Synthesis,Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking of Novel Phenylpyrimidine Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Based on our previous researches, a novel phenylpyrimidine pharmacophore model was proposed and fifteen derivatives were synthesized and characterized by means of spectroscopy methods. The inhibitory effects of them were screened against HeLa cell line by virtue of MTT assay in vitro. The results indicate some of the phenylpyrimidine derivatives exhibit potent biological activities. Among them, compounds 6g and 6h exhibit the best activity at half maximal inhibitory concentrations of 1.5 and 2.8 μmol/L, respectively. These compounds also exhibit good activities against HepG2 cell line and MCF-7 cell line. FLT-3 kinase was screened as the most potent molecular target. Computational docking between compound 6g and FLT-3 was carried out to interpret the binding mode. The results show phenylpyrimidine derivatives have effective antitumor activities, which provides a base for further research of them as antitumor agents.     

Design,Synthesis, Biological Activity and Molecular Docking Study of Coumarin Derivatives Bearing 2-Methylbiphenyl Moiety

A hybrid pharmacophore approach was used to design and synthesize a series of coumarin derivatives bearing 2-methylbiphenyl moiety, which were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activities against four cancer cell lines(MCF-75 A549, H460 and HT29) and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory activities. Moreover, several compounds with excellent anticancer activities were selected to evaluate the cytotoxicities against one normal cell line(HEK-293). The most promising compound llo showed the best anticancer activities against the four tested cancer cell lines with the IC50 values of 6.45, 8.65, 6,57 and 8.13 gmol/L, respectively, and displayed weak cytotoxicity on the normal cell(HEK-293). Furthermore, screening of PD-1 /PD-L1 inhibitory activity revealed that compound llo could effectively inhibit the binding of PD-1/PD-L1, and the binding interactions of compound llo with PD-L1 protein were explored by molecular docking. All above evidences showed that compound llo might be worthy of further study as a valuable leading compound for the treatment of cancer.     

Synthesis,Molecular Docking and Potential Antioxidant Activity of Di/Trisubstituted Pyridazinone Derivatives

A number of pyridazinone derivatives bearing substituted benzylidene and heterocyclic/aromatic rings at 4^th and 6^th positions, respectively were synthesized in good to moderate yields and screened for antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity of pyridazinone derivatives was evaluated by using several in vitro radical scavenging methods such as 1,1‐diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), nitric oxide (NO), reducing power, and metal chelating assay etc. Molegro virtual docker software was used to study the binding affinity of the title compounds with the xanthine oxidoreductase enzyme. Amongst the tested compounds, 5a, 5d, 5g & 5j were found to exhibit excellent antioxidant activity at par with the positive control, ascorbic acid. The molecular docking studies of these compounds demonstrated a good selectivity profile with xanthine oxidoreductase receptors. A preliminary study of the structural‐activity relationship showed that the presence of electron withdrawing group and heterocyclic ring on pyridazinone nucleus are associated with the best potency and selectivity profile. It could be proposed that xanthine oxidoreductase receptor may be involved in observed antioxidant activity of pyridazinone derivatives bearing aromatic ring and benzylidene substituents and thus the synthesized compounds are worthy of further exploration.     

A Facile Synthesis of New 4,6‐Dichloropyridine Derivatives,Their Biological Evaluation for Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity,and Docking Studies

A facile synthesis of new 4,6‐dichloropyridine derivatives 5 ( a–f ), 6 ( a–c ), and 7 ( a–c ) were synthesized using both conventional heating and solvent‐free microwave irradiation techniques. The results revealed that the latter method is superior to the conventional heating method. The easy work‐up of the products, rapid reaction, and mild conditions are noticeable features of this protocol. Structural elucidation of the synthesized compounds was made on the basis of various spectroscopic methods. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial activity (minimum inhibitory concentration; MIC) against various microbial strains using the agar well‐diffusion method. Among the compounds, 5c showed best antimicrobial activity against most of the employed strains, especially against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Rhizopus arrhizus, and Candida albicans. Compounds 5a , 6a , 6c , 7a , and 7c showed significant antioxidant activity when compared to the other compounds. In addition to this, theoretical docking studies were performed for the highly potent compounds 5a , 6a , 6c , 7a , and 7c against three different drug targets belonging to the oxidoreductase family, and the results were found to be highly satisfactory.     

