1-[(4′-Chlorophenyl) carbonyl-4-(aryl) thiosemicarbazide derivatives as potent urease inhibitors: Synthesis,in vitro and in silico studies

A series of 1-[(4′-chlorophenyl)carbonyl-4-(aryl)thiosemicarbazide derivatives 1–25 was synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques such as EI-MS and ¹H NMR. All compounds were screened for urease inhibitory activity in vitro and demonstrated excellent inhibitory activity in the range of IC₅₀ = 0.32 ± 0.01–25.13 ± 0.13 μM as compared to the standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.25 ± 0.13 μM). Amongst the potent analogs, compounds 3 (IC₅₀ = 2.31 ± 0.01 μM), 6 (IC₅₀ = 2.14 ± 0.04 μM), 10 (IC₅₀ = 1.14 ± 0.06 μM), 20 (IC₅₀ = 2.15 ± 0.05 μM), and 25 (IC₅₀ = 0.32 ± 0.01 μM) are many folds more active than the standard. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) was rationalized by looking at the effect of diversely substituted aryl ring on inhibitory potential which predicted that regardless of the nature of substituents, their positions on aryl ring is worth important for the potent activity. Furthermore, to verify these interpretations, in silico study was performed on all compounds and a good correlation was perceived between the biological evaluation and docking study of compounds.     

Design,synthesis, anticancer evaluation,molecular docking and cell cycle analysis of 3-methyl-4,7-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives as potent histone lysine demethylases (KDM) inhibitors and apoptosis inducers

A novel series of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines were synthesized and proved by their spectral and elemental analysis, some elected of the newly synthesized compounds were examined for their cytotoxic activity employing MTT assay on two cancer cell lines (Breast and Hela cancers). Compounds 5, 7e and 7i showed the higher cytotoxicity against two cancer cell lines with (IC₅₀ = 13.91 ± 1.4 and 22.37 ± 1.8 μM/L), (IC₅₀ = 6.56 ± 0.5 and 8.72 ± 0.9 μM/L) and (IC₅₀ = 4.17 ± 0.2 and 5.57 ± 0.4 μM/L) for two cancer cell lines breast and hela respectively, using doxorubicin as a reference drug. The most potent cytotoxic active compounds 5, 7e and 7i presented inhibitory activity against KDM (histone lysine demethylases) with IC₅₀ = 4.05, 1.91 and 2.31 μM, respectively. The most potent KDM inhibitor 7e (IC₅₀ = 1.91 μM) showed to cause cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase by 4 folds than control and induce total apoptotic effect by 10 folds more than control. In silico studies performed on the more potent cytotoxic active compounds 5, 7e and 7i included lipinisk's rule of five. Moreover, molecular docking study was utilized to explore the binding mode of the most active compounds to the target enzyme (PDB-ID: 5IVE). Also, some bioinformatics studies were carried out for compounds 7e and 7i using Swiss ADME (Swiss Institute of bioinformatics 2018).     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of novel dithiocarbamate-substituted diphenylaminopyrimidine derivatives as BTK inhibitors

Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) has emerged as an attractive target related to B-lymphocytes dysfunctions, especially hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases. In our study, a series of diphenylaminopyrimidine derivatives bearing dithiocarbamate moieties were designed and synthesized as novel BTK inhibitors for treatment of B-cell lymphoma. Among all these compounds, 30ab (IC₅₀ = 1.15 ± 0.19 nM) displays similar or more potent inhibitory activity against BTK than spebrutinib (IC₅₀ = 2.12 ± 0.32 nM) and FDA approved drug ibrutinib (IC₅₀ = 3.89 ± 0.57 nM), which is attributed to close binding of 30ab with BTK predicted by molecular docking. In particular, 30ab exhibits enhanced anti-proliferative activity against B-lymphoma cell lines at the IC₅₀ concentration of 0.357 ± 0.02 μM (Ramos) and 0.706 ± 0.05 μM (Raji), respectively, almost 10-fold better than ibrutinib and spebrutinib. In addition, 30ab displays stronger selectivity on B-cell lymphoma over other cancer cell lines than spebrutinib. Furthermore, 30ab efficiently blocks BTK downstream pathways and results in apoptosis of cancer cells. In vivo xenograft model evaluation demonstrates the significant efficacy and broad safety margin of 30ab in treatment of B-cell lymphoma. We propose that compound 30ab is a candidate for further study and development based on our current findings.     

