Isatin 1,2,3-triazoles as potent inhibitors against caspase-3

Sixteen disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles were prepared using the Huisgen cycloaddition reaction and evaluated as inhibitors against caspase-3. The two most potent inhibitors were found to be (S)-1-((1-(2,3-dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]dioxin-6-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)-5-((2-(methoxymethyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl)sulfonyl)indoline-2,3-dione (7f) and (S)-1-((1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)methyl)-5-((2-(methoxymethyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl)sulfonyl)indoline-2,3-dione (8g) with IC₅₀-values of 17 and 9 nM, respectively. Lineweaver-Burk plots revealed that these two triazoles show competitive inhibitory mechanism against caspase-3.     

Expansion of a novel lead targeting M. tuberculosis DHFR as antitubercular agents

A series of 1-(1-benzyl-2-methyl-5-((1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)-1H-indol-3-yl)ethanone and ethyl 1-benzyl-2-methyl-5-((1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)-1H-indole-3-carboxylate derivatives were designed based on bioisosteric replacement of previously reported antitubercular agent (IND-07). Twenty ligands were successfully synthesized and some of them were found to have good in vitro activity (MIC?<?10?μM) against the H₃₇Rv strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Among these compounds, KC-08 and KC-11 inhibited Mtb-DHFR with 4- and 18-fold selectivity for Mtb-DHFR over h-DHFR, respectively. Compound KC-11 display acceptable ADME, and better pharmacokinetic profiles than IND-07. Docking studies were performed to predict the binding mode of the compounds within the active site of Mtb-DHFR and h-DHFR. The results of our study suggest that compound KC-11 may serve as a valuable lead for the design and development of selective inhibitors of Mtb-DHFR with potential therapeutic application in tuberculosis.     

1,2,3-Triazole analogs of combretastatin A-4 as potential microtubule-binding agents

A series of cis-restricted 1,4- and 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole analogs of combretastatin A-4 (1) have been prepared. Cytotoxicity and tubulin inhibition studies showed that 2-methoxy-5-((5-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)methyl)aniline (5e) and 2-methoxy-5-(1-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)aniline (6e) were two of the most active compounds. Molecular modeling studies revealed that the N-2 and N-3 atoms in the triazole rings in 5e and 6e did not form hydrogen bonds with the amino acids in the anticipated pharmacophore.     

Design,synthesis and evaluation of 6-(4-((substituted-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)phenanthridine analogues as antimycobacterial agents

Focus in this Letter is made to design and synthesize a series of nineteen new 6-(4-((substituted-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)phenanthridine analogues employing click chemistry and evaluated for their anti-tubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. Among the tested compounds, 7f and 7j exhibited good activity (MIC = 3.125 μg/mL), while 8a displayed excellent activity (MIC = 1.56 μg/mL) against the growth of M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. In addition, 7f, 7j and 8a compounds were subjected to cytotoxic studies against mouse macrophage (RAW264.7) cell lines and the selectivity index values are >15 indicating suitability of compounds for further drug development.     

Design and synthesis of 1-(benzothiazol-5-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones as protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitors

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO, E.C. 1.3.3.4) is the action target for several structurally diverse herbicides. A series of novel 4-(difluoromethyl)-1-(6-halo-2-substituted-benzothiazol-5-yl)-3-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-ones 2a–z were designed and synthesized via the ring-closure of two ortho-substituents. The in vitro bioassay results indicated that the 26 newly synthesized compounds exhibited good PPO inhibition effects with K_i values ranging from 0.06 to 17.79 μM. Compound 2e, ethyl 2-{[5-(4-(difluoromethyl)-3-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-6-fluorobenzo-thiazol-2-yl]thio}acetate, was the most potent inhibitor with K_i value of 0.06 μM against mtPPO, comparable to (K_i = 0.03 μM) sulfentrazone. Further green house assays showed that compound 2f (K_i = 0.24 μM, mtPPO), ethyl 2-{[5-(4-(difluoromethyl)-3-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-6-fluorobenzothiazol-2-yl]thio}propanoate, showed the most promising post-emergence herbicidal activity with broad spectrum even at concentrations as low as 37.5 g ai/ha. Soybean exhibited tolerance to compound 2f at the dosages of 150 g ai/ha, whereas they are susceptible to sulfentrazone even at 75 g ai/ha. Thus, compound 2f might be a potential candidate as a new herbicide for soybean fields.     

