Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of novel 2-thiazolylimino-5-arylidene-4-thiazolidinones

New 2-thiazolylimino-5-arylidene-4-thiazolidinones (compounds 4a-j), unsubstituted or carrying hydroxy, methoxy, nitro and chloro groups on the benzene ring, were synthesized and assayed in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, yeasts and mould. The compounds were very potent towards all tested Gram positive microorganisms (MIC ranging from 0.03 to 6 microg/mL in most of the cases) and Gram negative Haemophilus influenzae (MIC 0.15-1.5 microg/mL), whereas no effectiveness was exhibited against Gram negative Escherichia coli and fungi up to the concentration of 100 microg/mL. The 5-arylidene derivatives showed an antibacterial efficacy considerably greater than that of the parent 2-(thiazol-2-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-one 3, suggesting that the substituted and unsubstituted 5-arylidene moiety plays an important role in enhancing the antimicrobial properties of this class of compounds. The remarkable inhibition of the growth of penicillin-resistant staphylococci makes these substances promising agents also for the treatment of infections caused by microorganisms resistant to currently available drugs.     

Synthesis and evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of derivatives of the marine natural products fuscol and eunicol

The octocoral-derived terpenes fuscol and eunicol are known, potent anti-inflammatory agents. While total syntheses of one of the parent natural products have been published, the economic and practical feasibility of producing commercially viable amounts of material is very low. Based on the observation that the characteristic dienol of fuscol, eunicol and related compounds is conserved in anti-inflammatory activity, this project aimed to remove the structural complexity of the substituted cyclohexane and cyclodecadiene of fuscol and eunicol, respectively. The synthesis of a small panel of structurally simpler fuscol/eunicol analogues was completed and five of the six new compounds were found to have slightly superior activity to the parent natural products.     

Synthesis and antiviral properties of novel indole-based thiosemicarbazides and 4-thiazolidinones

A novel series of indolylthiosemicarbazides (6a–6g) and their cyclization products, 4-thiazolidinones (7a–7g), have been designed, synthesized and evaluated, in vitro, for their antiviral activity against a wide range of DNA and RNA viruses. Compounds 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d exhibited notable antiviral activity against Coxsackie B4 virus, at EC₅₀ values ranging from 0.4 to 2.1 μg/mL. The selectivity index (ratio of cytotoxic to antivirally effective concentration) values of these compounds were between 9 and 56. Besides, 6b, 6c and 6d also inhibited the replication of two other RNA viruses, Sindbis virus and respiratory syncytial virus, although these EC₅₀ values were higher compared to those noted for Coxsackie B4 virus. The SAR analysis indicated that keeping the free thiosemicarbazide moiety is crucial to obtain this antiviral activity, since the cyclization products (7a–7g) did not produce any antiviral effect.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity of 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives

A series of 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives was prepared and evaluated for antitumor activity. The key fragments were 2a-c, 5c, 12b, 13b, 17, and 18 which were prepared via dianion ring cyclization, Friedel-Crafts acylation, and Reformatsky reaction. Compound 20b showed the most potent antitumor activity among the total 12 derivatives and compounds 19a and 19b exhibited efficacy comparable to etoposide in vitro antitumor activity.     

2-Heteroarylimino-5-benzylidene-4-thiazolidinones analogues of 2-thiazolylimino-5-benzylidene-4-thiazolidinones with antimicrobial activity: synthesis and structure-activity relationship

2-Heteroarylimino-5-benzylidene-4-thiazolidinones, unsubstituted or carrying hydroxy, methoxy, nitro and chloro groups on the benzene ring, were synthesised and assayed in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria, yeasts and mould. The antimicrobial activity of the 2-benzo[d]thiazolyl- and of the 2-benzo[d]isothiazolyl-imino-5-benzylidene-4-thiazolidinones is, on the whole, lower in comparison with the high activity detected for the derivatives of the 2-thiazolylimino-5-benzylidene-4-thiazolidinone class. Nevertheless most of the benzo[d]thiazole analogues display good inhibition of the growth of gram positive bacilli and staphylococci, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus strains. Among the 2-benzo[d]isothiazole analogues a few derivatives show a strong and selective activity against bacilli. Moreover, it is worth noting that the replacement of the thiazole nucleus for the benzo[d]thiazole bicyclic system in the parent 2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-one leads to significant antifungal properties against both yeasts and moulds, properties not shown by the analogous 2-thiazolyl- and 2-benzo[d]isothiazolyl-imino)thiazolidin-4-ones. The structure-activity relationship of 33 analogues possessing the 2-heteroarylimino-4-thiazolidinone structure is analysed through QSAR models.     

Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of novel derivatives of 4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin

Nine novel 4beta-N-substituted-5-FU-4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as potential antitumor agents. All of the target compounds showed more significant cytotoxic activity against HL-60 and A-549 in vitro than VP-16 and 5-FU. Among them, 4beta-N-substituted-phenylalanine 5-Fu pentyl ester-4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin (9 g) was found to exhibit most potent cytotoxic activity against HL-60 and A-549 cell (IC50 is 0.04 and <0.01 microM, respectively).     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of 4'-O-heteroarylcarbamoyl derivatives of macrolide

A series of novel 4'-position modified macrolide derivatives has been synthesized via a facile procedure. Their in vitro antibacterial activities against constitutively erythromycin-resistant strains were evaluated. Among the derivatives tested, compound 8a which has 11,12-carbamate and 4'-O-heteroarylcarbamoyl groups was found to have potent activity against most resistant bacteria.     

Synthesis of new benzofuran-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one derivatives from natural sources and study of their antioxidant activity

Synthesis of benzofuran-1,3-thiazolidinone derivatives is described herein. These compounds were prepared via a concise and short route by condensation reaction of khellinone with aromatic/aliphatic amines followed by cyclization using thioglycolic acid. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized using the well known spectroscopic tools (IR, ¹H NMR, and mass spectroscopy), as well as microanalysis. In frames of biological screening of the compounds, antioxidant activity was assessed in vitro.     

Synthesis and antitubercular activity of 7-chloro-4-quinolinylhydrazones derivatives

A series of twenty-one 7-chloro-4-quinolinylhydrazones (3a–u) have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. The compounds 3f, 3i and 3o were non-cytotoxic and exhibited an important minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) activity (2.5 μg/mL), which can be compared with that of the first line drugs, ethambutol (3.12 μg/mL) and rifampicin (2.0 μg/mL). These results can be considered an important start point for the rational design of new leads for anti-TB compounds.     

Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of non-naturally substituted 4-oxycoumarin derivatives

Coumarins are a large family of natural and synthetic compounds exerting different pharmacological effects, including cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial. In the present communication we report the synthesis of a series of 12 diversely substituted 4-oxycoumarin derivatives including methoxy substituted 4-hydroxycoumarins, methyl, methoxy or unsubstituted 3-aryl-4-hydroxycoumarins and 4-benzyloxycoumarins and their anti-proliferative effects on breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7), human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60), human histiocytic lymphoma cells (U937) and mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro2a). The most potent bioactive molecule was the 4-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxycoumarin (compound 1) which showed similar potency (IC(50) 0.2-2μM) in all cancer cell lines tested. This non-natural product reveals a simple bioactive scaffold which may be exploited in further studies.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity of indolylpyrimidines: marine natural product meridianin D analogues

Marine indole alkaloid meridianin D analogues have been synthesized starting from the appropriate 3-cyanoacetyl indole. A facile two-step conversion of 3-cyanoacetyl indole to the corresponding cyano meridianin D analogue by treatment with dimethylformamide-dimethylacetal and further cyclization of the resulting enaminonitrile with aminoguanidine is described. Then, alkaline hydrolysis of cyano meridianin D afforded the carboxylic acid analogue. The treatment of acid with 75% H(2)SO(4) afforded the desired 6-debromomeridianin D. Simply treatment of cyano meridianin D analogue with hydrazine hydrate afforded the amidrazone analogue. The biological evaluation indicated that cyano analogue showed good cytotoxic activity with IC(50) values of 0.85 and 2.65microg (against MCF7 and HeLa, respectively), but acid and amidrazone analogues showed high cytotoxicity with IC(50) values of 0.75 and 0.25microg, respectively (against MCF7).     

Design and an efficient synthesis of natural product-based cyclopenta[b]pyran derivatives with potential bioactivity

A series of 4-aryl-cyclopenta[b]pyran derivatives, designed based on natural product scaffold, were synthesized efficiently via multi-component reaction under solvent-free and catalyst-free conditions. This chemistry provides a new compound library with potential activity for biomedical screening.     

Synthesis and biological activity of 4'-methoxy derivatives of abscisic acid

Replacing the 4'-carbonyl group of abscisic acid with a methoxy group does not affect the abscisic acid (ABA)-like activities of the product in barley aleurone protoplasts, although the reduction of ABA to 4'-hydroxyl derivatives significantly reduces the ABA-like activity of the products. This suggests that methoxy derivatives of abscisic acid might be used to produce probes for ABA binding proteins.     

Synthesis and antibiofilm evaluation of 3-hydroxy-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives against opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

The emergence of multidrug resistant microorganisms has triggered the impending need for new aitimicrobial strategies. The antivirulence strategy with the benefite of alleviating the drug resistance becomes the focus of research. In this study, 22 quorum sensing inhibitors were synthesized by mimicking the structure of autoinducer and acinetobactin and up to 34% biofilm inhibition was observed with 5u. The biofilm inhibition effect was further demonstrated with extracellular polysaccharides inhibition and synergism with Gentamycin sulphate.     

The in vitro antibiofilm activity of selected marine bacterial culture supernatants against Vibrio spp.

