1,3,4-Oxadiazole-2(3H)-thione and its analogues: A new class of non-competitive nucleotide pyrophosphatases/phosphodiesterases 1 inhibitors

A series of 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2 (3H)-thiones and 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2 (3H)-thiones were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activities against the two nucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase 1 enzymes. Dixon, as well as Lineweaver–Burk plots, and their secondary replots have indicated that the inhibition was of pure non-competitive type, against both snake venom and pure human recombinant enzymes as the V_max values decreases without affecting the K_m values. 5-[4-(t-Butyldimethylsilyloxy)-phenyl]-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2 (3H)-thione (17) and [4-(t-butyldimethylsilyloxy)-phenyl]-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2 (3H)-thione (1) were found to be the most active compounds with IC₅₀ values 66.47 and 368 μM, respectively. The K_i values were 100 μM and 360 μM against the snake venom and human recombinant NPP1 enzyme, respectively. Most active compounds were found to be non-toxic in neutrophil viability assay.     

Inhibitory effect of novel tetrahydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thiones on melanogenesis

The series of imidazoldine-2-thiones 2 and tetrahydropyrimidine-2-thiones 3 were discovered as inhibitor of α-MSH-induced melanin production in melanoma B16 cells. The primary bioassay showed that 1-(4-ethylbenzyl)-tetrahydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thione 3e (>100% inhibition at 10 μM, IC₅₀ = 1.2 μM) and 1-(4-tert-butylbenzyl)-tetrahydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thione 3f (>100% inhibition at 10 μM, IC₅₀ = 0.76 μM) exhibited potent inhibitory effect against α-MSH-induced melanin production. Compounds 3 inhibit the biosynthesis of tyrosinase without affecting its catalytic activity in melanogenesis.     

Synthesis and molecular docking study of some novel 2,3-disubstituted quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives as potent inhibitors of urease

A new series of 2,3-disubstituted quinazolin-4(3H)-one compounds including oxadiazole and furan rings was synthesized. Their inhibitory activities on urease were assessed in vitro. All newly synthesized compounds exhibited potent urease inhibitory activity in the range of IC₅₀ = 1.55 ± 0.07–2.65 ± 0.08 µg/mL, when compared with the standard urease inhibitors such as thiourea (IC₅₀ = 15.08 ± 0.71 µg/mL) and acetohydroxamic acid (IC₅₀ = 21.05 ± 0.96 µg/mL). 2,3-Disubstituted quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives containing furan ring (3a-e) were found to be the most active inhibitors when compared with the compounds 2a-e bearing oxadiazole ring. Compound 3a, bearing 4-chloro group on phenyl ring, was found as the most effective inhibitor of urease with the IC₅₀ value of 1.55 ± 0.11 µg/mL. The molecular docking studies of the newly synthesized compounds were performed to identify the probable binding modes in the active site of the Jack bean urease (JBU) enzymes.     

Refinement of the pharmacophore of 3,4-dihydroquinazoline-2(1H)-thiones for their anti-melanogenesis activity

In order to define the structural requirements of quinazoline-2(1H)-thiones 1 for their inhibitory activity on melanogenesis, a novel series of 3,4-dihydroquinazoline-2(1H)-thiones (3a–h) were prepared and screened for their melanogenesis inhibition on melanoma B16 cell line under the stimulant of α-MSH. The anti-melanogenesis activity of 3 is mainly mediated by the hydrogen bonding ability of thioamide unit in addition to complexation ability of thione and the hydrophobic binding power of side chain substitutions at 3-position. Thus, the pharmacophore of 3,4-dihydroquinazoline-2(1H)-thiones for their anti-melanogenesis activity could be refined as 3-hydrophobic substituted quinazolinethione.     

Fluconazole analogues containing 2H-1,4-benzothiazin-3(4H)-one or 2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one moieties,a novel class of anti-Candida agents

As a part of our program to develop new antifungal agents, a series of fluconazole analogues was designed and synthesized wherein one of the triazole moieties in fluconazole was replaced with 2H-1,4-benzothiazin-3(4H)-one or 2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one moiety. The new chemical entities thus synthesized were screened against various fungi and it was observed that the compounds 4a and 4i are potent inhibitors of Candida strains. The structure–activity relationship for these compounds is discussed.     

