Molecular Diversity最新文献

Phosphodiesterase enzyme 5 (PDE5) inhibitors have emerged as one of the leading molecules for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). PDE5 inhibitors are categorized structurally into several classes. PDE5 inhibitors have been a multidisciplinary endeavor that attracts the attention of researchers because of their multiple pharmaceutical applications. Beyond their action on ED, PDE5 inhibitors are widely used in treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), Eisenmenger's syndrome, Raynaud's Disease, Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), Mountain sickness, Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC), pulmonary arterial hypertension and type II diabetes (insulin resistance). In addition, PDE5 inhibitors also show promising antiproliferative activity, anti-Alzheimer and COX-1/COX-2 inhibitory activity (anti-inflammatory). Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacogenetics and toxicity of PDE5 inhibitors were finally explored. The diverse therapeutic applications, the high feasibility of structural modification and the appropriate pharmacokinetic properties of PDE5 inhibitors have motivated researchers to develop new scaffolds that have been either under clinical trials or approved by FDA and utilize them to overcome some recent global concerns, such as COVID-19.

An unprecedented natural light promoted DMSO/O₂-catalyzed N-acylation reaction of imidazoles/triazoles with cyclopropenones at room temperature under metal-free conditions has been developed. The remarkable advantages of this strategy include atomic economy and environmentally benign conditions (such as natural light promotion, DMSO/O₂-catalysis, room temperature, and DMC as solvent), stereospecific (E)-olefins synthesis (N-acyl imidazoles and triazoles), wide functional group tolerance and high reaction yields. Furthermore, the typical products (1c and 1e) display good photocurrent and electrochemical property and are potentially applicable in biosensor materials fields.

Cancer is one of the most significant diseases that afflict human beings. The pursuit of high efficacy and low-toxicity anticancer drugs has always been a paramount research objective for scientists. In the present study, we incorporated two selenocyano pharmacophores into the 2-site and 17-branch chain of the steroid nucleus in various manners, utilizing estradiol as the fundamental framework. Consequently, several estradiol bisselenocyanate compounds with a 2-selenocyano-17-selenocyanoester structure were synthesized. When compared to the positive control steroidal anti-tumor drug 2-methoxyestradiol, certain derivatives exhibited superior inhibitory activity against tumor cells in vitro, surpassing their monoselenocyanate precursors. The representative compound 4b induced programmed apoptosis in HeLa cells in a concentration-dependent manner during apoptosis and cell cycle experiments, while causing G2 phase arrest predominantly in the cell cycle. Moreover, compound 4b exhibited significant inhibitory effects on cell migration and demonstrated remarkable inhibitory activity against HeLa xenograft tumors in zebrafish models. These findings suggest that these compounds hold potential as promising candidates for anti-tumor drugs and warrant further investigation.

Drug discovery is a time-consuming and expensive process. Artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies have been adopted to cut costs and speed up the drug development process, serving as promising in silico approaches to efficiently design novel drug candidates targeting various health conditions. Most existing AI-driven drug discovery studies follow a single-target approach which focuses on identifying compounds that bind a target (i.e., one-drug-one-target approach). Polypharmacology is a relatively new concept that takes a systematic approach to search for a compound (or a combination of compounds) that can bind two or more carefully selected protein biomarkers simultaneously to synergistically treat the disease. Recent studies have demonstrated that multi-target drugs offer superior therapeutic potentials compared to single-target drugs. However, it is intuitively thought that searching for multi-target drugs is more challenging than finding single-target drugs. At present, it is unclear how AI approaches perform in designing multi-target drugs. In this paper, we comprehensively investigated the performance of multi-objective AI approaches for multi-target drug design. Our findings are quite counter-intuitive demonstrating that, in fact, AI approaches for multi-target drug design are able to efficiently generate more high-quality novel compounds than the single-target approaches while satisfying a number of constraints.

Buspirone, a well-established anxiolytic agent, has gained attention for its potential role as an antidepressant, primarily due to its unique pharmacological profile and the ability to modulate serotonin receptors effectively. Late-stage functionalization is considered as a pivotal strategy in drug synthesis that enhances the therapeutic efficacy of existing molecules. This review summarizes various late-stage functionalization techniques applicable to Buspirone, including photocatalyzed, metal-catalyzed, and enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

Chromone-3-carbonitrile has been extensively studied in a panel of high-value transformations. However, existing protocols for the synthesis of this scaffold are often constrained by the structure of the starting materials and harsh conditions. To address these issues, we present a novel strategy that HFIP (hexafluoroisopropanol)-driven strategy, enables chromone-3-carbonitriles synthesis without undesirable side reactions. This protocol features readily available feedstocks, mild conditions, catalytic amount of acid and good to excellent yields. The utility of this chemistry is further demonstrated by amenable modifications of chromone-pyrimidines and imidazoles. Moreover, the analogous transformation of aldehydes is successfully constructed to achieve useful compounds such as 2-hydroxybenzonitriles, heterocyclic nitriles, and α, β-unsaturated nitriles. The HFIP-driven strategy offers an interesting access to different types of nitriles in a sustainably manner.

