The Synthesis of Epiboxidine and Related Analogues as Potential Pharmacological Agents

Methyl epiboxidine‐N‐carboxylate ( 8 ) was synthesized from 7 under reductive Heck conditions (Scheme 2). The C? C coupling of the new epiboxidine analog 9 with aryl and heteroaryl halides gave by hydroarylation C‐aryl, N‐(3‐methylisoxazol‐5‐yl)‐substituted tricyclic imides 10a – 10f (Table). The [3+2] cycloaddition of 9 with nitrile oxides yielded the bridged dihydroisoxazole derivatives 11a – 11d with potential biological activity (Scheme 4).     

抗癌核苷类似物

综述了近年来核苷类抗癌药物的最新研究进展，分别介绍了具有抗癌活性的核 苷类似物的作用机制和药物代谢机理、各种核苷类似物抗癌剂的分类、次黄嘌呤核 苷酸脱氢酶（IMPDH）抑制剂以及核苷氨基磷酸酯前药的结构与抗癌活性关系。     

Synthesis and Biological Activity Screening of Newly Synthesized Trimethoxyphenyl-Based Analogues as Potential Anticancer Agents

A group of novel trimethoxyphenyl (TMP)-based analogues were synthesized by varying the azalactone ring of 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzylidene)oxazolone 1 and characterized using NMR spectral data as well as elemental microanalyses. All synthesized compounds were screened for their cytotoxic activity utilizing the hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line. Compounds 9, 10 and 11 exhibited good cytotoxic potency with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.38 to 3.21 μM compared to podophyllotoxin (podo) as a reference compound. In addition, compounds 9, 10 and 11 exhibited potent inhibition of β-tubulin polymerization. DNA flow cytometry analysis of compound 9 shows cell cycle disturbance at the G2/M phase and a significant increase in Annexin-V-positive cells compared with the untreated control. Compound 9 was further studied regarding its apoptotic potential in HepG2 cells; it decreased the level of MMP and Bcl-2 as well as boosted the level of p53 and Bax compared with the control HepG2 cells.     

Modern Approaches in the Discovery and Development of Plant-Based Natural Products and Their Analogues as Potential Therapeutic Agents

Natural products represents an important source of new lead compounds in drug discovery research. Several drugs currently used as therapeutic agents have been developed from natural sources; plant sources are specifically important. In the past few decades, pharmaceutical companies demonstrated insignificant attention towards natural product drug discovery, mainly due to its intrinsic complexity. Recently, technological advancements greatly helped to address the challenges and resulted in the revived scientific interest in drug discovery from natural sources. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various approaches used in the selection, authentication, extraction/isolation, biological screening, and analogue development through the application of modern drug-development principles of plant-based natural products. Main focus is given to the bioactivity-guided fractionation approach along with associated challenges and major advancements. A brief outline of historical development in natural product drug discovery and a snapshot of the prominent natural drugs developed in the last few decades are also presented. The researcher’s opinions indicated that an integrated interdisciplinary approach utilizing technological advances is necessary for the successful development of natural products. These involve the application of efficient selection method, well-designed extraction/isolation procedure, advanced structure elucidation techniques, and bioassays with a high-throughput capacity to establish druggability and patentability of phyto-compounds. A number of modern approaches including molecular modeling, virtual screening, natural product library, and database mining are being used for improving natural product drug discovery research. Renewed scientific interest and recent research trends in natural product drug discovery clearly indicated that natural products will play important role in the future development of new therapeutic drugs and it is also anticipated that efficient application of new approaches will further improve the drug discovery campaign.     

