Paeonenoides D and E: Two New Nortriterpenoids from Paeonia lactiflora and Their Inhibitory Activities on NO Production

Two new nortriterpenoids, paeonenoides D and E ( 1 and 2 , resp.), together with seven known compounds, were isolated from the roots of Paeonia lactiflora. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Compounds 1 – 7 were screened for inhibitory effects against NO production in LPS‐induced RAW246.7 macrophages and for cytotoxic activities against HL‐60, Hep‐G2, and SK‐OV‐3 cell lines. Compounds 1 – 3 and 5 – 7 exhibited inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ values in the range of 9.6–32.2 μM . Triterpenoids with an epoxide ring and a free COOH function, 1 – 3 , showed effectively increased activities compared with other pentacyclic triterpenoids. Compounds 1 – 6 showed significant cytotoxic activities against the Hep‐G2 cell line and modest cytotoxic activities against HL‐60 and SK‐OV‐3 cell lines.     

Synthesis and Anti‐proliferative Activity of Novel Polysubstitued Indazole Derivatives

A simple and efficient process is developed for the synthesis of new N‐(1‐alkyl‐3‐chloro‐4‐ethoxy‐1H‐indazol‐5‐yl)‐arylsulfonamides 4a – d and N‐(1‐alkyl‐3‐chloro‐1H‐indazol‐5‐yl)‐arylsulfonamides 5a – d through the reduction of 1‐alkyl‐3‐chloro‐5‐nitroindazoles 2a , b with SnCl₂ in ethanol followed by coupling the corresponding amine with arylsulfonyl chlorides in pyridine. All the newly synthesized compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopic data. Some compounds were tested for their in vitro antiproliferative activities against two selected human cancer cell lines A2780 and A549. Among all of these derivatives, compound 5d showed the most potent antiproliferative activity against A2780 (IC₅₀ = 5.47 ± 1.45 μM) and A549 (IC₅₀ = 7.73 ± 1.66 μM) cell lines.     

Two New Cytotoxic Spirostane‐Steroidal Saponins from the Roots of Bletilla striata

Two new spirostane‐steroidal saponins, bletilnoside A ( 1 ) and bletilnoside B ( 2 ), together with five known compounds, 3 – 7 , were isolated from the roots of Bletilla striata (Thunb .) Reichb . F. The structures of the new compounds were determined based on their 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR spectral data. The isolated compounds 1 – 7 were tested for cytotoxicity against four human tumor cells (A549, SK‐OV‐3, SK‐MEL‐2, and HCT15) in vitro using a sulforhodamin B bioassay, and compounds 1, 2 , and 5 showed significant cytotoxicities against all tested tumor cell lines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 3.98±0.16 to 12.10±0.40 μM .     

Ciprofloxacin/Gatifloxacin‐1,2,3‐triazole‐isatin Hybrids and Their In Vitro Anticancer Activity

Eleven novel ciprofloxacin/gatifloxacin‐1,2,3‐triazole‐isatin hybrids ( 8a – k ) were designed, synthesized, and screened for their in vitro anticancer activity in this paper. A significant part of the synthesized hybrids was active against A549, HepG2, and SF‐268 cancer cell lines, whereas the parent drugs ciprofloxacin and gatifloxacin were devoid of activity. Among them, hybrid 8i (IC₅₀: 78.1–90.7 μM) was found to be the most active against A549, HepG2, and SF‐268 cancer cell lines, and it was comparable with or better than Vorinostat (IC₅₀: 71.1 to >100 μM). Thus, these kind hybrids have potentiality for discovery of new anticancer candidates for clinical deployment in the control and eradication of cancers.     

Cytotoxic Amides and Quinolones from Clausena lansium

Two new amides, claulansamides A and B ( 1 and 2 , resp.), together with five known amides, 3 – 7 and six known quinolones, 8 – 13 , were isolated from the stems and roots of Clausena lansium. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods. Their absolute configurations were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction technique, CD, and optical rotation. HPLC Chiral separation of 1 afforded two enantiomers, (+)‐ and (?)‐claulansamide A, respectively. Compounds 9, 12 , and 13 were isolated from the genus Clausena for the first time. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against A549, BGC‐823, and HeLa cancer cell lines. However, only 9 showed cytotoxic activity against A549 cell line with an IC₅₀ value of 46.3 μM , and 11 against BGC‐823 and HeLa cell lines with the IC₅₀ values of 55.0 and 14.7 μM , respectively.     

