the aromatic phenyl unit in the attached cinnamic acid fragment as crucial for the enhanced biological activity. Thus, those compounds were identified as promising and valuable leads for further derivatization in the search of novel, more efficient antiplasmodial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Marinović
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Goran Poje
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivana Perković
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Diana Fontinha
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jana Held
- University of Tübingen, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Tana Tandarić
- Rudjer Bošković Institute, Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bijenička Cesta 54, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Robert Vianello
- Rudjer Bošković Institute, Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bijenička Cesta 54, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Zrinka Rajić
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
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Chloroquine fumardiamides as novel quorum sensing inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2020; 30:127336. [PMID: 32631537 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.127336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) that specifically interfere with bacterial cell-to-cell communication are considered as an alternative approach to conventional antibacterial therapy. In our study, a set of twenty-six fumardiamides with a quinoline head-group were evaluated as potential QSIs. Two strains of Gram-negative Chromobacterium violaceum (violacein-producing strain ATCC31532 and violacein-negative, mini-Tn5 mutant derivative CV026) were used as QS reporters for testing anti-QS and bactericidal activity of various quinoline fumardiamides. The initial screening of eighteen fumardiamides with primaquine, mefloquine and chloroquine scaffolds identified chloroquine derivatives as the most promising QSIs. Tail-group optimization of chloroquine fumardiamides led to the most active compounds 27, 29 and 30 bearing aminoethyl or piperidine moieties. At 400 µM concentration, these compounds inhibited the QS of C. violaceum strains in a manner similar to quercetin (the model QSI), while at the 40 µM concentration their inhibitory effect was twice less than that of quercetin. As none of the compounds displayed a bactericidal effect and that the QS inhibition was specific to the CV026 strain, our findings indicate that the structurally optimized chloroquine derivatives could function as quorum quenching (QQ) agents with a potential to block the signaling without entering the cell. In conclusion, our finding provides an important step toward the further design of agents targeting cell-to-cell communication.
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Cinnamic Acid Conjugates in the Rescuing and Repurposing of Classical Antimalarial Drugs. Molecules 2019; 25:molecules25010066. [PMID: 31878190 PMCID: PMC6982862 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25010066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cinnamic acids are compounds of natural origin that can be found in many different parts of a wide panoply of plants, where they play the most diverse biological roles, often in a conjugated form. For a long time, this has been driving Medicinal Chemists towards the investigation of the therapeutic potential of natural, semi-synthetic, or fully synthetic cinnamic acid conjugates. These efforts have been steadily disclosing promising drug leads, but a wide chemical space remains that deserves to be further explored. Amongst different reported approaches, the combination or conjugation of cinnamic acids with known drugs has been addressed in an attempt to produce either synergistic or multi-target action. In this connection, the present review will focus on efforts of the past decade regarding conjugation with cinnamic acids as a tool for the rescuing or the repurposing of classical antimalarial drugs, and also on future perspectives in this particular field of research.
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Perković I, Raić-Malić S, Fontinha D, Prudêncio M, Pessanha de Carvalho L, Held J, Tandarić T, Vianello R, Zorc B, Rajić Z. Harmicines - harmine and cinnamic acid hybrids as novel antiplasmodial hits. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 187:111927. [PMID: 31812035 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Harmicines constitute novel hybrid compounds that combine two agents with reported antiplasmodial properties, namely β-carboline harmine and a cinnamic acid derivative (CAD). Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition was employed for the preparation of three classes of hybrid molecules: N-harmicines 6a-i, O-harmicines 7a-i and N,O-bis-harmicines 8a-g,i. In vitro antiplasmodial activities of harmicines against the erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium falciparum (chloroquine-sensitive Pf3D7 and chloroquine-resistant PfDd2 strains) and hepatic stage of P. berghei, as well as cytotoxicity against human liver hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2), were evaluated. Remarkably, most of the compounds exerted significant activities against both stages of the Plasmodium life cycle. The conjugation of various CADs to harmine resulted in the increased antiplasmodial activity relative to harmine. In general, O-harmicines 7 exhibited the highest activity against the erythrocytic stage of both P. falciparum strains, whereas N,O-bis harmicines 8 showed the most pronounced activity against P. berghei hepatic stages. For the latter compound, molecular dynamics simulations confirmed binding within the ATP binding site of PfHsp90, while the weaker binders, namely 6b and harmine, were found to be positioned away from this structural element. In addition, decomposition of the computed binding free energies into contributions from individual residues suggested guidelines for further derivatization of harmine towards more efficient compounds. Cytotoxicity screening revealed N-harmicines 6 as the least, and O-harmicines 7 as the most toxic compounds. Harmicines 6g, 8b and 6d exerted the most selective action towards Plasmodium over human cells, respectively. These results establish harmicines as hits for future optimisation and development of novel antiplasmodial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Perković
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Silvana Raić-Malić
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Marulićev trg 19, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Diana Fontinha
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Jana Held
- University of Tübingen, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tana Tandarić
- Rudjer Bošković Institute, Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Robert Vianello
- Rudjer Bošković Institute, Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Branka Zorc
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Zrinka Rajić
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, A. Kovačića 1, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
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Zorc B, Perković I, Pavić K, Rajić Z, Beus M. Primaquine derivatives: Modifications of the terminal amino group. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 182:111640. [PMID: 31472472 PMCID: PMC7126120 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Numerous modifications of the well-known antimalarial drug primaquine, both at the quinoline ring and at the primary amino group, have been reported, mostly to obtain antimalarial agents with improved bioavailability, reduced toxicity and/or prolonged activity. Modifications of the terminal amino group were made with the main idea to prevent the metabolic pathway leading to inactive and toxic carboxyprimaquine (follow-on strategy), but also to get compounds with different activity (repurposing strategy). The modifications undertaken until 2009 were included in a review published in the same year. The present review covers various classes of primaquine N-derivatives with diverse biological profiles, prepared in the last decade by our research group as well as the others. We have summarized the synthetic procedures applied for their preparation and discussed the main biological results. Several hits for the development of novel antiplasmodial, anticancer, antimycobacterial and antibiofilm agents were identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branka Zorc
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, A. Kovačića 1, HR-10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Ivana Perković
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, A. Kovačića 1, HR-10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Kristina Pavić
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, A. Kovačića 1, HR-10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Zrinka Rajić
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, A. Kovačića 1, HR-10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Maja Beus
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, A. Kovačića 1, HR-10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
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