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Alanazi MM, Alaa E, Alsaif NA, Obaidullah AJ, Alkahtani HM, Al-Mehizia AA, Alsubaie SM, Taghour MS, Eissa IH. Discovery of new 3-methylquinoxalines as potential anti-cancer agents and apoptosis inducers targeting VEGFR-2: design, synthesis, and in silico studies. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2021; 36:1732-1750. [PMID: 34325596 PMCID: PMC8330740 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2021.1945591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need to design new anticancer agents that can prevent cancer cell proliferation even with minimal side effects. Accordingly, two new series of 3-methylquinoxalin-2(1H)-one and 3-methylquinoxaline-2-thiol derivatives were designed to act as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The designed derivatives were synthesised and evaluated in vitro as cytotoxic agents against two human cancer cell lines namely, HepG-2 and MCF-7. Also, the synthesised derivatives were assessed for their VEGFR-2inhibitory effect. The most promising member 11e were further investigated to reach a valuable insight about its apoptotic effect through cell cycle and apoptosis analyses. Moreover, deep investigations were carried out for compound 11e using western-plot analyses to detect its effect against some apoptotic and apoptotic parameters including caspase-9, caspase-3, BAX, and Bcl-2. Many in silico investigations including docking, ADMET, toxicity studies were performed to predict binding affinity, pharmacokinetic, drug likeness, and toxicity of the synthesised compounds. The results revealed that compounds 11e, 11g, 12e, 12g, and 12k exhibited promising cytotoxic activities (IC50 range is 2.1 - 9.8 µM), comparing to sorafenib (IC50 = 3.4 and 2.2 µM against MCF-7 and HepG2, respectively). Moreover, 11b, 11f, 11g, 12e, 12f, 12g, and 12k showed the highest VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities (IC50 range is 2.9 - 5.4 µM), comparing to sorafenib (IC50 = 3.07 nM). Additionally, compound 11e had good potential to arrest the HepG2 cell growth at G2/M phase and to induce apoptosis by 49.14% compared to the control cells (9.71%). As well, such compound showed a significant increase in the level of caspase-3 (2.34-fold), caspase-9 (2.34-fold), and BAX (3.14-fold), and a significant decrease in Bcl-2 level (3.13-fold). For in silico studies, the synthesised compounds showed binding mode similar to that of the reference compound (sorafenib).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed M. Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Elwan Alaa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Nawaf A. Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J. Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamad M. Alkahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman A. Al-Mehizia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sultan M. Alsubaie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed S. Taghour
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
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Alanazi MM, Mahdy HA, Alsaif NA, Obaidullah AJ, Alkahtani HM, Al-Mehizia AA, Alsubaie SM, Dahab MA, Eissa IH. New bis([1,2,4]triazolo)[4,3-a:3',4'-c]quinoxaline derivatives as VEGFR-2 inhibitors and apoptosis inducers: Design, synthesis, in silico studies, and anticancer evaluation. Bioorg Chem 2021; 112:104949. [PMID: 34023640 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.104949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A new series of bis([1,2,4]triazolo)[4,3-a:3',4'-c]quinoxaline derivatives were designed and synthesized to have the main essential pharmacophoric features of VEGFR-2 inhibitors. VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities were assessed for the designed compounds. In addition, cytotoxic activity was evaluated for all derivatives against two human cancer cell lines namely, HepG-2 and MCF-7. The most cytotoxic compound 20 h was subjected to further biological investigations including cell cycle, apoptosis, caspase-3, caspase-9, BAX, and Bcl-2 analyses. Different in silico studies as docking, ADMET and toxicity were carried out. The results exhibited that compounds 20b, 20e, 20h and20mshowed promising VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities with IC50values of 5.7, 6.7, 3.2, and 3.1 µM, respectively. Moreover, these promising members exhibited the highest antiproliferative activities against the two cell lines with IC50values ranging from 3.3 to 14.2 µM, comparing to sorafenib (IC50 = 2.17 and 3.43 µM against HepG2 and MCF-7, respectively). Additionally, compound 20h induced cell cycle arrest of HepG2 cells at G2/M phase. Also, such compound increased the progress of apoptosis by 3.5-fold compared to the control. As well, compound 20h showed a significant increase in the level of caspase-3 (2.07-fold), caspase-9 (1.72-fold), and BAX (1.83-fold), and a significant decrease in Bcl-2 level (1.92-fold). The in silico studies revealed that the synthesized compounds have binding pattern like that of sorafenib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed M Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Hazem A Mahdy
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Nawaf A Alsaif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad J Obaidullah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamad M Alkahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman A Al-Mehizia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sultan M Alsubaie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed A Dahab
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
| | - Ibrahim H Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
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