Relationship between lipophilicity and antitumor activity of molecule library of Mannich ketones determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, clogP calculation and cytotoxicity test

A series of Mannich ketones were synthesized in order to study the relative importance of structure and specific substitutions in relation to their lipophilicity and antitumor activity. Substitutions were carried out with morpholinyl, pirrolidinyl, piperidyl and tetrahydro-isoquinolyl groups in various positions on three different skeletons. Lipophilicity of Mannich ketones was characterised by chromatography data (log k') and by software calculated parameters (clogP). Compounds were tested on their ability to inhibit the proliferation of the A431 human adenocarcinoma cell line evaluated by MTT and apoptosis assays. The results suggest that the higher the lipophilicity values (log k' and clogP), the higher the antitumor and apoptotic activity of Mannich ketones. Determination of lipophilicity by measuring the log k' or by calculating the clogP values of the compounds may help to predict their biological activities.     

Characterization of lipophilicity and antiproliferative activity of E-2-arylmethylene-1-tetralones and their heteroanalogues

A molecular library based on E-2-arylmethylene-1-tetralone has been designed and synthesized. A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method has been developed and applied to separate them and to characterize their lipophilicity. The chromatographic method applied here was suitable to separate the structural (ortho and para) isomers of compounds and was sensitive enough to differentiate their lipophilicities. The measured (k') and computer calculated (CLOGP) lipophilicity values has been compared. Good linear correlation has been found in the case of these structurally related molecules. In vitro biological assay has been performed with Methylene blue dying to investigate the antiproliferative potency of the compounds synthesized in this work. The measured (k') and calculated (CLOGP) lipophilicities of the compounds were compared with the antiproliferative activities and an optimum value of lipophilicity has been found for these compounds.     

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: aromatic and heterocyclic sulfonamides incorporating adamantyl moieties with strong anticonvulsant activity

A series of aromatic/heterocyclic sulfonamides incorporating adamantyl moieties were prepared by reaction of aromatic/heterocyclic aminosulfonamides with the acyl chlorides derived from adamantyl-1-carboxylic acid and 1-adamantyl-acetic acid. Related derivatives were obtained from the above-mentioned aminosulfonamides with adamantyl isocyanate and adamantyl isothiocyanate, respectively. Some of these derivatives showed good inhibitory potency against two human CA isozymes involved in important physiological processes, CA I, and CA II, of the same order of magnitude as the clinically used drugs acetazolamide and methazolamide. The lipophilicity of the best CA inhibitors was determined and expressed as their experimental log k' IAM and theoretical ClogP value. Their lipophilicity was propitious with the crossing of the blood-brain barrier (log k' > IAM > 1.35). The anticonvulsant activity of some of the best CA inhibitors reported here has been evaluated in a MES test in mice. After intraperitoneal injection (30 mg kg(-1)), compounds A8 and A9 exhibited a high protection against electrically induced convulsions (> 90%). Their ED50 was 3.5 and 2.6 mg kg(-1), respectively.     

Backbone cyclic peptide antagonists, derived from the insect pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide, inhibit sex pheromone biosynthesis in moths.

We describe an application of the backbone cyclization and cycloscan concept for the design and synthesis of pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) antagonists capable of inhibiting sex pheromone biosynthesis in Heliothis peltigera female moths. Two backbone cyclic (BBC) sub-libraries were designed and synthesized. The structure of the first sub-library ([Arg27]PBAN27-33NH2, termed the Ser sub-library) was based on the active C-terminal hexapeptide sequence (Tyr-Phe-Ser-Pro-Arg-Leu-NH2) of PBAN1-33NH2, which was found to comprise its active core. The second sub-library ([Arg27, D-Phe30]PBAN27-33NH2, termed the D-Phe sub-library) was based on the sequence of the lead antagonist Arg-Tyr-Phe-(D)Phe-Pro-Arg-Leu-NH2. In both sub-libraries the Pro residue was replaced by an Nalpha(omega-amino-alkyl)Gly building unit having various lengths of the alkyl chain. All the cyclic peptides in each sub-library had the same primary sequence and the same location of the ring. The members of each library differed from each other by the bridge size and bridge chemistry. Screening of the two libraries for pheromonotropic antagonists resulted in the disclosure of four compounds that fully inhibited sex pheromone biosynthesis at 1 nmol and were devoid of agonistic activity. All antagonistic peptides originated from the D-Phe sub-library. Substitution of the D-Phe30 amino acid with a Ser resulted in a loss of antagonistic activity. Agonistic activities were exhibited by peptides from both sub-libraries.     

