Evaluation of bioactivities of chlorokojic acid derivatives against dermatophytes couplet with cytotoxicity

In an attempt to find novel antifungal agents with improved activity, a series of compounds bearing 6-chloromethyl-3-hydroxy-2-substituted 4H-pyran-4-one moiety were synthesized and examined for their cytotoxic evaluation and antifungal activities against both standard and isolated dermatophytic fungal species Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei and Epidermophyton floccosum.     

Design,synthesis and in vitro anticancer activity of novel quinoline and oxadiazole derivatives of ursolic acid

A series of new quinoline derivatives of ursolic acid were designed and synthesized in an attempt to develop potential anticancer agents. The structures of these compounds were identified by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR and ESI-MS spectra analysis. The target compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, Hela and SMMC-7721). From the results, compounds 3a–d displayed significant antitumor activity against three cancer cell lines. Especially, compound 3b was found to be the most potent derivative with IC₅₀ values of 0.61 ± 0.07, 0.36 ± 0.05, 12.49 ± 0.08 μM against MDA-MB-231, HeLa and SMMC-7721 cells, respectively, stronger than positive control etoposide. Furthermore, the Annexin V-FITC/PI dual staining assay revealed that compound 3b could significantly induce the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The cell cycle analysis also indicated that compound 3b could cause cell cycle arrest of MDA-MB-231 cells at G0/G1 phase.     

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 4-hydroxybenzene acrylic acid derivatives

A series of 4-hydroxybenzene acrylic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized based on the ferulic acid of natural active ingredients. The tested compound 5a, 5f and 6a have significant anti-inflammatory activity with suppression rates of 45.29%, 44.75% and 24.11%, respectively, compared with that of indomethacin, and their cardiac toxicity was not observed. The structure-function relationship shows that the p-hydroxyl group on the α-position benzene ring, particularly if acetylated, contributes to the considerable anti-inflammatory activity; that the carboxyl group on the double bond, if esterified, also contributes to the anti-inflammatory activity; that the p-methylsulfonyl group on the other benzene ring, whose introduction is due to the COX-2 selectivity, also contributes to anti-inflammatory activity surprisingly.     

Rational modification of Mannich base-type derivatives as novel antichagasic compounds: Synthesis,in vitro and in vivo evaluation

The current chemotherapy against Chagas disease is inadequate and insufficient. A series of ten Mannich base-type derivatives have been synthesized to evaluate their in vitro antichagasic activity. After a preliminary screening, compounds 7 and 9 were subjected to in vivo assays in a murine model. Both compounds caused a substantial decrease in parasitemia in the chronic phase, which was an even better result than that of the reference drug benznidazole. In addition, compound 9 also showed better antichagasic activity during the acute phase. Moreover, metabolite excretion, effect on mitochondrial membrane potential and the inhibition of superoxide dismutase (SOD) studies were also performed to identify their possible mechanism of action. Finally, docking studies proposed a binding mode of the Fe-SOD enzyme similar to our previous series, which validated our design strategy. Therefore, the results suggest that these compounds should be considered for further preclinical evaluation as antichagasic agents.     

Design,synthesis, in silico and in vitro studies of novel 4-methylthiazole-5-carboxylic acid derivatives as potent anti-cancer agents

Since inhibitors of mucin onco proteins are potential targets for breast cancer therapy, a series of novel 4-methylthiazole-5-carboxylic acid (1) derivatives 3a–k were synthesized by the reaction of 1 with SOCl₂ followed by different bases/alcohols in the presence of triethylamine. Once synthesized and characterized, their binding modes with MUC1 were studied by molecular docking analysis using Aruglab 4.0.1 and QSAR properties were determined using HyperChem. All synthesized compounds were screened for in vitro anti-breast cancer activity against MDA-MB-231 breast adenocarcinoma cell lines by Trypan-blue cell viability assay and MTT methods. Compounds 1, 3b, 3d, 3e, 3i and 3f showed good anti-breast cancer activity. Since 1 and 3d exhibited high potent activity against MDA-MB-231 cell lines, they show could be effective mucin onco protein inhibitors.     