Tumoral immune escape is an obstacle to successful cancer therapy. Tryptophan catabolism mediated by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) is an important mechanism of peripheral immune tolerance contributing to tumoral immune resistance, and IDO1 inhibition is an active area of drug development. Several classes of small molecule-based IDO1 inhibitors have already been reported. Still, only a few compounds are currently being evaluated in various stages of clinical trials as adjuvants or in combination with chemo- and radiotherapies. In this study, a novel series of 1,2,5-oxadiazole-3-carboximidamide derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for inhibitory activities against IDO1, and their structure-activity relationship was investigated. Notably, several compounds (11c, 11j, 11o, and 11u) showed powerful anti-tumor effects in the low micromolar range. Among them, compound 11u exhibited excellent inhibitory potency against hIDO1 (IC₅₀ = 42.2 ± 2.23 nM) and in Hela cells expressing hIDO1 (IC₅₀ = 4.35 ± 0.13 nM). Combined with favorable in vitro potency, pharmacokinetic profile, and in vivo efficacy, the promising antitumor drug candidate 11u has subsequently advanced into preclinical research. These compounds provide valuable ideas and information for developing new cancer immunotherapy.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) was one of the most prevalent forms of lung cancer. Due to its ease of invasion and migration, the five-year survival rate was relatively low. Therefore, new strategies for NSCLC treatment were needed. CC chemokine receptor 1/3/5 (CCR1/CCR3/CCR5), a member of the G-protein coupled receptor family, could promote the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells by binding to related chemokines. Consequently, targeting CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5 might prevent the progression of the disease. So far, no compound had been reported as a common antagonist for CCR1, CCR3, and CCR5. In this research, we utilized virtual screening and structural optimization to obtain compound 5, which effectively inhibited the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. Meanwhile, Western Blot and Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) manifested that compound 5 suppressed migration and invasion of NSCLC cells by suppressing the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and the consequently decreased Matrix Metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) secretion. Moreover, drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) experiment and molecular simulations confirmed that compound 5 was capable of binding with CCR1/CCR3/CCR5, and Van der Waals forces were instrumental in the binding process. Ile91, Tyr113, Gln284, and Ser184(CCR1-ligand5), Ile189, Met213, and Leu209(CCR3-ligand5), Phe109, Gln194, and Thr195(CCR5-ligand5) had Van der Waals interactions with ligand 5. Dynamic cross-correlation matrix (DCCM) and free energy landscape (FEL) showed that compound 5 could stably bind to CCR1/CCR3/CCR5 to change conformation of the protein and the tendency of residue movements, leading to a persistent inhibitory effect. This study aimed to provide assistance in the rational design of common antagonists for CCR1, CCR3, and CCR5.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) has emerged as a crucial target due to its substantial contribution in various cellular processes. Dysfunctional GSK-3β activity can lead to ion channel disturbances, sustain abnormal excitability, and contribute to the pathogenesis of epilepsy and other GSK-3β-related disorders. A set of 82 pyrazole analogs was utilized to study its structural features using a three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR), virtual screening, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics. The QSAR model, validated using internal and external methods, demonstrated robustness with a high correlation coefficient r²_training = 0.99, cross-validation coefficient q² = 0.79, r²_test = 0.69, and r²_external = 0.74. The "Average of Actives" in the Activity Atlas model identified 17 molecules as active. Subsequent pharmacophore-based virtual screening of 17 actives yielded 70 compounds, which were selected as the prediction set to determine the potential GSK-3β inhibitors. Docking studies pinpointed compound P66 as the promising lead compound, with a docking score of - 10.555 kcal/mol. These findings were further supported by electrostatic potential (ESP), electrostatic complementarity (EC), and Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MM/GBSA) analyses. Furthermore, a 500 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation confirmed the structural and conformational stability of the lead complex throughout the simulation period. As a result, this study suggests that compound P66 holds the potential to be a potent lead candidate for the inhibition of GSK-3β, offering a novel therapeutic approach for GSK-3β related disorders, including epilepsy.

The present study employed an integrated transcriptome and interactome-based analyses to identify key proteins and pathways associated with Acinetobacter baumannii infection towards the development of novel therapeutics against this pathogen. Transcriptome analysis of A.baumannii strains (ATCC 17978 and AbH12O-A2) identified 253 and 619 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively. These genes were involved in essential molecular functions, including DNA binding, metal ion binding, and oxidoreductase activity. The centrality and module analyses of these identified DEGs had shortlisted 27 and 41 hub proteins, which were central to the ATCC 17978 and AbH12O-A2 networks, and essential for bacterial survival. Significantly, three proteins (SecA, glutathione synthase, and aromatic-amino-acid transaminase) from the ATCC 17978 strain and seven proteins (ATP synthase subunit alpha, translation initiation factor IF-2, SecY, elongation factors G, Tu, and Ts, and tRNA guanine-N1-methyltransferase) from the AbH12O-A2 strain showed interactions with human proteins, identified through host-pathogen interaction (HPI) analysis of hub proteins (referred as hub-HPI proteins). These proteins were observed to participate in vital pathways, including glutathione metabolism, secondary metabolite biosynthesis and quorum sensing. Targeting these hub-HPI proteins through novel therapeutic strategies holds the potential to disrupt the critical bacterial pathways, thereby controlling A. baumannii infections. Furthermore, their localization analysis indicated that nine proteins were cytoplasmic and one was membrane protein. Among them, six were druggable and four were novel proteins. Overall, this comprehensive study provides valuable insights into the crucial proteins and pathways involved during A. baumannii infection, and offers potential therapeutic targets for designing novel antimicrobial agents to tackle the pathogen.