Synthesis of novel triazole-linked mefloquine derivatives: Biological evaluation against Plasmodium falciparum

Using 2,8-bis(trifluoromethyl)quinoline, the pharmacophore of mefloquine, as scaffold, eleven novel triazole-linked compounds have been synthesised by the application of CuAAC chemistry. The in vitro biological activity of the compounds on the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-sensitive strain NF54 was then determined. The compounds all showed IC₅₀s in the lower μM range with (1R,3S,5R)-N-{[1-(2,8-bis(trifluoromethyl)quinoline-4-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]methyl}adamantan-2-amine (29) exhibiting the best activity of 1.00 μM.     

Design and synthesis of new triazoles linked to xanthotoxin for potent and highly selective anti-gastric cancer agents

Two series of xanthotoxin-triazole derivatives were designed, synthesized, and studied for their antiproliferative properties. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the compounds in the AGS cancer cell line and the L02 normal cell line was evaluated via MTT assay. Among the synthesized compounds, 9-((1-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)-7H-furo[3,2-g]chromen-7-one (6p) was found to have the greatest antiproliferative activity against AGS cells (IC₅₀ = 7.5 μM) and showed better activity than the lead compound (xanthotoxin, IC₅₀ > 100 μM) and the reference drug (5-fluorouracil, IC₅₀ = 29.6 μM) did. The IC₅₀ value of 6p in L02 cells was 13.3 times higher than that in the AGS cells. Therefore, the compound exhibited better therapeutic activity and specificity compared with the positive control 5-fluorouracil. Cell cycle analysis revealed that compound 6p inhibited cell growth via the induction of S/G2 phase arrest in AGS cells. Compound 6p was identified as a promising lead compound for the further development and identification of 1,2,3-triazole-based anticancer agents.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of cinnamido linked benzophenone hybrids as tubulin polymerization inhibitors and apoptosis inducing agents

A new class of hybrid molecules containing cinnamide subunit linked to benzophenone as inhibitors of tubulin polymerization were synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer potential. These hybrids exhibit anticancer activity with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.06 to 16.3 μM. Compounds 4f and 4g possessing fluoro and trifluoromethyl on the cinnamido subunit showed significant cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values 0.06 and 0.09 μM against HeLa cell line, respectively. These compounds showed cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase of the cell cycle and inhibited tubulin polymerization followed by activation of caspase-3 activity and apoptotic cell death. Further in vitro tubulin polymerization assay showed that the level of tubulin inhibition was comparable to that of 2a for the compounds 4f and 4g. Moreover, Hoechst 33258 staining and DNA fragmentation assay suggested that these compounds induce cell death by apoptosis. Overall, the current study demonstrates that the synthesis of benzophenone linked cinnamide subunit conjugates as promising anticancer agents with G2/M arrest and apoptotic-inducing ability via targeting tubulin.     

Synthesis and in vitro screening of novel N-benzyl aplysinopsin analogs as potential anticancer agents

A series of novel substituted (Z)-5-((1-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)imidazolidin-2,4-diones (3a-f) and (Z)-5-((1-benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-2-iminothiazolidin-4-ones (3g-o) have been synthesized utilizing microwave irradiation. These analogs were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against a panel of 60 human tumor cell lines. Compound 3i exhibits potent growth inhibition against melanoma UACC-257 (GI₅₀ = 13.3 nM) and OVCAR-8 ovarian (GI₅₀ = 19.5 nM) cancer cells while possessing significant cytotoxicity (LC₅₀ = 308 nM and LC₅₀ = 851 nM, respectively) against the same cell lines within this series of compounds. A second analog, 3a, had GI₅₀ values of 307 and 557 nM against SK-MEL-2 melanoma and A498 renal cancer cell lines, and exhibited GI₅₀ values ranging from 0.30 to 6 μM against 98% of all cancer cell lines in the 60-cell panel. Thus, (Z)-5-((5-chloro-1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-2-iminothiazolidin-4-one (3i) and (Z)-methyl 1-(4-cyanobenzyl)-3-((2,5-dioxoimidazolidin-4-ylidene)methyl)-1H-indole-6-carboxylate (3a) can be regarded as useful lead compounds for further structural optimization as antitumor agents.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)coumarin derivatives as potential antitumor agents

