Novel benzothiazinones (BTOs) as allosteric modulator or substrate competitive inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) with cellular activity of promoting glucose uptake

Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) plays a key role in insulin metabolizing pathway and therefore inhibition of the enzyme might provide an important therapeutic approach for treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Recently, discovery of ATP noncompetitive inhibitors is gaining importance not only due to their generally increased selectivity but also for the potentially subtle modulation of the target. These kinds of compounds include allosteric modulators and substrate competitive inhibitors. Here we reported two benzothiazinone compounds (BTO), named BTO-5h (IC₅₀ = 8 μM) and BTO-5s (IC₅₀ = 10 μM) as novel allosteric modulator and substrate competitive inhibitor of GSK-3β, respectively. Their different action modes were proved by kinetic experiments. Furthermore, BTO-5s was selected to check the kinases profile and showed little or even no activity to a panel of ten protein kinases at 100 μM, indicating it has good selectivity. Docking studies were performed to give suggesting binding modes which can well explain their impacts on the enzyme. Moreover, cell experiments displayed both compounds reduced the phosphorylation level of glycogen synthase in an intact cell, and greatly enhanced the glucose uptake in both HpG2 and 3T3-L1 cells. All of these results suggested BTO-5s and BTO-5h maybe have potentially therapeutic value for anti-diabetes. The results also offer a new scaffold for designing and developing selective inhibitors with novel mechanisms of action.     

Synthesis,structure-activity relationships studies of benzoxazinone derivatives as α-chymotrypsin inhibitors

A series of benzoxazinones 1–28 were synthesized via reaction of anthranilic acid with various substituted benzoyl chlorides in the presence of triethylamine in chloroform. Compounds 1–18 showed a good inhibition of α-chymotrypsin with IC₅₀ ± SEM values between 6.5 and 341.1 μM. Preliminary structure-activity relationships studies indicated that the presence of substituents on benzene ring reduces the inhibitory potential of benzoxazinone. Also the increased inhibitory potential due to fluoro group at phenyl substituent was observed followed by chloro and bromo substituents. Compounds with strong electron donating or withdrawing groups on phenyl substituent, showed a good inhibitory potential at ortho > meta > para position. Kinetics studies showed diverse types of inhibition, except uncompetitive-type inhibition. The Ki values ranged between 4.7 and 341.2 μM. Interestingly, most of these compounds were non-cytotoxic to 3T3 cell line at 30 μM, except compounds 6, 14 and 15. Competitive inhibitors of chymotrypsin are like to inhibit other α-chymotrypsin-like serine proteases due to structural and functional similarities between them. The inhibitors identified during the current study deserve to be further studied for their therapeutic potential against abnormalities mediated by chymotrypsin or other serine protease.     

Design,synthesis and anticancer activity of piperazine hydroxamates and their histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitory activity

Six compounds were synthesized with piperazine in linker region and hydroxamate as Zinc Binding Group (ZBG). They were screened against three cancer cell-lines (NCIH460; HCT116; U251). Compounds 5c and 5f with GI₅₀ value of 9.33 ± 1.3 μM and 12.03 ± 4 μM, respectively, were tested for their inhibitory potential on hHDAC8. Compound 5c had IC₅₀ of 33.67 μM. Compounds were also screened for their anticancer activity against HL60 human promyelocytic leukemia cell line due to the presence of pharmacophoric features of RR inhibitors in them. Compound 5c had IC₅₀ of 0.6 μM at 48 h.     

Discovery of a potent,selective, and orally bioavailable histamine H3 receptor antagonist SAR110068 for the treatment of sleep–wake disorders

Previous studies have shown that compound 1 displayed high affinity towards histamine H₃ receptor (H₃R), (human (h-H₃R), K_i = 8.6 nM, rhesus monkey (rh-H₃R), K_i = 1.2 nM, and rat (r-H₃R), K_i = 16.5 nM), but exhibited high affinity for hERG channel. Herein, we report the discovery of a novel, potent, and highly selective H₃R antagonist/inverse agonist 5a(SS) (SAR110068) with acceptable hERG channel selectivity and desirable pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties through lead optimization sequence. The significant awakening effects of 5a(SS) on sleep–wake cycles studied by using EEG recording in rats during their light phase support its potential therapeutic utility in human sleep–wake disorders.     

