Synthesis and cytotoxicity of 1-substituted 2-methyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-g]phthalazine-4,9-dione derivatives

A series of 1-substituted 2-methyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-g]phthalazine-4,9-dione derivatives 8 was synthesized from 6,7-dichlorophthalazine-5,8-dione 5 and evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against several human tumor cell lines. Most of the tested compounds showed potential cytotoxic activity considerably higher than that of the reference compounds, ellipticine and doxorubicin.     

Synthesis and antifungal activity of 1H-pyrrolo[3,2-g]quinoline-4,9-diones and 4,9-dioxo-4,9-dihydro-1H-benzo[f]indoles

1H-Pyrrolo[3,2-g]quinoline-4,9-diones and 4,9-dioxo-4,9-dihydro-1H-benzo[f]indoles were synthesized and tested for in vitro antifungal activity against fungi. Among them tested, many compounds showed good antifungal activity. The results suggest that 1H-pyrrolo[3,2-g]quinoline-4,9-diones and 4,9-dioxo-4,9-dihydro-1H-benzo[f]indoles would be potent antifungal agents.     

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of 2-methyl-1-substituted-imidazo [4,5-g]quinoline-4,9-dione and 7,8-dihydro-10H-[1,4]oxazino[3',4':2,3]imidazo[4,5-g]quinoline-5,12-dio ne derivatives

2-Methyl-1-substituted-imidazo[4,5-g]quinoline-4,9-diones and 7,8-dihydro-10H-[1,4]oxazino-[3',4':2,3]imidazo[4,5-g]quinoline-5, 12-dione (19) derivatives have been synthesized from 6,7-dichloro-5,8-quinolinedione for developing the new anticancer drugs. Our study on the cytotoxicity of imidazoquinolinedione derivatives has revealed that 7,8-dihydro-10H-[1,4]oxazino-[3',4':2,3]imidazo[4,5-g]quinoline-5, 12-dione (19), a tetracyclic heteroquinone analogue, exhibited high cytotoxicity on human colon tumor cell (HCT 15) in vitro SRB assay. The IC50 value of this compound was 0.026 microg/mL whereas those of doxorubicin and cisplatin were 0.023 microg/mL and 1.482 microg/mL, respectively. Meanwhile compounds 5-7 and 12 in the series of 1-substituted-imidazoquinolinediones showed relatively good activity on human brain tumor cell lines (XF 498).     

Synthesis of 6-chloroisoquinoline-5,8-diones and pyrido[3,4-b]phenazine-5,12-diones and evaluation of their cytotoxicity and DNA topoisomerase II inhibitory activity

The substituted chloroisoquinolinediones and pyrido[3,4-b]phenazinediones were synthesized, and the cytotoxic activity and topoisomerase II inhibitory activity of the prepared compounds were evaluated. Chloroisoquinolinediones have been prepared by the reported method employing 6,7-dichloroisoquinoline-5,8-dione. The cyclization to pyrido[3,4-b]phenazinediones was achieved by adding the aqueous sodium azide solution to the dimethylformamide solution of corresponding chloroisoquinoline-5,8-dione. The cytotoxicity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated by a SRB (Sulforhodamine B) assay against various cancer cell lines such as A549 (human lung cancer cell line), SNU-638 (human stomach cancer cell), Col2 (human colon cancer cell line), HT1080 (human fibrosarcoma cell line), and HL-60 (human leukemia cell line). Almost all the synthesized pyrido[3,4-b]phenazinediones showed greater cytotoxic potential than ellipticine (IC(50)=1.82-5.97 microM). In general, the cytotoxicity of the pyrido[3,4-b]phenazinediones was higher than that of the corresponding chloroisoquinolinediones. The caco-2 cell permeability of selected compounds was 0.62 x 10(-6)-35.3 x 10(-6)cm/s. The difference in cytotoxic activity among tested compounds was correlated with the difference in permeability to some degree. To further investigate the cytotoxic mechanism, the topoisomerase II inhibitory activity of the synthesized compounds was estimated by a plasmid cleavage assay. Most of compounds showed the topoisomerase II inhibitory activity (28-100%) at 200 microM. IC(50) values for the most active compound 6a were 0.082 microM. However, the compounds were inactive for DNA relaxation by topoisomerase I at 200 microM.     