Comparison of measured and calculated lipophilicity of substituted aurones and related compounds

A molecule library containing 55 aurone- and thioaurone-type structures has been designed and synthesised. Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method has been developed to separate these compounds and to characterise their lipophilicity by experimental method (k'). The experimental lipophilicity data have been compared with the computer calculated lipophilicity parameters (CLOGPs) of the same molecules. In general, good correlations between the measured and calculated lipophilicities have been found with the exception of structure isomers and compounds capable for hydrogen bonding. The chromatographic method was suitable to separate the structure (ortho and para) isomers of aurone and thioaurones and was sensitive enough to differentiate their lipophilicities. Our findings suggest the usefulness of the chromatographic method in fast characterisation of the lipophilicity of structurally closely related molecules.     

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of coumarins designed as potential fluorescent zinc sensors

A series of coumarin analogs, designed and synthesised as potential fluorescent zinc probes were evaluated for their biological activity as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents. The effect of the synthesised compounds on inflammation, using the carrageenin-induced rat paw oedema model, was studied. In general, the compounds were found to be potent anti-inflammatory agents (26.5-64%). Compound 5 was found to interact significantly with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl stable free radical (DPPH) whereas the remainder were inactive in this assay. The compounds inhibit in general the soybean lipoxygenase and scavenge superoxide anion radicals. The anti-inflammatory activity seems to be connected with their reducing activity. Their RM values were determined as an expression of their lipophilicity. Theoretical calculations of their lipophilicity as clog P were performed indicating that only a poor relationship exists between their lipophilicity and anti-inflammatory activity.     

Lipophilicity and antiproliferative activity profiling of 2-benzylidencycloalkanones

High performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed to separate the members of a library including 24 benzylidenecycloalkanone-type structures and to characterize their lipophilicity. The experimental lipophilicity data (k) of the compounds have been compared with their calculated lipophilicity parameters (CLOGP). In general, good correlations between the measured and calculated lipophilicities have been found and these results were in good accordance with our previously data obtained in case of structurally related molecular libraries. In addition, cytotoxicity screening has been performed to determine the antiproliferative activity of these compounds. Some of the investigated compounds possessed noticeable inhibitory potential. Based on the correlation between the antiproliferative activity and experimentally determined lipophilicity of the molecules investigated, limited structural demands to obtain more potent compounds can be exhibited to support the synthetic design.     

Biological Evaluation of Several Coumarin Derivatives Designed as Possible Anti-inflammatory/Antioxidant Agents

Several linear and angular coumarins designed and synthesised as possible anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents were evaluated for their biological activities, using the carrageenin-induced rat paw oedema model. In general, the compounds were found to be potent anti-inflammatory agents. Compound (4) was found to possess protective properties in adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. The compounds were found to interact with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl stable free radical (DPPH) whereas most of them were essentially inactive in other tests. The anti-inflammatory activity seemed to be connected with their reducing activity. R M values were determined as an expression of their lipophilicity which was also calculated as clog P. Only a poor relationship existed between lipophilicity and anti-inflammatory activity.     