Radiosynthesis of N-(4-chloro-3-[11C]methoxyphenyl)-2-picolinamide ([11C]ML128) as a PET radiotracer for metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 4 (mGlu4)

N-(Chloro-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-picolinamide (3, ML128, VU0361737) is an mGlu₄ positive allosteric modulator (PAM), which is potent and centrally penetrating. 3 is also the first mGlu₄ PAM to show efficacy in a preclinical Parkinson disease model upon systemic dosing. As a noninvasive medical imaging technique and a powerful tool in neurological research, positron emission tomography (PET) offers a possibility to investigate mGlu₄ expression in vivo under physiologic and pathological conditions. We synthesized a carbon-11 labeled ML128 ([¹¹C]3) as a PET radiotracer for mGlu₄, and characterized its biological properties in Sprague Dawley rats. [¹¹C]3 was synthesized from N-(4-chloro-3-hydroxyphenyl)-2-picolinamide (2) using [¹¹C]CH₃I. Total synthesis time was 38 ± 2.2 min (n = 7) from the end of bombardment to the formulation. The radioligand [¹¹C]3 was obtained in 27.7 ± 5.3% (n = 5) decay corrected radiochemical yield based on the radioactivity of [¹¹C]CO₂. The radiochemical purity of [¹¹C]3 was >99%. Specific activity was 188.7 ± 88.8 GBq/mol (n = 4) at the end of synthesis (EOS).PET images were conducted in 20 normal male Sprague Dawley rats including 11 control studies, 6 studies blocking with an mGlu₄ modulator (4) to investigate specificity and 3 studies blocking with an mGlu₅ modulator (MTEP) to investigate selectivity. These studies showed fast accumulation of [¹¹C]3 (peak activity between 1–3 min) in several brain areas including striatum, thalamus, hippocampus, cerebellum, and olfactory bulb following with fast washout. Blocking studies with the mGlu₄ modulator 4 showed 22–28% decrease of [¹¹C]3 accumulation while studies of selectivity showed only minor decrease supporting good selectivity over mGlu₅. Biodistribution studies and blood analyses support fast metabolism. Altogether this is the first PET imaging ligand for mGlu₄, in which the labeled ML128 was used for imaging its in vivo distribution and pharmacokinetics in brain.     

Antihypertensive and vasorelaxant effects of dihydrospinochalcone-A isolated from Lonchocarpus xuul Lundell by NO production: Computational and ex vivo approaches

Current work was conducted to evaluate the vasorelaxant effect of dihydrospinochalcone-A (1) and isocordoin (2), compounds type chalcone isolated from Lonchocarpus xuul, an endemic tree of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Compounds 1 and 2 were found to induce significant relaxant effect in a concentration-dependent manner on aortic rat rings pre-contracted with noradrenaline (NA, 0.1 μM). Compound 1 was the most active and its effect was endothelium-dependent (Emax = 79.67% and EC₅₀ = 21.46 μM with endothelium and Emax = 23.58% and EC₅₀ = 91.8 μM without endothelium, respectively). The functional mechanism of action for 1 was elucidated. Pre-incubation with l-NAME (unspecific nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), indomethacin (unspecific COX inhibitor), ODQ (soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor), atropine (cholinergic receptor antagonist), TEA (unspecific potassium channel blocker) reduced relaxations induced by 1. Oral administration of 50 mg/kg of compound 1 exhibited significant decrease in diastolic and systolic blood pressure in SHR rats. The heart rate was not modified. Compound 1 was docked with a crystal structure of eNOS. Dihydrospinochalcone-A showed calculated affinity with eNOS in the C1 binding pockets, near the catalytic site; Trp449, Trp447 and His373 through aromatic and π–π interactions, also His463 and Arg367 are the residues that make hydrogen bonds with the carbonyl and hydroxyl groups.In conclusion, dihydrospinochalcone-A induces a significant antihypertensive effect due to its direct vasorelaxant action on rat aorta rings, through NO/sCG/PKG pathway and potassium channel opening.     

Synthesis,thymidine phosphorylase inhibition and molecular modeling studies of 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thione derivatives

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) inhibitors have attracted great attention due to their ability to suppress the tumors formation. In our ongoing research, a series of 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thione (1–12) has been synthesized under simple reaction conditions in good to excellent yields (86–98%) and their TP inhibition potential has also been evaluated. The majority of synthesized compounds showed moderate thymidine phosphorylase inhibitory activity with IC50 values ranging from 38.24 ± 1.28 to 258.43 ± 0.43 μM, and 7-deazaxanthine (7DX) was used as a reference compound (IC50 38.68 ± 4.42). The TP activity was very much dependent on the C-5 substituents; among this series the compound 6 bearing 4-hydroxyphenyl group was found to be the most active with IC50 38.24 ± 1.28 μM. Molecular docking studies revealed their binding mode.     

