Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of 2‐(2‐Bromo‐3‐nitrophenyl)‐5‐phenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole Derivatives as Possible Anti‐Breast Cancer Agents

Breast Cancer (BCa) is the most often diagnosed cancer among women who were in the late 1940’s. Breast cancer growth is largely dependent on the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptor. Breast cancer cells may have one, both, or none of these receptors. The treatment for breast cancer may involve surgery, hormonal therapy (Tamoxifen, an aromatase inhibitor, etc.) and oral chemotherapeutic drugs. The molecular docking technique reported the findings on the potential binding modes of the 2‐(2‐bromo‐3‐nitrophenyl)‐5‐phenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives with the estrogen receptor (PDB ID: 3ERT). The 1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives 4a – 4j have been synthesized and described by spectroscopic method. 2‐(2‐Bromo‐6‐nitrophenyl)‐5‐(4‐bromophenyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( 4c ) was reconfirmed by single‐crystal XRD. All the compounds have been tested in combination with generic Imatinib pharmaceutical drug against breast cancer cell lines isolated from Caucasian woman MCF‐7, MDA‐MB‐453 and MCF‐10A non‐cancer cell lines. The compounds with the methoxy (in 4c ) and methyl (in 4j ) substitution were shown to have significant cytotoxicity, with 4c showing dose‐dependent activation and decreased cell viability. The mechanism of action was reported by induced apoptosis and tested by a DNA enzyme inhibitor experiment (ELISA) for Methyl Transferase. Molecular dynamics simulations were made for hit molecule 4c to study the stability and interaction of the protein?ligand complex. The toxicity properties of ADME were calculated for all the compounds. All these results provide essential information for further clinical trials.     

Design,Synthesis, and Antifungal Activities of Novel 1,2,4‐Triazole Schiff Base Derivatives

With the aim to find new compounds with high antifungal activity, 21 4‐amino‐5‐substituted‐1,2,4‐triazole Schiff bases ( 2a  –  2g , 3a  –  3g , and 4a  –  4g ) were designed and synthesized. Their antifungal activities against Pythium solani, Gibberlla nicotiancola, Fusarium oxysporium f. sp. niveum, Gibberlla saubinetii, Alternaria iycopersici, Phytophthora capsici, Physalospora piricola, Cercospora arachidicola hori, and Fusarium oxysporium f. sp. cucumber were tested, parts of the compounds exhibited excellent antifungal activity. This research provides useful information for further study of antifungal agents.     

Design,Synthesis, and Insecticidal Activities of Novel meta-Diamide Compounds Containing Ethyl Acetate and Their Derivatives

In this study, a series of meta-diamide compounds containing ethyl acetate group and their derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their insecticidal activities against Plutella xylostella, Spodoptera frugiperda and Alfalfa sprouts were evaluated. Preliminary bioassays showed that some of the title compounds exhibited excellent insecticidal activities. Especially compound ethyl N-(3-((2-bromo-4-(perfluoropropan-2-yl)-6-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)carbamoyl)-2-fluorophenyl)-N-(4-cyanobenzoyl)glycinate and ethyl N-(3-((2-bromo-4-(perfluoropropan-2-yl)-6-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)carbamoyl)-2-fluorophenyl)-N-(6-fluoronicotinoyl)glycinate showed 100 % mortality at 0.1 mg/L against Plutella xylostella and Spodoptera frugiperda, same to broflanilide. Their LC₅₀ against Plutella xylostella is 0.286 mg/L and 0.0218 mg/L, respectively. Moreover, compound ethyl N-(3-((2-bromo-4-(perfluoropropan-2-yl)-6-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)carbamoyl)-2-fluorophenyl)-N-(6-fluoronicotinoyl)glycinate displayed faster control efficacy than broflanilide at 0.1 mg/L. The results indicated that meta-diamide compounds containing ethyl acetate group could be developed as novel and promising insecticides.     

Synthesis and in Vitro Antimicrobial Activity Screening of New 3‐Acetyl‐2,5‐disubstituted‐1,3,4‐oxadiazoline Derivatives

Thirteen new 3‐acetyl‐2,5‐disubstituted‐1,3,4‐oxadiazoline derivatives were synthesized from corresponding hydrazide‐hydrazones of isonicotinic acid in the reaction with acetic anhydride. The obtained compounds were identified with the use of spectral methods (IR, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, MS). In vitro antimicrobial activity screening of synthesized compounds against a panel of bacteria and fungi revealed interesting antibacterial and antifungal activity of tested 1,3,4‐oxadiazoline derivatives, which is comparable to that of commonly used antimicrobial agents.     

