Design,Synthesis, and Anticancer Activity Studies of Novel Quinoline-Chalcone Derivatives

The chalcone and quinoline scaffolds are frequently utilized to design novel anticancer agents. As the continuation of our work on effective anticancer agents, we assumed that linking chalcone fragment to the quinoline scaffold through the principle of molecular hybridization strategy could produce novel compounds with potential anticancer activity. Therefore, quinoline-chalcone derivatives were designed and synthesized, and we explored their antiproliferative activity against MGC-803, HCT-116, and MCF-7 cells. Among these compounds, compound 12e exhibited a most excellent inhibitory potency against MGC-803, HCT-116, and MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ values of 1.38, 5.34, and 5.21 µM, respectively. The structure–activity relationship of quinoline-chalcone derivatives was preliminarily explored in this report. Further mechanism studies suggested that compound 12e inhibited MGC-803 cells in a dose-dependent manner and the cell colony formation activity of MGC-803 cells, arrested MGC-803 cells at the G2/M phase and significantly upregulated the levels of apoptosis-related proteins (Caspase3/9 and cleaved-PARP) in MGC-803 cells. In addition, compound 12e could significantly induce ROS generation, and was dependent on ROS production to exert inhibitory effects on gastric cancer cells. Taken together, all the results suggested that directly linking chalcone fragment to the quinoline scaffold could produce novel anticancer molecules, and compound 12e might be a valuable lead compound for the development of anticancer agents.     

新型双氢青蒿素哌嗪-脂肪族酰胺类化合物的合成及其抗癌活性

以双氢青蒿素（DHA）为原料,与草酰氯和哌嗪经“一锅”法制得DHA哌嗪衍生物（2）; 2与脂肪族酰氯经酰化反应合成了6个新型的双氢青蒿素哌嗪-酰胺类衍生物（4a～4f）,其结构经¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR,IR和HR-ESI-MS进行表征。以四甲基偶氮唑盐比色法（MTT法）初步研究了4a～4f对人肝癌细胞株SMMC-7721的抑制活性。结果表明,4a～4f显著抑制SMMC-7721的增殖,并诱导其凋亡。其中,双氢青蒿素哌嗪-氯乙酰胺（4c）的活性最好,IC₅₀为0.05 μM,优于青蒿素（IC₅₀ 0.53 μM）和DHA（IC₅₀0.52 μM）。     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Biological Evaluation of Some Novel Pyrazolo[5,1-b]thiazole Derivatives as Potential Antimicrobial and Anticancer Agents

The pharmacological activities of thiazole and pyrazole moieties as antimicrobial and anticancer agents have been thoroughly described in many literature reviews. In this study, a convenient synthesis of novel pyrazolo[5,1-b]thiazole-based heterocycles was carried out. The synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Some selected examples were screened and evaluated for their antimicrobial and anticancer activities and showed promising results. These products could serve as leading compounds in the future design of new drug molecules.     

13-cis-异维A酸衍生物的合成、表征及抗癌活性研究

以六甲基磷酰胺为溶剂,在室温条件下将异维A酸合成为尚未见文献报道的异维A酸衍生物(4a～4g),其结构经^1H NMR,^13C NMR和MS表征。着重考察了4g的生物活性,结果表明该4g对肝癌细胞,舌癌细胞等具有抗癌活性。     

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.     

新型吲哚抗癌试剂的设计与合成

以邻碘苯胺和苯乙炔为原料,经10步反应合成了2,3-二取代的新型吲哚抗癌试剂,总收率33%~37%,其结构经1H NMR和MS表征。     

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.     

Toxicity and Anticancer Potential of Karwinskia: A Review

Karwinskia genus consists of shrubs and small trees. Four toxic compounds have been isolated from Karwinskia plants, which were typified as dimeric anthracenones and named T496, T514, T516, and T544. Moreover, several related compounds have been isolated and characterized. Here we review the toxicity of the fruit of Karwinskia plants when ingested (accidentally or experimentally), as well as the toxicity of its isolated compounds. Additionally, we analyze the probable antineoplastic effect of T514. Toxins cause damage mainly to nervous system, liver, lung, and kidney. The pathophysiological mechanism has not been fully understood but includes metabolic and structural alterations that can lead cells to apoptosis or necrosis. T514 has shown selective toxicity in vitro against human cancer cells. T514 causes selective and irreversible damage to peroxisomes; for this reason, it was renamed peroxisomicine A1 (PA1). Since a significant number of malignant cell types contain fewer peroxisomes than normal cells, tumor cells would be more easily destroyed by PA1 than healthy cells. Inhibition of topoisomerase II has also been suggested to play a role in the effect of PA1 on malignant cells. More research is needed, but the evidence obtained so far indicates that PA1 could be an effective anticancer agent.     