Novel synthetic organic compounds inspired from antifeedant marine alkaloids as potent bacterial biofilm inhibitors

In this paper, we have reported seventeen novel synthetic organic compounds derived from marine bromopyrrole alkaloids, exhibiting potential inhibition of biofilm produced by Gram-positive bacteria. Compound 5f with minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of 0.39, 0.78 and 3.125 μg/mL against MSSA, MRSA and SE respectively, emerged as promising anti-biofilm lead compounds. In addition, compounds 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5h, 5i and 5j revealed equal potency as that of the standard drug Vancomycin (MBIC = 3.125 μg/mL) against Streptococcus epidermidis. Notably, most of the synthesized compounds displayed better potency than Vancomycin indicating their potential as inhibitors of bacterial biofilm. The cell viability assay for the most active hybrid confirms its anti-virulence properties which need to be further researched.     

Multisubstituted indole–acrylonitrile hybrids as potential cytotoxic agents

A series of multisubstituted indole–acrylonitrile hybrids were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their potential cytotoxic activities. The bio-evaluation results indicated that some of the target compounds (such as 3a, 3f, 3k, 3n) exhibited good to moderate cytotoxic effect on HepG2, BCG-823, BEL-7402, and HL-7702 cell lines. Especially, the compounds 3a and 3k also exhibited high cytotoxic activities (3a, 19.38 ± 3.38 μM; 3k, 15.43 ± 3.54 μM) against the BEL-7402 cell line resistant to Taxol (>25 μM) and 5-FU (>500 μM), which might be developed as novel lead scaffold for potential anticancer agents.     

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of polymethylene tetraamine derivatives as NMDA receptor channel blockers

The biological activities of six symmetrically substituted 2-methoxy-benzyl polymethylene tetraamines (1–4) and diphenylethyl polymethylene tetraamines (5 and 6) as N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor channel blockers, were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Although all compounds exhibited stronger channel block activities in comparison to memantine in Xenopus oocytes voltage clamped at ?70 mV, only compound 2 (0.4 mg/kg intravenous injection) decreased the size of brain infarction in a photochemically induced thrombosis model mice at the same extent of memantine (10 mg/kg intravenous injection). Other compounds (1, 3, 4, 5 and 6) did not decrease the size of brain infarction significantly due to the limited injection doses. The present study suggests that compound 2 could represent a valuable lead compound to design low toxicity polyamines for clinical use against stroke.     

Remarkable antioxidant properties of a series of hydroxy-3-arylcoumarins

In the present work we synthesized a series of hydroxy-3-arylcoumarins (compounds 1–9), some of them previously described as MAO-B selective inhibitors, with the aim of evaluating their antioxidant properties. Theoretical evaluation of ADME properties of all the derivatives was also carried out. From the ORAC-FL, ESR and CV data it was concluded that these derivatives are very good antioxidants, with a very interesting hydroxyl, DPPH and superoxide radicals scavenging profiles. In particular compound 9 is the most active and effective antioxidant of the series (ORAC-FL = 13.5, capacity of scavenging hydroxyl radicals = 100%, capacity of scavenging DPPH radicals = 65.9% and capacity of scavenging superoxide radicals = 71.5%). Kinetics profile for protection fluorescein probe against peroxyl radicals by addition of antioxidant molecule 9 was also performed. Therefore, it can operate as a potential candidate for preventing or minimizing the free radicals overproduction in oxidative-stress related diseases.     

Comparing anti-HIV,antibacterial, antifungal,micellar, and cytotoxic properties of tricarboxylato dendritic amphiphiles

