Design, synthesis and anticancer evaluation of some novel 7-hydroxy-4-methyl-3-substituted benzopyran-2-one derivatives.

Aim: 22 derivatives of 7-hydroxy-4-methyl-3-substituted benzopyran-2-one were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activity. Materials & methods: The prepared compounds were screened for their cytotoxicity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. The best five were then evaluated against MCF10a to check their safety and then tested for their PI3K and Akt-1 inhibitory action. The best two derivatives were further analyzed through cell cycle analysis, caspase 3/7 activation, increasing BAX level and decreasing BCL-2. Docking and absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion prediction studies were also performed. Results & conclusion: Compounds 3b, 3c, 3j, 7 and 8 were the most active. Compounds 3c and 8 showed remarkable inhibitory action against PI3K and Akt-1 enzymes, and both are promising candidates for treatment of breast cancer.

Design and synthesis of some new benzoylthioureido benzenesulfonamide derivatives and their analogues as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.

The present investigation reports the design and synthesis of three series of benzoylthioureido derivatives bearing either benzenesulfonamide 7a-f, benzoic acid 8a-f or ethylbenzoate 9a-f moieties. The synthesised compounds were screened for their carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity (CAI) against four isoforms hCA I, II, IX, and XII. Compounds 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7f exhibited a potent inhibitory activity towards hCAI (Kis = 58.20, 56.30, 33.00, and 43.00 nM), respectively compared to acetazolamide (AAZ) and SLC-0111 (Kis = 250.00 and 5080.00 nM). Compounds 7a, 7b, 7c, 7e, and 7f elicited selectivity over h CA II (Kis = 2.50, 2.10, 56.60,39.60 and 39.00 nM) respectively, relative to AAZ and SLC-0111(Kis = 12.10 and 960.00 nM). Also, compounds 7c, 7f, and 9e displayed selectivity against the tumour-associated isoform hCA IX (Kis = 31.20, 30.00 and 29.00 nM) respectively, compared to AAZ and SLC-0111 (Kis = 25.70 and 45.00 nM). Additionally, compounds 8a and 8f revealed a moderate to superior selectivity towards hCAXII (Kis = 17.00 and 11.00 nM) relative to AAZ and SLC-0111(Kis = 5.70 and 45.00 nM). Molecular docking and ADME prediction studies were performed on the most active compounds to shed light on their interaction with the hot spots of the active site of CA isoforms, in addition to prediction of their pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties.

Design and synthesis of some new benzoylthioureido phenyl derivatives targeting carbonic anhydrase enzymes.

The present study aimed to develop potent carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs). The design of the target compounds was based on modifying the structure of the ureido-based carbonic anhydrase inhibitor SLC-0111. Six series of a substituted benzoylthioureido core were prepared featuring different zinc-binding groups; the conventional sulphamoyl group 4a-d and 12a-c, its bioisosteric carboxylic acid group 5a-d and 13a-c or the ethyl carboxylate group 6a-d and 14a-c as potential prodrugs. All compounds were assessed for their carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitory activity against a panel of four physiologically relevant human CA isoforms hCA I and hCA II, and hCA IX, and hCA XII. Compounds 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5d, 12a, and 12c revealed significant inhibitory activity against hCA I that would highlight these compounds as promising drug candidates for the treatment of glaucoma.

Design and synthesis of some new 6-bromo-2-(pyridin-3-yl)-4-substituted quinazolines as multi tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

The present study involves design and synthesis of five series of 6-bromo-2-(pyridin-3-yl)-4-substituted quinazolines 9a-l, 11a-e, 13a-c, 14a-f and 15a-e. Candidates 9a-l and 11a-e were evaluated for their EGFR and HER2 inhibitory activity compared to Lapatinib. Compounds 9b, 9d, 9f, 11b and 11c were further screened for their in vitro cytotoxicity against two human breast cancer cell lines: AU-565 and MDA-MB-231 in addition to normal breast cell line MCF10A. Compound 9d revealed a remarkable cytotoxic efficacy against AU-565 cell line (IC50 = 1.54 µM) relative to Lapatinib (IC50 = 0.48 µM), whereas compounds 9d and 11c showed a superior cytotoxicity towards MDA-MB-231 (IC50 = 2.67 and 1.75 µM, respectively) in comparison to Lapatinib (IC50 = 9.29 µM). Moreover, compounds 13a-c, 13a-c, 14a-f and 15a-e were tested for their VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity compared to Sorafenib. Compounds 13a, 14c and 14e exhibited remarkable inhibition (IC50 = 79.80, 50.22 and 78.02 nM, respectively) relative to Sorafenib (IC50 = 51.87 nM). In vitro cytotoxicity of these compounds against HepG2, HCT-116 and normal cell (WISH) revealed a superior cytotoxicity against HepG2, HCT-116 especially 13a (IC50 = 17.51 and 5.56 µM, respectively) and 14c (IC50 = 10.40 and 3.37 µM, respectively) compared to Sorafenib (IC50 = 19.33 and 6.82 µM, respectively). Compounds 9d, 11c and 14c were subjected to cell cycle analysis and apoptotic assay. Molecular docking and ADME prediction studies were fulfilled to illustrate the interaction of the potent derivatives with the hot spots of the active site of EGFR, HER2 and VEGFR-2 along with prediction of their pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties.