Synthesis and Antifungal Activities of Trichodermin Derivatives as Fungicides on Rice

Twenty new trichodermin derivatives, 2a – 5 , containing alkoxy, acyloxy, and Br groups in 4‐, 8‐, 9‐, 10‐ and 16‐positions were synthesized and characterized. The antifungal activities of the new compounds against rice false smut (Ustilaginoidea virens), rice sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani), and rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) were evaluated. The results of bioassays indicated that the antifungal activities were particularly susceptible to changes at 4‐, 8‐, and 16‐positions, but low to changes at 9‐ and 10‐positions. Most of these target compounds exhibited good antifungal activities at the concentration of 50 mg l^?1. Compound 4 (9‐formyltrichodermin; EC₅₀ 0.80 mg l^?1) with an CHO group at 9‐position displayed nearly the same level of antifungal activity against Ustilaginoidea virens as the commercial fungicide prochloraz (EC₅₀ 0.82 mg l^?1), while compound 3f ((8R)‐8‐{[(E)‐3‐phenylprop‐2‐enoyl]oxy}trichodermin; EC₅₀ 3.58 and 0.74 mg l^?1) with a cinnamyloxy group at C(8) exhibited much higher antifungal activities against Rhizoctonia solani and Magnaporthe grisea than the commercial fungicides prochloraz (EC₅₀ 0.96 mg l^?1) and propiconazole (EC₅₀ 5.92 mg l^?1), respectively. These data reveal that compounds 3f and 4 possess high antifungal activities and may serve as lead compounds for the development of fungicides in the future.     

Quinoline Based Monocarbonyl Curcumin Analogs as Potential Antifungal and Antioxidant Agents: Synthesis,Bioevaluation and Molecular Docking Study

In search for new fungicidal and free radical scavenging agents, we synthesized a focused library of 2‐chloroquinoline based monocarbonyl analogs of curcumin (MACs). The synthesized MACs were evaluated for in vitro antifungal and antioxidant activity. The antifungal activity was evaluated against five different fungal strains such as Candida albicans, Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Cryptococcus neoformans, respectively. Most of the synthesized MACs displayed promising antifungal activity compared to the standard drug Miconazole. Furthermore, molecular docking study on a crucial fungal enzyme sterol 14α‐demethylase (CYP51) could provide insight into the plausible mechanism of antifungal activity. MACs were also screened for in vitro radical scavenging activity using butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as a standard. Almost all MACs exhibited better antioxidant activity compared to BHT.     

Antifungal Activity,Structure-Activity Relationship and Molecular Docking Studies of 1,2,4-Triazole Schiff Base Derivatives

Fourteen novel Schiff base compounds ( AS-1 ∼ AS-14 ) containing 5-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxylic acid and substituted benzaldehyde were successfully synthesized, and their structures were verified by melting point, elemental analysis (EA) and spectroscopic techniques (Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)). In vitro hyphal measurements were used to investigate the antifungal activities of the synthesised compounds against Wheat gibberellic, Maize rough dwarf and Glomerella cingulate. The preliminary studies indicated that all compounds had good inhibitory effect on Wheat gibberellic and Maize rough dwarf, among which the compounds of AS-1 (7.44 mg/L, 7.27 mg/L), AS-4 (6.80 mg/L, 9.57 mg/L) and AS-14 (5.33 mg/L, 6.53 mg/L) showed better antifungal activity than that of the standard drug fluconazole (7.66 mg/L, 6.72 mg/L); while inhibitory effect against Glomerella cingulate was poor, only AS-14 (5.67 mg/L) was superior to that of fluconazole (6.27 mg/L). The research of structure-activity relationship exhibited that the introduction of halogen elements on the benzene ring and electron withdrawing groups at the 2,4,5 positions on the benzene ring was beneficial to the improvement of the activity against Wheat gibberellic, while the large steric hindrance was not conducive to the improvement of the activity. Additionally, except for AS-1 , AS-3 and AS-10 , the other compounds had one or several ratio systems to achieve synergistic effect after recombination with pyrimethamine, among which AS-7 had significant synergistic effect and was expected to be a combinated agent with application prospects. Finally, the molecular docking results of isocitrate lyase with Wheat gibberellic displayed that the presence of hydrogen bonds enabled stable binding of compounds to receptor proteins, and the residues of ARG A: 252, ASN A: 432, CYS A: 215, SER A: 436 and SER A: 434 were the key residues for their binding. Comparing the docking binding energy and biological activity results, it was revealed that the lower the docking binding energy was, the stronger the inhibitory ability of the Wheat gibberellic, when the same position on the benzene ring was substituted.     

