Semi-Synthesis of Harringtonolide Derivatives and Their Antiproliferative Activity

Harringtonolide (HO), a natural product isolated from Cephalotaxus harringtonia, exhibits potent antiproliferative activity. However, little information has been reported on the systematic structure−activity relationship (SAR) of HO derivatives. Modifications on tropone, lactone, and allyl positions of HO (1) were carried out to provide 17 derivatives (2–13, 11a–11f). The in vitro antiproliferative activity against four cancer cell lines (HCT-116, A375, A549, and Huh-7) and one normal cell line (L-02) was tested. Amongst these novel derivatives, compound 6 exhibited comparable cell growth inhibitory activity to HO and displayed better selectivity index (SI = 56.5) between Huh-7 and L-02 cells. The SAR results revealed that the tropone and lactone moieties are essential for the cytotoxic activities, which provided useful suggestions for further structural optimization of HO.     

Synthesis and Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Biological Evaluation of Novel 2-Nitropyrrole Derivatives

Human American trypanosomiasis, called Chagas disease, caused by T. cruzi protozoan infection, represents a major public health problem, with about 7000 annual deaths in Latin America. As part of the search for new and safe anti-Trypanosoma cruzi derivatives involving nitroheterocycles, we report herein the synthesis of ten 1-substituted 2-nitropyrrole compounds and their biological evaluation. After an optimization phase, a convergent synthesis methodology was used to obtain these new final compounds in two steps from the 2-nitropyrrole starting product. All the designed derivatives follow Lipinski’s rule of five. The cytotoxicity evaluation on CHO cells showed no significant cytotoxicity, except for compound 3 (CC₅₀ = 24.3 µM). Compound 18 appeared to show activity against T. cruzi intracellular amastigotes form (EC₅₀ = 3.6 ± 1.8 µM) and good selectivity over the vero host cells. Unfortunately, this compound 18 showed an insufficient maximum effect compared to the reference drug (nifurtimox). Whether longer duration treatments may eliminate all parasites remains to be explored.     

Structural Optimization and Biological Activity of Pyrazole Derivatives: Virtual Computational Analysis,Recovery Assay and 3D Culture Model as Potential Predictive Tools of Effectiveness against Trypanosoma cruzi

Chagas disease, a chronic and silent disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is currently a global public health problem. The treatment of this neglected disease relies on benznidazole and nifurtimox, two nitroheterocyclic drugs that show limited efficacy and severe side effects. The failure of potential drug candidates in Chagas disease clinical trials highlighted the urgent need to identify new effective chemical entities and more predictive tools to improve translational success in the drug development pipeline. In this study, we designed a small library of pyrazole derivatives (44 analogs) based on a hit compound, previously identified as a T. cruzi cysteine protease inhibitor. The in vitro phenotypic screening revealed compounds 3g, 3j, and 3m as promising candidates, with IC₅₀ values of 6.09 ± 0.52, 2.75 ± 0.62, and 3.58 ± 0.25 µM, respectively, against intracellular amastigotes. All pyrazole derivatives have good oral bioavailability prediction. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) analysis revealed increased potency of 1-aryl-1H-pyrazole-imidazoline derivatives with the Br, Cl, and methyl substituents in the para-position. The 3m compound stands out for its trypanocidal efficacy in 3D microtissue, which mimics tissue microarchitecture and physiology, and abolishment of parasite recrudescence in vitro. Our findings encourage the progression of the promising candidate for preclinical in vivo studies.     

Regioselective Synthesis,Structural Characterization,and Antiproliferative Activity of Novel Tetra-Substituted Phenylaminopyrazole Derivatives

A small library of highly functionalized phenylaminopyrazoles, bearing different substituents at position 1, 3, and 4 of the pyrazole ring, was prepared by the one-pot condensation of active methylene reagents, phenylisothiocyanate, and substituted hydrazine (namely, methyl- and benzyl-hydrazine). The identified reaction conditions proved to be versatile and efficient. Furthermore, the evaluation of alternative stepwise protocols affected the chemo- and regio-selectivity outcome of the one-pot procedure. The chemical identities of two N-methyl pyrazole isomers, selected as prototypes of the whole series, were unambiguously identified by means of NMR and mass spectrometry studies. Additionally, semiempirical calculations provided a structural rationale for the different chromatographic behavior of the two isomers. The prepared tetra-substituted phenylaminopyrazoles were tested in cell-based assays on a panel of cancer and normal cell lines. The tested compounds did not show any cytotoxic effect on the selected cell lines, thus supporting their pharmaceutical potentials.     

