Synthesis and biological evaluation of a new series of N-acyldiamines as potential antibacterial and antifungal agents

In continuation of our efforts to find new antimicrobial compounds, series of fatty N-acyldiamines were prepared from fatty methyl esters and 1,2-ethylenediamine, 1,3-propanediamine or 1,4-butanediamine. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis), Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and for their antifungal activity against four species of Candida (C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis). Compounds 5a (N-(2-aminoethyl)dodecanamide), 5b (N-(2-aminoethyl)tetracanamide) and 6d (N-(3-aminopropyl)oleamide) were the most active against Gram-positive bacteria, with MIC values ranging from 1 to 16 μg/mL and were evaluated for their activity against 21 clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus. All the compounds exhibited good to moderate antifungal activity. Compared to chloramphenicol, compound 6b displayed a similar activity (MIC₅₀ = 16 μg/mL). A positive correlation could be established between lipophilicity and biological activity.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity of novel 1-substituted phenyl 3-(2-oxo-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl) β-carbolines and their Mannich bases

A series of novel 1-(substituted phenyl)-3-(2-oxo-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl) β-carbolines (4a–e) and the corresponding Mannich bases 5–9(a–c) were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antitumor activity against seven human cancer cell lines. Compounds of 4a–e series showed a broad spectrum of antitumor activity, with GI₅₀ values lower than 15 μM for five cell lines. The derivative 4b, having the N,N-dimethylaminophenyl group at C-1, displayed the highest activity with GI₅₀ in the range of 0.67–3.20 μM. A high selectivity and potent activity were observed for some Mannich bases, particularly towards resistant ovarian (NCI-ADR/RES) cell lines (5a, 5b, 6a, 6c and 9b), and ovarian (OVCAR-03) cell lines (5b, 6a, 6c, 9a, 9b and 9c). In addition, the interaction of compound 4b with DNA was investigated by using UV and fluorescence spectroscopic analysis. These studies indicated that 4b interact with ctDNA by intercalation binding.     

Design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel 1-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrazino[1,2-a]indole-3-carboxamide analogs in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell lines

A series of novel 1-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrazino[1,2-a]indole-3-carboxamide analogs were designed and synthesized for developing pyrazinoindolone scaffolds as anti-breast cancer agents. Compounds 1h and 1i, having a furan-2-yl-methylamide and benzylamide group, respectively, exhibited more potent cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-468 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells than compounds possessing aliphatic groups. Compounds 2a and 2b, as (R)-enantiomers of 1h and 1i, also had inhibitory activity against MDA-MB-468 cells. Moreover, analogs (3a–b and 3d–e) bearing a benzyl group at the N-2 position showed more potent activity than gefitinib, as a potent EFGR-TK inhibitor. Especially, compound 3a exhibited selective cytotoxic activity against MDA-MB-468 cells; it also had a synergistic effect in combination with gefitinib against MDA-MB-468 cells. In addition, we confirmed that compounds 3a and 3d inhibit phosphorylation of Akt in MDA-MB-468 cells using western blot analysis. Therefore, these 1-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrazino[1,2-a]indole-3-carboxamide analogs may be helpful for investigating new anti-TNBC agents.     

Inhibition of cholinesterase and monoamine oxidase-B activity by Tacrine–Homoisoflavonoid hybrids

A series of Tacrine–Homoisoflavonoid hybrids were designed, synthesised and evaluated as inhibitors of cholinesterases (ChEs) and human monoamine oxidases (MAOs). Most of the compounds were found to be potent against both ChEs and MAO-B. Among these hybrids, compound 8b, with a 6 carbon linker between tacrine and (E)-7-hydroxy-3-(4-methoxybenzylidene)chroman-4-one, proved to be the most potent against AChE and MAO-B with IC₅₀ values of 67.9 nM and 0.401 μM, respectively. This compound was observed to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in a parallel artificial membrane permeation assay for the BBB (PAMPA-BBB). The results indicated that compound 8b is an excellent multifunctional promising compound for development of novel drugs for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).     

