A functional and self-assembling octyl-phosphonium-tagged esculetin as an effective siRNA delivery agent.

Herein, we document a self-assembling octyl-TPP tagged esculetin (Mito-Esc) as functionally active and as a novel small molecule siRNA delivery vector. While Mito-Esc itself induces selective breast cancer cell death, the amphiphilic nature of Mito-Esc delivers therapeutic siRNAs intracellularly without the need for any excipient to exacerbate the anti-proliferative effects.

Chemoselective [3 + 2] annulation of oxime acetate with 2-aryl-3-ethoxycarbonyl-pyrroline-4,5-dione: an entry to pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrrole derivatives.

A novel chemoselective [3 + 2] annulation reaction of easily accessible ketoxime acetate with 2-aryl-3-ethoxycarbonyl pyrroline-4,5-dione has been developed for the synthesis of unknown pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrrole frameworks. This method involves copper-mediated N-O bond cleavage followed by the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bonds. This operationally simple protocol provides broader functional group compatibility and good yields.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of pyrazole-linked aloe emodin derivatives as potential anticancer agents.

In connection with our continuous efforts to generate new derivatives from lead compounds isolated from traditional medicinal plants, a series of aloe-emodin derivatives (6a-6e) were synthesized and assessed for their potential anticancer activity against a panel of cancer cell lines. The results showed that most of the derivatives are more active than the aloe-emodin and particularly, 6b and 6e manifested potent activity with IC50 values of 1.32 & 1.6 µM and 0.99 & 2.68 µM against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells, respectively. Moreover, 6b and 6e induce early and late apoptosis as well as arrest the cell cycle at the G2/M phase in MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, the results confirmed that the aloe-emodin derivatives could be a potential drug candidate for better treatment of breast cancer.

Access to pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoindolediones from oxime acetates and ninhydrin via Cu(i)-mediated domino annulations.

A copper-mediated domino condensation reaction of readily accessible oxime acetates with ninhydrin is reported to afford pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoindolediones via new C-C & C-N bond formations. A wide range of oxime acetates were shown to generally participate in the reaction to produce the condensed products in excellent yields. The necessary control experiments were performed and the mechanism is proposed to involve sequentially the formation of iminium radical via Cu-mediated N-O bond cleavage of oxime acetates, addition of the radical to ninhydrin and rearrangement via ring expansion.

Biofilm inhibition and anti-Candida activity of a cationic lipo-benzamide molecule with twin-nonyl chain.

A series of cationic lipo-benzamide compounds with varying lengths of hydrocarbon chains (C2M-C18M) were evaluated for anti-Candida activity. Four compounds harbouring 8-11 hydrocarbon chains demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition of fungal cell growth with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of ≤6.2 µg ml-1. The most active compound (C9M) inhibited growth of both Candida albicans and non-albicans strains and is equally active against pairs of azole sensitive and resistant clinical isolates of C. albicans. Compound C9M also inhibited different stages of Candida biofilms. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of Candida cells after C9M treatment was also done and no significant cell lysis was observed. Hemolysis assay was performed and only 2.5% haemolysis was observed at MIC concentration.

Chain-length-specific anti-Candida activity of cationic lipo-oxazoles: a new class of quaternary ammonium compounds.

PURPOSE: Candida species have become resistant to commonly used anti-fungal drugs like fluconazole and echinocandins. In our screen, a series of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) emerged as an alternative treatment choice for drug-resistant Candida infections. METHODOLOGY: Medium alkyl chain cationic lipo-oxazoles comprising six to thirteen twin carbon chains and a quaternary ammonium unit were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anti-Candida and biofilm inhibition activity. SEM was performed to visualize membrane distortion.Results/Key findings. Heptyl and octyl chain analogues (5c, 6b and 6c) showed promising anti-fungal activity. Compound 5c was active against both fluconazole-sensitive and resistant clinical isolates of Candida albicans as well as non-albicans Candida strains. 5c also inhibited the adhesion of C. albicans cells to a polystyrene surface and restricted biofilm formation. SEM further confirmed Candida cell membrane distortion by 5c. CONCLUSION: A novel class of QACs, called cationic lipo-oxazoles, was tested and found to exhibit anti-fungal activity against planktonic cells as well as biofilms of Candida.