Synthesis, cytotoxicity and topoisomerase inhibition properties of multifarious aminoalkylated indeno[1,2-c]isoquinolin-5,11-diones

A number of mono- or diaminoalkylated indeno[1,2-c]isoquinolin-5,11-diones analogs of 1 were synthesized and evaluated for their DNA binding affinities, topoisomerase inhibition properties and antiproliferative activities against human cancer cell lines (HL60). Impact of the side chain connected to the aromatic D ring and to the N6 lactam position on the biological profile will be discussed.     

Active-site-directed reductive alkylation of xanthine oxidase by imidazo[4,5-g]quinazoline-4,9-diones functionalized with a leaving group

A new class of purine antimetabolites, directed toward xanthine oxidase, was designed by employing some of the features found in the bioreductive alkylator mitomycin C. The design involved functionalizing the purine-like imidazo[4,5-g]quinazoline ring system as a quinone (4,9-dione) bearing a 2 alpha leaving group. Due to the presence of the electron-deficient quinone ring, the leaving group cannot participate in alkylation reactions. Reduction to the hydroquinone (4,9-dihydroxy) derivative, however, permits elimination of the leaving group to afford an alkylating quinone methide. In spite of the electronic differences, both quinone and hydroquinone derivatives of the imidazo[4,5-g]quinazoline system are able to enter the purine-utilizing active site of the enzyme. Thus, the hypoxanthine-like quinone derivative [2-(bromomethyl)-3-methylimidazo[4,5-g]quinazoline-4,8, 9(3H, 7H)-trione] and its hydroquinone derivative can act as reducing substrates for the enzyme, resulting in conversion to the xanthane-like 6-oxo derivatives. Hydrolysis studies described herein indicate that the hypoxanthine-like hydroquinone derivative eliminates HBr to afford an extended quinone methide species. The observed alkylation of the enzyme by this derivative may thus pertain to quinone methide generation and nucleophile trapping during enzymatic oxidation at the 6-position. Enzymatic studies indicate that the hypoxanthine-like quinone is an oxidizing suicide substrate for the enzyme. Thus, the reduced enzyme transfers electrons to this quinone, and the resulting hydroquinone inactivates the enzyme. As with mitomycin C, reduction and quinone methide formation are necessary for alkylation by the title quinone. This system is therefore an example of a purine active-site-directed reductive alkylator.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Indeno[1,2-c]isoquinolin-5,11-diones conjugated to amino acids: Synthesis, cytotoxicity, DNA interaction, and topoisomerase II inhibition properties

Three series of indeno[1,2-c]isoquinolin-5,11-dione-amino acid conjugates were designed and synthesized. Amino acids were connected to the tetracycle through linkers with lengths of n=2 and 3 atoms using ester (series I), amide (series II), and secondary amine (series III) functions. DNA binding was evaluated by thermal denaturation and fluorescence measurements. Lysine and arginine substituted derivatives with n=3 provided the highest DNA binding. Arginine derivative 32 (n=2, series II) and glycine derivative 34 (n=2, series III) displayed high topoisomerase II inhibition. Incrementing the length of the N-6 side chain from two to three methylene units provided a significant increase in DNA affinity but a substantial loss in topoisomerase II inhibition. The most cytotoxic compounds toward HL60 leukemia cells were 19, 33, and 34 displaying micromolar IC(50) values. When tested with the topoisomerase II-mutated HL60/MX2 cell line, little variation of IC(50) values was found, suggesting that topoisomerase II might not be the main target of these compounds and that additional targets could be involved.     

Synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation of 2-amino- and 2-hidroxy-3-ethoxycarbonyl-N-substituted-benzo[f]indole-4,9-dione derivatives