4‐Chlorothiazole‐5‐carbaldehydes as Potent Precursors for Synthesis of Some New Pendant N‐heterocyces Endowed with Anti‐Tumor Activity

In our approach to synthesize bioactive molecules, a series of novel N‐heterocycles were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antitumor activity against a panel of three human cancer cell lines, namely, human breast cancer cell line (MCF‐7), human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa), and human prostate cancer PC‐3. The majority of the tested compounds exhibited significant cytotoxic activity toward the tested tumor cell lines. Analogues 33 , 34 , 31 , 38 , 21 , 23 , 22 , and 20 exhibited considerable cytotoxic activities comparable with standard drug 5‐fuorouracil. Compound 33 displayed superior cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ value of 4.12 ± 1.21 μg/mL against HeLa tumor cell line.     

Two New Prenylated Xanthones from the Pericarp of Garcinia mangostana (Mangosteen)

Two new prenylated xanthones (=9H‐xanthen‐9‐ones), garcimangosxanthones D ( 1 ) and E ( 2 ), together with the six known xanthones 3 – 8 , were isolated from the pericarp of Garcinia mangostana. Their structures were determined by analysis of their spectroscopic data. All of the isolated compounds were biologically evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against A549, Hep‐G2, and MCF‐7 human‐cancer cell lines and antioxidant activity. Compound 1 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against Hep‐G2 (IC₅₀=19.2 μM ) and weak cytotoxicity against MCF‐7 (IC₅₀=62.8 μM ) cell lines, and compound 2 showed moderate cytotoxicity against A549, Hep‐G2, and MCF‐7 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 12.5–20.0 μM (Table 2). Both compounds 1 and 2 demonstrated a weak antioxidant activity with ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values of 41±7 and 130±4 μmol/g, respectively (Table 3).     

Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Novel Andrographolide‐1,2,3‐Triazole Derivatives

A series of new andrographolide‐1,2,3‐triazole derivatives, 3a , 3b , 3c , 3d , 3e , 3f , 3g , 3h , 3i , 3j , 3k , were synthesized from a natural bioactive labdane type diterpenoid, andrographolide. All the derivatives were screened against human cancer cell lines MCF7, MDA‐MB‐231, COLO205, HepG2, K562, Hela, and HEK293 to evaluate their cytotoxic activity. All the compounds showed anticancer activity selectively against K562 cell line, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 8.00 to 17.11 µM, and are inactive against the rest of the cell lines. Compounds 3c and 3d showed significant cytotoxicity among the synthesized derivatives. The in silico docking studies revealed compounds 3b and 3d with high binding affinity against the cancer target, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1.     

Synthesis,structure and antiproliferative and optical activities of two new biphenyl‐derived Schiff bases

Two novel Schiff bases derived from indole and biphenyl have been designed and synthesized, namely 3‐((E)‐{(E)‐[1‐(biphenyl‐4‐yl)ethylidene]hydrazinylidene}methyl)‐1‐methyl‐1H‐indole ( 3‐BEHMI ) acetonitrile monosolvate, C₂₄H₂₁N₃·CH₃CN, and 3‐((E)‐{(E)‐[1‐(biphenyl‐4‐yl)ethylidene]hydrazinylidene}methyl)‐1‐methyl‐1H‐indole ( 3‐BEHEI ) acetonitrile monosolvate, C₂₄H₂₁N₃·CH₃CN. Their structures were characterized by elemental analysis, quadrupole time‐of‐flight MS, NMR and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The single‐crystal packing structure of 3‐BEHMI is largely dominated by C—H…π interactions and weak van der Waals interactions. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the two title compounds have been evaluated against two tumour cell lines (A549 human lung cancer and 4T₁ mouse breast cancer) and two normal cell lines (MRC‐5 normal lung cells and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts) by MTT assay. The results indicate that 3‐BEHEI exhibits a slightly weaker antiproliferative capability (IC₅₀ = ～50 µM) than the previously reported similar Schiff base 3‐BEHI (IC₅₀ = ～20 µM). This is in line with docking results. 3‐BEHMI demonstrates a weak cytotoxic activity, with IC₅₀ values around 110 µM, which disagrees with its docking results. Overall, the tested compounds manifest relevant cytotoxicities on the selected cancer cell lines and normal cell lines. The UV–Vis and fluorescence spectra were recorded and reproduced through the TD‐DFT method with four types of hybrid density functionals, including B3LYP, M062X, PBE1PBE and WB97XD.     