Design and synthesis of the novel oleanolic acid-cinnamic acid ester derivatives and glycyrrhetinic acid-cinnamic acid ester derivatives with cytotoxic properties

Oleanolic acid (OA) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) are natural products with anticancer effects. Cinnamic acid (CA) and its derivatives also exhibited certain anticancer activity. In order to improve the anticancer activity of OA and GA, we designed and synthesized a series of novel OA-CA ester derivatives and GA-CA ester derivatives by using molecular hybridization approach. The 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to assess their in vitro cytotoxicity on three cell lines (HeLa (cervical cancer), MCF-7 (breast cancer) and L-O2 (a normal hepatic cell)). Among the evaluated compounds, 3o presented the strongest selective cytotoxicity on HeLa cells (IC₅₀ = 1.35 μM) and showed no inhibitory activity against MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀ > 100 μM) and L-O2 cells (IC₅₀ > 100 μM), and 3e presented the strongest selective inhibition of the MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀ = 1.79 μM). What’s more, compound 2d also showed very strong selective inhibitory activity against HeLa cells (IC₅₀ = 1.55 μM). The further research using Hoechst 33342, AO/EB dual-staining, flow cytometric analysis and DCFH-DA fluorescent dye staining assay presented that 2d and 3o could induce HeLa cells apoptosis and autophagy.     

2,5-Disubstituted thiadiazoles as potent β-glucuronidase inhibitors; Synthesis,in vitro and in silico studies

Twenty-five thiadiazole derivatives 1–25 were synthesized from methyl 4-methoxybenzoate via hydrazide and thio-hydrazide intermediates, and evaluated for their potential against β-glucuronidase enzyme. Most of the compounds including 1 (IC₅₀ = 26.05 ± 0.60 μM), 2 (IC₅₀ = 42.53 ± 0.80 μM), 4 (IC₅₀ = 38.74 ± 0.70 μM), 5 (IC₅₀ = 9.30 ± 0.29 μM), 6 (IC₅₀ = 6.74 ± 0.26 μM), 7 (IC₅₀ = 18.40 ± 0.66 μM), and 15 (IC₅₀ = 18.10 ± 0.53 μM) exhibited superior activity potential than the standard d-saccharic acid-1,4-lactone (IC₅₀ = 48.4 ± 1.25 μM). Molecular docking studies were conducted to correlate the in vitro results and to identify possible mode of interaction with enzyme active site.     

Synthesis,biological evaluation,and docking studies of novel 5,6-diaryl-1,2,4-triazine thiazole derivatives as a new class of α-glucosidase inhibitors

A novel 5,6-diaryl-1,2,4-triazine thiazole derivatives (7a-7q) were synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. All tested compounds displayed good α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 2.85 ± 0.13 and 14.19 ± 0.23 μM when compared to the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀ = 817.38 ± 6.27 μM). Compound 7i (IC₅₀ = 2.85 ± 0.13 μM) exhibited the highest activity among this series of compounds. Molecular docking studies were carried out in order to investigate the binding mode of this class of compounds to α-glucosidase. This study showed that these 5,6-diaryl-1,2,4-triazine thiazole derivatives are a new class of α-glucosidase inhibitors.     