Benzimidazoles from Aryl Alkyl Ketones and 2-Amino Anilines by an Iodine Catalyzed Oxidative C(CO)-C(alkyl) Bond Cleavage.

Novel molecular iodine catalyzed cyclization reactions of 2-amino anilines with aryl alkyl ketones under oxidant and metal-free conditions are described. The reaction likely involves sequential C-N bond formation followed by C(CO)-C(alkyl) bond cleavage. Various 2-substituted benzimidazoles are obtained in moderate to good yields in a single step from readily available acetophenones, propiophenones, and phenylacetophenones.

Copper catalyzed oxygen assisted C(CNOH)-C(alkyl) bond cleavage: a facile conversion of aryl/aralkyl/vinyl ketones to aromatic acids.

A novel copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative C(NOH)-C(alkyl) bond cleavage reaction of aryl/aralkyl/vinyl ketones for the synthesis of aromatic/acrylic acids is described. A series of ketones having aryl/aralkyl/vinyl at the one end and methyl to any higher alkyl at the other end can be selectively cleaved and converted into the corresponding acids via oxime intermediates.

"Pruning of biomolecules and natural products (PBNP)": an innovative paradigm in drug discovery.

The source or inspiration of many marketed drugs can be traced back to natural product research. However, the chemical structure of natural products covers a wide spectrum from very simple to complex. With more complex structures it is often desirable to simplify the molecule whilst retaining the desired biological activity. This approach seeks to identify the structural unit or pharmacophore responsible for the desired activity. Such pharmacophores have been the start point for a wide range of lead generation and optimisation programmes using techniques such as Biology Oriented Synthesis, Diversity Oriented Synthesis, Diverted Total Synthesis, and Fragment Based Drug Discovery. This review discusses the literature precedence of simplification strategies in four areas of natural product research: proteins, polysaccharides, nucleic acids, and compounds isolated from natural product extracts, and their impact on identifying therapeutic products.

Development of new estradiol-cationic lipid hybrids: ten-carbon twin chain cationic lipid is a more suitable partner for estradiol to elicit better anticancer activity.

The present study illustrates the synthesis and anticancer evaluation of six, ten, twelve and fourteen carbon chain containing cationic lipidated-estradiol hybrids. Previously, we have established the lipidation strategy to introduce anticancer activities in various pharmacophores including estradiol (ES). In this structure activity study the length of the carbon chain is narrowed down between C6-C14 to screen out the most potent anticancer molecule among the class. Among the newly developed ES-cationic lipid conjugates, ten-carbon chain containing derivative, ES-C10 (5c) exhibited 4-12 folds better anticancer activity than the previously established derivative, ES-C8 (5b) in various cancer cells of different origin. Moreover cytotoxicity of this molecule was not observed in non-cancer cells. Notably, in spite of bearing estrogenic moiety, ES-C10 exhibited anticancer activity irrespective of estrogen receptor (ER) expression status. ES-C10 exhibited prominent sub-G0 arrest of cancer cells with concomitant induction of apoptosis and demonstrated significant inhibition of tumor growth in mouse melanoma model. Collectively, ES-C10 exemplifies the development of an anticancer agent with broader activity against cancer cells of different origins.

Iodine-mediated oxidative annulation for one-pot synthesis of pyrazines and quinoxalines using a multipathway coupled domino strategy.

An efficient iodine-mediated oxidative annulation of aryl acetylenes-arylethenes-aromatic ketones with 1,2-diamines for the synthesis of pyrazines and regioselective synthesis of quinoxalines is presented. A multipathway coupled domino approach has been developed for the one-pot synthesis of 1,4-diazines with high functional group compatibility.

Synthesis of novel anticancer iridoid derivatives and their cell cycle arrest and caspase dependent apoptosis.