Reaction between 2,3-dichloronaphthoquinone (I) and ethyl cyanoacetate or diethyl malonate under different conditions gave the starting materials, 2-chloro-3-(alpha-cyano-alpha-ethoxycarbonyl-methyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone (A) or 2-chloro-3-(diethoxycarbonyl-methyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone (B). The 2-amino-3-ethoxycarbonyl-N-substituted-benzo[f]indole-4,9-dione derivatives [A-(1-10)] and 2-hydroxy-3-ethoxycarbonyl-N-substituted-benzo[f]indole-4,9-dione derivatives [B-(1-12)] were prepared from compounds A and B, respectively, by using various alkyl-, and arylamines. The cytotoxic activities of the prepared compounds were evaluated by SRB (Sulforhodamine B) assay against the following tumor cell lines: A459 (human lung), SK-OV-3 (human ovarian), SK-MEL-2 (human melanoma), XF498 (human CNS), and HCT 15 (human colon). Many of the derivatives mentioned exhibited more potent cytotoxic effects against SK-OV-3 and XF498 than etoposide. Significantly, 2-amino-3-ethoxycarbonyl-N-(3-methyl-phenyl)-benzo[f]indole-4,9-dione (A-8) showed potent activity against all tumor cell lines, and in particular, its cytotoxic effect against SK-OV-3 was much higher than doxorubicin.     

Synthesis, cytotoxicity, DNA interaction and topoisomerase II inhibition properties of tetrahydropyrrolo[3,4-a]carbazole-1,3-dione and tetrahydropyrido-[3,2-b]pyrrolo[3,4-g]indole-1,3-dione derivatives.

Three tetrahydropyrrolo[3,4-a]carbazole-1,3-diones (6--8) and two tetrahydropyrido[3,2-b]pyrrolo[3,4-g]indole-1,3-diones (11--12) have been synthesized. Their interaction with DNA was probed by absorption and thermal melting studies. Compounds 8 and 12 both equipped with a hydroxyethyl-aminoethyl side-chain demonstrated higher affinities for poly(dA-dT)(2) than compounds 6, 7 and 11 bearing a dimethylaminoethyl side-chain. Circular and electric linear dichroism measurements showed that all five drugs behave as typical DNA intercalating agents. A plasmid cleavage assay was used to evaluate the capacity of the drugs to inhibit human topoisomerase II. Compounds 8 and 12 which bind strongly to DNA were found to stabilize DNA-topoisomerase II covalent complexes but their topoisomerase II inhibitory properties do not correlate with their cytotoxic potential. Compounds 6 and 7 are essentially inactive whereas compounds 8, 11 and 12 exhibit a high toxicity to P388 murine leukemia cells and provoke a marked accumulation in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. These compounds form a new class of DNA-targeted antitumor agents.     

2-Substituted-1-(2-morpholinoethyl)-1H-naphtho[2,3-d]imidazole-4,9-diones: Design,synthesis and antiproliferative activity

Thirty-six of novel compounds 2-substituted-1-(2-morpholinoethyl)-1H-naphtho[2,3-d]imidazole-4,9-diones, bearing a N-(2-morpholinoethyl) group and a 2-substituted imidazole segment on a naphthoquinone skeleton, were designed, synthesized and tested as anticancer agents. Cytotoxicity was evaluated in vitro against three human cancer cell lines: human breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7), human cervical carcinoma cell line (Hela), and human lung carcinoma cell line (A549); and one normal cell line: mouse fibroblast cell line (L929). Among them, the compound 2-(3-chloro-4-methoxyphenyl)-1-(2-morpholinoethyl)-1H-naphtho[2,3-d]imidazole-4,9-dione showed good antiproliferative activity against MCF-7, Hela and A549 (IC₅₀ values are equal to 10.6?μM, 8.3?μM and 4.3?μM respectively) and low cytotoxicity to L929 (IC₅₀ value is equal to 67.3?μM).     

Synthesis and inotropic evaluation of 1-substituted-N-(4,5-dihydro-1-methyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinolin-7-yl)piperidine-4-carboxamides

A series of 1-substituted-N-(4,5-dihydro-1-methyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinolin-7-yl) piperidine-4-carboxamides has been synthesized and evaluated for positive inotropic activity by measuring left atrium stroke volume in isolated rabbit-heart preparations. Some of these derivatives exhibited favorable activity compared with the standard drug, milrinone, among which 1-(2-fluorobenzyl)-N-(4,5-dihydro-1-methyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinolin-7-yl)piperidine-4-carboxamide 6a was the most potent, increasing stroke volume by 11.92 ± 0.35% (milrinone: 6.36 ± 0.13%) at 1 × 10^?4 M.     