New amide linked dimeric 1,2,3-triazoles bearing aryloxy scaffolds as a potent antiproliferative agents and EGFR tyrosine kinase phosphorylation inhibitors

A search for potent antiproliferative agents has prompted to design and synthesize aryloxy bridged and amide linked dimeric 1,2,3-triazoles (7a–j) by using 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between 2-azido-N-phenylacetamides (4a–e) and bis(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)benzenes (6a–b) via copper (I)-catalyzed click chemistry approach with good to excellent yields. All the newly synthesized compounds have been screened for their in vitro antiproliferative activities against two human cancer cell lines. The compounds 7d, 7e, 7h, 7i and 7j have revealed promising antiproliferative activity against human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), whereas, the compounds 7a, 7b, 7c, 7i and 7j were observed as potent antiproliferative agents against human lung cancer cell line (A-549). The active compounds against MCF-7 have been also analysed for their mechanism of action by the enzymatic study, which shows that the compounds 7d, 7h and 7j were acts as active EGFR tyrosine kinase phosphorylation inhibitors. In support to this biological study, the molecular docking as well as in silico ADME properties of all the newly synthesized hybrids were predicted.     

Synthesis and evaluation of new 4-oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)benzoic acid and benzamide derivatives as potent antibacterial agents effective against multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Treatment of nosocomial and community acquired Staphylococcus aureus infections has become more challenging due to the egression of multi-drug resistance. This has spurred the need for rapid development of new therapeutic agents which can effectively negate the resistance mechanisms. In our current work, several new 4-oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)benzoic acid and benzamide derivatives were synthesized and examined for their antimicrobial activity against ESKAP pathogen panel and pathogenic mycobacteria. In the primary screening, compounds 4a, 4b, 6′a, 6′b, 6′h, 6′i and 6′j were found to demonstrate selective and potent inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus (MICs = 0.25–0.5 µg/mL). When tested against Vero cells, all the compounds were found to be non toxic possessing favourable selectivity index (SI > 10), which encouraged us for carrying out further studies. Compound 6′a (SI > 40) was tested against a number of multiple clinical strains of multi-drug resistant S. aureus and was found to exhibit potent activity, irrespective of the resistant status of the strain. Besides, compound 6′a also exhibited concentration dependent bactericidal activity and synergized with the FDA approved drugs tested. The interesting results obtained suggest the potential utility of the newly synthesized compounds for treatment of multidrug resistant S. aureus infections.     

Design,synthesis, and in vitro antiprotozoal,antimycobacterial activities of N-{2-[(7-chloroquinolin-4-yl)amino]ethyl}ureas

We have synthesized a new series of quinoline tripartite hybrids from chloroquine, ethambutol, and isoxyl drugs, using a short synthetic route. Compounds 1–8 were tested in vitro against five protozoa (Giardia intestinalis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Entamoeba histolytica, Leishmania mexicana and Trypanosoma cruzi) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. N-(4-Butoxyphenyl)-N′-{2-[(7-chloroquinolin-4-yl)amino]ethyl}urea (6) was the most active compound against all parasites tested. Compound 6 was 670 times more active than metronidazole, against G. intestinalis. It was as active as pentamidine against L. mexicana, and it was twofold more potent than ethambutol and isoxyl versus M. tuberculosis. This compound could be considered as a new broad spectrum antimicrobial agent.     

Design,synthesis and molecular modeling studies of new series of s-triazine derivatives as antimicrobial agents against multi-drug resistant clinical isolates

Three novel series of s-triazine derivatives, including thirty-five new compounds 2a-d, 3a-3p, 4b-d, 5b-d, 6d-6d, and 7a-7f were synthesized comprising a diversity of substituents based on the structure of Astrazeneca arylaminotriazine DNA gyrase B inhibitor. The antimicrobial activity was determined for all compounds against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans using the two-fold serial dilution technique and against reference standards Ampicillin for the antibacterial screening and Clotrimazole regarding the antifungal evaluation. The tested compounds showed strong to moderate antibacterial inhibitory action and weak antifungal activity. Compounds 3j and 6b were the most potent antibacterial agents against the tested strains and multi-drug resistant (MDR) clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA1) with minimal toxicity in comparison to the reference drugs. In silico molecular properties calculations and molecular docking study for 3j and 6b revealed that both compounds could be considered as promising antibacterial DNA gyrase B inhibitors.     

Synthesis and antifungal activity of imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine derivatives against phytopathogenic fungi

A series of 3,6-disubstituted imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine derivatives have been synthesized and characterized with spectroscopic analyses. The antifungal activities of these compounds against nine phytopathogenic fungi were evaluated by the mycelium growth rate method. The in vitro antifungal bioassays indicated that most of compounds displayed excellent and broad-spectrum antifungal activities. Especially, compounds 4a, 4c, 4d, 4l and 4r exhibited 1.9–25.5 fold more potent than the commercially available fungicide hymexazol against Corn Curvalaria Leaf Spot (CL), Alternaria alternate (AA), Pyricularia oryzae (PO) and Alternaria brassicae (AB) strains. Structure-activity relationship analysis showed that the enhanced antifungal activity is significantly affected by the substituents on the benzene ring and pyridazine ring.     

