Synthesis, X-ray crystallographic analysis, and antitumor activity of 1-acyl-3,6-disubstituted phenyl-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazines

Eleven compounds of 1-acyl-3,6-disubstituted phenyl-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazines were prepared from 3,6-disubstituted phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazines and anhydrides or acyl chlorines, and their structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and the semi-empirical calculation of PM3 method. This reaction yields the 1,4-dihydro derivatives rather than the 1,2-dihydro derivatives. The central six-membered ring of these compounds has an obvious boat conformation and therefore is not homoaromatic. Their antitumor activities were evaluated in vitro by the SRB method for A-549 cell and the MTT method for P-388 cells. The results show that there is one compound which is highly effective against A-549 cells and two compounds which are highly effective against P-388 cells. Thus, this compound possesses potential antitumor activities and is worth researching further.     

Synthesis,structure analysis,antitumor evaluation and 3D-QSAR studies of 3,6-disubstituted-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine derivatives

3,6-Diaryl-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine derivatives were synthesized and their structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Monosubstituted dihydrotetrazines are the 1,4-dihydro structure, but disubstituted dihydrotetrazines are the 1,2-dihydro structure. The results of further research indicated there may be a rearrangement during the synthesis process of disubstituted dihydrotetrazines. Their antitumor activities were evaluated against A-549 and P388 cells in vitro. The results showed several compounds to be endowed with cytotoxicity in the low micromolar range. Two compounds were highly effective against A-549 cell and IC₅₀ values were 0.575 and 2.08 μM, respectively. Three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship (3D-QSAR) studies of comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) were carried out on 37 1,2,4,5-tetrazine derivatives with antitumor activity against A-549 cell. Models with good predictive abilities were generated with the cross validated q² values for CoMFA and CoMSIA being 0.744 and 0.757, respectively. Conventional r² values were 0.978 and 0.988, respectively, the predicted R² values were 0.916 and 0.898, respectively. The results provide the tool for guiding the design and synthesis of novel and more potent tetrazine derivatives.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity of s-tetrazine derivatives

Fifty-five compounds of s-tetrazine derivative including hexahydro-, 1,6-dihydro, 1,4-dihydro-, 1,2-dihydro- and aromatic s-tetrazine were prepared. Their antitumor activities were evaluated in vitro by MTT method for P-388 cell and SRB method for A-549 cell. The results show that there are 9 compounds which in 10(-6) microM have more than 50% inhibition rate to A-549 cancer cell growth, and 7 compounds in 10(-6) microM have more than 50% inhibition rate to P-388 cancer cell growth. The IC(50) of compound 3q for P-388, Bel-7402, MCF-7 and A-549 are 0.6 microM, 0.6 microM, 0.5 microM and 0.7 microM, respectively. So s-tetrazine derivative is a kind of compound which possesses potential antitumor activities and is worth to research further.     

Novel naphthalimide–amino acid conjugates with flexible leucine moiety as side chain: Design,synthesis and potential antitumor activity

A series of novel naphthalimide derivatives with flexible leucine side chains were designed and synthesized. Their antitumor activities were evaluated against HeLa, A549, P388, HL-60, MCF-7, HCT-8 and A375 cancer cell lines in vitro. The preliminary results showed that most of the derivatives had moderate antitumor activities with the IC₅₀ values of 10^?6–10^?5 M. More importantly, compounds 8a–c exhibited exclusive antitumor activities against MCF-7 cell line. The interaction between compound 8b and BSA was also investigated. DNA binding experiments showed that these derivatives behaved as DNA intercalating agents. This work provided a novel class of naphthalimide-based lead compounds with exclusive antitumor activities against MCF-7 cell line for further optimization.     

Novel angular furoquinolinones bearing flexible chain as antitumor agent: design, synthesis, cytotoxic evaluation, and DNA-binding studies

A series of novel N-substituted angular furoquinolinone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antitumor activities against QGY, K562, HeLa, P388, and A549 cell lines in vitro. The derivatives bearing basic amino side chain showed an improved antitumor activity. Compound 5h N-(2-dimethylamino-ethyl)-2-(4,8,9-trimethyl-2-oxo-2H-furo[2,3-h]quinolin-1-yl)-acetamide exhibited the highest activities against P388 and A549 cell lines, which are evidenced by the IC(50) values that are four to five fold lower than that for unsubstituted parent compound. DNA-binding experiments suggested that these derivatives bind to DNA through intercalation.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new spin-labeled derivatives of podophyllotoxin

In order to find compounds with superior bioactivity and less toxicity, a series of spin-labeled podophyllotoxin derivatives were synthesized and tested for the partition coefficients and cytotoxicity against P-388 and A-549. Furthermore, we also determined antioxidant activities of target molecular in tissues of SD rats by the TBA method. Results revealed that most synthesized compounds showed more significant cytotoxicity against P-388 and A-549 in vitro than VP-16. Among them, 9d exhibited most potent cytotoxicity against P-388 and A-549 cells (IC50 is <0.01 and 0.13 microM, respectively). Also, the antioxidative activities showed that the modified compounds of 4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin (9a-d and 10a-c) are higher than those of podophyllotoxin series (8a-d). The relationship between the cytotoxicity and antioxidative activity discussed.     