Synthesis,biological evaluation and molecular docking studies of novel 2-(2-cyanophenyl)-N-phenylacetamide derivatives

A series of novel 2-(2-cyanophenyl)-N-phenylacetamide derivatives 3(a-u) were designed and synthesized via selective amidation of methyl-2-(2-cyanophenyl)acetates over amidine formation by using AlMe₃ as catalyst in good yields. All the newly synthesized derivatives were well characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FTIR and HRMS spectral techniques. All the synthesized title compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against three cancer cell lines. Among all compounds, 3i (IC₅₀?=?1.20 μM, IC₅₀?=?1.10 μM), 3j (IC₅₀?=?0.11 μM, IC₅₀?=?0.18 μM), 3o (IC₅₀?=?0.98 μM, IC₅₀?=?2.76 μM) showed excellent inhibitory activity than the standard Etoposide (IC₅₀?=?2.11 μM, IC₅₀?=?3.08 μM) against MCF-7 and A-549 cell lines, respectively. Docking analysis of all the compounds with the human topoisomerase II revealed that the compound 3j fitted well in the active site pocket, showing the best docking score of 158.072 kcal/mol.

     

Cytotoxic Diterpenoids from the Stem Bark of Annona squamosa L.

Three new ent‐kaurane diterpenoids, (4α)‐19‐nor‐ent‐kaurane‐4,16,17‐triol ( 1 ), (4α,16α)‐17‐(acetyloxy)‐19‐nor‐ent‐kaurane‐4,16‐diol ( 2 ), and 17‐hydroxy‐ent‐kaur‐15‐en‐19‐al ( 3 ), together with 11 known compounds, were isolated from the stem bark of Annona squamosa L. The structures of 1 – 3 were identified by analysis of their spectroscopic data. All compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against human lung cancer (95‐D) and ovarian cancer (A2780) cell lines, and compounds 3, 5, 7, 11 – 14 exhibited promising antiproliferative activities with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.38 to 34.66 μM .     

Design and synthesis of novel 7-[(N-substituted-thioureidopiperazinyl)-methyl]-camptothecin derivatives as potential cytotoxic agents

Abstract

As part of continuing our research on diverse C-7 derivatives of camptothecin (CPT), 16 CPT derivatives bearing piperazinyl-thiourea chemical scaffold and different substituent groups have been designed, synthesized and evaluated in vitro for cytotoxicity against five tumor cell lines (A-549, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, KB and KBvin). As a result, all the synthesized compounds showed promising in vitro cytotoxic activity against the five tumor cell lines tested, and were more potent than irinotecan. Importantly, compounds 13?g (IC₅₀ = 0.514?μM) and 13o (IC₅₀ = 0.275?μM) possessed similar or better antiproliferative activity against the multidrug-resistant (MDR) KBvin subline than that of topotecan (IC₅₀ = 0.511?μM) and merit further development as anticancer candidates for clinical trail. With these results in hand, we have a reason to conclude that incorporating piperazinyl-thiourea motifs into position-7 of camptothecin confers well cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines, probably resulting in new anticancer drugs.     

Structure‐cytotoxicity relationship for apoptotic inducers organotin(IV) derivatives of mandelic acid and L‐proline and their mixed ligand complexes having enhanced cytotoxicity

Structure‐cytotoxicity relationship of di?/tri‐organotin(IV) derivatives of mandelic acid ( 1 – 4 ), L‐proline ( 5 – 7, 15, 16 ), and mixed ligand complexes of latter with 1,10‐phenanthroline ( 8 – 14 ) investigated on the basis of MTT assay against human cancer cell lines, viz. MCF‐7 (mammary cancer), HepG2 (liver cancer) and PC‐3 (prostate cancer) in vitro indicated that all complexes except methyl‐ and octyl‐ analogues displayed potential cytotoxicity. The most active one is dibutyltin(IV) mandelate ( 2 ) exhibiting IC₅₀ 2.03 ± 0.40, 0.98 ± 0.23 and 3.86 ± 1.68 μM against MCF‐7, HepG2 and PC‐3, respectively, which is ≈ 15 and 2.5 times against MCF‐7, 20 and 5 times against HepG2 and 5 and ≈ 3 times against PC‐3 more cytotoxic than cis‐platin and 5‐fluorouracil, respectively. Diorganotin(IV) derivatives of mandelic acid are more cytotoxic than triorganotin analogues. Organotin(IV) derivatives of L‐proline (except Bu₃Sn(Pro) 16 ) are less cytotoxic than those of mandelic acid but their cytotoxicity is enhanced by complexion with 1,10‐phenanthroline. This may be due to the structural planarity and extended π system of 1,10‐phenanthroline which facilitates their transportation across the cell membrane and enhances the possibility of DNA intercalation over the planar L‐proline ring, and eventually, their DNA binding affinity so as to interfere with the cellular functions of DNA leading to apoptosis. Various biophysical experiments such as DNA fragmentation, acridine orange and comet assays, and flow cytometry assay using annexin V–fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) have been carried out in order to ascertain their mode of action. The observed results indicated that the major cause of cancer cell death is apoptosis, but a minor role played by necrosis cannot be excluded. It is concluded on the basis of the observed results that the nature and number of organic groups bonded to tin as well as the nature of counter anions play an important role in determining the cytotoxicity of organotin(IV) compounds.     

