Therapeutic potential of coumarins as antiviral agents.

Coumarins have received a considerable attention in the last three decades as a lead structures for the discovery of orally bioavailable non-peptidic antiviral agents. A lot of structurally diverse coumarins analogues were found to display remarkable array of affinity with the different molecular targets for antiviral agents and slight modifications around the central motif result in pronounced changes in its antiviral spectrum. This manuscript thoroughly reviews the design, discovery and structure-activity relationship studies of the coumarin analogues as antiviral agents focusing mainly on lead optimization and its development into clinical candidates.

An expedient synthesis, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity, and molecular modeling study of highly functionalized hexahydro-1,6-naphthyridines.

A series of hexahydro-1,6-naphthyridines were synthesized in good yields by the reaction of 3,5-bis[(E)-arylmethylidene]tetrahydro-4(1H)-pyridinones with cyanoacetamide in the presence of sodium ethoxide under simple mixing at ambient temperature for 6-10 minutes and were assayed for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity using colorimetric Ellman's method. Compound 4e with methoxy substituent at ortho-position of the phenyl rings displayed the maximum inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 2.12 µM. Molecular modeling simulation of 4e was performed using three-dimensional structure of Torpedo californica AChE (TcAChE) enzyme to disclose binding interaction and orientation of this molecule into the active site gorge of the receptor.

A facile ionic liquid promoted synthesis, cholinesterase inhibitory activity and molecular modeling study of novel highly functionalized spiropyrrolidines.

A series of novel dimethoxyindanone embedded spiropyrrolidines were synthesized in ionic liquid, [bmim]Br and were evaluated for their inhibitory activities towards cholinesterases. Among the spiropyrrolidines, compound 4f exhibited the most potent activity with an IC50 value of 1.57 µM against acethylcholinesterase (AChE). Molecular docking simulation for the most active compound was employed with the aim of disclosing its binding mechanism to the active site of AChE receptor.

Synthesis and evaluation of antimycobacterial activity of new benzimidazole aminoesters.

A total of 51 novel benzimidazoles were synthesized by a 4-step reaction starting from basic compound 4-fluoro-3-nitrobenzoic acid under relatively mild reaction conditions. The structure of the novel benzimidazoles was confirmed by mass spectra as well as (1)H NMR spectroscopic data. Out of the 51 novel synthesized compounds, 42 of them were screened for their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain using BacTiter-Glo™ Microbial Cell Viability (BTG) method. Results of activity screened using Alamar Blue method was also provided for comparison purposes. Two of the novel benzimidazoles synthesized showed moderately good activity with IC50 of less than 15 µM. Compound 5g, ethyl 2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1-(2-morpholinoethyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-5-carboxylate, was found to be the most active with IC50 of 11.52 µM.

Benzimidazoles as new scaffold of sirtuin inhibitors: green synthesis, in vitro studies, molecular docking analysis and evaluation of their anti-cancer properties.

Two series of novel benzimidazole derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their SIRT1 and SIRT2 inhibitory activity. Among the newly synthesized compounds, compound 4j displayed the best inhibitory activity for SIRT1 (IC50 = 54.21 µM) as well as for SIRT2 (IC50 = 26.85 µM). Cell proliferation assay showed that compound 4j possessed good antitumor activity against three different types of cancer cells derived from colon (HCT-116), breast (MDA-MB-468) and blood-leukemia (CCRF-CEM) with cell viability of 40.0%, 53.2% and 27.2% respectively at 50 µM. Docking analysis of representative compound 4j into SIRT2 indicated that the interaction with receptor was primarily due to hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking interactions.

Facile, regio- and diastereoselective synthesis of spiro-pyrrolidine and pyrrolizine derivatives and evaluation of their antiproliferative activities.