Design and Synthesis of Some Novel Oxiconazole‐Like Carboacyclic Nucleoside Analogues,as Potential Chemotherapeutic Agents

The syntheses of some novel carboacyclic nucleosides, 17a – 17o , containing oxiconazole‐like scaffolds, are described (Schemes 1–3). In this series of carboacyclic nucleosides, pyrimidine as well as purine and other imidazole derivatives were employed as an imidazole successor in oxiconazole. These compounds could be prepared in good yields by using two different strategies (Schemes 1 and 2). Due to Scheme 1, the N‐coupling of nucleobases with 2‐bromoacetophenones was attained for 18a – 18e , and their subsequent oximation affording 19a – 19e and finally O‐alkylation with diverse alkylating sources resulted in the products 17a – 17g, 17n , and 17o . In Scheme 2, use of 2‐bromoacetophenone oximes 20 , followed by N‐coupling of nucleobases, provided 19f – 19j whose final O‐alkylation produced 17h – 17m (Scheme 2). For the rational interpretation of the dominant formation of (E)‐oxime ethers rather than (Z)‐oxime isomers, PM3 semiempirical quantum‐mechanic calculations were discussed and the calculations indicated a lower heat of formation for (E)‐isomers.     

QSAR Studies on the Calanolide Analogues as Anti-HIV-1 Agents

The Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) of a series of novel calanolide analogues,which exhibit inhibitory activities of HIV-1,has been studied with a combined method of ab initio (HF),molecular mechanics (MM+) and statistics. The established QSAR model (Eq. 1) shows a reasonable regressive performance (R2 = 0.885). Both the surface area of the substituted group attached on C10,SR3,and the distance between atoms O13 and X14 (O,N,S),L,of the calanolide analogues play important roles in determining the inhibitory activity of HIV-1.     

Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Ganglioside Gm4 Analogs as Potential Immunosuppressive Agents

ABSTRACT

An efficient, chemoenzymatic synthesis of ganglioside GM4 analogs having a potent immunosuppressive activity is described. One-step and highly regìoselective 6-O-acetylation of long-chain alkyl, 2-(trimethysilyl)ethyl and phenyl 1-thio β-D-galactopyranosides was performed by using vinyl acetate and lipase PS. The resulting 6-O-acetates (70-93%) were sialylated with methyl (phenyl 5-acetamido-4,7,8,9-tetra-O-acetyl-3,5-dideoxy-2-thio-D-glycero-D-galacto-2-nonulopyranosid)onate promoted by N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH). The 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl glycoside derivative was converted to the imidate which was then coupled with dodecan-1-ol, hexadecan-1-ol, and 2-(tetradecyl)hexadecan-1-ol, respectively, to give the protected GM4 derivatives (90-96%). O-Deacylation and saponification of the methyl ester gave the target ganglioside GM4 analogs in high yields.     

The Synthesis of Waltherione F and Its Analogues with Modifications at the 2- and 3-Positions as Potential Antitrypanosomal Agents

Chagas disease also know as American Trypanosomiasis (AT) is a tropical parasitic disease endemic in South America, is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted by the blood-sucking insect vectors called triatomine bugs. Quinoline alkaloids from the root extract of Waltheria indica are known to possess antitrypanosomal activity. Waltherione F, one of those alkaloids, was synthesised in 5 steps in 11 % overall yield. We report here the first X-ray crystallographic confirmation of the structure of Waltherione F 3 . A key step in the sequence utilised the Conrad–Limpach synthesis for the formation of the quinolin-4(1H)-one ring system. Our synthetic strategy was designed to enable the modification of the 2- and 3-positions of the scaffold, allowing the generation of a diverse library of analogues to support our on-going medicinal chemistry program that is looking for new agents to tackle this devastating disease.     

Preparation of 4′-Spirocyclobutyl Nucleoside Analogues as Novel and Versatile Adenosine Scaffolds

Despite the large variety of modified nucleosides that have been reported, the preparation of constrained 4′-spirocyclic adenosine analogues has received very little attention. We discovered that the [2+2]-cycloaddition of dichloroketene on readily available 4′-exo-methylene furanose sugars efficiently results in the diastereoselective formation of novel 4′-spirocyclobutanones. The reaction mechanism was investigated via density functional theory (DFT) and found to proceed either via a non-synchronous or stepwise reaction sequence, controlled by the stereochemistry at the 3′-position of the sugar substrate. The obtained dichlorocyclobutanones were converted into nucleoside analogues, providing access to a novel class of chiral 4′-spirocyclobutyl adenosine mimetics in eight steps from commercially available sugars. Assessment of the biological activity of designed 4′-spirocyclic adenosine analogues identified potent inhibitors for protein methyltransferase target PRMT5.     