新型吲唑-查尔酮杂合物的合成及抗肿瘤活性

设计并合成了一系列新型含查尔酮-吲唑杂合衍生物,并对其体外肿瘤活性进行初步研究。 先以2,6-二氟苯腈和吗啉为起始原料,经过取代和环合两步反应合成4-吗啉-3-氨基-1H-吲唑。 4-吗啉-3-氨基-1H-吲唑与含羧基的查尔酮中间体与经过酰胺化反应制备了9个新型含查尔酮-吲唑杂合衍生物,其结构经傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FTIR)、核磁共振波谱仪(NMR)、质谱(MS)和元素分析确证。 采用MTT法,以索拉菲尼为阳性对照药,以人胃癌细胞株(MKN45)和人肺癌细胞株(A549)为测试细胞株对目标化合物进行抗肿瘤活性评价。 结果表明,大部分目标化合物显示了较好的抗肿瘤活性,其中化合物4a和4d活性较好,其抑制人胃癌细胞株MKN45的IC₅₀分别为2.65和3.55 μmol/L,均优于阳性对照药索拉菲尼(IC₅₀=4.69 μmol/L)。     

Novel 4-Azapregnene Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents: Synthesis,Antiproliferative Activity and Molecular Docking Studies

A series of novel 21E-arylidene-4-azapregn-5-ene steroids has been successfully designed, synthesized and structurally characterized, and their antiproliferative activity was evaluated in four different cell lines. Within this group, the 21E-(pyridin-3-yl)methylidene derivative exhibited significant cytotoxic activity in hormone-dependent cells LNCaP (IC₅₀ = 10.20 µM) and T47-D cells (IC₅₀ = 1.33 µM). In PC-3 androgen-independent cells, the steroid 21E-p-nitrophenylidene-4-azapregn-5-ene was the most potent of this series (IC₅₀ = 3.29 µM). Considering these results, the 21E-(pyridin-3-yl)methylidene derivative was chosen for further biological studies on T47-D and LNCaP cells, and it was shown that this azasteroid seems to lead T47-D cells to apoptotic death. Finally, molecular docking studies were performed to explore the affinity of these 4-azapregnene derivatives to several steroid targets, namely 5α-reductase type 2, estrogen receptor α, androgen receptor and CYP17A1. In general, compounds presented higher affinity to 5α-reductase type 2 and estrogen receptor α.     

Synthesis and Antiproliferative Effect of Halogenated Coumarin Derivatives

A series of 6- and 6,8-halocoumarin derivatives have been investigated as potential antiproliferative compounds against a panel of tumor and normal cell lines. Cytotoxic effects were determined by the MTT method. To investigate the potential molecular mechanism involved in the cytotoxic effect, apoptosis assay, cell cycle analysis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and reduced glutathione analysis were performed. Among the screened compounds, coumarins 6,8-dibromo-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbonitrile 2h and 6,8-diiodo-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbonitrile 2k exhibited the most antiproliferative effect in thyroid cancer-derived cells TPC-1. The apoptosis assay showed that both 2h and 2k induced apoptosis in TPC-1 thyroid cancer cells. According to these experiments, both coumarins induced a slight increase in TPC-1 cells in the G2/M phase and a decrease in the S phase. A significant increase in ROS levels was observed in TPC-1 treated with diiodocoumarin 2k, while the dibromocoumarin 2h induced a decrease in ROS in a dose and time-dependent manner.     