In this research, a series of 4-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)coumarin conjugates were synthesized and their anticancer activities were evaluated in vitro against three human cancer cell lines, including human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cell, colon carcinoma SW480 cell and lung carcinoma A549 cell. To increase the biological potency, structural optimization campaign was conducted focusing on the C-4 position of 1,2,3-triazole and the C-6, C-7 positions of coumarin. In addition, to further evaluate the role of 1,2,3-triazole and coumarin for antiproliferative activity, 9 compounds possessing 4-(piperazin-1-yl)coumarin framework and 3 derivatives baring quinoline core were also synthesized. By MTT assay in vitro, most of the compounds display attractive antitumor activities, especially 23. Further flow cytometry assays demonstrate that compound 23 exerts the antiproliferative role through arresting G₂/M cell-cycle and inducing apoptosis.     

Design,synthesis and anticancer activity of N-(1-(4-(dibenzo[b,f][1,4]thiazepin-11-yl)piperazin-1-yl)-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl derivatives

Novel N-(1-(4-(dibenzo[b,f][1,4]thiazepin-11-yl)piperazin-1-yl)-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl derivatives were designed, synthesized and their chemical structures were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and Mass spectra. The anticancer activities of the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro against three human cancer cell lines including K562, Colo-205 and MDA-MB 231 by MTT assay. The screening results showed that five compounds (16b, 16d, 16i, 16p and 16q) exhibited potent cytotoxic activities with IC₅₀ values between 20 and 40 μM. Further in vitro studies revealed that inhibition of sirtuins could be the possible mechanism of action of these molecules.     

Synthesis,biological activity and multiscale molecular modeling studies of bis-coumarins as selective carbonic anhydrase IX and XII inhibitors with effective cytotoxicity against hepatocellular carcinoma

A series of novel bis-coumarin derivatives containing triazole moiety as a linker between the alkyl chains was synthesized and their inhibitory activity against the human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms I, II, IX and XII were evaluated. In addition, cytotoxic effects of the synthesized compounds on renal adenocarcinoma (769P), hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and breast adeno carcinoma (MDA-MB-231) cell lines were examined. While the hCA I and II isoforms were inhibited in the micromolar range, the tumor-associated isoform hCA IX and XII were inhibited in the high nanomolar range. 4-methyl-7-((1-(12-((2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl)oxy)dodecyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)-2H-chromen-2-one (5p) showed the strongest inhibitory activity against hCA IX with the K_i of 144.6 nM and 4-methyl-7-((1-(10-((2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl)oxy)decyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)-2H-chromen-2-one (5n) exhibited the highest hCA XII inhibition with the K_i of 71.5 nM. In order to better understand the inhibitory profiles of studied molecules, multiscale molecular modelling approaches were applied. Low energy docking poses of studied molecules at the binding sites of targets have been predicted. In addition, electrostatic potential surfaces (ESP) for binding sites were also generated to understand interactions between proteins and active ligands.     

New imidazoquinoxaline derivatives: Synthesis,biological evaluation on melanoma,effect on tubulin polymerization and structure–activity relationships

Microtubules are considered as important targets of anticancer therapy. EAPB0503 and its structural imidazo[1,2-a]quinoxaline derivatives are major microtubule-interfering agents with potent anticancer activity. In this study, the synthesis of several new derivatives of EAPB0503 is described, and the anticancer efficacy of 13 novel derivatives on A375 human melanoma cell line is reported. All new compounds show significant antiproliferative activity with IC₅₀ in the range of 0.077–122 μM against human melanoma cell line (A375). Direct inhibition of tubulin polymerization assay in vitro is also assessed. Results show that compounds 6b, 6e, 6g, and EAPB0503 highly inhibit tubulin polymerization with percentages of inhibition of 99%, 98%, 90%, and 84% respectively. Structure–activity relationship studies within the series are also discussed in line with molecular docking studies into the colchicine-binding site of tubulin.     