Synthesis,Characterization, In Vitro Anticancer Potentiality,and Antimicrobial Activities of Novel Peptide–Glycyrrhetinic-Acid-Based Derivatives

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is one of many interesting pentacyclic triterpenoids showing significant anticancer activity by triggering apoptosis in tumor cell lines. This study deals with the design and synthesis of new glycyrrhetinic acid (GA)–amino acid peptides and peptide ester derivatives. The structures of the new derivatives were established through various spectral and microanalytical data. The novel compounds were screened for their in vitro cytotoxic activity. The evaluation results showed that the new peptides produced promising cytotoxic activity against the human breast MCF-7 cancer cell line while comparing to doxorubicin. On the other hand, only compounds 3, 5, and 7 produced potent activity against human colon HCT-116 cancer cell line. The human liver cancer (HepG-2) cell line represented a higher sensitivity to peptide 7 (IC₅₀; 3.30 μg/mL), while it appeared insensitive to the rest of the tested peptides. Furthermore, compounds 1, 3, and 5 exhibited a promising safety profile against human normal skin fibroblasts cell line BJ-1. In order to investigate the mode of action, compound 5 was selected as a representative example to study its in vitro effect against the apoptotic parameters and Bax/BCL-2/p53/caspase-7/caspase-3/tubulin, and DNA fragmentation to investigate beta (TUBb). Additionally, all the new analogues were subjected to antimicrobial assay against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and the yeast candida Albicans. All the tested GA analogues 1–8 exhibited more antibacterial effect against Micrococcus Luteus than gentamicin, but they exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against the tested bacterial and yeast strains. Molecular docking studies were also simulated for compound 5 to give better rationalization and put insight to the features of its structure.     

Synthesis,Reactions, and Anticancer Activity of Some 1,3,4-Thiadiazole/Thiadiazine Derivatives of Carbazole

A novel method for the synthesis of 1,3,4-thiadiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazine derivatives bearing a carbazole moiety is described. Carbazole was transformed into carbazole-9-thiocarbohydrazide in two steps. This compound was allowed to react with various electrophiles to yield 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives. The reaction with bifunctional electrophiles led to 1,3,4-thiadiazines. 2-(Carbazol-9-yl)-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3,4-thiadiazin-5-one reacted with piperidine and formaldehyde to yield the 4-(piperidin-1-ylmethyl) derivative. The reaction with aromatic aldehydes led to the corresponding 6-arylidene derivatives, which were transformed into pyrimidino[4,5-e]-1,3,4-thiadiazines and pyrazolo[3,4-e]-1,3,4-thiadiazines by a reaction with guanidine, acetamidine, or phenylhydrazine, respectively. Structures of the products were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR, and mass spectrometric measurements. Selected examples of products were screened for anticancer activity.     

Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Novel Nonfused Bicyclic Thiazolidinone Derivatives

A series of new 2-{4-oxo-2-[(4-oxothiazolidin-2-ylidene)-hydrazono]-thiazolidin-5-yl}-N-arylacetamides ( 4a–e ), 5-(2-oxo-2-aryl-ethyl)-2-[(4-oxothiazolidin-2-ylidene)-hydrazono]-thiazolidine-4-ones ( 5a–d ), 2-(4-oxo-2-[(2-oxothiazolidin-4-ylidene)-hydrazono]-thiazolidin-5-yl)-N-arylacetamides ( 7a–e ), and 5-(2-oxo-2-aryl-ethyl)-2-[(2-oxothiazolidin-4-ylidene)-hydrazono]-thiazolidine-4-ones ( 8a–d ) have been synthesized starting from 2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one and 4-thioxothiazolidin-2-one through a multistep reaction sequence. 2-Thioxothiazolidin-4-one was alkylated via the intermediate formation of the triethylammonium salt 1 by ethyl chloroacetate. Compound 2 and 4-thioxothiazolidin-2-one reacted with thiosemicarbazides to give the 1-(4-thiazolidinone-2-ylidene)-4-R-thiosemicarbazones ( 3a,b ) and 1-(2-thiazolidinone-4-ylidene)thiosemicarbazones ( 6a,b ), respectively. Following [2+3]-cyclization of thiazolidinone-substituted thiosemicarbazones ( 3a,b and 6a,b) with N-arylmaleimides and aroylacrylic acids as equivalents of dielectrophilic synthon [C₂]^{2 +}, novel non-fused bicyclic thiazolidinones ( 4a–e, 5a–d, 7a–e, 8a–d ) were synthesized. The structures of the new compounds ( 4a–e, 5a–d, 7a–e, 8a–d ) were established on the basis of their elemental analysis and ¹H NMR and mass spectral data. Eight of the synthesized compounds were tested, and three of them displayed different levels of antitumor activity. The most efficient antitumor agent—2-{4-oxo-3-furylmethyl-2-[(4-oxothiazolidin-2-ylidene)-hydrazono]-thiazolidin-5-yl}-N-4-chlorophenylacetamide ( 4d ) was found to be active against leukemia, melanoma, lung, colon, CNS, ovarian, renal, prostate, and breast cancer cell lines with mean lgGI₅₀ and lgTGI values of –5.35 and –4.78, respectively.     

