Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Novel Series of Thiadiazole- Based Anticancer Agents as Potent Angiogenesis Inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Thiadiazole has attracted a great deal of interest as a versatile heterocycle for the discovery and development of potent anticancer agents. Thiadiazole derivatives exert potent antitumor activity against a variety of human cancer cell lines through various mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this work was to design and synthesize thiadiazole-based anticancer agents with anti-angiogenic activity. METHODS: N-aryl-2-[(5-(aryl)amino-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)thio]acetamides (4a-r) were synthesized via the reaction of 5-(aryl)amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2(3H)-thiones with N-(aryl)-2-chloroacetamides in the presence of potassium carbonate. The compounds were investigated for their cytotoxic effects on three cancer (A549, HepG2, SH-SY5Y), two normal (HUVEC and 3T3-L1) cell lines using MTT and WST-1 assays. In order to examine whether the compounds have anti-angiogenic effects or not, HUVECs were cultured on matrigel matrix to create a vascular-like tube formation. RESULTS: Compounds 4d, 4m and 4n were more effective on A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells than cisplatin. The IC50 values of compounds 4d, 4m and 4n for A549 cell line were found to be 7.82 ± 0.4, 12.5 ± 0.22, 10.1 ± 0.52 µM, respectively when compared with cisplatin (IC50= 20 ± 0.51 µM), whilst their IC50 values for HUVEC cell line were determined as 138.7 ± 0.84, 78 ± 0.44, 177.6 ± 0.2 µM, respectively after 48 h of the treatment. The concentrations (10-20-50 µM) of compounds 4d, 4e, 4l, 4m, 4n, 4q and 4r were found to inhibit vascular like tube formation. CONCLUSION: According to their anticancer and anti-angiogenic effects, compounds 4d, 4m and 4n may be potential anticancer agents for further in vivo studies.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and docking studies of some novel chalcones as selective COX-2 inhibitors.

A new series of chalcones (1-9) possessing an SO2 CH3 COX-2 pharmacophore at the para position of the C-1 phenyl ring was synthesized via the Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction and examined for their inhibition potential against cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. Their structures were elucidated by infrared, 1 H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), 13 C NMR, and high-resolution mass spectroscopic methods. Enzyme inhibition studies revealed that most of the compounds showed a moderate-to-strong inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.18-0.34 µM) against the COX-2 enzyme as compared with celecoxib (IC50 = 0.12 µM), ibuprofen (IC50 = 5.33 µM), and nimesulide (IC50 = 1.68 µM). Among these compounds, 1-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-3-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (5), 1-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-3-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (6), and 1-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-3-(2-chloro-6-fluorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (8) became prominent with IC50 values of 0.21, 0.19, and 0.18 µM, respectively. According to molecular docking studies of the most effective compounds, it was found that the compounds interact with amino acids that are important in COX-2 selectivity, such as Arg499 and Phe504.

Synthesis of some new benzoxazole derivatives and investigation of their anticancer activities.

Phortress is an anticancer prodrug, which has active metabolite (5F-203) being potent agonist of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The 5F-203 switches on cytochrome P450 CYP1A1 gene expression and thus exhibits anticancer activity. In this study, it is aimed to obtain new phortress analogues by bioisosteric replacement of benzothiazole core in the structure to benzoxazole ring system. Synthesis of compounds (3a-3p) were performed according to literature methods. Their structures were elucidated by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 2D-NMR and HRMS spectroscopic methods. Cytotoxicity (MTT), inhibition of DNA synthesis and flow cytometric analysis assays were applied to determine anticancer activity of the compounds on colon (HT-29), breast (MCF7), lung (A549), liver (HepG2) and brain (C6) carcinoma cell types. When compared reference agent doxorubicin, compounds 3m and 3n displayed very attractive anticancer effect against carcinogenic cell lines. Due to structural similarity to phortress, biotransformation studies for 3m and 3n were examined by LCMS-IT-TOF system and probable metabolites of these compounds were determined. Induction potential of these compounds on CYP1A1/2 enzymes was also investigated to clarify possible mechanism of action. Interaction modes between CYP1A1 enzyme and compound 3n or its some metabolites were investigated by docking studies. In conclusion, findings of these study indicate that compounds 3m and 3n possess significant anticancer activity, probably with the same mechanism of action to Phortress.