Synthesis and anticonvulsant activity evaluation of 6-substituted-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-a](tetrazolo[5,1-a])phthalazine derivatives

With the aim of finding new anticonvulsant drugs, new 6-substituted-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-a] (tetrazolo[5,1-a]) phthalazine derivatives (1–34) have been designed and synthesized. All the compounds were evaluated for their anticonvulsant activities using the maximal electroshock test (MES). Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited potent anticonvulsant activities in the MES. The most promising compound 14 showed significant anticonvulsant activity in MES test with ED₅₀ value of 9.3 mg/kg. It displayed a wide margin of safety with protective index much higher than the standard drug Carbamazepine. And the potency of compound 14 against seizures induced by Pentylenetetrazole, Isoniazid, Thiosemicarbazide and 3-Mercaptopropionic acid in the chemical-induced seizure tests suggested that compound 14 displayed wide spectrum of activity in several models.     

Synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation of 6,11-dihydro-pyridazo- and 6,11-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-b]phenazine-6,11-diones

The 6,11-dihydro-pyridazo[2,3-b]phenazine-6,11-dione and 6,11-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-b]phenazine-6,11-dione derivatives were synthesized from 6,7-dichloro-5,8-phthalazinedione and 6,7-dichloro-5,8-quinolinedione, respectively, producing a series of new anticancer drugs. The cytotoxic activities of the prepared compounds were evaluated by a SRB (Sulforhodamine B) assay against the following tumor cell lines: A459 (human lung), SK-OV-3 (human ovarian), SK-MEL-2 (human melanoma), XF498 (human CNS), and HCT 15 (human colon). Almost all the derivatives of the 6,11-dihydro-pyridazo[2[,3-b]phenazine-6,11-dione and 6,11-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-b]phenazine-6,11-dione, tetracyclic heteroquinone analogues with four or three nitrogen atoms, exhibited excellent cytotoxicity on almost all the human tumor cell lines tested. Specifically, 6,11-dihydro-pyridazo[2,3-b]phenazine-6,11-dione (4a) exhibited potent activity against all the tumor cell lines, and in particular, its cytotoxic effect against HCT 15 (ED(50)=0.004 microg/mL) was 25 times greater than that of doxorubicin (ED(50)=0.093 microg/mL).     

Synthesis and antihypertensive activity of novel 3-benzyl-2-substituted-3H-[1,2,4]triazolo[5,1-b]quinazolin-9-ones

A series of 3-benzyl-2-substituted-3H-[1,2,4]triazolo[5,1-b]quinazolin-9-ones have been synthesized by the cyclocondensation of 3-amino-2-benzylamino-3H-quinazolin-4-one with a variety of one-carbon donors. The starting material 3-amino-2-benzylamino-3H-quinazolin-4-one was synthesized from methyl anthranilate by a novel innovative route. The title compounds were evaluated for their in vivo antihypertensive activity using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). While all the test compounds exhibited significant antihypertensive activity, 3-benzyl-2-methyl-3H-[1,2,4]triazolo[5,1-b] quinazolin-9-one exhibited antihypertensive activity more than the reference standard prazocin.     

Synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of 7-alkoxyl-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinolines

A series of 7-alkoxyl-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoline derivatives was synthesized using 6-hydroxy-3,4-dihydro-1H-quinolin-2-one as a starting material. Their anticonvulsant activities were evaluated by the maximal electroshock test (MES test) and the subcutaneous (s.c.) pentylenetetrazol test (scMet test), and their neurotoxicity was evaluated by the rotarod neurotoxicity test (Tox). MES and scMet tests show that 7-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoline 4l was found to be the most potent with ED50 value of 11.8 and 6.7 mg kg(-1) and protective index (PI = TD50/ED50) value of 4.6 and 8.1, respectively.     