Antimycobacterial activity of new 3,5-disubstituted 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one derivatives. Molecular modeling investigations

3H-1,3,4-Oxadiazol-2-one derivatives were synthesized and tested for their in vitro antimycobacterial activity. Oxadiazolone derivatives showed an interesting antimycobacterial activity against the reference strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. Molecular modeling investigations were performed and showed that the active compounds possess all necessary features to target the protein active site of the mycobacterial cytochrome P450-dependent sterol 14α-demethylase in the sterol biosynthesis pathway as the calculated free energy of binding were in agreement with the corresponding MIC values.     

Design,synthesis, evaluation and molecular modelling studies of some novel 5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazin-3(2H)-ones bearing five-member heterocyclic moieties as potential COX-2 inhibitors: A hybrid pharmacophore approach

A series of novel hybrids comprising of 1,3,4-oxadiazole/thiadiazole and 1,2,4-triazole tethered to 5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazin-3(2H)-one were designed, synthesised and evaluated as COX-2 inhibitors for the treatment of inflammation. The synthesised hybrids were characterised using FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, elemental (C,H,N) analyses and assessed for their anti-inflammatory potential by in vitro albumin denaturation assay. Compounds exhibiting activity comparable to indomethacin and celecoxib were further evaluated for in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. Oral administration of promising compounds 3c–3e and 4c–4e did not evoke significant gastric, hepatic and renal toxicity in rats. These potential compounds exhibited reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content on the gastric mucosa suggesting their protective effects by inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Based on the outcome of in vitro COX assay, compounds 3c–3e and 4c–4e (IC₅₀ 0.60–1.11 μM) elicited an interesting profile as competitive selective COX-2 inhibitors. Further, selected compounds 3e and 4c were found devoid of cardiotoxicity post evaluation on myocardial infarcted rats. The in silico binding mode of the potential compounds into the COX-2 active site through docking and molecular dynamics exemplified their consensual interaction and subsequent COX-2 inhibition with significant implications for structure-based drug design.     

Synthesis of novel azo compounds containing 5(4H)-oxazolone ring as potent tyrosinase inhibitors

Six new azo dyes containing of 5(4H)-oxazolone ring were prepared by diazotization of 4-aminohippuric acid and coupling with N,N-dimethylaniline, 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol and condensation with 4-fluoro benzaldehyde or 4-trifluoromethoxy benzaldehyde. The new compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques. All synthesized compounds exhibited high tyrosinase inhibitory behavior. The results of mushroom tyrosinase inhibition assays indicate that the 4-trifluoromethoxy derivatives have high degrees of inhibition and N,N-dimethylaniline derivatives are better for tyrosinase inhibition than 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol derivatives. All synthesized azo compounds (4a–4f) showed the most potent mushroom tyrosinase inhibition, comparable to that of Kojic acid and l-mimosine, as reference standard inhibitors.     

Molecular docking studies and biological evaluation of 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives bearing Schiff base moieties as tyrosinase inhibitors

1,3,4-Thiadiazole derivatives bearing Schiff base moieties were designed, synthesized, and their tyrosinase inhibitory activities were evaluated. Some compounds displayed potent tyrosinase inhibitory activities, especially, 4-(((5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-imino)methyl)-2-methoxy-phenol (14) exhibited superior inhibitory effect to the other compounds with an IC₅₀ value of 0.036 μM. The structure–activity relationships (SARs) were preliminarily discussed and docking studies showed compound 14 had strong binding affinity to mushroom tyrosinase. Hydroxy might be the active groups. The inhibition kinetics study revealed that compounds (13 and 14) inhibited tyrosinase by acting as uncompetitive inhibitors. The LD₅₀ value of the compound 14 was 5000 mg/kg.     