Synthesis,Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking Studies of 5-Indolylmethylen-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidine Derivatives

Background: Infectious diseases represent a significant global strain on public health security and impact on socio-economic stability all over the world. The increasing resistance to the current antimicrobial treatment has resulted in the crucial need for the discovery and development of novel entities for the infectious treatment with different modes of action that could target both sensitive and resistant strains. Methods: Compounds were synthesized using the classical organic chemistry methods. Prediction of biological activity spectra was carried out using PASS and PASS-based web applications. Pharmacophore modeling in LigandScout software was used for quantitative modeling of the antibacterial activity. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the microdilution method. AutoDock 4.2^® software was used to elucidate probable bacterial and fungal molecular targets of the studied compounds. Results: All compounds exhibited better antibacterial potency than ampicillin against all bacteria tested. Three compounds were tested against resistant strains MRSA, P. aeruginosa and E. coli and were found to be more potent than MRSA than reference drugs. All compounds demonstrated a higher degree of antifungal activity than the reference drugs bifonazole (6–17-fold) and ketoconazole (13–52-fold). Three of the most active compounds could be considered for further development of the new, more potent antimicrobial agents. Conclusion: Compounds 5b (Z)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-5-((1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one and 5g (Z)-3-[5-(1H-Indol-3-ylmethylene)-4-oxo-2-thioxo-thiazolidin-3-yl]-benzoic acid as well as 5h (Z)-3-(5-((5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)benzoic acid can be considered as lead compounds for further development of more potent and safe antibacterial and antifungal agents.     

Design,Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Lophanic Acid Derivatives as Antifungal and Antibacterial Agents

In order to discover more promising antifungal and antibacterial agents, a series of new derivatives were designed and synthesized by structure modification based on the naturally occurring antimicrobial compound lophanic acid. The structures of all the target compounds were well characterized by spectroscopic data. The stereochemistry of these compounds was further determined through the X-ray diffraction analysis of 6a. The synthetic compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against filamentous fungi (T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes), yeasts (C. neoformans, C. albicans) and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (MRSA, S. mutans, S. sobrinus, and E. coli). Among them, 3d and 3i are found as the most promising leads that showed potent inhibitory effects against all the tested fungal and bacterial strains except for E. coli. The presence of the C-20 carboxylic ester groups and the free hydroxy group at C-13 was found to be essential for the antifungal and antibacterial activities of the lophanic acid derivatives.     

欧芹酚甲醚腙类衍生物的合成及抗乙酰胆碱酯酶活性研究

以香豆素类化合物欧芹酚甲醚为先导化合物,设计合成了15个欧芹酚甲醚腙类衍生物,所有目标化合物经熔点、¹H NMR和MS进行结构确证。体外抑制乙酰胆碱酯酶活性结果表明,在100μmol/L浓度下,目标化合物3d对乙酰胆碱酯酶具有较强的抑制活性,其抑制率达到66.1%。初步构效关系表明,在欧芹酚甲醚腙类化合物的苯环上引入斥电子基能提高对乙酰胆碱酯酶的抑制活性。分子对接表明化合物3d可以和乙酰胆碱酯酶的催化活性中心部位显著结合。     

Design,Synthesis, and Thrombin Inhibitory Activity Evaluation of Some Novel Benzimidazole Derivatives

Some benzimidazole derivatives were designed and screened via molecular docking. Six compounds which obtained high scores were selected for synthesis and all compounds were characterized by ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, and HR‐ESI‐MS. Subsequently, these compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activities on thrombin. Compound 5a (IC₅₀ 3.11 nm ) showed a better activity than the reference argatroban (IC₅₀ 9.88 nm ). These results, along with related molecular model studies, indicated that 5a could be a potential thrombin inhibitor for further research.     