A number of novel spiro-pyrrolidines/pyrrolizines derivatives were synthesized through [3+2]-cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with 3,5-bis[(E)-arylmethylidene]tetrahydro-4(1H)-pyridinones 2a-n. Azomethine ylides were generated in situ from the reaction of 1H-indole-2,3-dione (isatin, 3) with N-methylglycine (sarcosine), phenylglycine, or proline. All compounds (50 µM) were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against human breast carcinoma (MDA-MB-231), leukemia lymphoblastic (CCRF-CEM), and ovarian carcinoma (SK-OV-3) cells. N-α-Phenyl substituted spiro-pyrrolidine derivatives (5a-n) showed higher antiproliferative activity in MDA-MB-231 than other cancer cell lines. Among spiro-pyrrolizines 6a-n, a number of derivatives including 6a-c and 6i-m showed a comparable activity with doxorubicin in all three cell lines. Among all compounds in three classes, 6a, 6b, and 6m, were found to be the most potent derivatives showing 64%, 87%, and 74% antiproliferative activity in MDA-MB-231, SK-OV-3, and CCRF-CEM cells, respectively. Compound 6b showed an IC50 value of 3.6 mM in CCRF-CEM cells. These data suggest the potential antiproliferative activity of spiro-pyrrolidines/pyrrolizines.

Antimycobacterial evaluation of novel hybrid arylidene thiazolidine-2,4-diones.

A series of novel hybrid heterocycles comprising arylidene thiazolidine-2,4-dione and 1-cyclopropyl-2-(2-fluorophenyl)ethanone were synthesized. These compounds were evaluated for their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv in High Throughput Screen. Most of the hybrid arylidene thiazolidine-2,4-diones displayed moderate to good activity with MIC of less than 50 µM. Compound 1m exhibited maximum potency being 5.87 fold more active at EC50 and 6.26 fold more active at EC90 than the standard drug pyrimethamine.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel benzimidazole derivatives as sirtuin inhibitors with antitumor activities.

A total of 15 novel benzimidazole derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their SIRT1 and SIRT2 inhibitory activity. All compounds showed better inhibition on SIRT2 as compared to SIRT1. Among these, compound 5j displayed the best inhibitory activity for SIRT1 (IC50=58.43µM) as well as for SIRT2 (IC50=45.12µM). Cell cytotoxicity assays also showed that compound 5j possesses good antitumor activity against two different cancer cell lines derived from breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468). A simple structure-activity-relationship (SAR) study of the newly synthesized benzimidazole derivatives was also discussed.

An expedient synthesis and screening for antiacetylcholinesterase activity of piperidine embedded novel pentacyclic cage compounds.

The aim of this study was to synthesize and evaluate diazapentacyclic analogs for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity. The pentacyclic analogs were synthesized by one-pot three-component domino reactions in a microwave synthesizer. Most of the compounds exhibited moderate to good AChE inhibitory activity, compound 5i showed potent inhibitory activity with IC50 1.12 ± 0.01 µM and this may provide a new lead for developing potential inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease.

Ethyl 2-[5-(4-fluoro-phen-yl)pyridin-3-yl]-1-[3-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)prop-yl]-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C28H27FN4O3·H2O, the benzimidazole ring system is essentially planar with a maximum deviation of 0.028 (1) Å. It makes dihedral angles of 47.59 (5) and 60.31 (5)°, respectively, with the pyridine and benzene rings, which make a dihedral angle of 22.58 (6)° with each other. The pyrrolidine ring shows an envelope conformation with one of the methyl-ene C atoms as the flap. In the crystal, the components are connected into a tape along the b-axis direction through O-H⋯O and O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds and a π-π inter-action between the pyridine and benzene rings [centroid-centroid distance of 3.685 (8) Å]. The tapes are further linked into layers parallel to the ab plane by C-H⋯O and C-H⋯F inter-actions.

Synthesis, characterization, and molecular docking analysis of novel benzimidazole derivatives as cholinesterase inhibitors.