Nyctanthes arbortristis Linn (Oleaceae) is widely distributed in sub-Himalayan regions and southwards to Godavari, India commonly known as Harsingar and Night Jasmine. In continuation of our drug discovery programme on Indian medicinal plants, we isolated arbortristoside-A (1) and 7-O-trans-cinnamoyl 6ß-hydroxyloganin (2) from the seeds of N. Arbortristis, which exhibited moderate in vitro anticancer activity. Chemical transformation of 2 led to significant improvement in the activity in derivative 8 and 15 against HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma), MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma) cell lines. The compounds 8 and 15 were also capable of cell cycle arrest and caspase dependent apoptosis in HepG2 cell lines. These iridoid derivatives hold promise for developing safer alternatives to the marketed drugs.

Preparation of novel antiproliferative emodin derivatives and studies on their cell cycle arrest, caspase dependent apoptosis and DNA binding interaction.

Emodin (1) is the major bioactive compound of several herb species, which belongs to anthraquinone class of compound. As a part of our drug discovery program, large quantities of emodin (1) was isolated from the roots of Rheum emodi and a library of novel emodin derivatives 2-15 were prepared to evaluate their antiproliferative activities against HepG2, MDA-MB-231 and NIH/3T3 cells lines. The derivatives 3 and 12 strongly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell line with an IC50 of 5.6, 13.03 and 10.44, 5.027, respectively, which is comparable to marketed drug epirubicin (III). The compounds 3 and 12 were also capable of inducing cell cycle arrest and caspase dependent apoptosis in HepG2 cell lines and exhibit DNA intercalating activity. These emodin derivatives hold promise for developing safer alternatives to the marketed epirubicin.

Discovery of coumarin-monastrol hybrid as potential antibreast tumor-specific agent.

Development of new, targeted antibreast cancer drug which can treat both the hormone receptor (positive and negative) breast cancers is a very challenging task. The concept of molecular hybridization led us to discover a novel class of coumarin-monastrol hybrid, as a novel breast cancer agent which selectively induce apoptosis in both primary and metastatic breast cancer cell lines.

Anticancer siRNA delivery by new anticancer molecule: a novel combination strategy for cancer cell killing.

The present report describes development of a novel, bifunctional molecule possessing both selective antiproliferative activity and siRNA transfection ability. We synthesized a series of cationic lipo-benzamides and screened for in vitro anticancer activities against a panel of cancer and non-cancer cells. The molecule with a ten carbon chain-length (C10M) significantly inhibited proliferation of cancer cells via arresting the cell cycle predominantly in the G1 phase; but did not affect non-cancerous cells. C10M effectively mediated siRNA delivery in vitro. The combined anticancer effect of the delivery of C10M together with its survivin-targeting siRNA cargo was significantly (p < 0.05) superior to that of agent alone. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a dual-purpose molecule with intrinsic anticancer activity and suitability for use in siRNA delivery.

Targeted cancer therapy with novel high drug-loading nanocrystals.

A novel nanocrystal formulation of hydrophobic drugs has been developed for cancer therapy. The new method, called a three-phase nanoparticle engineering technology (3PNET), includes three phases: phase 1, amorphous precipitate; phase 2, hydrated amorphous aggregate; and phase 3, stabilized nanocrystal. The 3PNET has been applied to two anticancer drugs, paclitaxel (PTX) and camptothecin (CPT), using Pluronic F127 (F127) polymer as a single excipient. The nanocrystals encapsulated over 99% of the drug with a high ratio of drug to excipient. The nanocrystal formulation of PTX did not induce hemolysis at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. Antitumor activity in two tumor models, human lung cancer and murine breast cancer, demonstrated that intravenously injected nanocrystals significantly inhibited the tumor growth. The nanocrystals also showed significant therapeutic effects via oral administration. In addition, the nanocrystals could be further modified for targeted delivery of PTX by conjugating a folate ligand to F127. The new nanomedicine formulations show clear potential for clinical development because of the excellent antitumor activity, low toxicity, and the ease of scale-up manufacture. The formulation method may apply to other hydrophobic drugs.

Multifunctional nanoparticles delivering small interfering RNA and doxorubicin overcome drug resistance in cancer.