Design,synthesis and in vitro apoptotic mechanism of novel pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives

In this work we described the synthesis and evaluation of cytotoxic and apoptotic activity of novel pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives against A549, PC3 and MCF-7 cells. Among the synthesized compounds, 6b, 8a, 9a and 7a, 8b displayed the significant cytotoxic activities against A549 and PC3 cells with IC₅₀ value of 0.35, 1.48, 1.56 and 1.04, 1.89 µM, respectively. It was found that A549 cells were more sensitive to synthesized compounds than PC3 and MCF-7 cells. In order to evaluate the mechanism of cytotoxic activity in A549, compounds 6b, 8a and 9a were selected for further studies. Annexin V binding assay and western blot analysis results revealed that 6b, 8a and 9a induced apoptosis in A549 cells by intrinsic apoptotic pathway through the activation pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bim, Bax, Bak, Puma and deactivation of anti-apoptotic proteins including Bcl-2, Mcl-1 and Bcl-XL accompanied by the activation of caspase-3, caspase-9 and cleavage of PARP. Also, compounds 6b, 8a and 9a triggered apoptosis in HCT116 wt cells via activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, but not in HCT116 Bax/Bak KO cells, indicating resistance to 6b, 8a and 9a treatment.     

Design, synthesis, and in vitro antiproliferative activity of novel Dasatinib derivatives

Two series of novel Dasatinib derivatives have been designed and synthesized, with their in vitro cytostatic effect screened on human chronic myeloid leukemia cell line K562 and human myeloid leukemia cell line U937. Some target compounds demonstrated significant inhibitory activities against both cell lines. Compared to the contrast drug Dasatinib, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e and 1f were found to demonstrate more potent antitumor activities. The structures of all the newly synthesized compounds were determined by (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR.     

Design and synthesis of the novel oleanolic acid-cinnamic acid ester derivatives and glycyrrhetinic acid-cinnamic acid ester derivatives with cytotoxic properties

Oleanolic acid (OA) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) are natural products with anticancer effects. Cinnamic acid (CA) and its derivatives also exhibited certain anticancer activity. In order to improve the anticancer activity of OA and GA, we designed and synthesized a series of novel OA-CA ester derivatives and GA-CA ester derivatives by using molecular hybridization approach. The 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to assess their in vitro cytotoxicity on three cell lines (HeLa (cervical cancer), MCF-7 (breast cancer) and L-O2 (a normal hepatic cell)). Among the evaluated compounds, 3o presented the strongest selective cytotoxicity on HeLa cells (IC₅₀ = 1.35 μM) and showed no inhibitory activity against MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀ > 100 μM) and L-O2 cells (IC₅₀ > 100 μM), and 3e presented the strongest selective inhibition of the MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀ = 1.79 μM). What’s more, compound 2d also showed very strong selective inhibitory activity against HeLa cells (IC₅₀ = 1.55 μM). The further research using Hoechst 33342, AO/EB dual-staining, flow cytometric analysis and DCFH-DA fluorescent dye staining assay presented that 2d and 3o could induce HeLa cells apoptosis and autophagy.     

Design,synthesis, and evaluation of novel 2-phenylpropionic acid derivatives as dual COX inhibitory-antibacterial agents

A series of 2-(4-substitutedmethylphenyl)propionic acid derivatives (6a–6m) were synthesized, characterized and evaluated for cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme inhibitory and antimicrobial activity. Test compounds that exhibited good COX inhibition and antibacterial activity were further screened for their cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Compounds 6h and 6l showed better COX-1 and COX-2 inhibition when compared to ibuprofen. Inhibition potency of these compounds against COX-2 was very close to that of nimesulide. The compounds 6d, 6h, 6l and 6m displayed promising antibacterial property when compared to chloramphenicol. However, the compound 6l was emerged as the best dual COX inhibitory-antibacterial agent in this study. The ADME prediction of the compounds revealed that they may have a good pharmacokinetic profile. Docking results of the compounds 6h and 6l with COX-1 (PDB ID: 1EQG) also exhibited a strong binding profile.

     

Design,synthesis and antitumor activity of novel pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as EGFR-TK inhibitors

A novel series of 2-(3,6-dimethyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4-yloxy)-N-(4-substitutedbenzylidene)acetohydrazide (12a–g) was prepared and their structures were confirmed by spectral and elemental analyses. The cytotoxic activity of the newly synthesized compounds was evaluated against breast carcinoma (MCF-7), non-small cell lung cancer (A549) and human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lines using MTT and colony formation assays. The tested compounds showed a marked anticancer activity against all the tested cell lines, especially compound 12g, which was the most potent anticancer agent with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) between 5.36 and 9.09 μM. Docking studies into ATP binding site of EGFR protein tyrosine kinase were performed to predict their scores and mode of binding to amino acids, In addition, the inhibitory activity of the target compounds against epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) was evaluated. Results indicated the ability of the target compounds to inhibit EGFR-TK with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) in the range of 4.18–35.88 μM. Furthermore, The most active compounds 12g, 12c and 12d were assayed against Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR), Insulin Receptor (IR) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGFR). The activity of the reported compounds warrants further optimization as novel members in cancer treatment protocols.     

