Synthesis,biological evaluation and molecular docking of novel pyrazole derivatives as potent carbonic anhydrase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

A series of substituted pyrazole compounds (1–8 and 9a, b) were synthesized and their structure was characterized by IR, NMR, and Mass analysis. These obtained novel pyrazole derivatives (1–8 and 9a, b) were emerged as effective inhibitors of the cytosolic carbonic anhydrase I and II isoforms (hCA I and II) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymes with K_i values in the range of 1.03 ± 0.23–22.65 ± 5.36 µM for hCA I, 1.82 ± 0.30–27.94 ± 4.74 µM for hCA II, and 48.94 ± 9.63–116.05 ± 14.95 µM for AChE, respectively. Docking studies were performed for the most active compounds, 2 and 5, and binding mode between the compounds and the receptors were determined.     

Benzylidine indane-1,3-diones: As novel urease inhibitors; synthesis,in vitro,and in silico studies

Current study deals with the evaluation of indane-1,3-dione based compounds as new class of urease inhibitors. For that purpose, benzylidine indane-1,3-diones (1–30) were synthesized and fully characterized by different spectroscopic techniques including EI-MS, HREI-MS, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR. All synthetic molecules 1–30 were evaluated for urease inhibitory activity and showed good to moderate inhibitory potential within the range of (IC₅₀ = 11.60 ± 0.3–257.05 ± 0.7 µM) as compared to the standard acetohydroxamic acid (IC₅₀ = 27.0 ± 0.5 µM). Compound 1 (IC₅₀ = 11.60 ± 0.3 µM) was found to be most potent inhibitor amongst all derivatives. The key binding interactions of most active compounds within the enzyme pocket were evaluated through in silico studies.     

Synthesis,in vitro urease inhibition and molecular docking studies of some novel quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives containing triazole,thiadiazole and thiosemicarbazide functionalities

A new series of quinazolinone derivatives containing triazole, thiadiazole, thiosemicarbazide functionalities was synthesized and then screened for their in vitro urease inhibition properties. Most of the compounds showed excellent activity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 1.88 ± 0.17 and 6.42 ± 0.23 µg/mL, compared to that of thiourea (IC₅₀ = 15.06 ± 0.68) and acetohydroxamic acid (IC₅₀ = 21.03 ± 0.94), as reference inhibitors. Among the synthesized molecules, compounds 5c, 5e and 5a showed the best inhibitory effect against urease enzyme with IC₅₀ values of 1.88 ± 0.17 µg/mL, 1.90 ± 0.10 and 1.96 ± 0.07 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover in order to give better understanding of the inhibitory activity of synthesized compounds, molecular docking studies were applied at the target sites of jack bean urease enzyme (JBU). Their binding poses and energy calculations were analyzed using induced fit docking (IFD) and prime-MMGBSA tool. Binding poses of studied compounds were determined using induced fit docking (IFD) algorithms.     

Synthesis and in vitro urease inhibitory activity of benzohydrazide derivatives,in silico and kinetic studies

Benzohydrazide derivatives 1–43 were synthesized via “one-pot” reaction and structural characterization of these synthetic derivatives was carried out by different spectroscopic techniques such as ¹H NMR and EI-MS. The synthetic molecules were evaluated for their in vitro urease inhibitory activity. All synthetic derivatives showed good inhibitory activities in the range of (IC₅₀ = 0.87 ± 0.31–19.0 ± 0.25 µM) as compared to the standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.25 ± 0.15 µM), except seven compounds 17, 18, 23, 24, 29, 30, and 41 which were found to be inactive. The most active compound of the series was compound 36 (IC₅₀ = 0.87 ± 0.31 μM) having two chloro groups at meta positions of ring A and methoxy group at para position of ring B. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) of the active compounds was established on the basis of different substituents and their positions in the molecules. Kinetic studies of the active compounds revealed that compounds can inhibit enzyme via competitive and noncompetitive modes. In silico study was also performed to understand the binding interactions of the molecules (ligand) with the active site of enzyme.     