2-Alkyl(aryl)-quinazolin-4(3H)-thiones, 2-R-(quinazolin-4(3H)-ylthio)carboxylic acids and amides: synthesis,molecular docking,antimicrobial and anticancer properties

In this study, a series of novel 2-alkyl(aryl)-quinazolin-4(3H)-thiones, 2-R-(quinazolin-4(3H)-ylthio)carboxylic acids and amides were synthesized and evaluated for antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Their structure was confirmed by elemental analysis and spectral data (FT-IR, LC-MS, ¹H-NMR). Antimicrobial activity was tested in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Candida albicans and NCI in vitro preliminary anticancer activity against nine different cancer types. The most active antibacterial and antifungal compounds were: 2.1, 2.2 and 2.4. The introduction of the carboxylic acid or amide residue into the fourth position of quinazolin-4(3H)-thione resulted in the absence of antimicrobial activity. Substance 3.8 inhibited renal cancer UO-31 line and 2.18 – leukemia CCRF-CEM. The results of in silico molecular docking for DHFR and CK2 kinase had no correlation with in vitro properties, proposing the presence of other biological activity pathways.     

Carbazole and hydrazone derivatives as new competitive inhibitors of tyrosinase: Experimental clues to binuclear copper active site binding

In this work a total of 12 carbazoles and hydrazone-bridged thiazole-pyrrole derivatives have been identified as new competitive inhibitors of tyrosinase. Carbazole derivative with 2-benzoimidazole substitution showed most potent inhibition in the series. Other carbazole derivatives containing benzothiazole and benzoxazole substitutions showed comparable levels of tyrosinase inhibition. The hydrazone derivatives also showed potent tyrosinase inhibitory activity with comparable K_i values except one with fluoride at its terminal position. Kinetic studies showed competitive inhibition of tyrosinase by all compounds that increased the substrate K_m without changing the V_max value. Moreover, experimental evidence suggests that the target compounds specifically bind to the binuclear copper center of the tyrosinase active site in an apparent mono-dentate fashion. Carbazoles and hydrazones are new and emerging classes of compounds as tyrosinase inhibitors that may provide new structural avenues to discovery of drugs targeting the treatment of hyperpigmentation and related dermatological disorders.     

Potential antimicrobial agents from triazole-functionalized 2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-ones

A series of substituted triazole functionalized 2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-ones were synthesized by employing click chemistry and further characterized based on ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR and mass spectral studies. All the synthesized derivatives were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activities. Further, molecular docking studies were accomplished to explore the binding interactions between 1,2,3-triazol-4-yl-2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-one and the active site of Staphylococcus aureus (CrtM) dehydrosqualene synthase (PDB ID: 2ZCS). These docking studies revealed that the synthesized derivatives showed high binding energies and strong H-bond interactions with the dehydrosqualene synthase validating the observed antimicrobial activity data. Based on antimicrobial activity and docking studies, the compounds 9c, 9d and 9e were identified as promising antimicrobial leads.     

Evaluation of dihydropyrimidin-(2H)-one analogues and rhodanine derivatives as tyrosinase inhibitors

A series of dihydropyrimidin-(2H)-one analogues and rhodanine derivatives were synthesized and their inhibitory effects on the diphenolase activity of mushroom tyrosinase were evaluated. The results showed that some of the synthesized compounds exhibited significant inhibitory activities. Especially, compound 15 bearing a hydroxyethoxyl group at position-4 of phenyl ring exhibited most potent tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ value of 0.56 mM. The inhibition mechanism analysis of compound 15 demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of the compound on the tyrosinase was irreversible. These results suggested that such compounds might be served as lead compounds for further designing new potential tyrosinase inhibitors.     

