Medicinal Chemistry Research最新文献

Marine soft corals are plentiful sources of a wide range of natural products. They include an extensive array of chemical scaffolds that could eventually be utilized to develop novel drugs for human diseases due to the extraordinary diversity and number of bioactive small molecules identified from these animals. Soft corals belonging to the Paralemnalia genus (order Alcyonacea) are widely distributed throughout the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean. Numerous chemical components have been isolated and identified, including mainly sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, steroids, and fatty acids. Some compounds have been shown to exhibit various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, neuroprotective, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. However, no reviews have been published focusing on this genus until now. Here in this review, we attempt to delve into the reported metabolites from genus Paralemnalia according to the produced species, their chemical structures, and their biological potential.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) - are depression and neurodegenerative diseases that target enzymes, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). With the goal of searching for cholinesterase enzyme inhibitors, a series of four new and twelve previously modified at C2/С2,С21 (arylidenes) and C3 (acylates) positions of dipterocarpol compounds were evaluated for acetylcholinesterase (from electric eel) and butyrylcholinesterase (from equine serum) inhibitory activity. As a result, dammaranes with 3β-O-(2-furoyl)- 2, 2-(p-nitro-benzylidene)- 7, and 2,21-bis-(p-carbonylbenzylidene)- 17 fragments exhibited a pronounced activity with 79.0, 68.8 and 75.2% inhibition of AChE, but were less active for BChE. The structure-activity relationship indicated that the type of substituents in the arylidene or ester moiety and the structure of the side chain of dammarane scaffold play an important role in the inhibition of AChE. Extra experiments showed them as mixed-type inhibitors with K_i 5.99 (for 2), 2.43 (for 7) and 0.51 µM (for 17). Molecular docking studies showed that compounds 2, 7, and 17 have the highest binding scores −8.4, −8.9, and −8.7 kcal/mol, respectively. There are revealed key interactions and confirmed successful placement of the compounds 2, 7, and 17 in the active site of AChE, that elucidate these inhibitory effects.

Based on a report that 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylbenzenesulfonamides act as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), the present study explored the effect of replacing the 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety with a 1,3-thiazole heterocycle. A series of 23 primary sulfonamides were synthesized and evaluated as in vitro inhibitors of the human MAOs. The results showed that the 1,3-thiazolylbenzenesulfonamides were specific inhibitors of MAO-B with the most potent MAO-B inhibitor presenting with an IC₅₀ value of 0.103 µM (3j). Potent MAO-B inhibition was obtained with the substitution of the sulfonamide on the meta position of the phenyl rather than the para position. This study concluded that 1,3-thiazolylbenzenesulfonamides may serve as lead MAO inhibitors for the development of new treatments for disease states such as Parkinson’s disease.

In this study, chalcones 5, and 6 and pyrazolines 7, and 8 were designed and synthesized as combrestatin A-4 (CA-4) analogues. The anticancer effect of the synthesized compounds 5-8 was assessed against a panel of cancer cell lines at 10 µM. Results revealed that the 3-benzyloxy chalcone 5 exhibited the highest GI % (81.43%) against all the cancer cell lines, and recorded the highest anticancer activity against HuH-7 liver cancer cell line (IC₅₀ = 5.59 μM). The effect of 5-8 on the microtubules network was visualized via immunofluroescence detection. The 3-benzyloxy chalcone 5, and the 4-phenethyl chalcone 6 revealed microtubules destabilizing effects as CA-4, however, the pyrazolines 7, and 8 showed microtubules stabilizing effects similar to that of paclitaxel. Moreover, it caused cell cycle arrest at G2/M phases as well as early and late apoptosis and necrosis induction in HuH-7 cells as recorded by flow cytometry. The ADME properties of the synthesized compounds 5-8 were investigated and their in vitro cellular permeability was also determined. The 3-benzyloxy chalcone 5 exhibited acceptable drug likeness properties and passed the Lipinski, Ghose, Veber and Egan rules filters, and revealed a good cellular permeability (41%) according to the LC-MS/MS permeability assay. Finally, molecular docking and dynamic studies were performed to investigate the binding modes of 5-8. It was revealed that the 3-benzyloxy chalcone 5 exhibit a stable binding to the tubulin via multiple interactions with the key amino acids at the colchicine binding site.