HER2 Kinase-Targeted Breast Cancer Therapy: Design, Synthesis, and In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Novel Lapatinib Congeners as Selective and Potent HER2 Inhibitors with Favorable Metabolic Stability.

HER2 kinase as a well-established target for breast cancer (BC) therapy is associated with aggressive clinical outcomes; thus, herein we present structural optimization for HER2-selective targeting. HER2 profiling of the developed derivatives demonstrated potent and selective inhibitions (IC50: 5.4-12 nM) compared to lapatinib (IC50: 95.5 nM). Favorably, 17d exhibited minimum off-target kinase activation. NCI-5-dose screening revealed broad-spectrum activities (GI50: 1.43-2.09 µM) and 17d had a remarkable selectivity toward BC. Our compounds revealed significant selective and potent antiproliferative activities (∼20-fold) against HER2+ (AU565, BT474) compared to HER2(-) cells. At 0.1 IC50, 15i, 17d, and 25b inhibited pERK1/2 and pAkt by immunoblotting. Furthermore, 17d demonstrated potent in vivo tumor regression against the BT474 xenograft model. Notably, a metastasis case was observed in the vehicle but not in the test mice groups. CD-1 mice metabolic stability assay revealed high stability and low intrinsic clearance of 17d (T1/2 > 145 min and CLint(mic) < 9.6 mL/min/kg).

Synthesis and anticancer activity of some pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives as apoptosis inducers and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors.

Aim: Due to emergence of resistance to available anticancer agents, there is a need to search for new cytotoxic agents. Methods: Pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines (4-6) and their tricyclic derivatives (7-13) were prepared and screened for their cytotoxicity against breast MCF-7, prostate PC-3 and lung A-549 cancer cell lines as well as normal fibroblasts WI-38. Results: The most active compounds were 6b, 6e and 8d compared with doxorubicin. Moreover, compounds 6b and 8d induced apoptosis in PC-3 and MCF-7, respectively via activation of CASP3 (in PC-3 only), Bax, p53 and down regulation of Bcl2 in addition to CDK4/6 inhibition. Conclusion: Pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine represents an important core for discovery of new potent cytotoxic agents acting on the cell cycle via apoptosis induction through either intrinsic or extrinsic pathways.

Synthesis and anti-proliferative activity of some new quinoline based 4,5-dihydropyrazoles and their thiazole hybrids as EGFR inhibitors.

Quinoline derivatives 2, 3, quinolinyl based pyrazolines 4a,b, 5 and quinolinyl pyrazolinyl thiazole hybrids 6a-d, 7a-c and 8a-d were synthesized and screened for their anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7, HeLa and DLD1 cancer cell lines as well as normal fibroblast WI-38. Most of the tested compounds showed promising anticancer activity in addition to their safety towards the normal cell line. Eight compounds eliciting superior cytotoxicity against DLD1 and safe to the normal cell line 2, 3, 5, 6a, 6b, 7b, 7c and 8a were evaluated for their efficacy as EGFR inhibitors. They revealed inhibitory activity at nanomolar level especially compounds 6b, 2 and 7c with IC50 (31.80, 37.07 and 42.52 nM) in comparison to Gefitinib (IC50 = 29.16 nM).

Design and synthesis of novel imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine based compounds as potent anticancer agents with CDK9 inhibitory activity.

New imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine derivatives were designed, synthesized and screened for their anticancer activity against breast (MCF-7) and colon (HCT116) cancer cell lines. Nine compounds (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IV, VI, VIIa, VIII, IX) showed significant activity against MCF-7, while six compounds (I, VIIc, VIIe, VIIf, VIII, IX) elicited a remarkable activity against HCT116. Compounds showing significant anticancer activity revealed remarkable CDK9 inhibitory potential (IC50 = 0.63-1.32 µM) relative to sorafenib (IC50 = 0.76 µM). Moreover, a molecular docking study was performed to illustrate the binding mode of the most active compounds in the active site of CDK9 where it revealed superior binding affinity relative to the natural ligand (T3C).

Design, synthesis, and molecular docking of novel indole scaffold-based VEGFR-2 inhibitors as targeted anticancer agents.