Three series of homologous dendritic amphiphiles—RCONHC(CH₂CH₂COOH)₃, 1(n); ROCONHC(CH₂CH₂COOH)₃, 2(n); RNHCONHC(CH₂CH₂COOH)₃, 3(n), where R = n-C_nH_2n+1 and n = 13–22 carbon atoms—were assayed for their potential to serve as antimicrobial components in a topical vaginal formulation. Comparing epithelial cytotoxicities to the ability of these homologues to inhibit HIV, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Candida albicans provided a measure of their prophylactic/therapeutic potential. Measurements of the ability to inhibit Lactobacillus plantarum, a beneficial bacterium in the vagina, and critical micelle concentrations (CMCs), an indicator of the potential detergency of these amphiphiles, provided additional assessments of safety. Several amphiphiles from each homologous series had modest anti-HIV activity (EC₅₀ = 110–130 μM). Amphiphile 2(18) had the best anti-Neisseria activity (MIC = 65 μM), while 1(19) and 1(21) had MICs against C. albicans of 16 and 7.7 μM, respectively. Two measures of safety showed promise as all compounds had relatively low cytotoxic activity (EC₅₀ = 210–940 μM) against epithelial cells and low activity against L. plantarum, 1(n), 2(n), and 3(n) had MICs ? 490, 1300, and 940 μM, respectively. CMCs measured in aqueous triethanolamine and in aqueous potassium hydroxide showed linear dependences on chain length. As expected, the longest chain in each series had the lowest CMC—in triethanolamine: 1(21), 1500 μM; 2(22), 320 μM; 3(22), 340 μM, and in potassium hydroxide: 1(21), 130 μM; 3(22), 40 μM. The CMC in triethanolamine adjusted to pH 7.4 was 400 μM for 1(21) and 3900 μM for 3(16). The promising antifungal activity, low activity against L. plantarum, relatively high CMCs, and modest epithelial cytotoxicity in addition to their anti-Neisseria properties warrant further design studies with dendritic amphiphiles to improve their safety indices to produce suitable candidates for antimicrobial vaginal products.     

Positive allosteric modulators of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 4 (mGluR4). Part II: Challenges in hit-to-lead

This Letter describes the synthesis and SAR of two mGluR4 positive allosteric modulator leads, 6 and 7. VU001171 (6) represents the most potent (EC₅₀ = 650 nM), efficacious (141% Glu Max) and largest fold shift (36-fold) of any mGluR4 PAM reported to date. However, this work highlights the challenges in hit-to-lead for mGluR4 PAMs, with multiple confirmed HTS hits displaying little or no tractable SAR.     

Synthesis,molecular modeling,and biological evaluation of cinnamic acid metronidazole ester derivatives as novel anticancer agents

A series of novel cinnamic acid metronidazole ester derivatives have been designed and synthesized, and their biological activities were also evaluated as potential EGFR and HER-2 kinase inhibitors. Compound 3h showed the most potent biological activity (IC₅₀ = 0.62 μM for EGFR and IC₅₀ = 2.15 μM for HER-2). Docking simulation was performed to position compound 3h into the EGFR active site to determine the probable binding model. Antiproliferative assay results demonstrated that some of these compounds possessed good antiproliferative activity against MCF-7. Compound 3h with potent inhibitory activity in tumor growth inhibition may be a potential anticancer agent.     

Synthesis,biological evaluation,and molecular docking studies of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives possessing benzotriazole moiety as FAK inhibitors with anticancer activity

1,3,4-Oxadiazole derivatives have drawn continuing interest over the years because of their varied biological activities. In order to search for novel anticancer agents, we designed and synthesized a series of new 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives containing benzotriazole moiety as potential focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitors. All the synthesized compounds were firstly reported. Among the compounds, compound 4 shows the most potent inhibitory activity against MCF-7 and HT29 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 5.68 μg/ml and 10.21 μg/ml, respectively. Besides, all the compounds were assayed for FAK inhibitory activity using the TRAP–PCR–ELISA assay. The results showed compound 4 exhibited the most potent FAK inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 1.2 ± 0.3 μM. Docking simulation by positioning compound 4 into the FAK structure active site was performed to explore the possible binding mode. Apoptosis which was analyzed by flow cytometry, demonstrated that compound 4 induced apoptosis against MCF-7 cells. Therefore, compound 4 may be a potential anticancer agent against MCF-7 cancer cell.     

Comparative molecular field analysis and synthetic validation of a hydroxyamide-propofol binding and functional block of neuronal voltage-dependent sodium channels

Voltage gated sodium channels represent an important therapeutic target for a number of neurological disorders including epilepsy. Unfortunately, medicinal chemistry strategies for discovering new classes of antagonist for trans-membrane ion channels have been limited to mostly broad screening compound arrays. We have developed new sodium channel antagonist based on a propofol scaffold using the ligand based strategy of comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA). The resulting CoMFA model was correlated and validated to provide insights into the design of new antagonists and to prioritize synthesis of these new structural analogs (compounds 4 and 5) that satisfied the steric and electrostatic model. Compounds 4 and 5 were evaluated for [³H]-batrachotoxinin-A-20-α-benzoate ([³H]-BTX-B) displacement yielding IC₅₀’s of 22 and 5.7 μM, respectively. We further examined the potency of these two compounds to inhibit neuronal sodium currents recorded from cultured hippocampal neurons. At a concentration of 50 μM, compounds 4 and 5 tonically inhibited sodium channels currents by 59 ± 7.8% (n = 5) and 70 ± 7.5% (n = 7), respectively. This clearly demonstrates that these compounds functionally antagonize native neuronal sodium channel currents. In summary, we have shown that CoMFA can be effectively used to discover new classes of sodium channel antagonists.     