Design, Synthesis, In Vitro and In Silico Studies of New Thiazolylhydrazine-Piperazine Derivatives as Selective MAO-A Inhibitors.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) isoenzymes are very important drug targets among neurological disorders. Herein, novel series of thiazolylhydrazine-piperazine derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their MAO-A and -B inhibitory activity. The structures of the synthesized compounds were assigned using different spectroscopic techniques such as 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and HRMS. Moreover, the prediction of ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Elimination) parameters for all of the compounds were performed using in silico method. According to the enzyme inhibition results, the synthesized compounds showed the selectivity against MAO-A enzyme inhibition. Compounds 3c, 3d and 3e displayed significant MAO-A inhibition potencies. Among them, compound 3e was found to be the most effective derivative with an IC50 value of 0.057 ± 0.002 µM. Moreover, it was seen that this compound has a more potent inhibition profile than the reference inhibitors moclobemide (IC50 = 6.061 ± 0.262 µM) and clorgiline (IC50 = 0.062 ± 0.002 µM). In addition, the enzyme kinetics were performed for compound 3e and it was determined that this compound had a competitive and reversible inhibition type. Molecular modeling studies aided in the understanding of the interaction modes between this compound and MAO-A. It was found that compound 3e had significant and important binding property.

Design, Synthesis, and Structure-Activity Relationships of Thiazole Analogs as Anticholinesterase Agents for Alzheimer's Disease.

Dementia is a neurological condition commonly correlated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and it is seen with many other central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The restricted number of medications is not appropriate to offer enough relief to enhance the quality of life of patients suffering from this symptom; thus, all therapeutic choices should be carefully assessed. In this study, new thiazolylhydrazone derivatives (2a-2l) were designed and synthesized based on the cholinergic hypothesis. Their chemical structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS spectrometric techniques. The ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination) parameters of the synthesized compounds were predicted by using QikProp 4.8 software. It was concluded that all compounds presented satisfactory drug-like characteristics. Furthermore, their inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in vitro were also tested by modified the Ellman spectrophotometric method. According to the results, all compounds showed a weak inhibitory effect on BChE. On the other hand, most of the compounds (2a, 2b, 2d, 2e, 2g, 2i, and 2j) had a certain AChE inhibitory activity, and the IC50 values of them were calculated as 0.063 ± 0.003, 0.056 ± 0.002, 0.147 ± 0.006, 0.040 ± 0.001, 0.031 ± 0.001, 0.028 ± 0.001, and 0.138 ± 0.005 µM, respectively. Among these derivatives, compound 2i was found to be the most active agent in the series with an IC50 value of 0.028 ± 0.001 µM, which indicated an inhibition profile at a similar rate as the reference drug, donepezil. The potential binding modes of compounds 2a, 2b, 2e, 2g, and 2i with AChE were investigated and compared with each other by the molecular docking studies. The results showed that these compounds were strongly bound up with the AChE enzyme active site with the optimal conformations.

Synthesis, anticancer evaluation and molecular docking studies of new benzimidazole- 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives as human topoisomerase types I poison.

In this study, some benzimidazole-oxadiazole derivatives were synthesised and tested for their in vitro anticancer activities on five cancer cell lines, including HeLa, MCF7, A549, HepG2 and C6. Their structures were elucidated by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 2 D-NMR and HRMS spectroscopic methods. Among all screened compounds; 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5k, 5l, 5n and 5o exhibited potent selective cytotoxic activities against various tested cancer cell lines. Especially, compounds 5l and 5n exhibited the most antiproliferative activity than Hoechst 33342 and doxorubicin against HeLa cell line, with IC50 of 0.224 ± 0.011 µM and 0.205 ± 0.010 µM, respectively. Furthermore, these potent lead cytotoxic agents were evaluated in terms of their inhibition potency against Topoisomerase I and it was determined that selected compounds inhibited the Topoisomerase I. Docking studies were performed and probable interactions in the DNA-Topo I enzyme complex was determined.

Synthesis, investigation of biological effects and in silico studies of new benzimidazole derivatives as aromatase inhibitors.