New Cytotoxic Laurene‐, Cuparene‐, and Laurokamurene‐Type Sesquiterpenes from the Red Alga Laurencia obtusa

Three new sesquiterpene alcohols, laur‐2‐ene‐3,12‐diol ( 1 ), cuparene‐3,12‐diol ( 2 ), and 8,11‐dihydro‐1‐methoxylaurokamuren‐12‐ol ( 3 ), along with one known diterpene, kahukuen‐10‐ol ( 4 ) have been isolated from the organic extract of the red alga Laurencia obtusa. The chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. The cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds were evaluated against three cancer cell lines, i.e., KB, HepG2, and MCF‐7. Compound 4 exhibited a wide range of cytotoxic activity against KB, HepG2, and MCF‐7 cell lines with IC₅₀ of 0.100, 0.057, and 0.054 μm, respectively. In addition, 1 showed moderate activities towards KB and MCF‐7 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 0.171 and 0.184 μM , respectively and 2 exhibited a moderate activity against KB cell line at a concentration of 0.213 μg/ml. On the other hand, compound 3 exhibited no cytotoxic activity against any of the three cell lines.     

Synthesis,Cytotoxic Activity Evaluation of Novel 1,2,3‐Triazole Linked Quinazoline Derivatives

A series of novel 1,2,3‐triazole‐quinazoline derivatives were synthesized in five steps starting from anthranilamide by conventional methods. All the title compounds 10a — 10r were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against four human cancer cell lines (MGC ‐803, EC ‐109, MCF ‐7 and HGC ‐27) using MTT assay in vitro . Some of the synthesized compounds exhibited moderate to potent activity against tested cancer cell lines. Among them, compounds 10 h and 10q exhibited excellent growth inhibition against HGC ‐27 and compound 10 m also possessed excellent activity against MCF ‐7, with IC₅₀ values less than 1 µmol/L. Especially, compound 10 h was more cytotoxic than 5‐fluorouracil against all tested four human cancer cell lines.     

Design,Synthesis and Molecular Modeling of Nonsteroidal Anti‐inflammatory Drugs Tagged Substituted 1,2,3‐Triazole Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Biological Activities

A novel series of 1,4‐disubstituted‐1,2,3‐triazole derivatives 3a – l and 5a – i were one‐pot synthesized via CuAAC‐alkyne click chemistry and evaluated for their antibacterial activity against four organisms and screened for their anticancer activity against human colon cancer cell line HT‐29 and human lung cancer cell line HTB‐29. These hybrid molecules structure elucidation has been performed by IR, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, and mass spectral analysis. Synthesized nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs‐triazoles evaluated for their antibacterial activities against bacterial microorganisms Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumonia. Final compounds 3i , 3c , and 5b showed magnificent broad spectrum activity against P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia, E. coli, and S. aureus with zone of inhibition values of 20, 15, 17, and 16 mm, respectively. Among the series of compound, 3j showed the best antibacterial activity against all the strains. Further, the compounds 3i and 5a were more cytotoxic than cisplatin against all tested two human cancer cell lines, with 50.8%, and 52.3% and 73.4% and 75.3% of growth, respectively. The synthesized compounds were tested for kinase inhibitory activity against glycogen synthase kinase‐3 protein kinases, in addition, for cytotoxic activity against two different human cancer cell lines.     