Design,synthesis and antihypertensive screening of novel pyridazine substituted s-triazin-2-imine/one/thione derivatives

Some new 7-substituted-phenyl-3,4,8,9-tetrahydro-2H-pyridazino[1,6-a][1,3,5]triazin-2-imine/one/thione derivatives were synthesized by a sequence of reactions starting from appropriate aryl hydrocarbons. The final compounds were screened for antihypertensive activities by non-invasive method using Tail Cuff method. All the test compounds showed significant antihypertensive activity; 7-(biphenyl-4-yl)-3,4,8,9-tetrahydro-2H-pyridazino[1,6-a][1,3,5]triazin-2-imine (4p) exhibited antihypertensive activity more than the reference standard drugs.     

Caffeic acid derivatives: in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties

Caffeic acid and some of its derivatives such as caffeic acid phenetyl ester (CAPE) and octyl caffeate are potent antioxidants which present important anti-inflammatory actions. The present study assessed the in vitro and in vivo effects of five caffeic acid derivatives (caffeic acid methyl, ethyl, butyl, octyl and benzyl esters) and compared their actions to those of CAPE. In the model of LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages, the pre-incubation of all derivatives inhibited nitrite accumulation on the supernatant of stimulated cells, with mean IC₅₀ (μM) values of 21.0, 12.0, 8.4, 2.4, 10.7 and 4.80 for methyl, ethyl, butyl, octyl, benzyl and CAPE, respectively. The effects of caffeic acid derivatives seem to be related to the scavenging of NO, as the compounds prevented SNAP-derived nitrite accumulation and decreased iNOS expression. In addition, butyl, octyl and CAPE derivatives significantly inhibited LPS-induced iNOS expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Extending the in vitro results, we showed that the pre-treatment of mice with butyl, octyl and CAPE derivatives inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema and prevented the increase in IL-1β levels in the mouse paw by 30, 24 and 36%, respectively. Butyl, octyl and CAPE derivatives also prevented carrageenan-induced neutrophil influx in the mouse paw by 28, 49 and 31%, respectively. Present results confirm and extend literature data, showing that caffeic acid derivatives exert in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory actions, being their actions mediated, at least in part by the scavenging of NO and their ability to modulate iNOS expression and probably that of other inflammatory mediators.     

Synthesis,antifungal and antioxidant screening of some novel benzimidazole derivatives

Some novel benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized and their in vitro effects on rat liver microsomal NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation (LP) level, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and antifungal activities were determined. A significant decrease in male rat liver microsomal LP level was noted by compounds 4c (52%), 4e (58%) and 4h (43%) at 10^{? 3} M concentration. Compounds 4c (100.0%), 4h (100.0%), 5c (98.0%) and 5h (100.0%) inhibited the microsomal ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) enzyme activity better than that of the specific inhibitor caffeine (85%). Among these compounds, only compounds 4b and 4h exhibited moderate activity against C.albicans whereas the others had weak effects.     

Search for novel histone deacetylase inhibitors. Part II: Design and synthesis of novel isoferulic acid derivatives

Previously, we described the discovery of potent ferulic acid-based histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) with halogeno-acetanilide as novel surface recognition moiety (SRM). In order to improve the affinity and activity of these HDACIs, twenty seven isoferulic acid derivatives were described herein. The majority of title compounds displayed potent HDAC inhibitory activity. In particular, IF5 and IF6 exhibited significant enzymatic inhibitory activities, with IC₅₀ values of 0.73 ± 0.08 and 0.57 ± 0.16 μM, respectively. Furthermore, these compounds showed moderate antiproliferative activity against human cancer cells. Especially, IF6 displayed promising profile as an antitumor candidate with IC₅₀ value of 3.91 ± 0.97 μM against HeLa cells. The results indicated that these isoferulic acid derivatives could serve as promising lead compounds for further optimization.     

Design,synthesis and in vitro evaluation of novel derivatives as serotonin N-acetyltransferase inhibitors

Serotonin N-acetyltransferase (arylalkylamine N-acetyl-transferase, AANAT) is an enzyme that catalyses the first rate limiting step in the biosynthesis of melatonin (5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine). Different physiopathological disorders in human may be due to abnormal secretion of melatonin leading to an inappropriate exposure of melatonin receptors to melatonin. For that reason, we have designed, synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of human serotonin N-acetyltransferase, a series of compounds that were able to react with coenzyme A to give a bisubstrate analog inhibitor. Compound 12d was found to be a potent AANAT inhibitor (IC50 = 0.18 microM).     