Design,molecular docking and synthesis of novel 5,6-dichloro-2-methyl-1H-benzimidazole derivatives as potential urease enzyme inhibitors

A novel series of 5,6-dichloro-2-methyl-1H-benzimidazole derivatives was synthesized and then screened for their urease inhibitory activity. All compounds showed more potent inhibitory activity in the range of IC₅₀ = 0.0294 ± 0.0015–0.1494 ± 0.0041 µM than thiourea (IC₅₀ = 0.5117 ± 0.0159 µM), as a reference inhibitor. Among all the tested compounds, the compound 15 (IC₅₀ = 0.0294 ± 0.0015 µM) having strong electron-withdrawing nitro group on the phenyl ring was recorded as the most potent inhibitor of urease. All compounds were docked at the active sites of the Jack bean urease enzyme to investigate the reason of the inhibitory activity and the possible binding interactions of enzyme-ligand complexes.     

Synthesis,in-vitro α-glucosidase inhibition,antioxidant, in-vivo antidiabetic and molecular docking studies of pyrrolidine-2,5-dione and thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives

α-Glucosidase is considered as a therapeutic target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). In current study, we synthesized pyrrolidine-2,5-dione (succinimide) and thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives and evaluated for their ability to inhibit α-Glucosidase. Pyrrolidine-2,5-dione derivatives (11a–o) showed moderate to poor α-glucosidase inhibition. Compound 11o with the IC₅₀ value of 28.3 ± 0.28 µM emerged as a good inhibitor of α-glucosidase. Thiazolidine-2,4-dione and dihydropyrimidine (TZD-DHPM) hybrids (22a–c) showed excellent inhibitory activities. The most active compound 22a displayed IC₅₀ value of 0.98 ± 0.008 µM. Other two compounds of this series also showed activity in low micromolar range. The in-vivo antidiabetic study of three compounds 11n, 11o and 22a were also determined using alloxan induced diabetes mice model. Compounds 11o and 22a showed significant hypoglycemic effect compared to the reference drug. In-vivo acute toxicity study showed the safety of these selected compounds. In-silico docking studies were carried out to rationalize the in-vitro results. The binding modes and bioassay results of TZD-DHPM hybrids showed that interactions with important residues appeared significant for high potency.     

Antiplasmodial activity of hydroxyethylamine analogs: Synthesis,biological activity and structure activity relationship of plasmepsin inhibitors

Malaria, particularly in endemic countries remains a threat to the human health and is the leading the cause of mortality in the tropical and sub-tropical areas. Herein, we explored new C₂ symmetric hydroxyethylamine analogs as the potential inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum; 3D7) in in-vitro cultures. All the listed compounds were also evaluated against crucial drug targets, plasmepsin II (Plm II) and IV (Plm IV), enzymes found in the digestive vacuole of the P. falciparum. Analog 10f showed inhibitory activities against both the enzymes Plm II and Plm IV (K_i, 1.93?±?0.29?µM for Plm II; K_i, 1.99?±?0.05?µM for Plm IV). Among all these analogs, compounds 10g selectively inhibited the activity of Plm IV (K_i, 0.84?±?0.08?µM). In the in vitro screening assay, the growth inhibition of P. falciparum by both the analogs (IC₅₀, 2.27?±?0.95?µM for 10f; IC₅₀, 3.11?±?0.65?µM for 10g) displayed marked killing effect. A significant growth inhibition of the P. falciparum was displayed by analog 12c with IC₅₀ value of 1.35?±?0.85?µM, however, it did not show inhibitory activity against either Plms. The hemolytic assay suggested that the active compounds selectively inhibit the growth of the parasite. Further, potent analogs (10f and 12c) were evaluated for their cytotoxicity towards mammalian HepG2 and vero cells. The selectivity index (SI) values were noticed greater than 10 for both the analogs that suggested their poor toxicity. The present study indicates these analogs as putative lead structures and could serve as crucial for the development of new drug molecules.     