Inhibition of aromatase enzymes is very important in the prevention of estrogen-related diseases and the regulation of estrogen levels. Aromatase enzyme is involved in the final stage of the biosynthesis of estrogen, in the conversion of androgens to estrogen. The development of new compounds for the inhibition of aromatase enzymes is an important area for medicinal chemists in this respect. In the present study, new benzimidazole derivatives have been designed and synthesized which have reported anticancer activity in the literature. Their anticancer activity was evaluated against human A549 and MCF-7 cell lines by MTT assay. In the series, concerning MCF-7 cell line, the most potent compounds were the 4-benzylpiperidine derivatives 2c, 2g, and 2k with IC50 values of 0.032 ± 0.001, 0.024 ± 0.001, and 0.035 ± 0.001 µM, respectively, compared to the reference drug cisplatin (IC50 = 0.021 ± 0.001 µM). Then, these compounds were subject to further in silico aromatase enzyme inhibition assays to determine the possible binding modes and interactions underlying their activity. Thanks to molecular docking studies, the effectiveness of these compounds against aromatase enzyme could be simulated. Consequently, it has been found that these compounds can be settled very properly to the active site of the aromatase enzyme.

Synthesis, in vitro enzyme activity and molecular docking studies of new benzylamine-sulfonamide derivatives as selective MAO-B inhibitors.

Many studies have been conducted on the selective inhibition of human monoamine oxidase B (hMAO-B) enzyme using benzylamine-sulphonamide derivatives. Using various chemical modifications on BB-4h, which was reported previously by our team and showed a significant level of MAO-B inhibition, novel benzylamine-sulphonamide derivatives were designed, synthesised, and their MAO inhibition potentials were evaluated. Among the tested derivatives, compounds 4i and 4t achieved IC50 values of 0.041 ± 0.001 µM and 0.065 ± 0.002 µM, respectively. The mechanism of hMAO-B inhibition by compounds 4i and 4t was studied using Lineweaver-Burk plot. The nature of inhibition was also determined to be non-competitive. Cytotoxicity tests were conducted and compounds 4i and 4t were found to be non-toxic. Molecular docking studies were also carried out for compound 4i, which was found as the most potent agent, within hMAO-B catalytic site.

Synthesis, Docking Studies and Biological Activity of New Benzimidazole- Triazolothiadiazine Derivatives as Aromatase Inhibitor.

In the last step of estrogen biosynthesis, aromatase enzyme catalyzes the conversion of androgens to estrogens. Aromatase inhibition is an important way to control estrogen-related diseases and estrogen levels. In this study, sixteen of benzimidazole-triazolothiadiazine derivatives have been synthesized and studied as potent aromatase inhibitors. First, these compounds were tested for their anti-cancer properties against human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The most active compounds 5c, 5e, 5k, and 5m on MCF-7 cell line were subject to further in vitro aromatase enzyme inhibition assays to determine the possible mechanisms of action underlying their activity. Compound 5e showed slight less potent aromatase inhibitory activity than that of letrozole with IC50 = 0.032 ± 0.042 µM, compared to IC50 = 0.024 ± 0.001 µM for letrozole. Furthermore, compound 5e and reference drug letrozole were docked into human placental aromatase enzyme to predict their possible binding modes with the enzyme. Finally, ADME parameters (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) of synthesized compounds (5a-5p) were calculated by QikProp 4.8 software.

Synthesis and docking study of benzimidazole-triazolothiadiazine hybrids as aromatase inhibitors.

Aromatase is involved in the biosynthesis of estrogen and thus is a critical target for breast cancer. In this study, to identify new aromatase enzyme inhibitors, seven 3-[4-(5-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)phenyl]-6-(substituted phenyl)-7H-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazine derivatives were synthesized. First, a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed to determine the inhibitory activity of the synthesized compounds on the MCF-7 cell line. The aromatase inhibitory activity was determined for the active compounds 5b, 5c, 5e, and 5g on the MCF-7 cell line. Compound 5g showed significant aromatase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.037 ± 0.001 µM). Interestingly, this compound, which bears a difluoro substituent at positions 2 and 4 of the phenyl ring, displayed the most potent aromatase inhibitory activity without significant cytotoxicity to a normal healthy cell line (NIH3T3). Furthermore, the interactions between the best active compounds and the active site of the enzyme were analyzed through a docking study. The results of this study determined that benzimidazole-triazolothiadiazine derivatives are promising compounds that should be further developed as a novel class of aromatase inhibitors.

Novel 1,3,4-thiadiazole compounds as potential MAO-A inhibitors - design, synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modelling.