Design and screening of in vivo expressed antimicrobial peptide library

The genetic library of -helical amphipathic peptides, 20 amino acid long, was designed and expressed under the T7 promoter in the E. coli JM109(DE3) and BL21 (DE3). Clones that inhibited the growth of the host cell were screened by the relative size of colonies on the plates. Clones which strongly inhibited growth of Escherichia coli JM109(DE3) were further selected. The method developed in this study is useful for the structure activity relationship study of antimicrobial peptides.     

Design,synthesis and cytotoxicity of cell death mechanism of rotundic acid derivatives

In the present investigation, 16 new rotundic acid (RA) derivatives modified at the C-3, C-23 and C-28 positions were synthesized. The cytotoxicities of the derivatives were evaluated against HeLa, A375, HepG2, SPC-A1 and NCI-H446 human tumor cell lines by MTT assay. Among these derivatives, compounds 4–7 exhibited stronger cell growth inhibitory than RA and compound 4 was found to be the best inhibition activity on five human tumor cell lines with IC₅₀ <10 μM. The apoptosis mechanism of compound 4 in HeLa cells was investigated by western blot analysis. The results indicated that compound 4 could induce apoptosis through increasing protein expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, and decreasing protein expression of Bcl-2. In summary, the present work suggests that compound 4 might serve as an effective chemotherapeutic candidate.     

Amide derivatives of Gallic acid: Design,synthesis and evaluation of inhibitory activities against in vitro α-synuclein aggregation

Gallic acid (GA), a natural phenolic acid, has received numerous attention because of its anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activity. More importantly, GA can act as an efficient inhibitor of α-Synuclein (α-Syn) aggregation at early stages. Nevertheless, some evidences suggest that GA is unlikely to cross the blood–brain barrier because of its high hydrophilicity. Hence, GA may not be considered as a promising candidate or entering brain and directly affecting the central nervous system. Accordingly, we have designed and synthesized a series of amide derivatives of GA, some of which possess appropriate lipophilicity and hydrophilicity with LogP (2.09–2.79). Meanwhile, these sheet-like conjugated compounds have good π-electron delocalization and high ability of hydrogen-bond formation. Some compounds have shown better in vitro anti-aggregation activities than GA towards α-Syn, with IC₅₀ down to 0.98 μM. The valid modification strategy of GA is considered an efficient way to discover novel inhibitors of α-Syn aggregation.     

Design and synthesis of novel pyridazinoquinazoline derivatives as potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors: In vitro and in vivo study

Worldwide, Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) endures to be a prominent cause of cancer death. Treatment of HCC follows multiple therapies which are not entirely applicable for treatment of all patients. HCC usually arises contextual to chronic liver diseases and is often discovered at later stages which makes treatment options more complex. The present study aimed at design, synthesis & evaluation of new pyridazinoquinazoline derivatives as potential nontoxic anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) agents, through inhibition of Vascular endothelial growth factor -2 (VEGFR-2). Novel Pyridazino[3, 4, 5-de]quinazoline derivatives (2-6) were designed & synthesized. Their structures were confirmed via spectral and microanalytical data. They were tested for their in vitro VEGFR-2 inhibition & anticancer activity against human liver cancer cell line (HEPG-2). Molecular docking was investigated into VEGFR-2 site. In vivo studies of VEGRF-2 inhibition and the anti-apoptotic effect of the new compounds were determined in liver of irradiated rats. Toxicity of synthesized compounds was also assessed. The results showed that compounds 3-6 have significant antitumor activity and proved to be non-toxic. The ethoxy aniline derivative 6, exhibited the highest activity both in vitro and in vivo compared to the reference drug used, sorafenib. Compound 6 could be considered a promising nontoxic anti HCC agent and this could be partially attributed to its VEGFR-2 inhibition. Future preclinical investigation would be carried out to confirm the specific and exact mechanism of action of these derivatives especially compound 6 as an effective pharmaceutical agent after full toxicological and pharmacological assessment.     

氨基酸环状衍生物的合成及抑菌活性

近年来,氨基酸及其衍生物在医药和农业上已显示有广阔的应用前景。现就近十余年来,国外文献报道的具有抗病原微生物活性的氨基酸环状衍生物作一简要概述。