A series of new indole derivatives 1-18 was synthesized and tested for their cytotoxic activity on a panel of 60 tumor cell lines. Additionally, molecular docking was carried out to study their binding pattern and binding affinity in the VEGFR-2 active site using sorafenib as a reference VEGFR-2 inhibitor. Based on the molecular docking results, compounds 5a, 5b, 6, 7, 14b, 18b, and 18c were selected to be evaluated for their VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity. Compound 18b exhibited a broad-spectrum antiproliferative activity on 47 cell lines, with GI % ranging from 31 to 82.5%. Moreover, compound 18b was the most potent VEGFR-2 inhibitor with an IC50 value of 0.07 µM, which is more potent than that of sorafenib (0.09 µM). A molecular docking study attributed the promising activity of this series to their hydrophobic interaction with the VEGFR-2 binding site hydrophobic side chains and their hydrogen bonding interaction with the key amino acids Glu885 and/or Asp1046.

Novel quinoline-3-carboxamides (Part 2): Design, optimization and synthesis of quinoline based scaffold as EGFR inhibitors with potent anticancer activity.

EGFR has a key role in cell growth. Its mutation and overexpression share in epithelial malignancies and tumor growth. Quinazoline and quinoline derivatives are common anticancer intracellular inhibitors of EGFR kinase, and their optimization is an important issue for development of potent targeted anticancer agents. Based on these facts, different strategies were used for optimizing our reported quinoline-3-carboxamide compound III (EGFR IC50 = 5.283 µM and MCF-7 IC50 = 3.46 µM) through different molecular modeling techniques. The optimized compounds were synthesized and subjected to EGFR binding assay and accordingly some more potent inhibitors were obtained. The most potent quinoline-3-carboxamides were the furan derivative 5o; thiophene derivative 6b; and benzyloxy derivative 10 showing EGFR IC50 values 2.61, 0.49 and 1.73 µM, respectively. Furthermore, the anticancer activity of compounds eliciting potent EGFR inhibition (5o, 5p, 6b, 8a, 8b, and 10) was evaluated against MCF-7 cell line where they exhibited IC50 values 3.355, 3.647, 5.069, 3.617, 0.839 and 10.85 µM, respectively. Compound 6b was selected as lead structure for further optimization hoping to produce more potent EGFR inhibitors.

Synthesis, carbonic anhydrase inhibition and cytotoxic activity of novel chromone-based sulfonamide derivatives.

Four series of sulfonamides incorporating chromone moieties were synthesized and assessed for their cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and A-549 cell lines, considering the fact that some of these tumors overexpress isoforms of carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) which is inhibited by sulfonamides. Most new sulfonamides showed weak inhibitory activity against the offtarget, cytosolic isoforms hCA I, II but effectively inhibited the tumor-associated hCA IX and XII. The most active compounds featured a primary SO2NH2 group and were active in the low micromolar range against MCF-7 and A-549 cell lines. Compound 4a showed IC50 of 0.72 and 0.50 µM against MCF-7 and A-549 cell lines, respectively, and was further evaluated for its proapoptotic activity which proved enhanced in both tumor types.

4-Substituted-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives: design, synthesis, antitumor and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitory activity.

Four series of some 4-substituted-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives 5a-f, 6a-f, 8a-f, and 9a-f were designed to be screened for their antitumor activity. All compounds were evaluated against breast (MCF-7) and lung (A-549) cell lines. Six compounds 5a, 5b, 6b, 6e, 9e, and 9f displaying activity against both cell lines were further estimated for their EGFR-TK inhibitory activity where they revealed 41-91% inhibition and compound 6b elicited the highest activity (91%). A docking study of these compounds into the ATP-binding site of EGFR-TK demonstrated their binding mode where H-bonding interaction with Met793 through N(1) of pyrimidine or N(2) of pyrazole was observed.

Synthesis and antitumor activity of pyrido [2,3-d]pyrimidine and pyrido[2,3-d] [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidine derivatives that induce apoptosis through G1 cell-cycle arrest.

New series of 2-(2-arylidenehydrazinyl)pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines 5a-e and pyrido[2,3-d][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidines 6-15 were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against two cancer cell lines, namely PC-3 prostate cancer and A-549 lung cancer. Some of the tested compounds displayed high growth inhibitory activity against PC-3 cells. Whereas, compounds 5b and 15f showed relatively potent antitumor activity against PC-3 and A-549 cell lines. In particular, 4-(3-acetyl-5-oxo-6-phenyl-8-(thiophen-2-yl)pyrido[2,3-d][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidin-1(5H)-yl)benzenesulfonamide 15f exhibited superior antitumor activity against both cell lines at submicromolar level (IC50 = 0.36, 0.41 µM, respectively). Moreover, the potential mechanisms of the cytotoxic activity of the promising compound 15f on the more sensitive cell line PC-3 were studied. The data indicated that 15f was able to cause cell cycle arrest at least partly through enhancing the expression level of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 and induced cancer cell apoptosis via caspase-3 dependent pathway.