Synthesis and anticancer activity of 3′-[4-fluoroaryl-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)]-3′-deoxythymidine analogs and their phosphoramidates

Abstract

A series of novel 4-chlorophenyl N-alkyl phosphoramidates of 3′-[4-fluoroaryl-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)]-3′-deoxythymidines (20–49) was synthesized by means of phosphorylation of 3′-[4-aryl-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)]-3′-deoxythymidines (7–11) with 4-chlorophenyl phosphoroditriazolide (14), followed by a reaction with the appropriate amine. The synthesized compounds 7–11 and 20–49 were evaluated along with four known anticancer compounds for their cytotoxic activity in human cancer cell lines: cervical (HeLa), nasopharyngeal (KB), breast (MCF-7), osteosarcoma (143B) (only selected compounds 20, 24, 28, 32–36, 38, 40, 46) and normal human dermal fibroblast cell line (HDF) using the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Among 3′-[4-aryl-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)]-3′-deoxythymidines (7–11) the highest activity in all the investigated cancer cells was displayed by 3′-[4-(3-fluorophenyl)-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)]-3′-deoxythymidine (9) (IC₅₀ in the range of 2.58–3.61?μM) and its activity was higher than that of cytarabine. Among phosphoramidates 20–49 the highest activity was demonstrated by N-n-propyl phosphoramidate of 3′-[4-(3-fluorophenyl)-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)]-3′-deoxythymidine (35) in all the cancer cells (IC₅₀ in the range of 0.97–1.94?μM). Also N-ethyl phosphoramidate of 3′-[4-(3-fluorophenyl)-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)]-3′-deoxythymidine (33) exhibited good activity in all the used cell lines (IC₅₀ in the range of 4.79–4.96?μM).     

Inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis InhA: Design,synthesis and evaluation of new di-triclosan derivatives

Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) represents a growing problem for global healthcare systems. In addition to 1.3 million deaths in 2018, the World Health Organisation reported 484,000 new cases of MDR-TB. Isoniazid is a key anti-TB drug that inhibits InhA, a crucial enzyme in the cell wall biosynthesis pathway and identical in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis. Isoniazid is a pro-drug which requires activation by the enzyme KatG, mutations in KatG prevent activation and confer INH-resistance. ‘Direct inhibitors’ of InhA are attractive as they would circumvent the main clinically observed resistance mechanisms. A library of new 1,5-triazoles, designed to mimic the structures of both triclosan molecules uniquely bound to InhA have been synthesised. The inhibitory activity of these compounds was evaluated using isolated enzyme assays with 2 (5-chloro-2-(4-(5-(((4-(4-chloro-2-hydroxyphenoxy)benzyl)oxy)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)phenoxy)phenol) exhibiting an IC₅₀ of 5.6 µM. Whole-cell evaluation was also performed, with 11 (5-chloro-2-(4-(5-(((4-(cyclopropylmethoxy)benzyl)oxy)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)phenoxy)phenol) showing the greatest potency, with an MIC₉₉ of 12.9 µM against M. bovis.     

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 of pyrimidin-4-one-1,2,3-triazole conjugates as glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors with anti-depressant activity

GSK-3 specific inhibitors are promising candidates for the treatment of devastating pathologies such as diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. We have synthesized a library of pyrimidin-4-one-1,2,3-triazole conjugates using click-chemistry approach and evaluated them as glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors. Compounds 3g, 3j, 3n and 3r were found to be most potent among the eighteen pyrimidin-4-one-1,2,3-triazole conjugates synthesized and they were further evaluated for their in vivo anti-depressant activity. Compound 3n (2-((1-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methylthio)-3-methyl-6-phenylpyrimidin-4(3H)-one) exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity against GSK-3β with IC₅₀ value of 82 nM and was also found to exhibit significant antidepressant activity at 50 mg/kg, when compared with fluoxetine, a known antidepressant drug. The molecular docking studies were performed to elucidate the binding modes of the compounds with the GSK-3β target and two crucial interactions namely, hydrogen bond formation with Val 135 and Lys 183 residues in the active site of GSK-3β were observed.     

Synthesis of novel chromenones linked to 1,2,3-triazole ring system: Investigation of biological activities against Alzheimer’s disease

In this work, novel chromenones linked to 1,2,3-triazole ring system were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-ChE activity. Among them, N-((1-(2-chlorobenzyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)methyl)-8-methoxy-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide (6m) showed good anti-acetylcholinesterase activity (IC₅₀ = 15.42 μM). Also, compound 6m demonstrated neuroprotective effect against H₂O₂-induced cell death in PC12 neurons, however, it showed no beta-secretase (BACE1) inhibitory activity. Docking and kinetic studies separately confirmed dual binding activity of compound 6m since it targeted both the catalytic active site (CAS) and the peripheral anionic site (PAS) of AChE.