ABSTRACT
In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of thiophen-2-iminothiazolidine derivatives from thiophen-2-thioureic with good anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity. Several of the final compounds displayed remarkable trypanocidal activity. The ability of the new compounds to inhibit the activity of the enzyme cruzain, the major cysteine protease of T. cruzi, was also explored. The compounds 3b, 4b, 8b and 8c were the most active derivatives against amastigote form, with significant IC50 values between 9.7 and 6.03µM. The 8c derivative showed the highest potency against cruzain (IC50=2.4µM). Molecular docking study showed that this compound can interact with subsites S1 and S2 simultaneously, and the negative values for the theoretical energy binding (Eb=-7.39kcal·mol(-1)) indicates interaction (via dipole-dipole) between the hybridized sulfur sp(3) atom at the thiazolidine ring and Gly66. Finally, the results suggest that the thiophen-2-iminothiazolidines synthesized are important lead compounds for the continuing battle against Chagas disease.
Subject(s)
Thiazolidines/pharmacology , Thiophenes/pharmacology , Trypanocidal Agents/pharmacology , Trypanosoma cruzi/drug effects , Animals , Cell Line , Cysteine Endopeptidases , Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/chemical synthesis , Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/toxicity , Glycine/chemistry , Mice , Molecular Docking Simulation , Octoxynol , Protozoan Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Thiazolidines/chemical synthesis , Thiazolidines/toxicity , Thiophenes/chemical synthesis , Thiophenes/toxicity , Thiourea/analogs & derivatives , Thiourea/chemical synthesis , Thiourea/pharmacology , Thiourea/toxicity , Trypanocidal Agents/chemical synthesis , Trypanocidal Agents/toxicityABSTRACT
Although more complex than usually described, the anticancer action mechanism of cisplatin is based on binding to DNA. Following this line of reasoning, most the metal-based compounds discovered soon after cisplatin were designed to acting as DNA-binding agents and their pharmacological properties were thought to be correlated with this mechanism. Apart from the DNA structure, a significant number of proteins and biochemical pathways have been described as drug targets for metal-based compounds. This paper is therefore aimed at discussing the most recent findings on the medicinal chemistry of metal-based drugs. It starts illustrating the design concept behind the bioinorganic chemistry of anticancer complexes. Anticancer metallic compounds that inhibit the protein kinases are concisely discussed as a case study. The accuracy and limitations of molecular docking programs currently available to predict the binding mode of metallic complexes in molecular targets are further discussed. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of different in vitro screenings are briefly commented.