Preparation of an Advanced Intermediate for the Synthesis of Stable Analogues of Guanofosfocin

The synthesis of C‐mannosyl‐guanosine 23 , an advanced intermediate for the preparation of stable analogues of guanofosfocin, is described. This convergent approach features an improved Traube‐type synthesis of a 8‐substituted guanine, followed by ribosylation. NMR Studies show that the C‐mannopyranosyl moiety of 23 adopts a distorted ¹C₄ conformation while the nucleoside is predominantly syn‐oriented.     

Synthesis of 4‐Heteroaryl–Quinazoline Derivatives as Potential Anti‐breast Cancer Agents

4‐Heteroaryl or heteroalkyl–quinazoline derivatives were prepared as dual epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2 (VEGFR‐2) inhibitors. The new compounds were tested for their dual enzyme inhibition as well as their cytotoxic activity on MCF7 cell line. The results indicated that almost all the compounds showed moderate dual inhibition of both enzymes. Compound 3 (methyl piperidine‐4‐carboxylate derivative) showed the highest inhibitory activity against both enzymes with IC₅₀ 97.6 and 64.0 µM against EGFR and VEGFR‐2 kinases, respectively. Most of the test compounds showed potent to moderate antitumor activity on MCF7 cell line. Five compounds ( 3 , 9c , 11 , 13 , and 15b ) showed potent cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values between 10 and 17 µM .     

新型喹唑啉衍生物的设计、合成及体外抗肿瘤活性

为了寻找高效、毒性小的抗肿瘤药物,设计并合成了一系列新型的喹唑啉衍生物,其结构经¹H NMR、 ¹³C NMR、 IR、 MS（ESI）和元素分析表征。采用细胞增殖抑制实验法（MTT法）测定了化合物3a～10c对人盲肠腺癌细胞（HCT-8）、人肝癌细胞（HepG2）、人肺癌细胞（A549） 和人高转移性肝癌细胞（MHCC-97H）的体外抑制活性。结果表明：4-位为氨基苯甲基丙二酸二甲酯时（3a~6c）,化合物的肿瘤抑制作用比其相应水解产物（7a~10c）更强;氨基在苯甲基丙二酸二甲酯间位时,抑制活性明显优于对位取代。其中,5c对HCT-8、 A549及MHCC-97H的抑制活性较显著,IC₅₀值分别为13.613 μmol/L, 13.578 μmol/L和25.804 μmol/L。      

Thiazolidin-4-Ones as Potential Antimicrobial Agents: Experimental and In Silico Evaluation

Herein, we report computational and experimental evaluations of the antimicrobial activity of twenty one 2,3-diaryl-thiazolidin-4-ones. All synthesized compounds exhibited an antibacterial activity against six Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria to different extents. Thus, the MIC was in the range of 0.008–0.24 mg/mL, while the MBC was 0.0016–0.48 mg/mL. The most sensitive bacterium was S. Typhimurium, whereas S. aureus was the most resistant. The best antibacterial activity was observed for compound 5 (MIC at 0.008–0.06 mg/mL). The three most active compounds 5, 8, and 15, as well as compound 6, which were evaluated against three resistant strains, MRSA, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli, were more potent against all bacterial strains used than ampicillin. The antifungal activity of some compounds exceeded or were equipotent with those of the reference antifungal agents bifonazole and ketoconazole. The best activity was expressed by compound 5. All compounds exhibited moderate to good drug-likeness scores ranging from −0.39 to 0.39. The docking studies indicated a probable involvement of E. coli Mur B inhibition in the antibacterial action, while CYP51 inhibition is likely responsible for the antifungal activity of the tested compounds. Finally, the assessment of cellular cytotoxicity of the compounds in normal human MRC-5 cells revealed that the compounds were not toxic.     