新型1,4-二苯并二氮杂酮类衍生物的合成及其抗癌活性

以取代邻硝基苯甲酸为起始原料,与二氯亚砜反应制得邻硝基苯甲酰氯,再与苯胺在碱性条件下反应制得酰胺衍生物(6a~6d);以醋酸钯为催化剂,6a~6d经NBS溴代制得溴代衍生物(7a~7d); 7a~7d依次经N-烷基化反应,还原反应和分子内C-N键环合反应合成了10个新型的1,4-二苯并二氮杂酮类化合物(10a~10j),产率61%~78%,其结构经¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR和HR-MS(ESI)表征。初步体外活性测试结果表明:10a~10j对非小细胞肺癌细胞（A549）,人乳腺癌细胞（MDA-MB-231）和宫颈癌细胞(HeLa)均有抑制作用。其中,10g和10i对A549, 10g对MDA-MB-231, 10h和10i对HeLa的抑制率大于50%。     

Utilization of Cassava Wastewater for Low-Cost Production of Prodigiosin via Serratia marcescens TNU01 Fermentation and Its Novel Potent α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Effect

The purpose of this study was to reuse cassava wastewater (CW) for scaled-up production, via the fermentation of prodigiosin (PG), and to conduct an evaluation of its bioactivities. PG was produced at the yield of high 6150 mg/L in a 14 L-bioreactor system, when the designed novel medium (7 L), containing CW and supplemented with 0.25% casein, 0.05% MgSO₄, and 0.1% K₂HPO₄, was fermented with Serratia marcescens TNU01 at 28 °C in 8 h. The PG produced and purified in this study was assayed for some medical effects and showed moderate antioxidant, high anti-NO (anti-nitric oxide), and potential α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Notably, PG was first reported as a novel effective α-glucosidase inhibitor with a low IC50 value of 0.0183 µg/mL. The commercial anti-diabetic drug acarbose was tested for comparison and had a lesser effect with a high IC50 value of 328.4 µg/mL, respectively. In a docking study, the cation form of PG (cation-PG) was found to bind to the enzyme α-glucosidase by interacting with two prominent amino acids, ASP568 and PHE601, at the binding site on the target enzyme, creating six linkages and showing a better binding energy score (−14.6 kcal/mol) than acarbose (−10.5 kcal/mol). The results of this work suggest that cassava wastewater can serve as a low-cost raw material for the effective production of PG, a potential antidiabetic drug candidate.     

哌嗪取代卟啉的合成、表征及其抗癌活性

设计并合成了6个具有抗癌活性的哌嗪取代卟啉化合物,分别为5,10,15,20-四[4-(4'-乙基哌嗪基)苯基]卟啉(TEPPH2,8a),5,10,15,20-四[4-(4'-丁基哌嗪基)苯基]卟啉(TBPPH2,8b),5,10,15,20-四[4-(4'-庚基哌嗪基)苯基]卟啉(THPPH2,8c),5,10,15,20-四[4-(4'-苯基哌嗪基)苯基]卟啉(TPhPPH2,8d),5-[4-(4'-乙基哌嗪基)苯基]-10,15,20-三苯基卟啉(EPTPPH2,8e)和5-[4-(4'-丁基哌嗪基)苯基]-10,15,20-三苯基卟啉(BPTPPH2,8f).这些卟啉化合物都由取代苯甲醛与吡咯缩合而成,每一个卟啉分子中含有一个或四个具有抗癌活性的取代哌嗪结构,结构经元素分析,MS,1H NMR,IR和UV-vis等表征.初步的生物活性研究表明,这些化合物具有一定的抗癌活性,因而在医学上可能具有潜在应用前景.     