Exploring antidiabetic potential of adamantyl-thiosemicarbazones via aldose reductase (ALR2) inhibition

The role of aldose reductase (ALR2) in diabetes mellitus is well-established. Our interest in finding ALR2 inhibitors led us to explore the inhibitory potential of new thiosemicarbazones. In this study, we have synthesized adamantyl-thiosemicarbazones and screened them as aldehyde reductase (ALR1) and aldose reductase (ALR2) inhibitors. The compounds bearing phenyl 3a, 2-methylphenyl 3g and 2,6-dimethylphenyl 3m have been identified as most potent ALR2 inhibitors with IC₅₀ values of 3.99 ± 0.38, 3.55 ± 0.26 and 1.37 ± 0.92 µM, respectively, compared with sorbinil (IC₅₀ = 3.14 ± 0.02 μM). The compounds 3a, 3g, and 3m also inhibit ALR1 with IC₅₀ value of 7.75 ± 0.28, 7.26 ± 0.39 and 7.04 ± 2.23 µM, respectively. Molecular docking was also performed for putative binding of potent inhibitors with target enzyme ALR2. The most potent 2,6-dimethylphenyl bearing thiosemicarbazone 3m (IC₅₀ = 1.37 ± 0.92 µM for ALR2) and other two compound 3a and 3g could potentially lead for the development of new therapeutic agents.     

Syntheses,in vitro α-amylase and α-glucosidase dual inhibitory activities of 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole derivatives their molecular docking and kinetic studies

Thirty-three 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole derivatives 1–33 were synthesized by reacting 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole with a variety of benzaldehydes. The synthetic molecules were characterized via ¹H NMR and EI-MS spectroscopic techniques and evaluated for their anti-hyperglycemic potential. Compounds 1–33 exhibited good to moderate in vitro α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities in the range of IC₅₀ values 2.01 ± 0.03–6.44 ± 0.16 and 2.09 ± 0.08–6.54 ± 0.10 µM as compared to the standard acarbose (IC₅₀ = 1.92 ± 0.17 µM) and (IC₅₀ = 1.99 ± 0.07 µM), respectively. The limited structure-activity relationship suggested that different substitutions on aryl part of the synthetic compounds are responsible for variable activity. Kinetic study predicted that compounds 1–33 followed mixed and non-competitive type of inhibitions against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, respectively. In silico studies revealed that both triazole and aryl ring along with different substitutions were playing an important role in the binding interactions of inhibitors within the enzyme pocket. The synthetic molecules were found to have dual inhibitory potential against both enzymes thus they may serve as lead candidates for the drug development and research in the future studies.     

VEGFR-2 inhibiting effect and molecular modeling of newly synthesized coumarin derivatives as anti-breast cancer agents

Twenty five newly synthesized coumarin scaffold based derivatives were assayed for their in vitro anticancer activity against MCF-7 breast and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines and were further assessed for their in vitro VEGFR-2 kinase inhibitory activity. The in vitro cytotoxic studies revealed that most of the synthesized compounds possessed very promising cytotoxicity against MCF-7, particularly; compounds 4a (IC₅₀ = 1.24 µM) and 3d (IC₅₀ = 1.65 µM) exhibited exceptional activities superior to the positive control staurosporine (IC₅₀ = 8.81 µM). Similarly, the majority of the compounds exhibited higher antiproliferative activities compared to the reference standard with IC₅₀ values ranging from 2.07 to 8.68 µM. The two cytotoxic derivatives 4a and 3d were selected to evaluate their inhibitory potencies against VEGFR-2 kinase. Remarkably, compound 4a, exhibited significant IC₅₀ of 0.36 µM comparable to staurosporine (IC₅₀; 0.33 µM). Moreover, it was capable of inducing preG1 apoptosis, cell growth arrest at G2/M phase and activating caspase-9. On the other hand, insignificant cytotoxic activity was observed for all compounds towards PC-3 cell line. Molecular docking study was carried out for the most active anti-VEGFR-2 derivative 4a, which demonstrated the ability of the tested compound to interact with the key amino acids in the target VEGFR-2 kinase binding site. Additionally, the ADME parameters and physicochemical properties of compound 4a were examined in silico.     