The synthesis and SAR study of phenylalanine-derived (Z)-5-arylmethylidene rhodanines as anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) compounds

A focused library of rhodanine compounds containing novel substituents at the C5-position was synthesized and tested in vitro against a panel of clinically relevant MRSA strains. The present SAR study was based on our lead compound 1 (MIC = 1.95 μg/mL), with a focus on identifying optimal C5-arylidene substituents. In order to obtain this objective, we condensed several unique aromatic aldehydes with phenylalanine-derived rhodanine intermediates to obtain C5-substituted target rhodanine compounds for evaluation as anti-MRSA compounds. These efforts produced three compounds with significant efficacy: 23, 32 and 44, with MIC values ranging from 0.98 to 1.95 μg/mL against all tested MRSA strains as compared to the reference antibiotics penicillin G (MIC = 15.60–250.0 μg/mL) and ciprofloxacin (MIC = 7.80–62.50 μg/mL) and comparable to that of vancomycin (MIC = 0.48 μg/mL). In addition, compounds 24, 28, 37, 41, 46 and 48 (MIC = 1.95–3.90 μg/mL) were efficacious against all MRSA strains. The majority of the synthesized compounds had bactericidal activity at concentrations only two to fourfold higher than their MIC. Overall, the results suggest that compounds 23, 32 and 44 may be of potential use in the treatment of MRSA infections.     

Oxadiazoles and thiadiazoles: Novel α-glucosidase inhibitors

Oxadiazoles and thiadiazoles 1–37 were synthesized and evaluated for the first time for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. As a result, fifteen of them 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 23, 25, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36 and 37 were identified as potent inhibitors of the enzyme. Kinetic studies of the most active compounds (oxadiazoles 1, 23 and 25, and thiadiazoles 35 and 37) were carried out to determine their mode of inhibition and dissociation constants K_i. The most potent compound of the oxadiazole series (compound 23) was found to be a non-competitive inhibitor (K_i = 4.36 ± 0.017 μM), while most potent thiadiazole 35 was identified as a competitive inhibitor (K_i = 6.0 ± 0.059 μM). The selectivity and toxicity of these compounds were also studied by evaluating their potential against other enzymes, such as carbonic anhydrase-II and phosphodiesterase-I. Cytotoxicity was evaluated against rat fibroblast 3T3 cell line. Interestingly, these compounds were found to be inactive against other enzymes, exhibiting their selectivity towards α-glucosidase. Inhibition of α-glucosidase is an effective strategy for controlling post-prandial hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. α-Glucosidase inhibitors can also be used as anti-obesity and anti-viral drugs. Our study identifies two novel series of potent α-glucosidase inhibitors for further investigation.     

Molecular hybridization conceded exceptionally potent quinolinyl-oxadiazole hybrids through phenyl linked thiosemicarbazide antileishmanial scaffolds: In silico validation and SAR studies

The high potential of quinoline containing natural products and their derivatives in medicinal chemistry led us to discover a novel series of compounds 6–23 based on the concept of molecular hybridization. Most of the synthesized analogues exhibited potent leishmanicidal potential. The most potent compound (23, IC₅₀ = 0.10 ± 0.001 μM) among the series was found ∼70 times more lethal than the standard drug. The current series 6–23 conceded in the development of fourteen (14) extraordinarily active compounds against leishmaniasis. In silico analysis were also performed to probe the mode of action while all the compounds structure were established by NMR and Mass spectral analysis.     

Cyclopropane-based conformational restriction of GABA by a stereochemical diversity-oriented strategy: Identification of an efficient lead for potent inhibitors of GABA transports

A series of cyclopropane-based conformationally restricted γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analogs with stereochemical diversity, that is, the trans- and cis-2,3-methano analogs Ia and Ib and their enantiomers ent-Ia and ent-Ib, and also the trans- and cis-3,4-methano analogs IIa and IIb and their enantiomers ent-IIa and ent-Iib, were synthesized from the chiral cyclopropane units Type-a and Type-b that we developed. These analogs were systematically evaluated with four GABA transporter (GAT) subtypes. The trans-3,4-methano analog IIa had inhibitory effects on GAT3 (IC₅₀ = 23.9 μM) and betaine-GABA transporter1 (5.48 μM), indicating its potential as an effective lead compound for the development of potent GAT inhibitors due to its hydrophilic and low molecular weight properties and excellent ligand efficiency.