Target ROS to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by 5,7-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone derivative

The 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives bearing 5,7-dimethoxyl moiety were designed, synthesized, and tested as the antitumor agents against five human cancer cell lines (A549, Hela, HepG2, NCI-H460 and HL-60). All the compounds are described herein for the first time. The structure-activity relationships indicated that the presence of chlorine atom at the 2-position was crucial for the antiproliferative activity. Further, the electrochemical properties of the representative compounds (7e, 8e and 9e) were evaluated and a definite correlation between the redox potential and the antiproliferative activity. The most potent compound 9e displayed significant anti-leukemic activity with IC₅₀ value of 3.8?μM in HL-60 cells and weak cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ of 40.7?μM in normal cells WI-38. In mechanistic study for 9e, the increased numbers of apoptotic cells and increased cell population at G2/M phase correlated with ROS generation. Together, our results suggested that the derivatives of 2-chlorine-1,4-naphthoquinone might be the promising candidates for the treatment of promyelocytic leukemia.     

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of 3-substituted 1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-1-(2-thiazolyl)-1,8-naphthyridines as novel antitumor agents

In order to obtain clinically useful antitumor agent, we have designed and synthesized various 3-substituted 1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-1-(2-thiazolyl)-1,8-naphthyridines, and evaluated their cytotoxic activity. The series of novel 3-substituted derivatives synthesized in this study showed good antitumor activity against murine P388 leukemia. Particularly, the 3-formyl 1,8-naphthyridine displayed an antitumor activity equal to that of the 3-carboxy 1,8-naphthyridine against murine and human tumor cell lines as well as in vivo test for mouse leukemia. These results demonstrate that the carboxy group at the C-3 position of 1,8-naphthyridine ring is not essential for antitumor activity. In addition, the trend of cytotoxic activity for the 3-substituted 1,8-naphthyridines was different from that of antibacterial activity.     

Design,synthesis and evaluation of novel HDAC inhibitors as potential antitumor agents

Phenyl imidazolidin-2-one was introduced as the linker for novel HDAC inhibitors. A focused library of 20 compounds was designed and synthesized, among which eight compounds showed equivalent or higher potencies against HDAC1 as compared to vorinostat. In vitro antitumor activity assays in HCT-116, PC-3 and HL-60 cancer cells revealed six compounds with potent antitumor activities, and compound 1o showed 6- to 9-fold higher potencies compared to vorinostat. In an HCT-116 nude mice xenograft model, compound 1o displayed significant antitumor activity in both continuous and intermittent dosing schedules.     

Novel peptide derivatives of bleomycin A5: synthesis, antitumor activity and interaction with DNA

A series of novel amino acid and peptide derivatives of bleomycin (BLM) A(5) were synthesized. All the compounds possessed significant antitumor activities in vitro against HL-60, BGC-823, PC-3MIE8, and MDA-MB-435 cell lines. Their antitumor activities against MDA-MB-435 were 10-fold higher than BLM A5. The DNA cleavage studies indicated that the hydrophobic amino acid or peptide derivatives of BLM A5 could induce higher cleavage ratio of double to single strand DNA than BLM A5. From the DNA binding studies, we found that the derivatives containing either D-conformation amino acid or basic amino acid could facilitate DNA binding of BLM.     

Highly efficient antitumor agents of heterocycles containing sulfur atom: linear and angular thiazonaphthalimides against human lung cancer cell in vitro

A novel series of aminothiazonaphthalimides, A(1-2) and B(1-2), has been regioselectively synthesized. The linear compounds B(1-2) were evaluated to be far more active than their angular isomers A(1-2) in antitumor evaluation. The linear compounds C-F, derived from compound B(1), all showed highly efficient antitumor activities against A549 and P388 cell lines. Also, cytotoxicities of these four analogues against two tumor cells were highly dependent on the length of the side chains. The compound A(1) or B(1), with two methylene units in the side chain, was more cytotoxic than its corresponding homologue A(2) or B(2), with one more methylene unit.     