The aim of the work is to investigate the effect of marine bacterial culture supernatants on biofilm formation of Vibrio spp., a major menace in aquaculture industries. Vibrio spp. biofilm cause life-threatening infections in humans and animals. Forty-three marine bacterial culture supernatants were screened against the hydrophobicity index, initial attachment and biofilm formation in Vibrio spp. Twelve culture supernatants showed antibiofilm activity. The bacterial culture supernatants S8-07 (Bacillus pumilus) and S6-01 (B. indicus) inhibited the initial attachment, biofilm formation and dispersed the mature biofilm at 5% v/v concentration without inhibiting the growth. Analysis by light microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that the architecture of the biofilm was destroyed by bacterial supernatants when compared to the control. The bacterial supernatants also reduce the surface hydrophobicity of Vibrio spp. which is one of the important requirements for biofilm formation. Further characterization of antibiofilm activity in S8-07 culture supernatant confirmed that it is an enzymatic activity and the size is more than 10 kDa and in S6-01, it is a heat-stable, non-protein compound. Furthermore, both the supernatants failed to show any biosurfactant activity. The culture supernatants of S8-07 and S6-01 with promising antibiofilm property have potential for application in medicine and marine aquaculture.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity of novel 6,7,8-trimethoxy N-aryl-substituted-4-aminoquinazoline derivatives

A series of 6,7,8-trimethoxy N-aryl-substituted-4-aminoquinazoline derivatives were synthesized as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, and their antitumor activities were assessed in the gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 using MTT assay. All compounds of Tg1–14 were found to inhibit SGC7901 cell proliferation, and compound Tg11 (IC₅₀?=?0.434?μM) was found to be slightly more effective against SGC7901 cells than epirubicin (IC₅₀?=?5.16?μM). This suggests that compound Tg11 can be used as a new substitution structure to develop more efficacious antitumor agents. Western blot analysis showed that treatment with Tg11 (40?μM for 30?min) resulted in near complete inhibition of EGF-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation, indicating that its anti-proliferative effect is largely associated with inhibition of ERK1/2 activation. These data imply that Tg11 is a potential anticancer agent capable of inhibiting cell proliferation.     

Synthesis of 5-enamine-4-thiazolidinone derivatives with trypanocidal and anticancer activity

A series of novel 2-(5-aminomethylene-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)-3-phenylpropionic acid ethyl esters has been synthesized. Target compounds were evaluated for their trypanocidal activity towards Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Several hit-compounds (8, 10, 12) inhibited growth of the parasites at sub-micromolar concentrations (IC₅₀ 0.027–1.936 µM) and showed significant selectivity indices (SI = 108–1396.2) being non-toxic towards the human primary fibroblasts. The screening of anticancer activity in vitro within NCI DTP protocol allowed to identify active 2-(5-{[5-(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)-thiazol-2-ylamino]-methylene}-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)-3-phenylpropionic acid ethyl ester 14 that demonstrated inhibition against all 59 human tumor cell lines with the average GI₅₀ value of 2.57 μM. It was established that the activity type (antitrypanosomal or anticancer) as well as its level depends on the character of enamine fragment in the C5 position of thiazolidinone core.     

Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of 5-arylidene-3-hydroxyalkyl-2-phenylimino-4-thiazolidinones with antidegenerative activity on human chondrocyte cultures

5-Arylidene-3-hydroxyalkyl-2-phenylimino-4-thiazolidinones (7,8) were synthesized and evaluated for their antidegenerative activity on human chondrocyte cultures stimulated by IL-1β. This in vitro model has proven to be a useful experimental model to reproduce the mechanisms involved in arthritic diseases. The cell viability, the amount of GAGs, the production of NO and PGE₂ and the inhibition of MMP-3 were measured. Several thiazolidinones 7 and 8 exhibited the ability to block the production or action of the degenerative factors induced by IL-1β.     

Synthesis and antiplasmodial activity of new heteroaryl derivatives of 7-chloro-4-aminoquinoline

With the aim to investigate the effect of different heterocyclic rings linked to the 4-aminoquinoline nucleus on the antimalarial activity, a set of 7-chloro-N-(heteroaryl)-methyl-4-aminoquinoline and 7-chloro-N-(heteroaryl)-4-aminoquinoline was synthesized and tested in vitro against D-10 (CQ-S) and W-2 (CQ-R) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. All compounds exhibited from moderate to high antiplasmodial activities. The activity was strongly influenced both by the presence of a methylenic group, as a spacer between the 4-aminoquinoline and the heterocyclic ring, and by the presence of a basic head. The most potent molecules inhibited the growth of both CQ-S and CQ-R strains of P. falciparum with IC₅₀ < 30 nM and were not toxic against human endothelial cells. These results confirm that the presence of an heteroaryl moiety in the side chain of 7-chloro-4-aminoquinoline is useful for the design and development of new powerful antimalarial agents.     

Design,synthesis, and antibiofilm activity of 2-arylimino-3-aryl-thiazolidine-4-ones

A series of novel 2-arylimino-3-aryl-thiazolidine-4-ones was designed, synthesized and tested for in vitro antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis. Among them tested, some compounds with carboxylic acid groups showed good antibiofilm activity. The antibiofilm concentration of 1x was 6.25 μM. The structure–activity relationships revealed that incorporation of 2-phenylfuran moiety could greatly enhance antibiofilm activity of thiazolidine-4-one.