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-(substituted phenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid derivatives as novel tyrosinase inhibitors

Herein we describe the design, synthesis and biological activities of 2-(substituted phenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid derivatives as novel tyrosinase inhibitors. The target compounds 2a–2j were designed and synthesized from the structural characteristics of N-phenylthiourea, tyrosinase inhibitor and tyrosine, and l-DOPA, the natural substrates of tyrosinase. Among them, (2R/S,4R)-2-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (2g) caused the greatest inhibition 66.47% at 20 μM of l-DOPA oxidase activity of mushroom tyrosinase. Kinetic analysis of tyrosinase inhibition revealed that 2g is a competitive inhibitor. We predicted the tertiary structure of tyrosinase, and simulated the docking of mushroom tyrosinase with 2g. These results suggest that the binding affinity of 2g with tyrosinase is high. Also, 2g effectively inhibited tyrosinase activity and reduced melanin levels in B16 cells treated with α-MSH. These data strongly suggest that 2g can suppress the production of melanin via the inhibition of tyrosinase activity.     

Quantitative structure-activity relationships of 1,3,4-thiadiazol-2(3H)-ones and 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-ones as human protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitors

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox, EC 1.3.3.4) has attracted great interest during the last decades due to its unique biochemical characteristics and biomedical significance. As a continuation of our research work on the development of new PPO inhibitors, 23 new 1,3,4-thiadiazol-2(3H)-ones bearing benzothiazole substructure were designed and synthesized. The in vitro assay indicated that the newly synthesized compounds 1a-w displayed good inhibition activity against human PPO (hPPO) with K(i) values ranging from 0.04μM to 245μM. To the knowledge, compound 1a, O-ethyl S-(5-(5-(tert-butyl)-2-oxo-1,3,4-thiadiazol-3(2H)-yl)-6-fluorobenzothiazol-2-yl)carbonothioate, with the K(i) value of 40nM, is so far known as the most potent inhibitor against hPPO. Based on the molecular docking and modified molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) calculations, the quantitative structure-activity relationships of 1,3,4-thiadiazol-2(3H)-ones and 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one derivatives were established with excellent correlation relationships (r(2)=0.81) between the calculated and experimental binding free energies. Some important insights were also concluded for guiding the future rational design of new hPPO inhibitors with improved potency.     

Azole derivatives as histamine H3 receptor antagonists,Part 2: C–C and C–S coupled heterocycles

With a small series of compounds we demonstrated the variability in the core region of the human histamine H₃ receptor (hH₃R) antagonist structural blueprint by introducing polar azole groups (oxazole, oxadiazole, thiazole and triazole). Additional variations achieved by coupling different residues to the heterocyclic core structure led to further optimisation of in vitro receptor binding of the novel azole derivatives.     

The molecular mechanism of human hormone-sensitive lipase inhibition by substituted 3-phenyl-5-alkoxy-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) plays an important role in the mobilization of free fatty acids (FFA) from adipocytes. The inhibition of HSL may offer a pharmacological approach to reduce FFA levels in plasma and diminish peripheral insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. In this work, the inhibition of HSL by substituted 3-phenyl-5-alkoxy-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones has been studied in vitro. 5-methoxy-3-(3-phenoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one (compound 7600) and 5-methoxy-3-(3-methyl-4-phenylacetamidophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one (compound 9368) were selected as the most potent HSL inhibitors. HSL is inhibited after few minutes of incubation with compound 7600, at a molar excess of 20. This inhibition is reversed in the presence of an emulsion of lipid substrate. The reactivation phenomenon is hardly observed when incubating HSL with compound 9368. The molecular mechanism underlying the reversible inhibition of HSL by compound 7600 was investigated using high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The stoichiometry of the inhibition reaction revealed that specifically one molecule of inhibitor was bound per enzyme molecule. The inhibition by compound 7600 involves a nucleophilic attack by the hydroxy group of the catalytic Ser of the enzyme on the carbon atom of the carbonyl moiety of the oxadiazolone ring of the inhibitor, leading to the formation of covalent enzyme-inhibitor intermediate. This covalent intermediate is subsequently hydrolyzed, releasing an oxadiazolone decomposition product, carbon dioxide and the active HSL form. On the basis of this study, a kinetic model is proposed to describe the inhibition of HSL by compound 7600 in the aqueous phase as well as its partial reactivation at the lipid-water interface.     

