Synthesis, Structural and Biological Properties of the Ring-A Sulfonamido Substituted Chalcones: A Review

New Chalcone Derivatives Containing 2,4-Dichlorobenzenesulfonamide Moiety with Anticancer and Antioxidant Properties

Chalcones and their derivatives, both natural and synthetic, exhibit diverse biological activities. In this study, we focused on designing and synthesizing (E)-2,4-dichloro-N-(4-cinnamoylphenyl)-5-methylbenzenesulfonamides 4-8 with the following two pharmacophore groups: 2,4-dichlorobenzenesulfonamide and chalcone. The obtained compounds displayed notable anticancer effects on various human cancer cells, such as cervical HeLa, acute promyelocytic leukemia HL-60, and gastric adenocarcinoma AGS, when assessed with the MTT test. The activity of all compounds against cancer cells was significant, and the obtained IC50 values were in the range of 0.89-9.63 µg/mL. Among all the tested compounds, derivative 5 showed the highest activity on the AGS cell line. Therefore, it was tested for cell cycle inhibition, induction of mitochondrial membrane depolarization, and activation of caspase-8 and -9. These results showed that this compound strongly arrested the cell cycle in the subG0 phase, depolarized the mitochondrial membrane, and activated caspase-8 and -9. Similar to the anticancer effects, all the obtained compounds 4-8 were also assessed for their antioxidant activity. The highest antiradical effect was demonstrated for derivative 5, which was able to inhibit DPPH and ABTS radicals. All examined compounds showed dose-dependent activity against neutrophil elastase. Notably, derivatives 7 and 8 demonstrated inhibitory properties similar to oleanolic acid, with IC50 values of 25.61 ± 0.58 and 25.73 ± 0.39 µg/mL, respectively. To determine the antibacterial activity of derivatives 4-8, the minimum bacteriostatic concentration (MIC) values were estimated (>500 µg/mL for all the tested bacterial strains). The findings demonstrate the substantial potential of sulfonamide-based chalcone 5 as a promising drug in anticancer therapy.

A sulfonamide chalcone inhibited dengue virus with a potential target at the SAM-binding site of viral methyltransferase

Dengue infection is a global health problem as climate change facilitates the spread of mosquito vectors. Infected patients could progress to severe plasma leakage and hemorrhagic shock, where current standard treatment remains supportive. Previous reports suggested that several flavonoid derivatives inhibited mosquito-borne flaviviruses. This work aimed to explore sulfonamide chalcone derivatives as dengue inhibitors and to identify molecular targets. We initially screened 27 sulfonamide chalcones using cell-based antiviral and cytotoxic screenings. Two potential compounds, SC22 and SC27, were identified with DENV1-4 EC50s in the range of 0.71-0.94 and 3.15-4.46 μM, and CC50s at 14.63 and 31.02 μM, respectively. The compounds did not show any elevation in ALT or Cr in C57BL/6 mice on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th days after being administered intraperitoneally with 50 mg/kg SC22 or SC27 in a single dose. Moreover, the SAM-binding site of NS5 methyltransferase was a potential target of SC27 identified by computational and enzyme-based assays. The main target of SC22 was in a late stage of viral replication, but the exact target molecule had yet to be identified. In summary, a sulfonamide chalcone, SC27, was a potential DENV inhibitor that targeted viral methyltransferase. Further investigation should be the study of the structure-activity relationship of SC27 derivatives for higher potency and lower toxicity.

Synthesis, crystallographic, DNA binding, and molecular docking/dynamic studies of a privileged chalcone-sulfonamide hybrid scaffold as a promising anticancer agent

In the present study, a drug-like molecular hybrid structure between chalcone and sulfonamide moieties was synthesized and characterized. The structural peculiarities of the synthesized hybrid were further verified by means of single crystal X-ray crystallography. Furthermore, its biological activity as an anticancer agent was evaluated. The synthesized model of chalcone-sulfonamide hybrid 3 was found to have potent anticancer properties against the studied cancer cell lines. Hence, the in vitro binding interaction of hybrid 3 with Calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was studied at a simulated physiological pH to confirm its anticancer activity for the first time. This was investigated by applying different spectroscopic techniques, ionic strength measurements, viscosity measurements, thermodynamics, molecular dynamic simulation and molecular docking studies. The obtained results showed a clear binding interaction between hybrid 3 and CT-DNA with a moderate affinity via a minor groove binding mechanism. The binding constant (Kb) at 298 K calculated from the Benesi-Hildebrand equation was found to be 3.49 × 104 M-1. The entropy and enthalpy changes (ΔS0 and ΔH0) were 204.65 J mol-1 K-1 and 35.08 KJ mol-1, respectively, indicating that hydrophobic interactions constituted the major binding forces. The results obtained from molecular docking and dynamic simulation studies confirmed the minor groove binding interaction and the stability of the formed complex. This study can contribute to further understanding of the molecular mechanism of hybrid 3 as a potential antitumor agent and can also guide future clinical and pharmacological studies for rational drug design with enhanced or more selective activity and greater efficacy.[Figure: see text]Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.