Synthesis,biological evaluation,and molecular docking study of sulfonate derivatives as nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase (NPP) inhibitors

A new series of sulfonate derivatives 1a–zk were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of nucleotide pyrophosphatases. Most of the compounds exhibited good to moderate inhibition towards NPP1, NPP2, and NPP3 isozymes. Compound 1m was a potent and selective inhibitor of NPP1 with an IC₅₀ value of 0.387 ± 0.007 µM. However, the most potent inhibitor of NPP3 was found as 1x with an IC₅₀ value of 0.214 ± 0.012 µM. In addition, compound 1e was the most active inhibitor of NPP2 with an IC₅₀ value of 0.659 ± 0.007 µM. Docking studies of the most potent compounds were carried out, and the computational results supported the in vitro results.     

Flurbiprofen derivatives as novel α-amylase inhibitors: Biology-oriented drug synthesis (BIODS), in vitro,and in silico evaluation

Novel derivatives of flurbiprofen 1–18 including flurbiprofen hydrazide 1, substituted aroyl hydrazides 2–9, 2-mercapto oxadiazole derivative 10, phenacyl substituted 2-mercapto oxadiazole derivatives 11–15, and benzyl substituted 2-mercapto oxadiazole derivatives 16–18 were synthesized and characterized by EI-MS, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic techniques. All derivatives 1–18 were screened for α-amylase inhibitory activity and demonstrated a varying degree of potential ranging from IC₅₀ = 1.04 ± 0.3 to 2.41 ± 0.09 µM as compared to the standard acarbose (IC₅₀ = 0.9 ± 0.04 µM). Out of eighteen compounds, derivatives 2 (IC₅₀ = 1.69 ± 0.1 µM), 3 (IC₅₀ = 1.04 ± 0.3 µM), 9 (IC₅₀ = 1.25 ± 1.05 µM), and 13 (IC₅₀ = 1.6 ± 0.18 µM) found to be excellent inhibitors while rest of the compounds demonstrated comparable inhibition potential. A limited structure-activity relationship (SAR) was established by looking at the varying structural features of the library. In addition to that, in silico study was conducted to understand the binding interactions of the compounds (ligands) with the active site of α-amylase enzyme.     

In vitro and in silico evaluation of new thiazole compounds as monoamine oxidase inhibitors

New twenty compounds bearing thiazole ring (3a-3t) were designed and synthesized as monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. The fluorometric enzyme inhibition assay was used to determine the biological effects of synthesized compounds. Most of them showed remarkable inhibitory activity against both MAO-A and MAO-B. By comparing their IC₅₀ values, it can be seen that active derivatives displayed generally selectivity on MAO-B enzyme. Compounds 3j and 3t, which bear dihydroxy moiety at the 3rd and 4th position of phenyl ring, were the most active derivatives in the series against both isoenzymes. Compounds 3j and 3t showed significant inhibition profile on MAO-A with the IC₅₀ values of 0.134 ± 0.004 µM and 0.123 ± 0.005 µM, respectively, while they performed selectivity against MAO-B with the IC₅₀ values of 0.027 ± 0.001 µM and 0.025 ± 0.001 µM, respectively. Also, docking studies about these compounds were carried out to evaluate their binding modes on the active regions of MAO-A and MAO-B.     