Separation,Purification, Structural Characterization,and Anticancer Activity of a Novel Exopolysaccharide from Mucor sp.

Mucor sp. has a wide range of applications in the food fermentation industry. In this study, a novel exopolysaccharide, labeled MSEPS, was separated from Mucor sp. fermentation broth through ethanol precipitation and was purified by ion-exchange chromatography, as well as gel filtration column chromatography. MSEPS was composed mostly of mannose, galactose, fucose, arabinose, and glucose with a molar ratio of 0.466:0.169:0.139:0.126:0.015 and had a molecular weight of 7.78 × 10⁴ Da. The analysis of methylation and nuclear magnetic resonance results indicated that MSEPS mainly consisted of a backbone of →3,6)-α-d-Manp-(1→3,6)-β-d-Galp-(1→, with substitution at O-3 of →6)-α-d-Manp-(1→ and →6)-β-d-Galp-(1→ by terminal α-l-Araf residues. MTT assays showed that MSEPS was nontoxic in normal cells (HK-2 cells) and inhibited the proliferation of carcinoma cells (SGC-7901 cells). Additionally, morphological analysis and flow cytometry experiments indicated that MSEPS promoted SGC-7901 cell death via apoptosis. Therefore, MSEPS from Mucor sp. can be developed as a potential antitumor agent.     

Design,Synthesis, In Silico and In Vitro Studies of New Immunomodulatory Anticancer Nicotinamide Derivatives Targeting VEGFR-2

VEGFR-2, the subtype receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) responsible for angiogenesis, is expressed in various cancer cells. Thus, VEGFER-2 inhibition is an efficient approach for the discovery of new anticancer agents. Accordingly, a new set of nicotinamide derivatives were designed and synthesized to be VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The chemical structures were confirmed using IR, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. The obtained compounds were examined for their anti-proliferative activities against the human cancer cell lines (HCT-116 and HepG2). VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities were determined for the titled compounds. Compound 8 exhibited the strongest anti-proliferative activities with IC₅₀ values of 5.4 and 7.1 µM against HCT-116 and HepG2, respectively. Interestingly, compound 8 was the most potent VEGFR-2 inhibitor with an IC₅₀ value of 77.02 nM (compare to sorafenib: IC₅₀ = 53.65 nM). Treatment of HCT-116 cells with compound 8 produced arrest of the cell cycle at the G0–G1 phase and a total apoptosis increase from 3.05 to 19.82%—6.5-fold in comparison to the negative control. In addition, compound 8 caused significant increases in the expression levels of caspase-8 (9.4-fold) and Bax (9.2-fold), and a significant decrease in the Bcl-2 expression level (3-fold). The effects of compound 8 on the levels of the immunomodulatory proteins (TNF-α and IL-6) were examined. There was a marked decrease in the level of TNF-α (92.37%) compared to the control (82.47%) and a non-significant reduction in the level of IL-6. In silico docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and MM-PBSA studies revealed the high affinity, the correct binding, and the optimum dynamics of compound 8 inside the active site of VEGFR-2. Finally, in silico ADMET and toxicity studies indicated acceptable values of drug-likeness. In conclusion, compound 8 has emerged as a promising anti-proliferative agent targeting VEGFR-2 with significant apoptotic and immunomodulatory effects.     

Novel Approaches for the Solid-Phase Synthesis of Dihydroquinazoline-2(1H)-One Derivatives and Biological Evaluation as Potential Anticancer Agents

In the design of antineoplastic drugs, quinazolinone derivatives are often used as small molecule inhibitors for kinases or receptor kinases, such as the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib, p38MAP kinase inhibitor DQO-501, and BRD4 protein inhibitor PFI-1. A novel and convenient approach for the solid-phase synthesis of dihydroquinazoline-2(1H)-one derivatives was proposed and 19 different compounds were synthesized. Cytotoxicity tests showed that most of the target compounds had anti-proliferative activity against HepG-2, A2780 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Among them, compounds CA1-e and CA1-g had the most potent effect on A2780 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 22.76 and 22.94 μM, respectively. In addition, in an antioxidant assay, the IC₅₀ of CA1-7 was 57.99 μM. According to bioinformatics prediction, ERBB2, SRC, TNF receptor, and AKT1 were predicted to be the key targets and play an essential role in cancer treatment. ADMET prediction suggested 14 of the 19 compounds had good pharmacological properties, i.e., these compounds displayed clinical potential. The correct structure of the final compounds was confirmed based on LC/MS, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR.     