Graphical abstract

Chalcone 5 revealed mean GI₅₀ values 1.59–25.10 µM and a microtubules destabilizing agent.

A series of new triphenylphosphonium (TPP) conjugates of 1,2,3-triazolyl nucleoside analogues were synthesised by coupling with 8-bromooctyl or 10-bromodecyl triphenylphosphonium bromide and evaluated in vitro for cytotoxicity against human cancer and normal cells and antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive cells, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Gram-negative bacteria and pathogenic yeasts. In these TPP conjugates, the TPP cation was attached via an octyl or decyl linker to the N3 atom of the heterocyclic fragment (uracil, thymine, 6-methyluracil, quinazoline-2,4-dione) and its N1 atom was attached via a methyl or butyl linker with a 1,2,3-triazolylribofuranosyl moiety. Lead compounds possessing a decyl linker between the heterocyclic fragment and the TPP cation showed high cytotoxicity against HuTu-80 cancer cells (IC₅₀ = 0.5 μM) with a selectivity index >10. The lead compounds were found to induce apoptosis in HuTu-80 cancer cells via the mitochondrial pathway and to arrest the cell cycle of HuTu-80 cells in the G1 phase. Molecular docking modelling indicates that the lead compounds bind to the active site (BH3 domain) of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Lead compounds with high anticancer specificity were also shown to be very active against S. aureus (MIC and MIC are 0.25–0.5 μM) and good efficacy against MRSA strains (MIC and MIC are 7.8–15.6 μM). In relation to bacteria, the lead compounds have a membranotropic effect due to a significant decrease in the potential of the cytoplasmic membrane.

In this study, we synthesized a series of amide-functionalized aminothiazole-benzazole analogs for potential application in cancer treatment. The chemical structures of these compounds were confirmed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR) spectroscopy, and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). We evaluated the cytotoxicity of these compounds against breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549). Notably, Compound 6b demonstrated significant cytotoxicity, with IC₅₀ values of 17.2 ± 1.9 μM for MCF-7 cells and 19.0 ± 3.2 μM for A549 cells. Furthermore, we assessed the antimigration properties of all synthesized compounds, observing promising antiproliferative effects in both MCF-7 and A549 cells. Compound 6b exhibited a significant antimigration effect, achieving a 50.2 ± 4.7% wound healing rate in MCF-7 cells. In addition, we examined the impact of these compounds on key apoptotic proteins, including Caspase-7, PARP-1, BAX, and Bcl-2, which are critical in the regulation of programmed cell death. The binding potentials of the active compounds to BAX and Bcl-2 were also supported by docking. Results that consolidate the in vitro study were obtained from the in silico analysis. Our results suggest that these amide-functionalized aminothiazole-benzazole analogs exhibit potential as anticancer agents and merit further investigation to elucidate their mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential.

Graphical abstract

The synthesis of novel aminothiazole-benzazole-based amide derivatives as potential anticancer agents has been reported. These compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and A549 cancer cell lines, exhibiting IC₅₀ values ranging from 17.2 to 80.6 μM. Furthermore, the cytotoxic compounds demonstrated significant antimigration effects and induced apoptosis in both MCF-7 and A549 cell lines. Additionally, the results confirming the in vitro study were supported by in silico analysis.