Two series of novel acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitors containing benzimidazole core structure were synthesized by a four-step reaction pathway starting from 4-fluoro-3-nitrobenzoic acid as the basic compound. The structure of the novel benzimidazoles was characterized and confirmed by the elemental and mass spectral analyses as well as (1)H NMR spectroscopic data. Of the 34 novel synthesized compounds, three benzimidazoles revealed AChE inhibition with IC50<10 µM. The highest inhibitory activity (IC50=5.12 µM for AChE and IC50=8.63 µM for BChE) corresponds to the compound 5IIc (ethyl 1-(3-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)propyl)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-5-carboxylate). The relationship between lipophilicity and the chemical structures as well as their limited structure-activity relationship was discussed.

An expedient, ionic liquid mediated multi-component synthesis of novel piperidone grafted cholinesterase enzymes inhibitors and their molecular modeling study.

Series of hitherto unreported piperidone grafted pyridopyrimidines synthesized through ionic liquid mediated multi-component reaction. These compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against AChE and BChE enzymes. All the compounds displayed considerable potency against AChE with IC50 values ranging from 0.92 to 9.11 µM, therein compounds 6a, 6h and 6i displayed superior enzyme inhibitory activities compared to standard drug with IC50 values of 0.92, 1.29 and 2.07 µM. Remarkably, all the compounds displayed higher BChE inhibitory activity compared to galantamine with IC50 values of 1.89-8.13 µM. Molecular modeling, performed for the most active compounds using three dimensional crystal structures of TcAChE and hBChE, disclosed binding template of these inhibitors into the active site of their respective enzymes.

Ethyl 2-[4-(di-methyl-amino)-phen-yl]-1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C24H23N3O2, the benzimidazole ring system makes dihedral angles of 7.28 (5) and 67.17 (5)°, respectively, with the planes of the benzene and phenyl rings, which in turn make a dihedral angle of 69.77 (6)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are connected by C-H⋯N and C-H⋯O inter-actions, forming a layer parallel to the bc plane. A π-π inter-action, with a centroid-centroid distance of 3.656 (1) Å, is observed in the layer.

An atom economic synthesis and AChE inhibitory activity of novel dispiro 7-aryltetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-c][1,3]thiazole and 4-aryloctahydroindolizine N-methylpiperidin-4-one hybrid heterocycles.

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides generated in situ from acenaphthenequinone and α-amino acids viz. 1,3-thiazolone-4-carboxylic acid and piperidine-2-carboxylic acid to a series of 1-methyl-3,5-bis[(E)-arylmethylidene]tetrahydro-4(1H)-pyridinones afforded novel spiro[5.2″]acenaphthene-1″-onespiro[6.3']-5'-arylmethylidene-1'-methylpiperidin-4'-one-7-aryltetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-c][1,3]thiazoles and spiro[2.2″]acenaphthene-1″-onespiro[3.3']-5'-arylmethylidene-1'-methylpiperidin-4'-one-4-aryloctahydroindolizines respectively in quantitative yields. These compounds were evaluated for their AChE inhibitory activity and compound 3c was found to be the most potent with IC50 1.86 µmol/L.

4'-(4-Fluoro-phen-yl)-1'-methyl-dispiro-[indane-2,2'-pyrrolidine-3',2''-indane]-1,3,1''-trione methanol hemisolvate.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C29H24FNO5·0.5CH3OH, contains two independent mol-ecules and a one methanol solvent mol-ecule. The methanol mol-ecule is O-H⋯O hydrogen bonded to one of the independent mol-ecules. The pyrrolidine rings in both mol-ecules adopt half-chair conformations, while the cyclo-pentane rings within the indane groups are in flattened envelope conformations, with the spiro C atoms forming the flaps. The benzene rings of the indane ring systems form a dihedral angle of 35.06 (7)° in one independent mol-ecule and 31.16 (8)° in the other. The fluoro-substituted benzene ring forms dihedral angles of 65.35 (6) and 85.87 (7)° with the indane group benzene rings in one mol-ecule, and 72.78 (8) and 77.27 (8)° in the other. In each mol-ecule, a weak intra-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen bond forms an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, weak C-H⋯O, C-H⋯N and C-H⋯F hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into a three-dimensional network.