Microwave-assisted Solid-phase Synthesis,Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking of Angiotensin I-converting Enzyme Inhibitors

Short peptides based on the tripeptides, Leu-Arg-Pro and Leu-Lys-Pro, were synthesized by microwaveassisted solid-phase synthesis method, in order to make a search for potential inhibitors for angiotensin I-converting enzyme(ACE) with minimum side effects in the treatment of hypertension. One peptide with the sequence Leu-Arg-Pro-Phe-Phe shows the strongest inhibition towards ACE with an IC50 value of 0.26 μmol/L in vitro. The study of structure-activity relationship shows that the introduction of a bulky group into the N-terminal of this series of inhibitors may enlarge steric hindrance, resulting in the poor inhibitory activity towards ACE. The inhibitory activity decreased in turn when L-Pro, D-Pro or Ac6c was at the C-terminal respectively. The binding interaction between each of these inhibitors and testicular ACE(tACE) was performed by molecular docking. The results suggest that Leu-Arg-Pro-Phe-Phe mainly occupied the S1 subsite of tACE, and made contact with tACE via seven H-bonds. It appeared that the site on the peptide that bound with tACE was influenced by the configuration of the amino acid, L- or D-form, at the C-terminal of the peptide.     

Design,Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Benzothiazole Derivatives Bearing Semicarbazone Moiety as Antitumor Agents

A series of novel benzothiazole derivatives bearing semicarbazone as a linker was designed and synthesized, and their in vitro antitumor activities were evaluated against four cancer cell lines(HT29, H460, A549 and MDA-MB-231). Most of them showed moderate to excellent activity against all the tested cell lines. Among them, compounds 12a―12i with fluoro-substituted benzyl-1H-indole moiety displayed more potent activity than those with phenyl moiety. The most promising compound 12d exhibited excellent antitumor activity with IC₅₀ values of 0.015, 0.28, 1.53 and 0.68 μmol/L against the four tested cell lines respectively.     

Design,Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Silico Prediction of Novel Sinomenine Derivatives

Sinomenine is a morphinan alkaloid with a variety of biological activities. Its derivatives have shown significant cytotoxic activity against different cancer cell lines in many studies. In this study, two series of sinomenine derivatives were designed and synthesized by modifying the active positions C₁ and C₄ on the A ring of sinomenine. Twenty-three compounds were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopy (IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and HRMS). They were further evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against five cancer cell lines, MCF-7, Hela, HepG2, SW480 and A549, and a normal cell line, Hek293, using MTT and CCK8 methods. The chlorine-containing compounds exhibited significant cytotoxic activity compared to the nucleus structure of sinomenine. Furthermore, we searched for cancer-related core targets and verified their interaction with derivatives through molecular docking. The chlorine-containing compounds 5g, 5i, 5j, 6a, 6d, 6e, and 6g exhibited the best against four core targets AKT1, EGFR, HARS and KARS. The molecular docking results were consistent with the cytotoxic results. Overall, results indicate that chlorine-containing derivatives might be a promising lead for the development of new anticancer agents.     

Synthesis,Structure and Biological Evaluation of Thiourea Derivatives as Antitumor Agents

Two substituted-3-phenylthiourea derivatives have been synthesized and characteri- zed by elemental analysis, 1H NMR, MS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural stabili- zation of them followed by intramolecular as well as intermolecular H-bonds makes these molecules as perfect examples in molecular recognition with self-complementary donor and acceptor units within a single molecule. The antitumor activities of compounds I and 2 against breast adeno carcinoma cell line MCF-7 have been evaluated by MTT method. Docking simulations have also been performed to position compounds into the telomerase active sites so as to determine their probable binding models.     

Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis-Inducing Ability of Benzimidazole Derivatives: Design,Synthesis, Docking,and Biological Evaluation

In the current study, new benzimidazole-based 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives have been synthesized and characterized by NMR, IR, MS, and elemental analysis. The final compounds were screened for cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231, SKOV3, and A549 cell lines and EGFR for inhibitory activities. Compounds 10 and 13 were found to be the most active against all the tested cell lines, comparable to doxorubicin, and exhibited significant inhibition on EGFR kinase, with IC₅₀ 0.33 and 0.38 μM, respectively, comparable to erlotinib (IC₅₀ 0.39 μM). Furthermore, these two compounds effectively suppressed cell cycle progression and induced cell apoptosis in MDA-MB-231, SKOV3, and A549 cell lines. The docking studies revealed that these compounds showed interactions similar to erlotinib at the EGFR site. It can be concluded that the synthesized molecules effectively inhibit EGFR, can arrest the cell cycle, and may trigger apoptosis and therefore, could be used as lead molecules in the development of new anticancer agents targeting EGFR kinase.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Tricyclic Oximino Derivatives as Antitumor Agents

A series of novel alkylthio/sulfinyl-8H-thieno[2,3-b]pyrrolizin-8-oximino derivatives Ⅴ1--Ⅷ15 were designed and synthesized as antitumor agents. Their structures were confirmed using IR, ^1H NMR, elemental analysis, and MS. The antitumor activities of all the target compounds were tested by the MTT method in vitro against Bel-7402, HT-1080, SGC-7901, and A549 Cell Lines. Among them, compound Ⅵ9 displayed a promising antitumor activity superior to that of Cisplatin.     

2,5-Diketopiperazine Derivatives as Potential Anti-Influenza (H5N2) Agents: Synthesis,Biological Evaluation,and Molecular Docking Study

2,5-Diketopiperazine derivatives, consisting of benzylidene and alkylidene substituents at 3 and 6 positions, have been considered as a core structure for their antiviral activities. Herein, the novel N-substituted 2,5-Diketopiperazine derivatives were successfully prepared and their antiviral activities against influenza virus were evaluated by monitoring viral propagation in embryonated chicken eggs. It was found that (3Z,6Z)-3-benzylidene-6-(2-methyl propylidene)-4-substituted-2,5-Diketopiperazines (13b–d), (3Z,6E)-3-benzylidene-6-(2-methylpropyli dene)-1-(1-ethyl pyrrolidine)-2,5-Diketopiperazine (14c), and Lansai-C exhibited negative results in influenza virus propagation at a concentration of 25 µg/mL. Additionally, molecular docking study revealed that 13b–d and 14c bound in 430-cavity of neuraminidase from H5N2 avian influenza virus and the synthesized derivatives also strongly interacted with the key amino acid residues, including Arg371, Pro326, Ile427, and Thr439.     

基于分子对接和自由能计算的高活性苯并噻唑类ROCK抑制剂的设计、合成和生物学评价

以3个已报道的苯并噻唑类Rho关联含卷曲螺旋蛋白激酶(ROCK)抑制剂(化合物1~3)为研究对象,经分子动力学模拟获得其在ROCK2蛋白结合口袋中的稳定结合构象,通过分子对接结果从氨基酸角度初步揭示了此类抑制剂的结构-活性关系(SAR);然后,对这3个抑制剂进行MM/GBSA结合自由能(ΔG_(bind))研究,结合自由能计算可知ΔG_(bind)与化合物活性之间具有良好的相关性,且范德华作用能(ΔG_(VDW))对ΔG_(bind)的贡献最大.通过自由能分解获得了对于高活性抑制剂具有重要影响的关键残基.最后,根据分子对接和自由能研究结果设计并合成了3类新型苯并噻唑类似物(D1~D10).生物学评价结果表明,这10个化合物分别具有11~288 nmol/L(ROCK1)和2~105 nmol/L(ROCK2)的抑制活性.其中,化合物D3~D5在人肝微粒体代谢研究中展现出比已报道化合物更高的代谢稳定性.本研究不仅为高活性ROCK抑制剂的设计提供了理论指导,也为ROCK的应用研究提供了一系列结构新颖的高活性抑制剂.     