Carbazole Derivatives as Potential Antimicrobial Agents

Microbial infection is a leading cause of death worldwide, resulting in around 1.2 million deaths annually. Due to this, medicinal chemists are continuously searching for new or improved alternatives to combat microbial infections. Among many nitrogen-containing heterocycles, carbazole derivatives have shown significant biological activities, of which its antimicrobial and antifungal activities are the most studied. In this review, miscellaneous carbazole derivatives and their antimicrobial activity are discussed (articles published from 1999 to 2022).     

Benzimidazole-Derived ATP Analogues as Potential Glutamine Synthetase Inhibitors

A series of mono- and dihydroxyalkyl- and -alkyloxybenzimidazoles and their phosphorylated derivatives have been prepared as adenosine triphoshate analogues for investigation as potential M. Tb. glutamine synthetase inhibitors.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Bicalutamide Analogues for the Potential Treatment of Prostate Cancer

The androgen receptor (AR) is a pivotal target for the treatment of prostate cancer (PC) even when the disease progresses toward androgen-independent or castration-resistant forms. In this study, a series of 15 bicalutamide analogues (sulfide, deshydroxy, sulfone, and O-acetylated) were prepared and their antiproliferative activity evaluated against four different human prostate cancer cell lines (22Rv1, DU-145, LNCaP, and VCap). Bicalutamide and enzalutamide were used as positive controls. Seven of these compounds displayed remarkable enhancement in anticancer activity across the four PC cell lines. The deshydroxy analogue (16) was the most active compound with IC₅₀ = 6.59–10.86 µM. Molecular modeling offers a plausible explanation of the higher activity of the sulfide analogues compared to their sulfone counterparts.     

Synthesis of Stable Dolichylphosphomannose Analogues

Four oleyl or dolichyl thiophosphate esters 16, 17, 21 , and 22 , analogues of Dol‐P‐Man possessing C(1)? S and/or P? S bonds, were synthesized as potential inhibitors of mannosyl transferases operating in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The β‐mannosyl derivatives were prepared by a Mitsunobu reaction of 2,3,4,6‐tetra‐O‐acetyl‐α‐D ‐mannopyranose ( 1 ) with the thiophosphate 2 that provided O‐ and S‐glycosides with good‐to‐excellent diastereoselectivity. A second route to β‐mannosyl derivatives is based on the phosphitylation of the β‐D ‐mannopyranosyl thiol 3 with the phosphoramidites 4a and 4b . Oxidation of the intermediate oleyl thiophosphite with t‐BuOOH led to mono‐ and dithiophosphates. The thiophospholipids 16, 21 , and 22 were inactive as inhibitors of the Man₆(GlcNAc)₂‐PP‐Dol glycolipid elongation.     

Synthesis of Lamellarin Q Analogues as Potential Antibiofilm Compounds

An efficient synthesis of lamellarin Q analogues is described. This involves a two‐step procedure through a “Cu‐catalyzed” 1,3‐cycloaddtion and a “Pd‐catalyzed” arylation allowing high degrees of chemical diversity in view of structure–activity relationship studies in the field of antibiofilm activities.     

Dipolar Quinoidal Acene Analogues as Stable Isoelectronic Structures of Pentacene and Nonacene

Quinoidal thia‐acene analogues, as the respective isoelectronic structures of pentacene and nonacene, were synthesized and an unusual 1,2‐sulfur migration was observed during the Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction. The analogues display a closed‐shell quinoidal structure in the ground state with a distinctive dipolar character. In contrast to their acene isoelectronic structures, both compounds are stable because of the existence of more aromatic sextet rings, a dipolar character, and kinetic blocking. They exhibit unique packing in single crystals resulting from balanced dipole–dipole and [C? H???π]/[C? H???S] interactions.