Syntheses,in vitro urease inhibitory activities of urea and thiourea derivatives of tryptamine,their molecular docking and cytotoxic studies

Urease is an enzyme of amidohydrolase family and is responsible for the different pathological conditions in the human body including peptic ulcers, catheter encrustation, kidney stone formation, hepatic coma, encephalopathy, and many others. Therefore, the search for potent urease inhibitors has attracted major scientific attention in recent years. Urea and thiourea derivatives of tryptamine (1–25) were synthesized via reaction of tryptamine with different substituted phenyl isocyanates/isothiocyanates. The synthetic compounds were evaluated for their urease enzyme inhibitory activity and they exhibited good inhibitory potential against urease enzyme in the range of (IC₅₀ = 11.4 ± 0.4–24.2 ± 1.5 μM) as compared to the standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.2 ± 1.3 μM). Out of twenty-five compounds, fourteen were found to be more active than the standard. Limited structure-activity relationship suggested that the compounds with CH₃, and OCH₃ substituents at aryl part were the most potent derivatives. Compound 14 (IC₅₀ = 11.4 ± 0.4 μM) with a methyl substituent at ortho position was found to be the most active member of the series. Whereas, among halogen substituted derivatives, para substituted chloro compound 16 (IC₅₀ = 13.7 ± 0.9 μM) showed good urease inhibitory activity. These synthetic derivatives were found to be non-cytotoxic in cellular assay. Kinetic studies revealed that the compounds 11, 12, 14, 17, 21, 22, and 24 showed a non-competitive type of inhibition. In silico study identified the possible bindings interactions of potential inhibitors with the active site of enzyme. These newly identified inhibitors of urease enzyme can serve as leads for further research and development.     

Design,synthesis, docking study, α-glucosidase inhibition,and cytotoxic activities of acridine linked to thioacetamides as novel agents in treatment of type 2 diabetes

A novel series of acridine linked to thioacetamides 9a–o were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities. All the synthesized compounds exhibited excellent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in the range of IC₅₀ = 80.0 ± 2.0–383.1 ± 2.0 µM against yeast α-glucosidase, when compared to the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀ = 750.0 ± 1.5 µM). Among the synthesized compounds, 2-((6-chloro-2-methoxyacridin-9-yl)thio)-N-(p-tolyl) acetamide 9b displayed the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 80.0 ± 2.0 μM). The in vitro cytotoxic assay of compounds 9a–o against MCF-7 cell line revealed that only the compounds 9d, 9c, and 9n exhibited cytotoxic activity. Cytotoxic compounds 9d, 9c, and 9n did not show cytotoxic activity against the normal human cell lines HDF. Kinetic study revealed that the most potent compound 9b is a competitive inhibitor with a K_i of 85 μM. Furthermore, the interaction modes of the most potent compounds 9b and 9f with α-glucosidase were evaluated through the molecular docking studies.     

Synthesis of new arylhydrazide bearing Schiff bases/thiazolidinone: α-Amylase,urease activities and their molecular docking studies

Alpha-amylase and urease enzyme over expression endorses various complications like rheumatoid arthritis, urinary tract infection, colon cancer, metabolic disorder, cardiovascular risk, and chronic kidney disease. To overcome these complications, we have synthesized new arylhydrazide bearing Schiff bases/thiazolidinone analogues as α-amylase and urease inhibitors. The analogues 1a-r were evaluated for α-amylase inhibitory potential. All analogues were found active and show IC₅₀ value ranging between 0.8 ± 0.05 and 12.50 ± 0.5 μM as compare to standard acarbose (IC₅₀ = 1.70 ± 0.10 μM). Among the synthesized analogs, compound 1j, 1r, 1k, 1e, 1b and 1f having IC₅₀ values 0.8 ± 0.05, 0.9 ± 0.05, 1.00 ± 0.05, 1.10 ± 0.10, 1.20 ± 0.10 and 1.30 ± 0.10 μM respectively showed an excellent inhibitory potential. Analogs 2a-o were evaluated against urease activity. All analogues were found active and show IC₅₀ value ranging between 4.10 ± 0.02 and 38.20 ± 1.10 μM as compare to standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.40 ± 0.21 μM). Among the synthesized analogs, compound 2k, 2a, 2h, 2j, 2f, 2e, 2g, 2b and 2l having IC₅₀ values 4.10 ± 0.02, 4.60 ± 0.02, 4.70 ± 0.03, 5.40 ± 0.02, 6.70 ± 0.05, 8.30 ± 0.3, 11.20 ± 0.04, 16.90 ± 0.8 and 19.80 ± 0.60 μM respectively showed an excellent inhibitory potential. All compounds were characterized through ¹H, ¹³C NMR and HR-EIMS analysis. Structure activity relationship of the synthesized analogs were recognized and confirmed through molecular docking studies.     

