Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Antimalarial Activity of Hybrid 4-Aminoquinoline-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole Derivatives.

Widespread resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to current artemisinin-based combination therapies necessitate the discovery of new medicines. Pharmacophoric hybridization has become an alternative for drug resistance that lowers the risk of drug-drug adverse interactions. In this study, we synthesized a new series of hybrids by covalently linking the scaffolds of pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole with 4-aminoquinoline via an ethyl linker. All synthesized hybrid molecules were evaluated through in vitro screenings against chloroquine-resistant (K1) and -sensitive (3D7) P. falciparum strains, respectively. Data from in vitro assessments showed that hybrid 4b displayed significant antiplasmodial activities against the 3D7 strain (EC50 = 0.0130 ± 0.0002 µM) and the K1 strain (EC50 = 0.02 ± 0.01 µM), with low cytotoxic effect against Vero mammalian cells. The high selectivity index value on the 3D7 strain (SI > 1000) and the K1 strain (SI > 800) and the low resistance index value from compound 4b suggested that the pharmacological effects of this compound were due to selective inhibition on the 3D7 and K1 strains. Molecular docking analysis also showed that 4b recorded the highest binding energy on P. falciparum lactate dehydrogenase. Thus, P. falciparum lactate dehydrogenase is considered a potential molecular target for the synthesized compound.

An Electrochemical DNA Biosensor for Carcinogenicity of Anticancer Compounds Based on Competition between Methylene Blue and Oligonucleotides.

A toxicity electrochemical DNA biosensor has been constructed for the detection of carcinogens using 24 base guanine DNA rich single stranded DNA, and methylene blue (MB) as the electroactive indicator. This amine terminated ssDNA was immobilized onto silica nanospheres and deposited on gold nanoparticle modified carbon-paste screen printed electrodes (SPEs). The modified SPE was initially exposed to a carcinogen, followed by immersion in methylene blue for an optimized duration. The biosensor response was measured using differential pulse voltammetry. The performance of the biosensor was identified on several anti-cancer compounds. The toxicity DNA biosensor demonstrated a linear response range to the cadmium chloride from 0.0005 ppm to 0.01 ppm (R2 = 0.928) with a limit of detection at 0.0004 ppm. The biosensor also exhibited its versatility to screen the carcinogenicity of potential anti-cancer compounds.