A new series of benzimidazole-propane hydrazide derivatives 9a-k were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their inhibition ability against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The results of the in vitro evaluations showed that all the tested compounds exhibited significant inhibition against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. Title compounds 9a-k exhibited varying degrees of inhibitory ability against α-glucosidase, with IC₅₀ values in the range of 73.86–151.54 nM, in comparison to the standard acarbose drug with IC₅₀ value of 174.50 nM. Similarly, these compounds demonstrated varying degrees of α-amylase inhibitory ability (the IC₅₀ values ranged from 42.50 to 78.58 nM in comparison to acarbose with IC₅₀ of 79.05 nM). Among the synthesized compounds, compound 9 h demonstrated the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and compound 9 f demonstrated the highest anti-α-amylase activity. To further investigation on the potential of these derivatives as α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitors, molecular docking were conducted on all the synthesized compounds 9a-k. Docking results were in agreement with in vitro results. Molecular dynamics of compound 9 h showed that complex compound 9h-α-glucosidase had acceptable stability and flexibility. Calculations of physicochemical properties of compound 9a-k showed that these compounds fallowed of the main drug-likeness rules. Furthermore, the prediction of pharmacokinetics and toxicity profiles of compound 9 h showed that this compound can be considered as a lead drug structure.

The main components, [6]-shogaol (6) and [6]-gingerol (7), were obtained from the rhizome of Zingiber officinale. Both natural phenolic compounds were modified at C_4′ position to get new sixteen derivatives. All derivatives were screened for their HDAC inhibitory activity at 50 µM using HeLa nuclear extract. Among the synthesized compounds, derivatives 6b, 6e, 6f and 6g were the most effective against HDACs with the IC₅₀ values as 44.60 ± 1.40 µM, 49.23 ± 1.13 µM, 50.55 ± 4.25 µM and 48.52 ± 1.52 µM, respectively. In addition, the selected derivatives were investigated against HDAC8 inhibitory activity. The results demonstrated that among them, 6b was selective with HDAC8 (IC₅₀ = 23.19 ± 1.57 µM). The molecular docking study via MOE docking program also revealed that compound 6b bound into the active pocket of HDAC8 with ΔG value as −6.92 kcal/mol. Moreover, the in vitro antiproliferative activity of four most potent compounds were evaluated against nine cancer cell lines with MTT assay. The results showed that all selected derivatives were most effective against lung (A549), colon (HCT116 and HT29) and human cervical (HeLa) cancer cell lines. Especially, compound 6g was the most potent against A549 cancer cell line with the IC₅₀ value as 8.41 ± 0.04 µM. Therefore, compound 6b and 6g are considered as promising HDACs-inhibitor-anticancer agents.

Sulfur has been used as a medicinal agent by the Greeks since ancient times. Approximately 350 sulfur-containing compounds have been approved as drugs by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Generally, sulfur exists as organosulfur in plants and as glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. Metabolic disorders and infectious diseases are becoming worldwide public health problems, directly affecting individuals' quality of life and constitute a robust economic challenge to healthcare systems. Glucosinolates have been reported in several vegetables, bacteria, plants, fungi, and animals. In addition to organosulfur, glucosinolates, and their hydrolyzed products, isothiocyanates have immense therapeutic value. Several studies suggest glucosinolates have a potential role in treating metabolic disorders, including cancer, diabetes, and inflammation. Also, some of the glucosinolates had shown broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and antifungal activity against fungal strains. This review discusses recently identified naturally occurring sulfur-containing compounds, including glucosinolates and organosulfur, and their therapeutic potential for treating metabolic disorders and infectious diseases.

The mutual prodrug approach appears as a promising strategy for developing candidates with great therapeutic effectiveness and enhanced safety profile. The present study addresses the assessment of merging the xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitor febuxostat (FEB) with the URAT1 inhibitor probenecid (PRO) for managing hyperuricemia and gout associated with oxidative stress. Accordingly, FEB-PRO (5) prodrug was synthesized and proved to be a significant hypouricemic and free radical scavenging agent, when compared to its parents and the physical mixture. Moreover, (5) was found to remarkably decrease serum and hepatic XO as compared with the parent drugs and physical mixture. Inclusion of PRO imparted synergism and enhancement of the pharmacological profile of FEB. Additionally, the tested prodrug showed protective effect against hepatotoxicity caused by carbon tetrachloride, beside being non cytotoxic to normal breast cells. Also, RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of antioxidant biomarkers CAT and SOD2 significantly increased in the group treated with FEB-PRO (5). Being an ester, (5) displayed reduced aqueous solubility and increased lipophilicity relative to the parent medications.