Bufadienolides from the Skin Secretions of the Neotropical Toad Rhinella alata (Anura: Bufonidae): Antiprotozoal Activity against Trypanosoma cruzi

Toads in the family Bufonidae contain bufadienolides in their venom, which are characterized by their chemical diversity and high pharmacological potential. American trypanosomiasis is a neglected disease that affects an estimated 8 million people in tropical and subtropical countries. In this research, we investigated the chemical composition and antitrypanosomal activity of toad venom from Rhinella alata collected in Panama. Structural determination using mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy led to the identification of 10 bufadienolides. Compounds identified include the following: 16β-hydroxy-desacetyl-bufotalin-3-adipoyl-arginine ester (1), bufotalin (2), 16β-hydroxy-desacetyl-bufotalin-3-pimeloyl-arginine ester (3), bufotalin-3-pimeloyl-arginine ester (4), 16β-hydroxy-desacetyl-bufotalin-3-suberoyl-arginine ester (5), bufotalin-3-suberoyl-arginine ester (6), cinobufagin-3-adipoyl-arginine ester (7), cinobufagin-3-pimeloyl-arginine ester (8), cinobufagin-3-suberoyl-arginine ester (9), and cinobufagin (10). Among these, three new natural products, 1, 3, and 5, are described, and compounds 1–10 are reported for the first time in R. alata. The antitrypanosomal activity assessed in this study revealed that the presence of an arginyl-diacid attached to C-3, and a hydroxyl group at C-14 in the structure of bufadienolides that is important for their biological activity. Bufadienolides showed cytotoxic activity against epithelial kidney Vero cells; however, bufagins (2 and 10) displayed low mammalian cytotoxicity. Compounds 2 and 10 showed activity against the cancer cell lines MCF-7, NCI-H460, and SF-268.     

Syntheses of Lactam Derivatives of Chenodeoxycholic Acid and in vitro Antiproliferative Activity

With chenodeoxycholic acid as starting material,a series of lactam derivatives of chenodeoxycholic acid was synthesized and their antiproliferative activities against some cancer cells were determined.Among the synthesized derivatives,compounds 6 and 18 displayed distinct antiproliferative activity against PC-3,H-292,SKBR3 and Hey-1B cancer cells,and compounds 10,17 and 18 showed significant antiproliferative activity against SKBR3 cells.Our results reveal that the position of hydroximino on ring A or B of the parental scaffold dramatically affects the antiproliferative activity of these compounds.The conversion of 7-hydroximino to other substituent or 7-hydroximino to 3-hydroximino in the compounds resulted in a dramatic decrease of the antiproliferative activity,suggesting the importance of 7-hydroximino group for the biological activity of the compounds.The structure/activity correlation generated from the studies provides valuable information for the further design of novel chemotherapeutic drugs.     

Design,Synthesis and Antiproliferative Activities of Diaryl Thiourea Derivatives as Anticancer Agents

Two new series of diaryl thiourea containing sorafenib derivatives 9a – 9t were designed and synthesized, and their antiproliferative activities against PC‐3, HCT116 and MDA‐MB‐231 cell lines were evaluated. All compounds generally showed antiproliferative activity to PC‐3 cells, most of the analogs exhibited potent antiproliferative activity to HCT116 cells, and compounds 9e , 9f , 9o and 9p demonstrated inhibitory activities against all three cell lines. The structures of all the newly synthesized compounds were determined by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and HRMS.     

(20R)-孕甾-5-烯-20-(2-甲氧基苯甲酸酯)类化合物的合成及抗肿瘤活性

从孕烯醇酮出发,通过酯化反应在3-位羟基上引入不同结构酯链,再对20-位羰基进行结构修饰,合成了10个(20R)-孕甾-5-烯-20-(2-甲氧基苯甲酸酯)类化合物,并通过IR、NMR及HRMS方法进行了结构表征。合成的化合物用噻吩蓝比色法(MTT)体外测试了对人宫颈癌细胞(HeLa)、人肺癌细胞(A549)、人甲状腺癌细胞(TPC-1)、人鼻炎癌细胞(CNE-2)以及人正常肾上皮细胞(HEK-293T)的增殖生长抑制活性,结果显示化合物2d和3d对A549的抑制效果显著,其IC₅₀达到了7.9 μM和10.3 μM,而对人正常肾上皮细胞 HEK-293T细胞无毒性。     

22-降-豆甾-22-含氮化合物的合成及抗肿瘤活性

通过结构改造,合成了不同支链的甾体化合物并测定了它们的抗肿瘤细胞增殖活性,探讨了不同支链对抗肿瘤活性的影响。     

Heteroleptic Oxidovanadium(V) Complexes with Activity against Infective and Non-Infective Stages of Trypanosoma cruzi