Novel substituted (Z)-5-((N-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)imidazolidine-2,4-diones and 5-((N-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)pyrimidine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-triones as potent radio-sensitizing agents

A series of (Z)-5-((N-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)imidazolidine-2,4-dione (9a–9m) and 5-((N-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)pyrimidine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione (10a–10i) derivatives that incorporate a variety of aromatic substituents in both the indole and N-benzyl moieties have been synthesized. These analogs were evaluated for their radiosensitization activity against the HT-29 cell line. Three analogs, 10a, 10b, and 10c were identified as the most potent radiosensitizing agents.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of some new substituted purine derivatives

A series of 8,9-disubstituted adenines (4, 5, 8), 6-substituted aminopurines (10–13) and 9-(p-fluorobenzyl/cyclopentyl)-6-substituted aminopurines (16, 17, 19–30) have been prepared and the antimicrobial activities of these compounds against Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA, standard and clinical isolate), Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans were evaluated. 6-[(N-phenylaminoethyl)amino]-9H-purine (12) which has no substitution at N-9 position and 9-cyclopentyl-6-[(4-fluorobenzyl)amino]-9H-purine (24) exhibited excellent activity against C. albicans with MIC 3.12 μg/mL. These compounds displayed better antifungal activity than that of standard oxiconazole. Furthermore, compound 22 carrying 4-chlorobenzylamino group at the 6-position of the purine moiety exhibited comparable antibacterial activity with that of the standard ciprofloxacin against both of the drug-resistant bacteria (MRSA, standard and clinical isolate).     

Benzimidazole tethered pyrrolo[3,4-b]quinoline with broad-spectrum activity against fungal pathogens

Fungal infections caused by Candida and Cryptococcus are particularly dangerous for immunocompromised individuals. In this study, we identified that benzimidazole fused pyrrolo[3,4-b]quinoline compounds have potent antifungal activity against several clinical isolates of pathogenic fungal strains. Specifically, the compound 6a did not show cytotoxicity against mammalian cells at a concentration that inhibits the growth of fungal strains. In addition, the compound 6a also significantly reduced the metabolic activity of fungal cells in the Candida albicans biofilms. Collectively, our results indicate that benzimidazole fused quinoline compounds have a potential to develop as an antifungal agents.     

Synthesis of novel dihydrotriazine derivatives bearing 1,3-diaryl pyrazole moieties as potential antibacterial agents

Three novel series of dihydrotriazine derivatives bearing 1,3-diaryl pyrazole moieties were designed, synthesized and evaluated in terms of their antibacterial and antifungal activities. Most of the synthesized compounds showed potent inhibition of several Gram-positive bacterial strains (including multidrug-resistant clinical isolates) and Gram-negative bacterial strains with minimum inhibitory concentration values in the range of 1–64?µg/mL. Compounds 4b and 4c presented the most potent inhibitory activity against Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus 4220, MRSA 3167, QRSA 3519) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli 1924), with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 1 or 2?µg/mL. Compared with previous studies, these compounds exhibited a broad spectrum of inhibitory activity. The cytotoxic activity of the compounds 4a, 4b, 4c and 11n were assessed in L02 cells. In vitro enzyme study implied that compound 4c exerted its antibacterial activity through DHFR inhibition.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of novel semicarbazone-selenochroman-4-ones hybrids as potent antifungal agents

A series of novel 2,3-dihydro-4H-1-benzoselenin-4-one (thio)semicarbazone derivatives were designed and synthesized by using molecular hybridization approach. All the target compounds were characterized by HRMS and NMR and evaluated in vitro antifungal activity against five pathogenic strains. In comparison with precursor selenochroman-4-ones, the hybrid molecules in this study showed significant improvement in antifungal activities. Notably, compound B8 showed significant antifungal activity against other strains excluding Aspergillus fumigatus (0.25 μg/mL on Candida albicans, 2 μg/mL on Cryptococcus neoformans, 8 μg/mL on Candida zeylanoides and 2 μg/mL on fluconazole-sensitive strains of Candida albicans). Moreover, compounds B8, B9 and C2 also displayed most potent activities against four fluconazole-resistance strains. Especially the MIC values of the hybrid molecule B8 against fluconazole-resistant strains were in the range of 0.5–2 μg/mL. Therefore, the molecular hybridization approach in this study provided new ideas for the development of antifungal drug.     