Design and synthesis of some 3-substituted-2-[(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-methyl]quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives as potential anticonvulsant agents.

Series of 2,3-disubstituted quinazolinone derivatives and a [1,2,4]triazino[2,3-c]quinazolinone featuring the pharmacophoric elements of anticonvulsant drugs were designed and synthesized. Target compounds were screened for their anticonvulsant activity using the subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (s.c. PTZ) and maximal electroshock (MES) models. The s.c. PTZ test showed that the most active compound was the amide derivative 9c having a protective dose 50 (PD50) of 200.53 µmol/kg (PD50 of phenobarbitone=62.18 µmol/kg); nevertheless, this low potency is outweighed by the much higher safety profile of 9c (LD50 >3000 mg/kg). In the MES screening, seven compounds were equal to or more active than phenytoin; some of these compounds were less neurotoxic than phenytoin. Few compounds such as 9c and 10 were effective in both models. LD50 for the most active compounds was calculated.

Synthesis, antitumor and antibacterial activities of some novel tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives.

Two series of new tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines namely 2,3-disubstituted derivatives 3a-z and 2,4-disubstituted ones 6a-c were prepared and tested for their antitumor and antibacterial activities. The structures of the prepared compounds were confirmed by spectral and elemental analyses. Compound 3z exhibited the highest antitumor activity against breast MCF-7 with IC50 = 0.19 µM compared to Doxorubicin (IC50 = 5.46 µM), while 3r was the most active one against liver HEPG-2 cancer cell line with IC50 = 1.29 µM as regard to Doxorubicin (IC50 = 7.36 µM). Concerning the antibacterial activity, compounds 3m and 3z exerted remarkable activity against the tested bacterial species compared to Ampicillin, whereas compound 6c showed good activity against only Gram positive species.

New quinazolinone-pyrimidine hybrids: synthesis, anti-inflammatory, and ulcerogenicity studies.

Two groups of hybrid compounds: the quinazolinone-dihydropyrimidines and quinazolinone-pyrimidines, were synthesized. The starting derivative 3 was reacted with chloroacetyl chloride to give intermediate 5 which was condensed with the 2-mercaptopyrimidines 4a-c affording compounds 6a-c. These latter compounds underwent hydrolysis and N-alkylation reactions to give the dihydropyrimidine derivatives 7a-c and 8a-f, respectively. The chloro derivatives 9a-c subsequently reacted with various anilines furnishing compounds 10a-i. The anti-inflammatory activity of the synthesized compounds were evaluated using the carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema model and ulcer indices for the most active compounds were calculated. Five compounds were found more active and less ulcerogenic than diclofenac particularly compound 10 g (IC(50) = 116.73 µmol/kg; ulcer index = 11.38). Compound 10 g was also 2-fold more selective inhibitor of COX-2 than COX-1.

Novel substituted and fused pyrrolizine derivatives: synthesis, anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenecity studies.

Synthesis of several substituted pyrrolizines 10a-f, 11a-f, 13a-c, pyrimidopyrrolizines 14a-c, 15a-c, and pyrrolizinopyrimidoisoindoles 12a-c was discussed. The starting compounds 6-amino-7-cyano-N-(4-(un)substitutedphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolizine-5-carboxamides 9a-c were reacted with different aldehydes, acid chlorides, and acid anhydrides to give the target compounds. The structures of the new compounds were characterized by spectral and elemental analyses. All compounds were tested for their anti-inflammatory activity using the carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema model and exhibited weak to good activities compared to ketorolac as the reference drug. Also, analgesic activity of selected compounds, which are the most active in the anti-inflammatory screening, was measured using the acetic acid-induced writhing model; revealing activities comparable to or higher than ketorolac. Ulcer indices for the most active compounds were calculated and some compounds showed no or minimal ulcerogenic effect compared to ketorolac.

Synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of some quinazolin-4-(3H)-one derivatives.

A number of 3-substituted-2-(substituted-phenoxymethyl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives 4a,b, 5a-c, 6, 7a-f, 8a-e and 9a,b have been synthesized. Their structures have been elucidated on the basis of elemental analyses and spectroscopic studies (IR, 1H-NMR, MS). A preliminary evaluation of the anticonvulsant activity of the prepared compounds has indicated that compounds 4b, 7b-f, 8a and 9b exhibit significant anticonvulsant activity, while compounds 6, 8b and 8d show mild to moderate activity.