Monoamine oxidases (MAOs) are important drug targets for the management of neurological disorders. Herein, a series of new 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives bearing various alkyl/arylamine moieties as MAO inhibitors were designed and synthesized. All of the compounds were more selective against hMAO-A than hMAO-B. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of most of the compounds were lower than that of the common drug moclobemide (IC50 = 4.664 µM) and compound 6b was proven to be the most active compound (IC50 = 0.060 µM). Moreover, it was seen that compound 6b showed a similar inhibition profile to that of clorgyline (IC50 = 0.048 µM). The inhibition profile was found to be reversible and competitive for compound 6b with MAO-A selectivity. Molecular modelling studies aided in the understanding of the interaction modes between compound 6b and MAO-A. Furthermore, this compound was predicted to have a good pharmacokinetic profile and high BBB penetration. Therefore, such compounds are of interest towards developing new MAO inhibitors.

Synthesis and AChE Inhibitory Activity of Novel Thiazolylhydrazone Derivatives.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common of the degenerative brain diseases and is described together with the impairment of cognitive function. Patients with AD lose the capability to code new memories, and life conditions are extremely difficult. The development of new drugs in this area continues at a great pace. A novel series of thiazole-piperazine hybrids, aimed against Alzheimer's disease (AD), have been synthesized. The structure identification of synthesized compounds was elucidated by 1HNMR, 13C-NMR, and LCMSMS spectroscopic methods. The inhibitory potential of the synthesized compounds on cholinesterase enzymes was investigated. The compounds 3a, 3c and 3i showed significant inhibitory activity on the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. On the other hand, none of the compounds showed significant inhibitory activity on the butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzyme. In addition to enzyme inhibition studies, enzyme kinetic studies were performed to observe the effects of the most active inhibitor compounds on the substrate-enzyme relationship. In addition to in vitro tests, docking studies also indicated that compound 3c potentially acts as a dual binding site AChE inhibitor.

Synthesis and AChE-Inhibitory Activity of New Benzimidazole Derivatives.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), one of the main causes of aged dementia, is a progressive and degenerative neurological disorder characterized by loss of cognition and memory. Although the symptomatic treatment of AD, particularly acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) based on the 'cholinergic hypothesis', has been successful in clinic, at present there is no cure for this disease. In this study, we designed compounds carrying benzimidazole and triazole rings on the same chemical skeleton so as to investigate their potential acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity. Furthermore, molecular modeling study was performed to determine the binding mode of the best inhibitor to the AChE. Among them, compounds 3d and 3h, which featured 3,4-dihydroxy substitution at the phenyl ring and 5(6)-chloro substitution at the benzimidazole ring were found to be potent inhibitors of AChE. The inhibition kinetics of the two most active derivatives 3d and 3h were further studied. The kinetic displayed increasing slope and increasing intercept, which is consistent with a mixed inhibition. The IC50 and Ki values of 3d are 31.9 ± 0.1 nM and 26.2 nM, respectively. Compound 3h exhibited IC50 of 29.5 ± 1.2 nM and Ki of 24.8 nM. The above data compared favorably with data for donepezil (21.8 ± 0.9 nM) the reference compound in our study.

Synthesis and Antifungal Potential of Some Novel Benzimidazole-1,3,4-Oxadiazole Compounds.

Discovery of novel anticandidal agents with clarified mechanisms of action, could be a rationalist approach against diverse pathogenic fungal strains due to the rise of resistance to existing drugs. In support to this hypothesis, in this paper, a series of benzimidazole-oxadiazole compounds were synthesized and subjected to antifungal activity evaluation. In vitro activity assays indicated that some of the compounds exhibited moderate to potent antifungal activities against tested Candida species when compared positive control amphotericin B and ketoconazole. The most active compounds 4h and 4p were evaluated in terms of inhibitory activity upon ergosterol biosynthesis by an LC-MS-MS method and it was determined that they inhibited ergosterol synthesis concentration dependently. Docking studies examining interactions between most active compounds and lanosterol 14-α-demethylase also supported the in vitro results.

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 ±â€¯0.004 µM and 0.123 ±â€¯0.005 µM, respectively, while they performed selectivity against MAO-B with the IC50 values of 0.027 ±â€¯0.001 µM and 0.025 ±â€¯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.

Synthesis and Evaluation of New 1,3,4-Thiadiazole Derivatives as Potent Antifungal Agents.