Semi-synthesis and anti-tumor activity of novel 25-OCH3-PPD derivatives incorporating aromatic moiety

Previously we have reported that 25-OCH₃-PPD could suppress the reproduction of cancer cells and cause apoptosis without obvious toxicity. Herein, we aimed to enhance its bioactivity by introducing aromatic groups to its dammarane-type skeleton. These synthesized derivatives were tested for their inhibitory activities against five cancer cell lines. Of them, compounds 3a, 14a and 18a had the strongest antiproliferative activities against tumor cells (IC₅₀?<?15?µM, 5-fold to 10-fold increases than 25-OCH₃-PPD). Especially compound 14a displayed the most potent activity against DU145, MCF-7 and HepG2 cells (IC₅₀?=?6.7?±?0.8, 4.3?±?0.8 and 5.8?±?0.6?µM, respectively). Structure-activity relationships demonstrated that having aromatic ester at the C3 position could improve the bioactivity. The data provided new insights into exploring novel antiproliferative lead compounds.     

Design,synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modelling studies of indole glyoxylamides as a new class of potential pancreatic lipase inhibitors

A series of eighteen indole glyoxylamide analogues were synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. Porcine pancreatic lipase (Type II) was used with 4-nitrophenyl butyrate (as substrate) for the in vitro assay. Compound 8f exhibited competitive inhibition against pancreatic lipase with IC₅₀ value of 4.92 µM, comparable to that of the standard drug, orlistat (IC₅₀ = 0.99 µM). Compounds 7a-i and 8a-i were subjected to molecular docking into the active site of human PL (PDB ID: 1LPB) wherein compound 8f possessed a potential MolDock score of −153.037 kcal/mol. Molecular dynamics simulation of 8f complexed with pancreatic lipase, confirmed the role of aromatic substitution in stabilizing the ligand through hydrophobic interactions (maximum observed RMSD = 3.5 Å).     

Design,synthesis, in vitro evaluation,molecular docking and ADME properties studies of hybrid bis-coumarin with thiadiazole as a new inhibitor of Urease

Hybrid bis-coumarin derivatives 1–18 were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro urease inhibitory potential. All compounds showed outstanding urease inhibitory potential with IC₅₀ value (The half maximal inhibitory concentration) ranging in between 0.12 SD 0.01 and 38.04 SD 0.63 µM (SD standard deviation). When compared with the standard thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.40 ± 0.21 µM). Among these derivatives, compounds 7 (IC₅₀ = 0.29 ± 0.01), 9 (IC₅₀ = 2.4 ± 0.05), 10 (IC₅₀ = 2.25 ± 0.05) and 16 (IC₅₀ = 0.12 ± 0.01) are better inhibitors of the urease compared with thiourea (IC₅₀ = 21.40 ± 0.21 µM). To find structure–activity relationship molecular docking as well as absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies were also performed. Various spectroscopic techniques like ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and EI-MS were used for characterization of all synthesized analogs. All compounds were tested for cytotoxicity and found non-toxic.     

Design,synthesis, docking study, α-glucosidase inhibition,and cytotoxic activities of acridine linked to thioacetamides as novel agents in treatment of type 2 diabetes

A novel series of acridine linked to thioacetamides 9a–o were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities. All the synthesized compounds exhibited excellent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in the range of IC₅₀ = 80.0 ± 2.0–383.1 ± 2.0 µM against yeast α-glucosidase, when compared to the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀ = 750.0 ± 1.5 µM). Among the synthesized compounds, 2-((6-chloro-2-methoxyacridin-9-yl)thio)-N-(p-tolyl) acetamide 9b displayed the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 80.0 ± 2.0 μM). The in vitro cytotoxic assay of compounds 9a–o against MCF-7 cell line revealed that only the compounds 9d, 9c, and 9n exhibited cytotoxic activity. Cytotoxic compounds 9d, 9c, and 9n did not show cytotoxic activity against the normal human cell lines HDF. Kinetic study revealed that the most potent compound 9b is a competitive inhibitor with a K_i of 85 μM. Furthermore, the interaction modes of the most potent compounds 9b and 9f with α-glucosidase were evaluated through the molecular docking studies.     