A cytotoxicity,optical spectroscopy and computational binding analysis of 4‐[3‐acetyl‐5‐(acetylamino)‐2‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole‐2‐yl]phenyl benzoate in calf thymus DNA

In this study the interaction mechanism between newly synthesized 4‐(3‐acetyl‐5‐(acetylamino)‐2‐methyl‐2, 3‐dihydro‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole‐2‐yl) phenyl benzoate (thiadiazole derivative) anticancer active drug with calf thymus DNA was investigated by using various optical spectroscopy techniques along with computational technique. The absorption spectrum shows a clear shift in the lower wavelength region, which may be due to strong hypochromic effect in the ctDNA and the drug. The results of steady state fluorescence spectroscopy show that there is static quenching occurring while increasing the thiadiazole drug concentration in the ethidium bromide‐ctDNA system. Also the binding constant (K), thermo dynamical parameters of enthalpy change (ΔH°), entropy change (ΔS°) Gibbs free energy change (ΔG°) were calculated at different temperature (293 K, 298 K) and the results are in good agreement with theoretically calculated MMGBSA binding analysis. Time resolved emission spectroscopy analysis clearly explains the thiadiazole derivative competitive intercalation in the ethidium bromide‐ctDNA system. Further, molecular docking studies was carried out to understand the hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction between ctDNA and thiadiazole derivative molecule. In addition the docking and molecular dynamics charge distribution analysis was done to understand the internal stability of thiadiazole derivative drug binding sites of ctDNA. The global reactivity of thiadiazole derivative such as electronegativity, electrophilicity and chemical hardness has been calculated.     

Design,synthesis and antibacterial activities of 5-(pyrazin-2-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol derivatives containing Schiff base formation as FabH inhibitory

A series of novel schiff base derivatives (H¹–H²⁰) containing pyrazine and triazole moiety have been designed and synthesized, and their biological activities were also evaluated as potential inhibitors of β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III (FabH). These compounds were assayed for antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and selected compounds among them were tested for their Escherichia coli FabH inhibitory activity. Based on the biological data, compound H¹⁷ showed the most potent antibacterial activity with MIC values of 0.39–1.56 μg/mL against the tested bacterial strains and exhibited the most potent E. coli FabH inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ of 5.2 μM, being better than the positive control Kanamycin B with IC₅₀ of 6.3 μM. Furthermore, docking simulation was performed to position compound H¹⁷ into the E. coli FabH active site to determine the probable binding conformation. This study indicated that compound H¹⁷ has demonstrated significant E. coli FabH inhibitory activity as a potential antibacterial agent and provides valuable information for the design of E. coli FabH inhibitors.     

Ultrasound mediated efficient synthesis of new 4-oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)furan-2-carboxamides as potent tyrosinase inhibitors: Mechanistic approach through chemoinformatics and molecular docking studies

We have carried out the synthesis of new 4-oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)furan-2-carboxamide derivatives by the reaction between isatoic anhydride, 2-furoic hydrazide and substituted salicylaldehydes in ethanol: water (5:5 v/v) solvent system using p-TSA as a catalyst under ultrasound irradiation at room temperature. The structures of newly synthesized compounds were confirmed through spectral techniques such as IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and LCMS. The important features of this protocol include simple and easy workup procedure, reaction carried out at ambient temperature, use of ultrasound and high yield of oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)furan-2-carboxamides in short reaction time. The synthesized compounds 4a–4j were screened against tyrosinase enzyme and all these compounds found to be potent inhibitors with much lower IC₅₀ value of 0.028 ± 0.016 to 1.775 ± 0.947 µM than the standard kojic acid (16.832 ± 1.162 µM). The kinetics mechanism for compound 4e was analyzed by Lineweaver-Burk plots which revealed that compound inhibited tyrosinase non-competitively by forming an enzyme-inhibitor complex. Along with this all the synthesized compounds (4a–4j) were scanned for their DPPH free radical scavenging ability. The outputs received through in vitro and in silico analysis are coherent to the each other with good binding energy values (kcal/mol) posed by synthesized ligands.