With the goal of obtaining a novel bioactive compound with significant antifungal activity, a series of 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives (3a⁻3l) were synthesized and characterized. Due to thione-thiol tautomerism in the intermediate compound 2, type of substitution reaction in the final step was determined by two-dimensional (2D) NMR. In vitro antifungal activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated against eight Candida species. The active compounds 3k and 3l displayed very notable antifungal effects. The probable mechanisms of action of active compounds were investigated using an ergosterol quantification assay. Docking studies on 14-α-sterol demethylase enzyme were also performed to investigate the inhibition potency of compounds on ergosterol biosynthesis. Theoretical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) predictions were calculated to seek their drug likeness of final compounds. The results of the antifungal activity test, ergosterol biosynthesis assay, docking study, and ADME predictions indicated that the synthesized compounds are potential antifungal agents, which inhibit ergosterol biosynthesis probably interacting with the fungal 14-α-sterol demethylase.

Synthesis and Anticandidal Activity of New Imidazole-Chalcones.

In the present work, 15 new 1-(4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)-3-(4-substituedphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one derivatives (3a−3o) were synthesized to evaluate their antifungal activity. Structures of newly synthesized imidazole derivatives (3a−3o) were characterized by IR, ¹H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and LCMSMS spectroscopic methods. The anticandidal activity of compounds (3a−3o) against C. albicans (ATCC 24433), C. krusei (ATCC 6258), C. parapsilosis (ATCC 22019), and C. glabrata (ATCC 90030) was elucidated according to the EUCAST definitive (EDef 7.1) method. Consistent with the activity studies, 3a−3d were found to be more potent derivatives with their MIC50 values (0.78 µg/mL−3.125 µg/mL) against Candida strains. Compound 3c indicated similar antifungal activity to ketoconazole against all Candida species and was evaluated as the most active derivative in the series. Effects of the most potent derivatives 3a−3d on ergosterol biosynthesis were observed by LC-MS-MS method, which is based on quantification of the ergosterol level in C. krusei. Moreover, these compounds were subjected to a cytotoxicity test for the preliminary toxicological profiles and were found as non-cytotoxic. Furthermore, docking studies for the most active derivative 3c were performed to evaluate its binding modes on lanosterol 14-α-demethylase. In addition to in vitro tests, docking studies also revealed that Compound 3c is a potential ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitor.

Design, synthesis, monoamine oxidase inhibition and docking studies of new dithiocarbamate derivatives bearing benzylamine moiety.

A new series of thirteen 2-[(4-fluorophenyl)(4-nitrobenzyl)amino]-2-oxoethyl-1-substituted-carbodithioate derivatives (4a-4m) were synthesized and tested for their human monoamine oxidase A and B (hMAO-A and hMAO-B) inhibitory potential by an in vitro fluorometric method. Most of the compounds have found to be selective towards MAO-B than MAO-A. Compound 4j that carrying 4-nitrophenyl piperazine moiety, was detected as the most active agent amongst all compounds with the IC50 value of 0.097 ±â€¯0.003 µM for MAO-B while that of selegiline was 0.040 ±â€¯0.002 µM. The enzyme kinetic study reported that compound 4j is a reversible and non-competitive inhibitor. Interaction modes between the hMAO-B and compound 4j were determined by docking studies. The study also revealed that compound 4j has the highest binding scores. Besides, compound 4j has not cytotoxicity at its effective concentration against hMAO-B.

Synthesis of Oxadiazole-Thiadiazole Hybrids and Their Anticandidal Activity.

In the field of infection management, it is a major challenge to discover a potent and safe antifungal agent due to the emergence of resistant strains. Hence, the goal of this paper is to design and synthesize novel oxadiazole-thiadiazole hybrid compounds (6a-6s) and evaluate their antifungal activity. The structures of synthesized compounds were elucidated by various methods including FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, 13C-NMR and HR-MS spectral data. Compounds were tested against four Candida species by broth microdilution assay. Compounds 6e, 6k and 6r, bearing a nitro group, showed significant antifungal activity against all fungi with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in the range of 0.78-3.12 µg/mL. These compounds were also screened for their in vitro cytotoxic effects by MTT assay and detected as nontoxic at their active concentrations against Candida strains. To examine the effects of these compounds on ergosterol biosynthesis, the LC-MS-MS method, which is based on quantification of ergosterol level in C. krusei, was carried out. Finally, the most active molecule (6e) was docked in the active site of the lanosterol 14α-demethylase enzyme, and it was determined that there is a strong interaction between the compound and enzyme.