Design,molecular docking and synthesis of novel 5,6-dichloro-2-methyl-1H-benzimidazole derivatives as potential urease enzyme inhibitors

A novel series of 5,6-dichloro-2-methyl-1H-benzimidazole derivatives was synthesized and then screened for their urease inhibitory activity. All compounds showed more potent inhibitory activity in the range of IC₅₀ = 0.0294 ± 0.0015–0.1494 ± 0.0041 µM than thiourea (IC₅₀ = 0.5117 ± 0.0159 µM), as a reference inhibitor. Among all the tested compounds, the compound 15 (IC₅₀ = 0.0294 ± 0.0015 µM) having strong electron-withdrawing nitro group on the phenyl ring was recorded as the most potent inhibitor of urease. All compounds were docked at the active sites of the Jack bean urease enzyme to investigate the reason of the inhibitory activity and the possible binding interactions of enzyme-ligand complexes.     

Synthesis and in vitro anticancer evaluation of some fused indazoles,quinazolines and quinolines as potential EGFR inhibitors

derivatives of benzo[g]indazole 5a, b, benzo[h]quinazoline 7, 12a-c, 13a-c and 15a-c and benzo[h]quinoline 17a-c and 19a-c were synthesized from 6-methoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one (1). Anticancer activity of all the synthesized compounds was evaluated against four cancerous cell lines; HepG2, MCF-7, HCT116 and Caco-2. MCF-7 cells emerged as the most sensitive cell line against the target compounds. All the examined compounds, except 5a and 5b, displayed potent to moderate anticancer activity against MCF-7 cells with an IC₅₀ values ranging from 7.21 to 21.55 µM. In particular, compounds 15c and 19b emerged as the most potent derivatives against EGFR-expressing MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ values = 7.70 ± 0.39 and 7.21 ± 0.43 μM, respectively. Additionally, both compounds did not display any significant cytotoxicity towards normal BHK-21 fibroblast cells (IC₅₀ value > 200 µM), thereby providing a good safety profile as anticancer agents. Furthermore, compounds 15c and 19b displayed potent inhibitory activity towards EGFR in the sub-micromolar range (IC₅₀ = 0.13 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.01 μM, respectively), compared to that of Erlotinib (IC₅₀ = 0.11 ± 0.01 μM). Docking studies for 15c and 19b into EGFR active site was carried out to explore their potential binding modes. Therefore, compounds 15c and 19b can be considered as interesting candidates for further development of more potent anticancer agents.     

Design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of 4-phenoxyquinoline derivatives as potent c-Met kinase inhibitor

A series of novel 4-phenoxyquinoline derivatives containing 3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-quinoxaline moiety were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against five human cancer cell lines (A549, H460, HT-29, MKN-45 and U87MG) in vitro. Most of the tested compounds exhibited more potent inhibitory activities than the positive control foretinib. Compound 1b, 1s and 1t were further examined for their inhibitory activity against c-Met kinase. The most promising compound 1s (with c-Met IC₅₀ value of 1.42 nM) showed remarkable cytotoxicity against A549, H460, HT-29, MKN45 and U87MG cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 0.39 μM, 0.18 μM, 0.38 μM, 0.81 μM, respectively. Their preliminary structure-activity relationships (SARs) study indicated that the replacement of the aromatic ring with the cyclohexane improved their antiproliferative activity.     

