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Morais CS, Mengarda AC, Miguel FB, Enes KB, Rodrigues VC, Espírito-Santo MCC, Siyadatpanah A, Wilairatana P, Couri MRC, de Moraes J. Pyrazoline derivatives as promising novel antischistosomal agents. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23437. [PMID: 34873205 PMCID: PMC8648852 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02792-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Praziquantel is the only available drug to treat schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that currently infects more than 240 million people globally. Due to increasing concerns about resistance and inadequate efficacy there is a need for new therapeutics. In this study, a series of 17 pyrazolines (15–31) and three pyrazoles (32–34) were synthesized and evaluated for their antiparasitic properties against ex vivo adult Schistosoma mansoni worms. Of the 20 compounds tested, six had a 50% effective concentration (EC50) below 30 μM. Our best hit, pyrazoline 22, showed promising activity against adult schistosomes, with an EC50 < 10 µM. Additionally, compound 22 had low cytotoxicity, with selectivity index of 21.6 and 32.2 for monkey and human cell lines, respectively. All active pyrazolines demonstrated a negative effect on schistosome fecundity, with a marked reduction in the number of eggs. Structure–activity relationship analysis showed that the presence of the non-aromatic heterocycle and N-substitution are fundamental to the antischistosomal properties. Pharmacokinetics, drug-likeness and medicinal chemistry friendliness studies were performed, and predicted values demonstrated an excellent drug-likeness profile for pyrazolines as well as an adherence to major pharmaceutical companies’ filters. Collectively, this study demonstrates that pyrazoline derivatives are promising scaffolds in the discovery of novel antischistosomal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiane S Morais
- Research Center for Neglected Diseases, Guarulhos University, Praça Tereza Cristina, 229, Centro, Guarulhos, SP, 07023-070, Brazil
| | - Ana C Mengarda
- Research Center for Neglected Diseases, Guarulhos University, Praça Tereza Cristina, 229, Centro, Guarulhos, SP, 07023-070, Brazil
| | - Fábio B Miguel
- Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, 36036-900, Brazil
| | - Karine B Enes
- Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, 36036-900, Brazil
| | - Vinícius C Rodrigues
- Research Center for Neglected Diseases, Guarulhos University, Praça Tereza Cristina, 229, Centro, Guarulhos, SP, 07023-070, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina C Espírito-Santo
- Laboratory of Immunopathology of Schistosomiasis (LIM-06), Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Laboratory of Helminthology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Abolghasem Siyadatpanah
- Ferdows School of Paramedical and Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, 9717853577, Birjand, Iran
| | - Polrat Wilairatana
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
| | - Mara R C Couri
- Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, 36036-900, Brazil.
| | - Josué de Moraes
- Research Center for Neglected Diseases, Guarulhos University, Praça Tereza Cristina, 229, Centro, Guarulhos, SP, 07023-070, Brazil.
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