Biologic Activity of a Nucleotide Conjugate Between Mitomycin C and Cytarabine Monophosphate

Abstract

A dual prodrug conjugate between the antimetabolite cytarabine monophosphate and the alkylating agent 2,7-diaminomitosene (derived from mitomycin C), cytaramycin, was synthesized and tested for antileukemic activity in sensitive and resistant tumors. The compound was active against parental L-1210, CCRF-CEM, HL-60 and K-562 leukemia cells but did not overcome resistance in sublines developed for (1) multidrug resistance (L-1210/MDR and K-562-R) or (2) for cytarabine resistance (CCRF-CEM/ARA-C and HL-60/ARA-C). Alkaline DNA elution tests demonstrate a predominance of strand breaking activity due to the cytarabine moiety, and a lesser degree of DNA crosslinking, due to the mitosene moiety. The conjugate was active in mice bearing P-388 leukemia (80% increased lifespan), but was not more effective than mitomycin C alone in mice bearing a cytarabine-resistant L-1210 cell line (38% to 31% increased lifespan). These findings suggest that mitomycin nucleotide conjugates do not overcome resistance to the parent antimetabolites.     

Synthesis and hypoxic-cytotoxic activity of some 3-amino-1,2,4-benzotriazine-1,4-dioxide derivatives

A series of 3-amino-1,2,4-benzotriazine-1,4-dioxide derivatives 1 have been synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity in vitro against human leukemia cell lines: Molt-4, K562, HL60, human liver cancer cell Hep-G2, human prostate cancer cell PC-3 in hypoxia. Most of the compounds showed more potent activity than TPZ. Compounds 1i and 1m displayed encouraging superior activity against Molt-4 and HL-60 cell lines. Three potential derivatives received the test of the activity in hypoxia and in normoxia against Molt-4 and HL-60 cell lines and showed obvious hypoxia selectivity. Further mechanism study revealed that the cytotoxic activities of compounds 1i and 1k in Molt-4 cells might be mediated by modulation of p53 protein expression and mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)).     

Novel synthetic isoquinolino[5,4-ab]phenazines: inhibition toward topoisomerase I, antitumor and DNA photo-cleaving activities

The novel DNA interactive isoquinolino[5,4-ab]phenazine derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their inhibitory abilities toward topoisomerase I, antitumor activities and DNA photo-cleaving abilities were examined. The substituents at peri sites of two phenazine N atoms played very important roles for all these biological activities. At a concentration of 100 microM, all these phenazine derivatives (but A2 and A6) exhibited an inhibitory activity toward topoisomerase I. A6 had efficient antitumor activities against both human lung cancer cell (A549) and murine leukemia cell (P388). A1, A5, and A6 exhibited antitumor activities selectively against P388. A2 was the most efficient DNA photocleaver, which had converted supercoiled DNA from form I to form II at <1 microM. Under anaerobic conditions, the electron transfer mechanism mainly contributed to DNA photo-induced cleavage, while under aerobic conditions, superoxide anion was also involved in this process.     

Primary cell cultures of leukosis P-388 as a possible model for the screening of antitumor substances]

A substrain of the ascitic leucosis P-388 was obtained as a result of interchanging passages of P-388 leucosis cells in the primary cultures and abdominal cavity of mice. The tumor cells of the ascitic leucosis P-388 multiplied in the primary suspended culutres as well as in vivo. The substrain lost its hemorrhagic properties. The content of DNA and RNA in the primary cultures of P-388 doubled every 16-18 hours and the number of the cells doubled every 24-26 hours. The cells of the adapted substrain of P-388 grew also in the semiliquid agarized medium forming compact colonies by the 4th-5th day of cultivation. The primary suspended cultures of P-388 were highly sensitive to cytostatics and in particular to vinblastin and kolchamine (alkaloids). In this connection they were recommended for prescreening antitumor compounds.     

The effect of conjugation on antitumor activity of vindoline derivatives with octaarginine,a cell‐penetrating peptide

Some Vinca alkaloids (eg, vinblastine, vincristine) have been widely used as antitumor drugs for a long time. Unfortunately, vindoline, a main alkaloid component of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don, itself, has no antitumor activity. In our novel research program, we have prepared and identified new vindoline derivatives with moderate cytostatic activity. Here, we describe the effect of conjugation of vindoline derivative with oligoarginine (tetra‐, hexa‐, or octapeptides) cell‐penetrating peptides on the cytostatic activity in vitro and in vivo. Br‐Vindoline‐(l )‐Trp‐OH attached to the N‐terminus of octaarginine was the most effective compound in vitro on HL‐60 cell line. Analysis of the in vitro activity of two isomer conjugates (Br‐vindoline‐(l )‐Trp‐Arg₈ and Br‐vindoline‐(d )‐Trp‐Arg₈ suggests the covalent attachment of the vindoline derivatives to octaarginine increased the antitumor activity significantly against P388 and C26 tumour cells in vitro. The cytostatic effect was dependent on the presence and configuration of Trp in the conjugate as well as on the cell line studied. The configuration of Trp notably influenced the activity on C26 and P388 cells: conjugate with (l )‐Trp was more active than conjugate with the (d )‐isomer. In contrast, conjugates had very similar effect on both the HL‐60 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells. In preliminary experiments, conjugate Br‐vindoline‐(l )‐Trp‐Arg₈ exhibited some inhibitory effect on the tumor growth in P388 mouse leukemia tumor‐bearing mice. Our results indicate that the conjugation of modified vindoline could result in an effective compound even with in vivo antitumor activity.     