Biscoumarin-1,2,3-triazole hybrids as novel anti-diabetic agents: Design,synthesis, in vitro α-glucosidase inhibition,kinetic, and docking studies

A novel series of biscoumarin-1,2,3-triazole hybrids 6a-n was prepared and evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory potential. All fourteen derivatives exhibited excellent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 13.0 ± 1.5 and 75.5 ± 7.0 µM when compared with the acarbose as standard inhibitor (IC₅₀ = 750.0 ± 12.0 µM). Among the synthesized compounds, compounds 6c (IC₅₀ = 13.0 ± 1.5 µM) and 6g (IC₅₀ = 16.4 ± 1.7 µM) exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and were non-cytotoxic towards normal fibroblast cells. Kinetic study revealed that compound 6c inhibits the α-glucosidase in a competitive mode. Furthermore, molecular docking investigation was performed to find interaction modes of the biscoumarin-1,2,3-triazole derivatives.     

Synthesis,and In Vitro and In Silico α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Studies of 5-Chloro-2-Aryl Benzo[d]thiazoles

Twenty-five derivatives of 5-chloro-2-aryl benzo[d]thiazole (1–25) were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase (S. cerevisiae EC 3.2.1.20) inhibitory activity in vitro. Among them eight compounds showed potent activity with IC₅₀ values between 22.1 ± 0.9 and 136.2 ± 5.7 μM, when compared with standard acarbose (IC₅₀ = 840 ± 1.73 μM). The most potent compounds 4, 9, and 10 showed IC₅₀ values in the range of 22.1 ± 0.9 to 25.6 ± 1.5 μM. Compounds 2, 5, 11, and 19 showed IC₅₀ values within the range of 40.2 ± 0.5 to 60.9 ± 2.0 μM. Compounds 1 and 3 were also found to be good inhibitors with IC₅₀ values 136.2 ± 5.7 and 104.8 ± 9.9 μM, respectively. Their activities were compared with α-glucosidase inhibitor drug acarbose (standard) (IC₅₀ = 840 ± 1.73 μM). The remaining compounds were inactive. Structure-activity relationships (SAR) have also been established. Kinetics studies indicated compounds 2, 3, 10, 19, and 25 to be non-competitive, while 1, 5, 9, and 11 as competitive inhibitors of α-glucosidase enzyme. All the active compounds (1–5, 9–11, and 19) were also found to be non-cytotoxic, in comparison to the standard drug i.e., doxorubicin (IC₅₀ = 0.80 ± 0.12 μM) in MTT assay. Furthermore, molecular interactions of active compounds with the enzyme binding sites were predicted through molecular modeling studies.     

Design,synthesis, biological evaluation of benzoyl amide derivatives containing nitrogen heterocyclic ring as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors

For the purpose of synthesizing drug candidates with desirable bioactivity, a class of benzoyl amide containing nitrogen heterocyclic ring derivatives targeting VEGFR-2 was designed and screened out using Discovery Studio. Eighteen target compounds were synthesized and then selected by some biological trials sequentially including inhibition of VEGFR-2, anti-proliferation in vitro, flow cytometry. Among them, compound 8h showed the best inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.34 ± 0.02 μM against VEGFR-2, IC₅₀ = 1.08 ± 0.06 μM and 2.44 ± 0.15 μM against MCF-7 and HepG-2, respectively, which were at the same inhibitory level with the commercially antitumor drug: vandetanib). In addition, flow cytometry demonstrated that compound 8h induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis through a cell membrane-mediated pathway. This research highlights the therapeutic potential of novel VEGFR-2 inhibitors in treating cancers and provides a promising strategy for drug discovery.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-f]pteridine derivatives as potential BRD4 inhibitors