Design,Synthesis, and Antipoliferative Activities of Novel Substituted Imidazole-Thione Linked Benzotriazole Derivatives

A new series of benzotriazole moiety bearing substituted imidazol-2-thiones at N1 has been designed, synthesized and evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity against the different cancer cell lines MCF-7(breast cancer), HL-60 (Human promyelocytic leukemia), and HCT-116 (colon cancer). Most of the benzotriazole analogues exhibited promising antiproliferative activity against tested cancer cell lines. Among all the synthesized compounds, BI9 showed potent activity against the cancer cell lines such as MCF-7, HL-60 and HCT-116 with IC₅₀ 3.57, 0.40 and 2.63 µM, respectively. Compound BI9 was taken up for elaborate biological studies and the HL-60 cells in the cell cycle were arrested in G₂/M phase. Compound BI9 showed remarkable inhibition of tubulin polymerization with the colchicine binding site of tubulin. In addition, compound BI9 promoted apoptosis by regulating the expression of pro-apoptotic protein BAX and anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2. These results provide guidance for further rational development of potent tubulin polymerization inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.     

Synthesis,Nanoformulations, and In Vitro Anticancer Activity of N-Substituted Side Chain Neocryptolepine Scaffolds

The naturally occurring neocryptolepine (5-Methylindolo [2,3-b]quinoline) and its analogs exhibited prominent anticancer and antimalarial activity. However, the main problem of this class of compounds is their poor aqueous solubility, hampering their bioavailability and preventing their clinical development. To overcome the problem of insolubility and to improve the physicochemical and the pharmacological properties of 5-Methylindolo [2,3-b]quinoline compounds, this work was designed to encapsulate such efficient medical compounds into mesoporous silica oxide nanoemulsion (SiO₂NPs). Thus, in this study, SiO₂NPs was loaded with three different concentrations (0.2 g, 0.3, and 0.6 g) of 7b (denoted as NPA). The findings illustrated that the nanoparticles were formed with a spherical shape and exhibited small size (less than 500 nm) using a high concentration of the synthesized chemical compound (NPA, 0.6 g) and good stabilization against agglomeration (more than −30 mv). In addition, NPA-loaded SiO₂NPs had no phase separation as observed by our naked eyes even after 30 days. The findings also revealed that the fabricated SiO₂NPs could sustain the release of NPA at two different pH levels, 4.5 and 7.4. Additionally, the cell viability of the produced nanoemulsion system loaded with different concentrations of NPA was greater than SiO₂NPs without loading, affirming that NPA had a positive impact on increasing the safety and cell viability of the whole nanoemulsion. Based on these obtained promising data, it can be considered that the prepared NPA-loaded SiO₂NPs seem to have the potential for use as an effective anticancer drug nanosystem.     

Design,Synthesis, and In Vitro Evaluation of Novel Indolyl DiHydropyrazole Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Indoles derived from both natural sources or artificial synthetic methods have been known to interact with aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhR), and exhibit anticancer activity. In light of these attractive properties, a series of hybrid molecules with structural features of indoles, i.e., those bearing a pyrazoline nucleus, were evaluated for their enhanced anticancer activity. The designed molecules were subjected to molecular docking in order to screen for potential AhR interacting compounds, and the identified indolyl dihydropyrazole derivatives were synthesized. The synthesized compounds were characterized, and their cytotoxicity was evaluated against four human cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. Based on the Glide g-score, H-bonding interactions and bonding energy of 20 candidate molecules were selected for further analysis from the 64 initially designed molecules. These candidate molecules have shown promising anti-proliferative activity against the cell lines tested. Among these candidate molecules, the compounds with hydroxy phenyl substitution on the pyrazoline ring have shown potent activity across all the tested cell lines. The designed scaffold was proven effective for screening potential candidate molecules with anticancer properties, and may be further optimized structurally for yielding the ideal anti-tumorigenic compound for the treatment of various cancers.