Synthesis of Schiff Bases and Secondary Amines with Indane Skeleton; Evaluation of Their Antioxidant,Antibiotic, and Antifungal Activities

In this study, Schiff bases were synthesized by utilizing the reaction of 4- and 5-aminoindane with substituted benzaldehydes. After the reduction of isolated Schiff bases with NaBH₄, the corresponding secondary amine derivatives were obtained. The structures of all synthesized molecules were confirmed by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, FT-IR, and ESI-MS. Antioxidant activities of all synthesized molecules were investigated by DPPH method, and IC₅₀ values were calculated. In addition, antibacterial activities of targets were investigated by the well diffusion method, and then MIC99 values were calculated. While only four of the sixteen synthesized molecules showed a high level of antioxidant activity, all of the molecules exhibited biological activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria to varying degrees. In addition, all the synthesized molecules showed high antifungal activity. In antioxidant capacity studies, the IC₅₀ values of 2-(((2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-5-yl)amino)methyl)-6-methoxyphenol ( 4 d ) and 2-(((2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-4-yl)amino)methyl)-6-methoxyphenol ( 7 d ) were determined to be 18.1 μg and 35.1 μg, respectively, and these values are much stronger than BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) used as positive controls. The fact that targets have the same core structure with different substituents has revealed a good structure-activity relationship.     

Synthesis,characterization, and antimicrobial evaluation of some new hydrazinecarbothioamide, 1,2,4-triazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives

In this work, we reported the synthesis and evaluation of antibacterial and antifungal activities of three new compound series obtained from 6-(phenyl/4-chlorophenyl)imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole-3-acetic acid hydrazide: 2-{[6-(phenyl/4-chlorophenyl)imidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-3-yl]acetyl}-N-alkyl/arylhydrazinecarbothioamides (2a–d), 4-alkyl/aryl-2,4-dihydro-5-{[6-(phenyl/4-chlorophenyl)imidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-3-yl]methyl}-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones (3a–n), and 2-alkyl/arylamino-5-{[6-(phenyl/4-chlorophenyl)imidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-3-yl]methyl}-1,3,4-thiadiazoles (4a–g). The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR (APT), mass and elemental analysis. Their antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, C. parapsilosis ATCC 22019, C. krusei ATCC 6258, Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei NCPF 375, Microsporum gypseum NCPF 580, and T. tonsurans NCPF 245. 3c, 3f, 3m, 3n, and 4e showed the highest antibacterial activity. Particularly 3c, 3f, 3g, 3k, 3n, 4a, 4e, and 4g showed the highest antifungal activity against tested fungi.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Antifungal Activity of Boron‐Containing Thiosemicarbazones

Addition of thiosemicarbazide, 4‐allylthiosemicarbazide, and 4‐phenylthiosemicarbazide to (formylphenyl)boronic acids affords a series of thiosemicarbazones containing boronic acids. Addition of 2‐formylphenylboronic acid to the thiosemicarbazides gave the corresponding cyclic 2,3,1‐benzodiazaborines. All new compounds have been investigated for potential antifungal activity.     

Design,Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis and in Vitro Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of 2,5‐Disubstituted Benzimidazole

Seventeen novel 2,5‐disubstituted benzimidazole derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial activities. The tested compounds B1 – B4 and C2 – C6 exhibited not only good antifungal activity but also favorable broad‐spectrum antibacterial activity. Also, the lowest MIC of antibacterial and antifungal activity was 2 μg/mL and 4 μg/mL, respectively. It suggested that the structure of compound including the different substituent and its sites directly affected the efficacy of the synthesized compounds.     

Synthesis of a Natural Chalcone and Its Prenyl Analogs – Evaluation of Tumor Cell Growth‐Inhibitory Activities,and Effects on Cell Cycle and Apoptosis

Six prenyl (=3‐methylbut‐2‐en‐1‐yl) chalcones (=1,3‐diphenylprop‐2‐en‐1‐ones), 2 – 7 , and one natural non‐prenylated chalcone, 1 , have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro growth‐inhibitory activity against three human tumor cell lines. A pronounced dose‐dependent growth‐inhibitory effect was observed for all prenylated derivatives, except for 7 . The chalcone possessing one prenyloxy group at C(2′), i.e., 2 , was the most active derivative against the three human tumor cell lines (5.9<GI₅₀<7.7 μM ). The majority of compounds caused an increase in percentage of apoptotic cells and/or they interfered with cell cycle distribution in the MCF‐7 cell line.     