Recently, diverse kinase inhibitors were reported having interaction with BRD4. It provided a strategy for developing a new structural framework for the next-generation BRD4-selective inhibitors. Starting from PLK1 kinase inhibitor BI-2536, we designed 18 compounds by modifying dihydropteridine core. Compound 23 showed potent BRD4 inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ of 79 nM and no inhibitory activities for PLK1. Cell antiproliferation assay was performed and potent inhibitory activity against MV4;11 with IC₅₀ of 1.53 μM. Cell apoptosis and western blotting indicated compound 23 induced apoptosis by down-regulating c-Myc. These novel selective BRD4 inhibitors provided new lead compounds for further drug development.     

Design,synthesis, in vitro evaluation,molecular docking and ADME properties studies of hybrid bis-coumarin with thiadiazole as a new inhibitor of Urease

Hybrid bis-coumarin derivatives 1–18 were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro urease inhibitory potential. All compounds showed outstanding urease inhibitory potential with IC₅₀ value (The half maximal inhibitory concentration) ranging in between 0.12 SD 0.01 and 38.04 SD 0.63 µM (SD standard deviation). When compared with the standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.40 ± 0.21 µM). Among these derivatives, compounds 7 (IC₅₀ = 0.29 ± 0.01), 9 (IC₅₀ = 2.4 ± 0.05), 10 (IC₅₀ = 2.25 ± 0.05) and 16 (IC₅₀ = 0.12 ± 0.01) are better inhibitors of the urease compared with thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.40 ± 0.21 µM). To find structure–activity relationship molecular docking as well as absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies were also performed. Various spectroscopic techniques like ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and EI-MS were used for characterization of all synthesized analogs. All compounds were tested for cytotoxicity and found non-toxic.     

Synthesis,in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory potential and molecular docking study of thiadiazole analogs

α-Glucosidase is a catabolic enzyme that regulates the body’s plasma glucose levels by providing energy sources to maintain healthy functioning. 2-Amino-thiadiazole (1–13) and 2-amino-thiadiazole based Schiff bases (14–22) were synthesized, characterized by ¹H NMR and HREI-MS and screened for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. All twenty-two (22) analogs exhibit varied degree of α-glucosidase inhibitory potential with IC₅₀ values ranging between 2.30 ± 0.1 to 38.30 ± 0.7 μM, when compare with standard drug acarbose having IC₅₀ value of 39.60 ± 0.70 μM. Among the series eight derivatives 1, 2, 6, 7, 14, 17, 19 and 20 showed outstanding α-glucosidase inhibitory potential with IC₅₀ values of 3.30 ± 0.1, 5.80 ± 0.2, 2.30 ± 0.1, 2.70 ± 0.1, 2.30 ± 0.1, 5.50 ± 0.1, 4.70 ± 0.2, and 5.50 ± 0.2 μM respectively, which is many fold better than the standard drug acarbose. The remaining analogs showed good to excellent α-glucosidase inhibition. Structure activity relationship has been established for all compounds. The binding interactions of these compounds were confirmed through molecular docking.     

Synthesis, α-glucosidase inhibition and molecular docking study of coumarin based derivatives

We have synthesized seventeen Coumarin based derivatives (1–17), characterized by ¹HNMR, ¹³CNMR and EI-MS and evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory potential. Among the series, all derivatives exhibited outstanding α-glucosidase inhibition with IC₅₀ values ranging between 1.10 ± 0.01 and 36.46 ± 0.70 μM when compared with the standard inhibitor acarbose having IC₅₀ value 39.45 ± 0.10 μM. The most potent derivative among the series is derivative 3 having IC₅₀ value 1.10 ± 0.01 μM, which are many folds better than the standard acarbose. The structure activity relationship (SAR) was mainly based upon by bring about difference of substituent’s on phenyl part. Molecular docking studies were carried out to understand the binding interaction of the most active compounds.