Biological evaluation of several coumarin derivatives designed as possible anti-inflammatory/antioxidant agents

Several linear and angular coumarins designed and synthesised as possible anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents were evaluated for their biological activities, using the carrageenin-induced rat paw oedema model. In general, the compounds were found to be potent anti-inflammatory agents. Compound (4) was found to possess protective properties in adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. The compounds were found to interact with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl stable free radical (DPPH) whereas most of them were essentially inactive in other tests. The anti-inflammatory activity seemed to be connected with their reducing activity. R(M) values were determined as an expression of their lipophilicity which was also calculated as clog P. Only a poor relationship existed between lipophilicity and anti-inflammatory activity.     

Calculation of lipophilicity for Pt(II) complexes: experimental comparison of several methods

Platinum containing compounds are promising antitumor agents, but must enter cells before reaching their main biological target, namely DNA. Their distribution within the body, and hence their activity is to a large extent determined by their lipophilicity, thus there is a strong interest to develop computational methods to predict this important property. This study analyses accuracy of five methods, namely ALOGPS, KOWWIN, CLOGP and two quantum chemical approaches, to predict octanol/water partition coefficients (log P) for sets of 43 and 12 Pt(II) complexes, collected from the literature and measured by the authors, respectively. All methods gave generally poor results with mean absolute error (MAE) of between 0.8 and 3 log units for prediction of new compounds. Extension of the ALOGPS program with data from the literature set resulted in the best prediction ability, MAE = 0.46, for the measured molecules. The program was also able to correctly predict errors in calculated log P values. It is freely available for interactive use at http://www.vcclab.org.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of new 2-substituted 5,7-di-tert-butylbenzoxazoles

Various synthetic pathways of the 30 novel 2-substituted 5,7-di-tert-butylbenzoxazoles as new potential antimicrobial drugs are discussed. The 28 intermediates are described as well. The compounds were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectra, MS spectra, IR/UV spectra and by means of CHN analysis. The purity of the final compounds was checked by HPLC and their lipophilicity (log K) was also determined by means of RP-HPLC. In the present study, the correlation between RP-HPLC retention parameter log K (the logarithm of capacity factor K) and various calculated log P data is shown. The target compounds were tested for their in vitro antimycobacterial activity. Several compounds showed antituberculotic activity comparable with or higher than the standard isoniazide. In vitro cytotoxicity testing of the most active benzoxazoles and isoniazide as a reference drug was performed using MTT assay and compared with isoniazide as a reference drug. Structure-activity relationships among the chemical structures, the physical properties and the biological activities of the evaluated compounds are discussed in the article.     

Application of the concept of oxime library screening by mass spectrometry (MS) binding assays to pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid derivatives as potential inhibitors of γ-aminobutyric acid transporter 1 (GAT1)

In the present study, the concept of oxime library screening by MS Binding Assays was successfully extended to N-substituted lipophilic pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid derivatives in the pursuit of varying the amino acid motif in order to identify new inhibitors for GAT1 and to broaden structure–activity-relationships for this target, the most abundant GABA transporter in the central nervous system. For the screening, 28 different oxime sub-libraries were employed that were generated by simple condensation reaction of an excess of pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid derivatives carrying a hydroxylamine functionality with various sub-libraries each assembled of eight aldehydes with broadly varying chemical structures and functionalities. The compounds responsible for the activity of an oxime sub-library were identified by deconvolution experiments performed by employing single oximes. Binding affinities of the oxime hits were confirmed in full-scale competitive MS Binding Assays. Thereby, oxime derivatives with a 1,1′-biphenyl moiety were found as the first inhibitors of mGAT1 comprising a pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid motif with affinities in the submicromolar range.     

Structure-activity relationship and docking studies of thiazolidinedione-type compounds with monoamine oxidase B

The neuroprotective activity of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone in the MPTP parkinsonian mouse prompted us to evaluate a set of thiazolidinedione (TZD) type compounds for monoamine oxidase A and B inhibition activity. These compounds were able to inhibit MAO-B over several log units of magnitude (82 nM to 600 μM). Initial structure-activity relationship studies identified key areas to modify the aromatic substituted TZD compounds. Primarily, substitutions on the aromatic group and the TZD nitrogen were key areas where activity was enhanced within this group of compounds.     