Synthesis,Antiproliferative, and c‐Src Kinase Inhibitory Activities of 4‐Oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran Derivatives

A new class of 4‐oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran derivatives were synthesized and their antiproliferative activity examined against a panel of three human cancer cell lines, that is, breast carcinoma (MDA‐MB‐468), ovarian adenocarcinoma (SK‐OV‐3), and colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT‐29). Two compounds, that is, 3‐hexyl‐7,8‐dihydroxy‐4‐oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran and (E)‐ethyl 3‐(7‐methoxy‐4‐oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran‐3‐yl)acrylate were found to be potent against all three cancer cell lines studied at 50 μM concentration. Also, the inhibitory potency of the compounds was evaluated against active Src kinase. A few of these compounds exhibited modest Src kinase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 52–57 μM). Structure‐activity relationship studies with respect to the nature and position of substituents on the lead compounds could be further exploited for the design and development of more potent antiproliferative agents and/or Src kinase inhibitors.     

Moxifloxacin/Gatifloxacin‐1,2,3‐triazole‐isatin Hybrids with Hydrogen‐Bond Donor and Their In Vitro Anticancer Activity

A series of novel moxifloxacin/gatifloxacin‐1,2,3‐triazole‐isatin hybrids ( 8a – i ) were designed, synthesized, and screened for their in vitro anticancer activity in this paper. All of the synthesized hybrids were active against A549 and HepG2 cancer cell lines, whereas the parent drugs moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin were devoid of activity. Among them, hybrid 8i (IC₅₀: 41.1–98.3 μM) showed considerable activity against A549, HepG2, and MCF‐7 cancer cell lines, and it was no inferior to Vorinostat (IC₅₀: 64.32 to >100 μM) against the three cancer cell lines. Thus, this kind of hybrids has potentiality for discovery of new anticancer candidates for clinical deployment in the control and eradication of cancers.     

Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Metal‐Chelator‐Bearing Flavone,Carbazole, Dibenzofuran,Xanthone, and Anthraquinone

2‐(Aryloxymethyl)‐5‐benzyloxy‐1‐methyl‐1H‐pyridin‐4‐ones 8a – 8g , 2‐(aryloxymethyl)‐5‐hydroxy‐4H‐pyran‐4‐ones 9a – 9g , and 2‐(aryloxymethyl)‐5‐hydroxy‐1‐methyl‐1H‐pyridin‐4‐ones 10a – 10g were prepared from the known 5‐benzyloxy‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)pyran‐4‐one ( 3 ) in a good overall yield. These compounds were evaluated in vitro against a three‐cell lines panel consisting of MCF7 (breast), NCI‐H460 (lung), and SF‐268 (CNS), and the active compounds passed on for evaluation in the full panel of 60 human tumor cell lines derived from nine cancer cell types. The results indicated that 5‐hydroxy derivatives are more favorable than their corresponding 5‐benzyloxy precursors ( 10a – 10g vs. 8a – 8g ), and 1‐methyl‐1H‐pyridin‐4‐ones are more favorable than their corresponding pyran‐4(1H)‐ones ( 10a – 10g vs. 9a – 9g ). Among these three types of compounds, 2‐(aryloxymethyl)‐5‐hydroxy‐1‐methyl‐1H‐pyridin‐4‐ones 10a – 10g were the most cytotoxic; they inhibited the growth of almost all the cancer cells tested. On the contrary, compound 8a (a mean GI₅₀=27.8 μM ), 8b (38.5), 8d (11.0), and 8e (30.5) are especially active against the growth of SK‐MEL‐5 (a melanoma cancer cell) with a GI₅₀ of <0.01, 5.65, 0.55, and 0.03 μM , respectively (cf. Table 2).     

Design,synthesis of (Z)‐3‐benzyl‐5‐((1‐phenyl‐3‐(3‐((1‐ substituted phenyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)methoxy)phenyl)‐1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl)methylene)thiazolidine‐2,4‐dione analogues as potential cytotoxic agents

In an attempt to achieve promising cytotoxic agents, a series of new (Z)‐3‐benzyl‐5‐((1‐phenyl‐3‐(3‐((1‐substituted phenyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)methoxy)phenyl)‐1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl)methylene)thiazolidine‐2,4‐diones 10 a‐n were designed, synthesized, and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR, and ESI‐MS techniques. These compounds synthesized from appropriate reaction procedures with better yields. All the novel synthesized compounds 10a‐n were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against the MCF‐7 cell line (Human breast cancer cell line) at different concentrations of 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 μM, respectively. The cytotoxic evaluation assay is presented in terms of IC₅₀ values and percentage cell viability reduction compared against standard drug cisplatin. Among all novel synthesized compounds 10a‐n , some of the representative analogues particularly 10g and 10e exhibit remarkable cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values 0.454 and 0.586 μM, comparable to that of the standard drug cisplatin, and some analogues 10d , 10f , 10k, and 10m also have shown significant activity.