Synthesis and Antifungal Activity of 2‐Hydroxy‐4,5‐methylenedioxyaryl Ketones as Analogues of Kakuol

In a study aiming to determine the structural elements essential to the antifungal activity of kakuol, we synthesized a series of 2‐hydroxy‐4,5‐methylenedioxyaryl ketones, and we assayed their in vitro antifungal activity. The most sensitive target organisms to the action of these class of compounds were Phytophthora infestans, Phytium ultimum, Cercospora beticola, Cladosporium cucumerinum, and Rhizoctonia solani. Most of the analogs showed a remarkable in vitro activity, and some of them appeared significantly more effective than the natural product. The biological activity was mainly affected by introducing structural modification on the carbonyl moiety of the natural‐product molecule. In particular, compound 5a , bearing a C?C bond conjugated to the C?O group, was found active with a MIC value of 10 μg ml^?1 against Cladosporium cucumerinum. The results suggest that 2‐hydroxy‐4,5‐methylenedioxyaryl ketones can be considered promising candidates in the development of new antifungal compounds.     

Synthesis and Fungicidal Activities of New 1,2,4‐Triazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidines

A series of new acetohydrazone‐containing 1,2,4‐triazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidine derivatives were designed and synthesized for the purpose of searching for novel agrochemicals with higher fungicidal activity. Their in vitro fungicidal activities against Rhizoctonia solani were evaluated, and the most promising compound, 2‐[(5,7‐dimethyl[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidin‐2‐yl)sulfanyl]‐2′‐[(2‐hydroxyphenyl)methylidene]acetohydrazide ( 2‐17 ), showed a lower EC₅₀ value (5.34 μg ml^?1) than that of commercial carbendazim (EC₅₀=7.62 μg ml^?1). Additionally, compound 2‐17 was also found to display broad‐spectrum fungicidal activities, and its EC₅₀ value (4.56 μg ml^?1) against Botrytis cinereapers was very similar to that of carbendazim. Qualitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) of the synthesized compounds were also discussed.     

New 2‐Oxoimidazolidine Derivatives: Design,Synthesis and Evaluation of Anti‐BK Virus Activities in Vitro

A series of novel 2‐oxoimidazolidine derivatives were synthesized and their antiviral activities against BK human polyomavirus type 1 (BKPyV) were evaluated in vitro. Bioassays showed that the synthesized compounds 1‐{[(4E)‐5‐(dichloromethylidene)‐2‐oxoimidazolidin‐4‐ylidene]sulfamoyl}piperidine‐4‐carboxylic acid ( 5 ) and N‐Cyclobutyl‐N′‐[(4E)‐5‐(dichloromethylidene)‐2‐oxoimidazolidin‐4‐ylidene]sulfuric diamide ( 4 ) exhibited moderate activities against BKPyV (EC₅₀=5.4 and 5.5 μm , respectively) that are comparable to the standard drug Cidofovir. Compound 5 exhibited the same cytotoxicity in HFF cells and selectivity index (SI₅₀) as Cidofovir. The selectivity index of compound 4 is three times less than that of Cidofovir due to the higher toxicity of this compound. Hence, these compounds may be taken as lead compound for further development of novel ant‐BKPyV agents.     

Synthesis and Antioxidant Ability of Novel Derivatives Based on para‐Coumaric Acid Containing Isobornyl Groups

A series of novel esters and amides was synthesized on the basis of para‐coumaric acid containing isobornyl groups in ortho‐positions relative to the phenolic hydroxy group. Antioxidant properties of the obtained compounds were evaluated and compared on in vitro models: radical‐scavenging ability, antioxidant activity on a substrate containing the lipids of animal brain, cytotoxicity of red blood cells, antioxidant and membrane‐protective properties on the model of oxidative red blood cells hemolysis. Statistically significant relationship was established between the antioxidant activity of the studied compounds in model system containing animal lipids and the parameters reflecting their antioxidant properties on the model of H₂O₂‐induced hemolysis of red blood cells. It was determined that an amide with a morpholine fragment has the highest antioxidant activity. The specified derivative significantly surpassed the reference substances (parent acid, BHT) and was not inferior to the effective antioxidant 2,6‐diisobornyl‐4‐methylphenol in terms of its properties.     