Five heteroleptic compounds, [V^VO(IN-2H)(L-H)], where L are 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives and IN is a Schiff base ligand, were synthesized and characterized in both the solid and solution state. The compounds were evaluated on epimastigotes and trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi as well as on VERO cells, as a mammalian cell model. Compounds showed activity against trypomastigotes with IC₅₀ values of 0.29–3.02 μM. IN ligand and the new [V^VO₂(IN-H)] complex showed negligible activity. The most active compound [V^VO(IN-2H)(L2-H)], with L2 = 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-hydroxyquinoline, showed good selectivity towards the parasite and was selected to carry out further biological studies. Stability studies suggested a partial decomposition in solution. [V^VO(IN-2H)(L2-H)] affects the infection potential of cell-derived trypomastigotes. Low total vanadium uptake by parasites and preferential accumulation in the soluble proteins fraction were determined. A trypanocide effect was observed when incubating epimastigotes with 10 × IC₅₀ values of [V^VO(IN-2H)(L2-H)] and the generation of ROS after treatments was suggested. Fluorescence competition measurements with DNA:ethidium bromide adduct showed a moderate DNA interaction of the complexes. In vivo toxicity study on C. elegans model showed no toxicity up to a 100 μM concentration of [V^VO(IN-2H)(L2-H)]. This compound could be considered a prospective anti-T. cruzi agent that deserves further research.     

Synthesis,Leishmanicidal, Trypanocidal,Antiproliferative Assay and Apoptotic Induction of (2-Phenoxypyridin-3-yl)naphthalene-1(2H)-one Derivatives

The coexistence of leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and neoplasia in endemic areas has been extensively documented. The use of common drugs in the treatment of these pathologies invites us to search for new molecules with these characteristics. In this research, we report 16 synthetic chalcone derivatives that were investigated for leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activities as well as for antiproliferative potential on eight human cancers and two nontumor cell lines. The final compounds 8–23 were obtained using the classical base-catalyzed Claisen–Schmidt condensation. The most potent compounds as parasiticidal were found to be 22 and 23, while compounds 18 and 22 showed the best antiproliferative activity and therapeutic index against CCRF-CEM, K562, A549, and U2OS cancer cell lines and non-toxic VERO, BMDM, MRC-5, and BJ cells. In the case of K562 and the corresponding drug-resistant K562-TAX cell lines, the antiproliferative activity has shown a more significant difference for compound 19 having 10.3 times higher activity against the K562-TAX than K562 cell line. Flow cytometry analysis using K562 and A549 cell lines cultured with compounds 18 and 22 confirmed the induction of apoptosis in treated cells after 24 h. Based on the structural analysis, these chalcones represent new compounds potentially useful for Leishmania, Trypanosoma cruzi, and some cancer treatments.     

Synthesis,Antiproliferative Activity and Radical Scavenging Ability of 5-O-Acyl Derivatives of Quercetin

Quercetin is a flavonoid that is found in many plant materials, including commonly eaten fruits and vegetables. The compound is well known for its wide range of biological activities. In this study, 5-O-acyl derivatives of quercetin were synthesised and assessed for their antiproliferative activity against the HCT116 colon cancer and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines; and their radical scavenging activity against the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical species. Four derivatives were found to have improved the antiproliferative activity compared to quercetin whilst retaining radical scavenging activity.     

新型1,3-二取代酞嗪酮类衍生物的合成及抗肿瘤活性研究

为了寻找高效低毒的抗肿瘤药物,设计并合成新型的1,3位取代酞嗪酮类化合物.采用噻唑蓝(MTT)法对目标化合物在MCF-7(人乳腺癌细胞)、PC-3(人前列腺癌细胞)、SW-620(人结肠癌细胞)和HGC-27(人胃癌细胞)四种人类癌细胞的抗增殖活性进行评价.结果显示大部分化合物具有较好的抗增殖活性.其中,2-(4-(4-溴苯基)-1-氧代酞嗪-2(1H)-基)-N-(2-氟苯基)乙酰胺(5g)对MCF-7细胞的抗增殖活性较好,IC50值为6.01μmol/L,为抗肿瘤药物的研究提供了思路.     