Discovery of novel arylpyrazole series as potent and selective opioid receptor-like 1 (ORL1) antagonists

The synthesis and biological evaluation of new potent opioid receptor-like 1 antagonists are presented. A structure–activity relationship (SAR) study of arylpyrazole lead compound 1 obtained from library screening identified compound 31, (1S,3R)-N-{[1-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)-5-(5-fluoro-6-methylpyridin-3-yl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl]methyl}-3-fluorocyclopentanamine, which exhibits high intrinsic potency and selectivity against other opioid receptors and hERG potassium channel.     

Structure–activity relationship study of nitrosopyrimidines acting as antifungal agents

The design, synthesis, in vitro evaluation, and conformational study of nitrosopyrimidine derivatives acting as antifungal agents are reported. Different compounds structurally related with 4,6-bis(alkyl or arylamino)-5-nitrosopyrimidines were evaluated. Some of these nitrosopyrimidines have displayed a significant antifungal activity against human pathogenic strains. In this paper, we report a new group of nitrosopyrimidines acting as antifungal agents. Among them, compounds 2a, 2b and 15, the latter obtained from a molecular modeling study, exhibited antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Cryptococcus neoformans. We have performed a conformational and electronic analysis on these compounds by using quantum mechanics calculations in conjunction with Molecular Electrostatic Potentials (MEP) obtained from B3LYP/6–31G(d) calculations. Our experimental and theoretical results have led us to identify a topographical template which may provide a guide for the design of new nitrosopyrimidines with antifungal effects.     

Synthesis and evaluation of the antibacterial activities of aryl substituted dihydrotriazine derivatives

Five series of dihydrotriazine derivatives containing chalcone (13a–i), phenoxy acetophenone (14a–b), benzyl benzene (15a–c), naphthoxyl acetophenone (16a–b) and benzyl naphthalene (17a–h) moieties were designed and synthesized. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of these compounds were evaluated against several strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as a single fungus. Compound 17h was found to be the most potent of all of the compounds tested, with an MIC value of 0.5?μg/mL against several Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus 4220 and QRSA CCARM 3505) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli 1924) strains of bacteria. However, this compound was inactive against Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2742 and Salmonella typhimurium 2421, indicating that its antibacterial spectrum is similar to those of the positive controls gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin. The cytotoxic activity of the compound 13i, 16b and 17h was assessed in Human normal liver cells.     

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,antileishmanial activity and docking study of N′-substitutedbenzylidene-2-(6,7-dihydrothieno[3,2-c]pyridin-5(4H)-yl)acetohydrazides

A series of N′-substitutedbenzylidene-2-(6,7-dihydrothieno[3,2-c]pyridin-5(4H)-yl)acetohydrazide derivatives is synthesized and evaluated for antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani promastigotes. Compounds 9a and 9i were shown significant antileishmanial when compared with standard sodium stilbogluconate. Antimicrobial study revealed that compound 9b has potent as well as broad spectrum antibacterial activity when compared with ampicillin and compound 9e showed promising antifungal activity when compared with miconazole. Also, none of the synthesized compounds showed cytotoxicity up to tested concentration. Further, docking study against pteridine reductase 1 enzyme of L. donovani showed good binding interactions. ADME properties of synthesized compounds were also analyzed and showed potential to develop as good oral drug candidates.     

Design,synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of JDTic analogs to examine the significance of replacement of the 3-hydroxyphenyl group with pyridine or thiophene bioisosteres

The potent and selective KOR antagonist JDTic was derived from the N-substituted trans-3,4-dimethyl-4-(3-hydroxyphenyl)piperidine class of pure opioid antagonists. In previous studies we reported that compounds that did not have a hydroxyl on the 3-hydroxyphenyl group and did not have methyl groups at the 3- and 4-position of the piperidine ring were still potent and selective KOR antagonists. In this study we report JDTic analogs 2, 3a–b, 4a–b, and 5, where the 3-hydroxyphenyl ring has been replaced by a 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridyl or 3-thienyl group and do not have the 3-methyl or 3,4-dimethyl groups, remain potent and selective KOR antagonists. Of these, (3R)-7-hydroxy-N-(1S)-2-methyl-[4-methyl-4-pyridine-3-yl-carboxamide (3b) had the best overall binding potency and selectivity in a [³⁵S]GTPγS functional assay, with a K_e = 0.18 nM at the KOR and 273- and 16,700-fold selectivity for the KOR relative to the MOR and DOR, respectively. Calculated physiochemical properties for 3b suggest that it will cross the blood–brain barrier.