Synthesis,Antimicrobial Activity and Molecular Docking Study of Novel α‐(Diphenylphosphoryl)‐ and α‐(Diphenylphosphorothioyl)cycloalkanone Oximes

A series of novel α‐(diphenylphosphoryl)‐ and α‐(diphenylphosphorothioyl)cycloalkanone oximes have been synthesized in search for novel bioactive molecules. Their structures were characterized by various spectroscopic methods including IR, NMR (¹H, ³¹P, ¹³C), mass spectrometry and single crystal X‐ray diffraction. The newly synthesized phosphorus‐containing oximes were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against Gram‐positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis), Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium) and fungal strains (Candida albicans and Candida glabrata). The biological assays showed that all the studied compounds exhibited high antibacterial and antifungal activities at only 0.1–2.1 μg/mL. In silico molecular docking studies in FabH enzyme active site were performed in order to predict the possible interaction modes and binding energies of the drug candidates at the molecular level.     

Design,Synthesis, and Antifungal Activities of Novel Carboxamides Derivatives Bearing a Chalcone Scaffold as Potential SDHIs

In search for SDHIs fungicides, twenty-five novel carboxamides containing a chalcone scaffold were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for antifungal activities against five pathogenic fungi. The results showed that compound 5 k exhibited outstanding antifungal activity against R. solani with an EC₅₀ value of 0.20 μg/mL, which was much better than that of commercial SDHIs Boscalid (EC₅₀=0.74 μg/mL). Moreover, compound 5 k also displayed promising antifungal activities against S. sclerotiorum, B. cinerea, and A. alternate (IC₅₀=2.53–4.06 μg/mL), indicating that 5 k had broad-spectrum antifungal activity. Additionally, in vivo antifungal activities results showed that 5 k could significantly inhibit the growth of R. solani in rice leaves with good protective efficacy (57.78 %) and curative efficacy (58.45 %) at 100 μg/mL, both of which were much better than those of Boscalid, indicating a promising application prospect. Moreover, SEM analysis showed that compound 5 k could remarkably disrupt the typical structure and morphology of R. solani hyphae. Further SDH enzyme inhibition assay and molecular docking study revealed that lead compound 5 k had a similar mechanism of action as commercial SDHI Boscalid. These results indicated that compound 5 k showed potential as a SDHIs fungicide and deserved further investigation.     

Design,Synthesis and in Vitro Tumor Cytotoxicity Evaluation of 3,5‐Diamino‐N‐substituted Benzamide Derivatives as Novel GSK‐3β Small Molecule Inhibitors

Glycogen synthase kinase‐3 (GSK‐3) plays an important regulatory role in various signaling pathways; such as PI3 K/AKT, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. At present, the most reported active GSK‐3 inhibitors have the same structure: lactam ring or amide structure. To find out the GSK‐3β small molecule inhibitor with novel, safe, efficient and more uncomplicated synthesis method, we analyzed in‐depth reported crystal‐binding patterns of GSK‐3β small molecule inhibitor with GSK‐3β protein, and designed and synthesized 17 non‐reported 3,5‐diamino‐N‐substituted benzamide compounds. Their structures were confirmed by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, and HR‐MS. The preliminary screening of tumor cytotoxicity of compounds in vitro was detected by MTT, and their structure–activity relationships were illustrated. The results have shown that 3,5‐diamino‐N‐[3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]benzamide ( 4d ) exhibited significant tumor cytotoxicity against human colon cancer cells (HCT‐116) with IC₅₀ of 8.3 μm and showed commendable selectivity to GSK‐3β. In addition, Compound 4d induced apoptosis to some extent and possessed modest PK properties.     

Design,Synthesis and Molecular Docking of 1,3,4-Oxadiazole-2(3H)-thione Derivatives Containing 1,4-Benzodioxane Skeleton as Potential FabH Inhibitors

Fatty acid biosynthesis is essential for bacterial survival. Of these promising targets, β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase III (FabH) is the most attractive target. A series of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2(3H)-thione derivatives containing 1,4-benzodioxane skeleton targeting FabH were designed and synthesized. These compounds were determined by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, MS and further confirmed by crystallographic diffraction study for compound 7m and 7n . Most of the compounds exhibited good inhibitory activity against bacteria by computer-assisted screening, antibacterial activity test and E. coli FabH inhibitory activity test, wherein compounds 7e and 7q exhibited the most significant inhibitory activities. Besides, compound 7q showed the best E. coli FabH inhibitory activity (IC₅₀=2.45 μΜ). Computational docking studies also showed that compound 7q interacts with FabH critical residues in the active site.