Synthesis,Antiproliferative Activity and DNA-Binding Properties of Nitrogen and Sulfur Heterocyclic Norcantharidin Acylamide Acid

Three novel norcantharidin acylamide acids (L¹?N‐thiadiazole norcantharidin acylamide acid, C₁₀H₁₁N₃O₄S; L²?N‐thiazole norcantharidin acylamide acid, C₁₁H₁₂N₂O₄S and L³?N‐benzothiazole norcantharidin acylamide acid, C₁₅H₁₄N₂O₄S) were synthesized by the reactions of norcantharidin (NCTD?7‐oxabicyclo[2,2,1]heptane‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid anhydride, C₈H₈O₄) with 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole (C₂H₃N₃S), 2‐aminothiazole (C₃H₄N₂S) and 2‐aminobenzothiazole (C₇H₆N₂S), respectively. Their structures were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and NMR. The inhibition rates of L³ was much higher than those of L¹ and L² against human hepatoma cells SMMC7721 cell lines in vitro. The interaction between the compounds and DNA was studied by means of fluorescence quenching studies and viscosity measurements. The emission intensities decreased obviously with increasing concentration of the compounds in the fluorescence quenching experiments. The linear Stern‐Volmer quenching constant K_sq values were 0.62 (L¹), 0.55 (L²) and 1.08 (L³), respectively. The binding abilities followed the trend from high to low were L³, L¹ and L², respectively. The results of viscosity measurements showed that L¹ and L² might bind to DNA via partial intercalation, while L³ bound mainly in intercalation.     

Synthesis,ABTS-Radical Scavenging Activity,and Antiproliferative and Molecular Docking Studies of Novel Pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoline Derivatives

A new 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS)-radical scavenging and antiproliferative agents of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoline derivatives have been synthesized. An efficient method for the synthesis of 14 novel diversified pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoline derivatives has been described using 4-(1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)quinoline and different phenacyl bromides in acetone and followed by reacting with different acetylenes in dimethylformamide/K₂CO₃. The structure of the newly synthesized compounds was determined by infrared, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The in vitro antioxidant activity revealed that among all the tested compounds 5n exhibited maximum scavenging activity with ABTS. Compound 5b has showed good antiproliferative activity as an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Amino Chalcone Derivatives as Antiproliferative Agents

Chalcone is a common scaffold found in many biologically active compounds. The chalcone scaffold was also frequently utilized to design novel anticancer agents with potent biological efficacy. Aiming to continue the research of effective chalcone derivatives to treat cancers with potent anticancer activity, fourteen amino chalcone derivatives were designed and synthesized. The antiproliferative activity of amino chalcone derivatives was studied in vitro and 5-Fu as a control group. Some of the compounds showed moderate to good activity against three human cancer cells (MGC-803, HCT-116 and MCF-7 cells) and compound 13e displayed the best antiproliferative activity against MGC-803 cells, HCT-116 cells and MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ values of 1.52 μM (MGC-803), 1.83 μM (HCT-116) and 2.54 μM (MCF-7), respectively which was more potent than the positive control (5-Fu). Further mechanism studies were explored. The results of cell colony formatting assay suggested compound 10e inhibited the colony formation of MGC-803 cells. DAPI fluorescent staining and flow cytometry assay showed compound 13e induced MGC-803 cells apoptosis. Western blotting experiment indicated compound 13e induced cell apoptosis via the extrinsic/intrinsic apoptosis pathway in MGC-803 cells. Therefore, compound 13e might be a valuable lead compound as antiproliferative agents and amino chalcone derivatives worth further effort to improve amino chalcone derivatives’ potency.     

Chemical Constituents from the Flowers of Carthamus tinctorius L. and Their Lung Protective Activity

A new flavonoid, saffloflavanside (1), a new sesquiterpene, safflomegastigside (2), and a new amide, saffloamide (3), together with twenty-two known compounds (4–25), were isolated from the flowers of Carthamus tinctorius L. Their structures were determined based on interpretation of their spectroscopic data and comparison with those reported in the literature. The protective effects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated damage on human normal lung epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells of the compounds were evaluated using MTT assay and cellular immunofluorescence assay. The results showed that compounds 2–3, 8–11, and 15–19 exhibited protective effects against LPS-induced damage to BEAS-2B cells. Moreover, compounds 2–3, 8–11, and 15–19 can significantly downregulate the level of nuclear translocation of NF-κB p-p65. In summary, this study revealed chemical constituents with lung protective activity from C. tinctorius, which may be developed as a drug for the treatment of lung injury.