Drug resistance is a major challenge to the effective treatment of cancer. We have developed two nanoparticle formulations, cationic liposome-polycation-DNA (LPD) and anionic liposome-polycation-DNA (LPD-II), for systemic co-delivery of doxorubicin (Dox) and a therapeutic small interfering RNA (siRNA) to multiple drug resistance (MDR) tumors. In this study, we have provided four strategies to overcome drug resistance. First, we formed the LPD nanoparticles with a guanidinium-containing cationic lipid, i.e. N,N-distearyl-N-methyl-N-2-(N'-arginyl) aminoethyl ammonium chloride, which can induce reactive oxygen species, down-regulate MDR transporter expression, and increase Dox uptake. Second, to block angiogenesis and increase drug penetration, we have further formulated LPD nanoparticles to co-deliver vascular endothelial growth factor siRNA and Dox. An enhanced Dox uptake and a therapeutic effect were observed when combined with vascular endothelial growth factor siRNA in the nanoparticles. Third, to avoid P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux, we further designed another delivery vehicle, LPD-II, which showed much higher entrapment efficiency of Dox than LPD. Finally, we delivered a therapeutic siRNA to inhibit MDR transporter. We demonstrated the first evidence of c-Myc siRNA delivered by the LPD-II nanoparticles down-regulating MDR expression and increasing Dox uptake in vivo. Three daily intravenous injections of therapeutic siRNA and Dox (1.2 mg/kg) co-formulated in either LPD or LPD-II nanoparticles showed a significant improvement in tumor growth inhibition. This study highlights a potential clinical use for the multifunctional nanoparticles with an effective delivery property and a function to overcome drug resistance in cancer. The activity and the toxicity of LPD- and LPD-II-mediated therapy are compared.

Novel cationic lipid that delivers siRNA and enhances therapeutic effect in lung cancer cells.

We have developed lipid-polycation-DNA (LPD) nanoparticles containing DOTAP and targeted with polyethylene glycol (PEG) tethered with anisamide (AA) to specifically deliver siRNA to H460 human lung carcinoma cells which express the sigma receptor. A novel non-glycerol based cationic lipid which contains both a guanidinium and a lysine residue as the cationic headgroup, i.e. DSGLA, downregulated pERK more efficiently in H460 cells than DOTAP. As demonstrated by using fluorescently labeled siRNA, LPD-PEG-AA prepared with DSGLA efficiently delivered siRNA to the cytoplasm of the H460 cells. Although the siRNA delivered by LPD-PEG-AA containing either DOTAP or DSGLA could effectively silence EGFR expression, a synergistic cell killing effect in promoting cellular apoptosis was only observed with DSGLA. The fluorescently labeled siRNA was efficiently delivered into the cytoplasm of H460 xenograft tumor by the LPD-PEG-AA containing either DOTAP or DSGLA 4 h after intravenous injection. Three daily injections (0.6 mg/kg) of siRNA formulated in the LPD-PEG-AA containing either DOTAP or DSGLA could effectively silence the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the tumor, but the formulation containing DSGLA could induce more cellular apoptosis. A significant improvement in tumor growth inhibition was observed after dosing with LPD-PEG-AA containing DSGLA. Thus, DSGLA served as both a formulation component as well as a therapeutic agent which synergistically enhanced the activity of siRNA.

Enhanced intravenous transgene expression in mouse lung using cyclic-head cationic lipids.

Herein, we report enhanced intravenous mouse lung transfection using novel cyclic-head-group analogs of usually open-head cationic transfection lipids. Design and synthesis of the new cyclic-head lipid N,N-di-n-tetradecyl-3,4-dihydroxy-pyrrolidinium chloride (lipid 1) and its higher alkyl-chain analogs (lipids 2-4) and relative in vitro and in vivo gene transfer efficacies of cyclic-head lipids 1-4 to their corresponding open-head analogs [lipid 5, namely N,N-di-n-tetradecyl-N,N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium chloride and its higher alkyl-chain analogs, lipids 6-8] have been described. In stark contrast to comparable in vitro transfection efficacies of both the cyclic- and open-head lipids, lipids 1-4 with cyclic heads were found to be significantly more efficient (by 5- to 11-fold) in transfecting mouse lung than their corresponding open-head analogs (5-8) upon intravenous administration. The cyclic-head lipid 3 with di-stearyl hydrophobic tail was found to be the most promising for future applications.