In vitro antitumour and hepatotoxicity profiles of Au(I) and Ag(I) bidentate pyridyl phosphine complexes and relationships to cellular uptake

In this study we characterised the in vitro antitumour and hepatotoxicity profiles of a series of Au(I) and Ag(I) bidentate phenyl and pyridyl complexes in a panel of cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell-lines, and in isolated rat hepatocytes. The gold and silver compounds overcame cisplatin-resistance in the CH1-cisR, 41M-cisR and SKOV-3 cell-lines, and showed cytotoxic potencies strongly correlated with their lipophilicity. Complexes with phenyl or 2-pyridyl ligands had high antitumour and hepatotoxic potency and low selectivity between different cell-lines. Their cytotoxicity profiles were similar to classic mitochondrial poisons and an example of this type of compound was shown to accumulate preferentially in the mitochondria of cancer cells in a manner that depended upon the mitochondrial membrane potential. In contrast, complexes with 3- or 4-pyridyl ligands had low antitumour and hepatotoxic potency and cytotoxicity profiles similar to 2-deoxy-D-glucose. In addition, they showed high selectivity between different cell-lines that was not attributable to variation in uptake in different cell-types. The in vitro hepatotoxic potency of the series of gold and silver compounds varied by over 61-fold and was closely related to their lipophilicity and hepatocyte uptake. In conclusion, Au(I) and Ag(I) bidendate pyridyl phosphine complexes demonstrate activity against cisplatin-resistant human cancer cells and in vitro cytotoxicity that strongly depends upon their lipophilicity.     

Efficient approach to acyloxymethyl esters of nalidixic acid and in vitro evaluation as intra-ocular prodrugs

Various alkylcarbonyloxymethyl esters of nalidixic acid ranging from 3 to 15 carbon units in the pro-moiety have been prepared and assessed as potential prodrugs. Their chromatographic retention factors k', silicone oil solubilities and in vitro conversion to nalidixic acid by a commercial esterase were determined together with their in vitro antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity. The preliminary results suggest that silicone oil may have potential for the intra-ocular delivery of antibacterial compounds. Moreover, the in vitro release rate can be controlled by the lipophilicity of the prodrug.     

Novel lipophilic 7H-pyrido[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazine-6-carboxylic acid derivatives as potential antitumor agents: improved synthesis and in vitro evaluation

A convenient route for the synthesis of some acyloxymethyl esters and carboxamides of levofloxacin (LV) with modulated lipophilicity is described. The synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro for their growth inhibitory effect in five human cancer cell lines. The most efficient LV derivatives (ester 2e and amide 4d) displayed IC(50) values in the 0.2-2.2 μM range, while IC(50) values for parent LV ranged between 70 and 622 μM depending on the cell line. The esters displayed no in vivo toxicity up to 80 mg/kg when administered intraperitoneally. This study thus shows that LV analogs displayed antitumor efficacy, at least in vitro, a feature that appeared to be independent from the lipophilicity of the grafted substituent.     

Heteroclitic recognition of combinatorial TX1TX2T peptide mixtures by mucin-2 protein specific monoclonal antibody.