New indole based hybrid oxadiazole scaffolds with N-substituted acetamides: As potent anti-diabetic agents

Current study is based on the sequential conversion of indolyl butanoic acid (1) into ethyl indolyl butanoate (2), indolyl butanohydrazide (3), and 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol analogs (4) by adopting chemical transformations. In a parallel series of reactions, 2-bromo-N-phenyl/arylacetamides (7a-l) were synthesized by reacting different amines derivatives (5a-l) with 2-bromoacetyl bromide (6) to serve as electrophile. Then, the synthesized electrophiles (7a-l) were treated with nucleophilic 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol analog (4) to afford a range of N-substituted derivatives (8a-l). The structural confirmation of all the synthetic compounds was carried out by IR, ¹H-, ¹³C NMR, EI-MS, and CHN analysis data. All synthesized molecules (8a-l) were tested for their antidiabetic potential via inhibition of the α-glucosidase enzyme followed by their in silico study. Their cytotoxicity profile was also ascertained via hemolytic activity and all of them possessed very low cytotoxicity. Compounds 8h and 8l were found most active having IC₅₀ values 9.46 ± 0.03 µM and 9.37 ± 0.03 µM, respectively. However, all other molecules also exhibited good to moderate inhibition potential with IC₅₀ values between 12.68 ± 0.04–37.82 ± 0.07, compared to standard acarbose (IC₅₀ = 37.38 ± 0.12 µM), hence can be used as lead molecules for further research in order to get better antidiabetic agents.     

Biscoumarin-1,2,3-triazole hybrids as novel anti-diabetic agents: Design,synthesis, in vitro α-glucosidase inhibition,kinetic, and docking studies

A novel series of biscoumarin-1,2,3-triazole hybrids 6a-n was prepared and evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory potential. All fourteen derivatives exhibited excellent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 13.0 ± 1.5 and 75.5 ± 7.0 µM when compared with the acarbose as standard inhibitor (IC₅₀ = 750.0 ± 12.0 µM). Among the synthesized compounds, compounds 6c (IC₅₀ = 13.0 ± 1.5 µM) and 6g (IC₅₀ = 16.4 ± 1.7 µM) exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and were non-cytotoxic towards normal fibroblast cells. Kinetic study revealed that compound 6c inhibits the α-glucosidase in a competitive mode. Furthermore, molecular docking investigation was performed to find interaction modes of the biscoumarin-1,2,3-triazole derivatives.     

Tyrosinase inhibitory effects of Vinca major and its secondary metabolites: Enzyme kinetics and in silico inhibition model of the metabolites validated by pharmacophore modelling

In the present study, we aimed to identify the tyrosinase enzyme inhibitory potential of Vinca major L. extract and its secondary metabolites. The extract possessed remarkable tyrosinase enzyme inhibitory effect with IC₅₀ value of 20.39 ± 0.44 µg/mL compared to the positive control, kojic acid (IC₅₀ 8.56 ± 0.17 µg/mL). Compounds 1 and 5 were the most potent isolates with IC₅₀ values of 32.41 ± 0.99 and 31.34 ± 0.75 µM, they were more potent than kojic acid (IC₅₀: 60.25 ± 0.54 µM). Compound 2 also exhibited remarkable tyrosinase inhibition with an IC₅₀ value of 64.51 ± 1.29 µM. An enzyme kinetics analysis revealed that 1 was a mixed-type, 2 and 5 were noncompetitive inhibitors. Using molecular docking, we predicted binding affinity and interactions of the compounds, which were in good alignment with a pharmacophore hypothesis generated out of a number of known tyrosinase inhibitors. The modelling studies underlined crucial interactions with the copper ions and residues around them such as Asn260, His263, and Met280.