New Estrone Oxime Derivatives: Synthesis,Cytotoxic Evaluation and Docking Studies

The interest in the introduction of the oxime group in molecules aiming to improve their biological effects is increasing. This work aimed to develop new steroidal oximes of the estrane series with potential antitumor interest. For this, several oximes were synthesized by reaction of hydroxylamine with the 17-ketone of estrone derivatives. Then, their cytotoxicity was evaluated in six cell lines. An estrogenicity assay, a cell cycle distribution analysis and a fluorescence microscopy study with Hoechst 3358 staining were performed with the most promising compound. In addition, molecular docking studies against estrogen receptor α, steroid sulfatase, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and β-tubulin were also accomplished. The 2-nitroestrone oxime showed higher cytotoxicity than the parent compound on MCF-7 cancer cells. Furthermore, the oximes bearing halogen groups in A-ring evidenced selectivity for HepaRG cells. Remarkably, the Δ^9,11-estrone oxime was the most cytotoxic and arrested LNCaP cells in the G₂/M phase. Fluorescence microscopy studies showed the presence of condensed DNA typical of prophase and condensed and fragmented nuclei characteristic of apoptosis. However, this oxime promoted the proliferation of T47-D cells. Interestingly, molecular docking studies estimated a strong interaction between Δ^9,11-estrone oxime and estrogen receptor α and β-tubulin, which may account for the described effects.     

氨基酸5-氟尿嘧啶酯类衍生物的合成及其抗肿瘤活性研究

以N-保护的氨基酸钾盐与1-(ω-溴丙基)-5-氟尿嘧啶和1-(ω-溴丁基)-5-氟尿嘧啶反应,制备了18种氨基酸的ω-(N¹-5-氟尿嘧啶基)-丙醇酯和丁醇酯的盐酸盐,并确定了它们的结构。动物试验的初步结果表明,酪氨酸、苯丙氨酸的3-(N¹-5-氟尿嘧啶基)-丙醇酯盐酸盐对小鼠艾氏腹水癌的抑制率分别为88.1%和86.7%。     

An Efficient One-pot Synthesis of Certain Stereoselective Spiro[pyrazole-4,5'-isoxazoline]-5-one Derivatives: In vitro Evaluation of Antitumor Activities,Molecular Docking and In silico ADME Predictions

A library of novel spiro[pyrazole-4,5'-isoxazoline]-5-one derivatives were designed and synthesized using a concise and efficient one-pot reaction protocol through 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between 4-benzylidene-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one and chlorooximes. The synthesized derivatives were elucidated and characterized based on their spectroscopic data, including infrared spectrometry(IR), ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and elemental and mass spectral analysis. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antitumor inhibition potency against four human cancer cell lines, including human prostatic adenocarcinoma (PC3), human colorectal carcinoma(HCT116), human liver hepatocellular carcinoma(HepG2) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7). The outcomes were compared with the standard reference drug Doxorubicin. Among the synthesized chlorooximes, compounds 6d and 6e were the most active compounds on all cell lines. The spiro[pyrazole-4,5'-isoxazoline]-5-one derivatives 7a and 7c were active on the HepG2 liver cancer cell line. In comparison, compounds 7f and 7g were moderately active on the MCF7 cell line. The structure-activity relationship was explored for the synthesized compounds. Besides, in silico analysis of physicochemical, adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity(ADMET) properties were done to determine the potential capacity of drug candidates. Molecular docking study onto the epidermal growth factor(EGF) tyrosine kinase receptor(3POZ) was done for the most active compounds to validate the reliability of in vitro anticancer screenings.