The mucin-2 (MUC2) glycoprotein secreted by the epithelial cells of human colon may be abnormally under-glycosylated in the case of cancer. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) 994 raised against the immunogenic part of the protein core, recognizes malignant human colon tissues as well as pentapeptides with TX1TX2T motif present in MUC2. Using a combinatorial approach and ELISA experiments it was found that mAb 994 is able to recognize peptides of the sub-library TQTX2T very strongly, and to some extent also peptides from TETX2T, TLTX2T and TVTX2T sub-libraries. Binding studies with peptides corresponding to the TQTX2T and TETX2T sub-libraries showed that mAb 994 recognized only six peptides (IC50 = 9-208 micromol dm(-3)) from the 19 compounds of the TQTX2T sub-library and only three peptides (IC50 = 3500-16700 micromol dm(-3)) from the 'second-best' TETX2T sub-library. The most pronounced mAb binding occurred when Gln was in position X1 and it was much weaker in the case of Glu, Val or Leu. As for X2 amino acids, the presence of Pro, Ala can provide a strong, while Tyr, Trp, Phe and Ser a weaker, peptide-antibody interaction. Data from this study suggest that pentapeptide TQTPT, whose sequence is present in the native protein, is bound most strongly. However, almost identical binding properties were observed with peptide TQTAT, whose sequence is not present in the protein. Apart from this, some other 'heteroclitic' peptides were found with a different rank in the binding-hierarchy. Based on these peptides artificial compounds can be prepared as potential candidates for vaccine development. Results of this study also provide a rationale for understanding the molecular background of the heteroclitic nature of the MUC2 protein core specific mAb 994.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 7-hydroxy-4-phenylchromen-2-one–linked to triazole moieties as potent cytotoxic agents

A new series of novel 7-hydroxy-4-phenylchromen-2-one (1a)–linked 1,2,4-triazoles were synthesised using a click chemistry approach. All derivatives were subjected to 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity screening against a panel of six different human cancer cell lines (AGS, MGC-803, HCT-116, A-549, HepG2, and HeLa) to assess their cytotoxic potential. Among the tested molecules, some of the analogues showed better cytotoxic activity than that shown by the 7-hydroxy-4-phenylchromen-2-one (1a). Of the synthesised 1,2,4-triazoles,the 7-((4-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)methoxy)-4-phenyl-2H-chromen-2-one (4d) showed the best activity, with an IC₅₀ of 2.63?±?0.17?µM against AGS cells. Further flow cytometry assays demonstrated that compound 4d exerts its antiproliferative effects by arresting cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and by inducing apoptosis. Collectively, our results indicate that the 1,2,4-triazole derivatives have a significantly stronger antitumour activity than 1,2,3-triazole derivatives. Most of the compounds exhibited better antitumour activity than the positive control drug 5-fluorouracil.     

Structural requirements of salicylanilides for uncoupling activity in mitochondria: quantitative analysis of structure-uncoupling relationships

The uncoupling activities of more than 20 salicylanilides were measured in rat liver mitochondria. The activities, expressed as the minimum concentrations required for full release of state-4 respiration, ranged over three orders of magnitude. The acid dissociation constant, pKA, and the partition coefficient between octanol and water (Poct) of some of the salicylanilides were determined. These two parameters were found to be well expressed in terms of the Hammett constant, sigma, and the hydrophobic substituent coefficient, II, respectively. The pKA and log Poct values of all the salicylanilides were predicted according to these relationships. Furthermore, the capacity factor, k', on high-performance liquid chromatography was determined on glyceryl-coated-controlled pore glass (gly-CPG). Values of log k' correlated well with those of log Poct. The uncoupling activities of the salicylanilides were analyzed in terms of these three parameters. Both hydrophobic and electron-withdrawing properties were found to be essential for induction of potent uncoupling activity. The correlations using log k' were better than those using log Poct.     

Inhibition of Butyrylcholinesterase by Phenothiazine Derivatives

The inhibition of horse serum butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) by 10 phenothiazine or thioxanthene derivatives was studied with a purified enzyme. Most compounds were mixed inhibitors, but for some of them an apparent competitive inhibition was observed. The competitive inhibition constants (K i) were in the range 0.05 to 5 μM. The structures of the inhibitors were modeled by geometry optimization with the AM1 semi-empirical molecular orbital method and octanol/water partition coefficients were estimated with the CLOGP software. Quantitative structure-activity relationships identified lipophilicity, molecular volume, and electronic energies as the main determinants of inhibition. This quantitative model suggested hydrophobic and charge-transfer interactions of the phenothiazine ring with a tryptophan residue at the "anionic" site of the enzyme, and a hydrophobic interaction of the lateral chain with non-polar amino acids.