Effects of 9,10-dihydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-5,8-dihydro-1(4H)-anthracenone derivatives on tumor cell respiration

A series of tricyclic hydroquinones, incorporating a carbonyl group in the ortho position relative to the phenol function, were tested as inhibitors of oxygen uptake against the TA3 mouse carcinoma cell line and its multidrug-resistant variant TA3-MTX-R. The title compound, which proved to be the most active one, also exhibited low micromolar dose-dependent growth inhibition of the human tumor U937 cell line (human monocytic leukemia). A tentative structure-activity relationship is proposed for these substances. A comparison between the cytotoxicities of the title compound and 4,4-dimethyl-5,8-dihydroxynaphthalene-1-one, with their activities as inhibitors of oxygen uptake by the TA3-MTX-R cell line, is presented. Also, the inhibition of oxygen uptake by 6-(4-methylpent-3-enyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone was determined and compared with its reported cytotoxicity toward P-388 (murine lymphocytic leukemia), A-549 (human lung carcinoma), HT-29 (human colon carcinoma), and MEL-28 (human melanoma) cells. The inhibition of oxygen uptake by TA3-MTX-R cells is useful as a quick test for preliminary screening of possible anticancer activity.     

Synthesis and evaluation of novel 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives as antiviral, antifungal and anticancer agents

The synthesis and evaluation of some 2-substituted-1,4-naphthoquinones 2, S-(1,4-naphthoquinon-2-yl)-mercaptoalkanoic acid amides 4, related benzoquinone and naphthoquinone derivatives 6-9 and 2,3-disubstituted 1,4-naphthoquinones 10-11 were carried out. The antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral and anticancer activities were determined by using the standard assay. The results show that compounds 2b and 10a showed in vitro antiviral activity against Influenza-A Virus and Herpes Simplex Virus and possess pronounced antifungal profile whereas 4a showed anticancer activities against Lymphoid Leukaemia P 388.     

Synthesis, antitumor activity and structure-activity relationships of a series of Ru(II) complexes

A series of octahedral Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes, [Ru(phen)(2)L](2+) (L=R-PIP and PIP=2-phenylimidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) were synthesized and characterized by elementary analysis, (1)H NMR and ES-MS, as well as UV-visible spectra and emission spectra. The antitumor activities of these complexes and their corresponding ligands were investigated against mouse leukemia L1210 cells, human oral epidermoid carcinoma KB cells, human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) and Bel-7402 liver cancer cells by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. It was found that the complexes [Ru(phen)(2)L](2+) (L=R-PIP) exert rather potent activities against all of these cell lines, especially for the KB cells (IC(50)=4.7+/-1.3 microM). The binding affinities of these Ru(II) complexes to CT-DNA (calf thymus DNA), as well as the DNA-unwinding properties on supercoiled pBR322 DNA were also investigated. The results showed that these Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes not only had an excellent DNA-binding property but also possessed a highly effective DNA-photocleavage ability. The structure-activity relationships and antitumor mechanism were also carefully discussed.     

Synthesis, structure, and bioactivity of N'-substituted benzylidene-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzohydrazide and 3-acetyl-2-substituted phenyl-5-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives

Some 3-acetyl-2-substituted phenyl-5-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives were synthesized by cyclization reaction of N'-substituted benzylidene-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzohydrazide in acetic anhydride. Their structures were verified by elemental analysis, IR, (1)H NMR, and (13)C NMR. Compound 3i was provided with X-ray crystallographic data. The compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against some cancer cells in vitro by MTT method. Among them, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2f, 3l, and 3m were highly effective against PC3 cells and 2a, 2c, and 2f showed moderate activities against Bcap37 and BGC823 cells. The IC(50) values of high active compounds 2a, 2b, 2c, 2f, 3l, and 3m against PC3 cells were 0.2, 1.8, 0.2, 1.2, 1.7, and 0.3muM, respectively.