Synthesis and discovery of new bisadducts derived from heterocyclic aldehydes and active methylene compounds as potent antitubercular agents.

A series of some new bisadducts possessing five, six membered and coumarin subunits were synthesized by the condensation of heterocyclic aldehydes with active methylene compounds and characterized by IR, NMR and X-ray crystallographic studies and were assayed as antitubercular agents. Among the bisadducts, 4-hydroxy-3-[(4-hydroxy-2-oxo-2H-3-chromenyl)(3-thienyl)methyl]-2H-2-chromenone 3a was found to be the most promising compound, active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv and isoniazid resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (INHR-Mtb) with minimum inhibitory concentration 5.22 and 8.34 microM, respectively.

Microwave assisted synthesis, cholinesterase enzymes inhibitory activities and molecular docking studies of new pyridopyrimidine derivatives.

A series of hitherto unreported pyrido-pyrimidine-2-ones/pyrimidine-2-thiones were synthesized under microwave assisted solvent free reaction conditions in excellent yields and evaluated in vitro for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes inhibitory activity. Among the pyridopyrimidine derivatives, 7e and 7l displayed 2.5- and 1.5-fold higher enzyme inhibitory activities against AChE as compared to standard drug, galanthamine, with IC50 of 0.80 and 1.37 µM, respectively. Interestingly, all the compounds except 6k, 7j and 7k displayed higher inhibitory potential against BChE enzyme in comparison to standard with IC50 ranging from 1.18 to 18.90 µM. Molecular modeling simulations of 7e and 7l was performed using three-dimensional structure of Torpedo californica AChE (TcAChE) and human butyrylcholinesterase (hBChE) enzymes to disclose binding interaction and orientation of these molecule into the active site gorge of respective receptors.

A one-pot domino synthesis and discovery of highly functionalized dihydrobenzo[b]thiophenes as AChE inhibitors.

A library of novel 5-amino-2,7-diaryl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]thiophene-4,6-dicarbonitriles have been synthesized regioselectively in good yields through the one-pot domino reactions of 5-aryldihydro-3(2H)-thiophenones, malononitrile and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of morpholine. This transformation presumably involves Knoevenagel condensation-Michael addition-intramolecular Thorpe-Ziegler cyclization-Tautomerization-Elimination sequence of reactions. These compounds were evaluated for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity and 5-amino-2,7-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]thiophene-4,6-dicarbonitrile was found to be the most potent against AChE with IC50 4.16 µmol/L.

3-{5-Eth-oxy-carbonyl-1-[3-(2-oxopyrrol-idin-1-yl)prop-yl]-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl}benzoic acid.

In the title compound, C(24)H(25)N(3)O(5), the eth-oxy group is disordered over two orientations in a 0.853 (14):0.147 (14) ratio. The benzimadazole ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.016 Å) makes a dihedral angle of 35.47 (7)° with the attached benzene ring. The pyrrolidine ring adopts an envelope conformation with a methyl-ene C atom as the flap. In the crystal, inversion dimers linked by pairs of O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds generate R(2) (2)(16) loops. C-H⋯O inter-actions link the dimers into a three-dimensional network.

A facile three-component [3+2]-cycloaddition for the regioselective synthesis of highly functionalised dispiropyrrolidines acting as antimycobacterial agents.

A series of fourteen dispiropyrrolidines were synthesized using [3+2]-cycloaddition reactions and were screened for their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Rv in HTS (High Throughput Screen). Most of the compounds showed moderate to good activity with MIC of less than 20 µM. Compound 4'-(4-bromophenyl)-1'-methyldispiro[acenaphthylene-1,2'-pyrrolidine-3',2″-indane]-2,1″(1H)-dione (4c) was found to be the most active with MIC of 12.50 µM.