Anticonvulsant and toxicity evaluation of some 7-alkoxy-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoline-1(2H)-ones

To further investigate anticonvulsant activity of quinoline derivatives, a series of 7-alkoxy-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoline-1(2H)-one derivatives was synthesized starting from 7-hydroxyl-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinoline. In initial (phase I) screening and quantitative (phase II) evaluation, compound 7-benzyloxyl-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]thiazolo[4,3-a]quinoline-1(2H)-one (3f) was among the most active but also has the lowest toxicity. In the anti-MES potency test, it showed median effective dose (ED(50)) of 12.3 mg/kg, median toxicity dose (TD(50)) of 547.5 mg/kg, and the protective index (PI) of 44.5, which is much greater than PI of the prototype drugs phenytoin, phenobarbital, carbamazepin, and valproate. Compound 3f was chosen for further evaluation. In phase III pharmacological test, the compound had median hypnotic dose (HD(50)) and median lethal dose (LD(50)) of 1204 mg/kg and >3000 mg/kg, respectively, thus demonstrating much greater margin of safety compared to prototype drugs. The compound 3f also showed significant oral activity against MES-induced seizures and low oral neurotoxicity in mice in phase IV pharmacological test. Possible structure-activity relationship was discussed.     

Synthesis and positive inotropic activity of N-(4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinolin-7-yl)-2-(piperazin-1-yl)acetamide derivatives

A series of N-(4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinolin-7-yl)-2-(piperazin-1-yl)acetamide derivatives were synthesized and their positive inotropic activity was evaluated by measuring left atrium stroke volume on isolated rabbit heart preparations. Several compounds showed favorable activity compared with the standard drug, milrinone, among which N-(1-benzyl-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinolin-7-yl)-2-(4-benzylpiperazin-1-yl)acetamide 6j was found to be the most potent with the 13.2% increased stroke volume (milrinone 4.7%) at concentration of 3x10(-5) M in our in vitro study. The chronotropic effects of those compounds having inotropic effects were also evaluated in this work.     

Synthesis of 1,6,7,8-tetrahydro-naphtho[2,3-d]-azepino[4,5-b]indole-9,14-diones and their inhibitory effects on pro-inflammatory cytokines

A rapid route to a series of naphthoquinone-fused indole derivatives via irradiation in a modified commercial domestic microwave is reported. The desired products were produced in high yields and short reaction times. The naphthoquinone-fused indole derivatives were evaluated for their pro-inflammatory cytokines responses using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 murine macrophages. The results showed that most of the tested compounds inhibit the production of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin (PG)E₂, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β in RAW264.7 cells treated with LPS.     

Cytotoxicity and topoisomerase I/II inhibition of glycosylated 2-phenyl-indoles, 2-phenyl-benzo[b]thiophenes and 2-phenyl-benzo[b]furans

A panel of glycosylated DNA binding agents (1-12) designed as functional anthracycline mimics was screened against three solid-tumor cell lines (MCF-7, HT 29 and HepG2/C3A) and three non-tumor cell lines by the MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) cell viability assay. Several compounds showed better in vitro cytotoxicity and selectivity against MCF-7 cells than daunomycin and doxorubicin, two known DNA binding agents that are clinically-used anti-cancer agents. Although the selectivity for HT 29 and HepG2/C3A cells is generally lower, the IC₅₀ values of some analogs against these two cancer cell lines were of the same magnitude as doxorubicin. Because there was no correlation between DNA binding affinity and cytotoxicity, and because topoisomerase (Topo) inhibition is another biological mechanism of action of most anthracycline drugs, Topo I/II inhibition assays with 1-12 were performed. Some of the compounds showed strong inhibition against these enzymes at 100 ??M, but there was no clear correlation between cytotoxicity and Topo I/II inhibition ability. Topo I/II inhibition mode assays were also performed, which verified that these compounds are topoisomerase suppressors, not poisons. Based on these results, we conclude that although DNA binding and/or topoisomerase inhibition may contribute to the observed cytotoxicity of 1-12, other mechanisms of action are also likely to be important.     

Cytotoxic activity toward KB cells of 2-substituted naphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-diones and their related compounds

We investigated the cytotoxic activity of 2-substituted naphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-diones. We have previously synthesized 33 types of 2-substituted and related compounds, and the cytotoxic activity of these compounds was then examined by a KB cell culture assay. 2-(3-Furanoyl)benzoic acids and 1,4-naphthoquinones had no activity. 2-Acetyl-4,9-dimethoxynaphtho[2,3-b]furan 4 showed low activity. However, parent naphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-dione 2 and most 2-substituted derivatives exhibited cytotoxic activity. The parent structure was therefore for cytotoxicity. 2-Formylnaphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-dione 11 had particularly potent activity (ED50=0.09 microg/ml).