Microwave-assisted synthesis of novel steroidal heterocyclic analogs as potent inhibitors of RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis.

Osteoporosis is a significant public health issue in our aging population. It is an excessive bone resorption condition brought on by osteoclastogenesis, which makes bones more brittle. In the present work, a series of novel heterosteroidal derivatives have been synthesized using the microwave technique and were evaluated as antiosteoclastogenic agents. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds have been confirmed using analytical and spectral data. The antiosteoclastogenic activity of the newly synthesized compounds was estimated in vitro against osteoclast-differentiated cells from the RAW 264.7 cell line. The pregnenolone dimer 10, the pyridinotestosterone derivative 2, and the phenylnicotinonitrile pregnenolone derivative 8a attained the most promising antiosteoclastogenic activity displaying IC50 (the half maximal inhibitory concentration) values of 5.45 ± 5.30, 11.88 ± 2.09, and 13.40 ± 3.00 µM, respectively, in comparison with dimethyl itaconate (IC50 = 17.76 ± 3.20 µM) and alendronate (IC50 = 4.48 ± 1.89 µM) as reference compounds. Finally, an in silico ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) study was conducted to evaluate the synthesized compounds' pharmacokinetic and drug-likeness properties. The results manifested that almost all the investigated compounds' properties were compatible with the specified optimal range, which indicates their reassuring pharmacokinetic properties.

Discovery of New Pyrazolopyridine, Furopyridine, and Pyridine Derivatives as CDK2 Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Docking Studies, and Anti-Proliferative Activity.

New pyridine, pyrazoloyridine, and furopyridine derivatives substituted with naphthyl and thienyl moieties were designed and synthesized starting from 6-(naphthalen-2-yl)-2-oxo-4-(thiophen-2-yl)-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbonitrile (1). The chloro, methoxy, cholroacetoxy, imidazolyl, azide, and arylamino derivatives were prepared to obtain the pyridine--C2 functionalized derivatives. The derived pyrazolpyridine-N-glycosides were synthesized via heterocyclization of the C2-thioxopyridine derivative followed by glycosylation using glucose and galactose. The furopyridine derivative 14 and the tricyclic pyrido[3',2':4,5]furo[3,2-d]pyrimidine 15 were prepared via heterocyclization of the ester derivative followed by a reaction with formamide. The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their ability to in vitro inhibit the CDK2 enzyme. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the compounds was tested against four different human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, MCF-7, HepG2, and A549). The CDK2/cyclin A2 enzyme inhibitory results revealed that pyridone 1, 2-chloro-6-(naphthalen-2-yl)-4-(thiophen-2-yl)nicotinonitrile (4), 6-(naphthalen-2-yl)-4-(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-3-amine (8), S-(3-cyano-6-(naphthaen-2-yl)-4-(thiophen-2-yl)pyridin-2-yl) 2-chloroethanethioate (11), and ethyl 3-amino-6-(naphthalen-2-yl)-4-(thiophen-2-yl)furo[2,3-b]pyridine-2-carboxylate (14) are among the most active inhibitors with IC50 values of 0.57, 0.24, 0.65, 0.50, and 0.93 µM, respectively, compared to roscovitine (IC50 0.394 µM). Most compounds showed significant inhibition on different human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, MCF-7, HepG2, and A549) with IC50 ranges of 31.3-49.0, 19.3-55.5, 22.7-44.8, and 36.8-70.7 µM, respectively compared to doxorubicin (IC50 40.0, 64.8, 24.7 and 58.1 µM, respectively). Furthermore, a molecular docking study suggests that most of the target compounds have a similar binding mode as a reference compound in the active site of the CDK2 enzyme. The structural requirements controlling the CDK2 inhibitory activity were determined through the generation of a statistically significant 2D-QSAR model.

Synthesis, molecular docking and antimicrobial activity of new fused pyrimidine and pyridine derivatives.

Synthesis of some new heterocyclic ring systems incorporated pyrimidine and pyridine moieties starting from 1-(furan-2-yl)-3-(thiophen-2-yl) chalcone was achieved. The structure of the new compounds was interpreted by spectral studies and ESI-MS analysis. Antimicrobial investigations of the designated compounds were performed towards some harmful pathogenic microbes. Antimicrobial tests proved that compound 11 unveiled a greater antimicrobial activity than other designed compounds. Docking of compound 11 into active site of DNA gyrase B chain displayed binding-energy of -13.05 kJ mol-1 and distance at 3.18 Ao. Furthermore, docking investigation was approved for the goal compounds into DNA gyrase B chain and exhibiting binding energy extended from -13.05 to -20.48 kJ mol-1.

Synthesis of novel hybrid hetero-steroids: Molecular docking study augmented anti-proliferative properties against cancerous cells.

Hetero-steroids, hybrid anticancer agents, have received much interest in view of their numerous and promising biological activities. In this study, a novel class of hetero-steroids were synthesized, analytical and spectral data proved the validity of the novel synthesized steroid derivatives. The cytotoxicity of the synthesized compounds 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17 were evaluated using human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2 and Huh-7) and non-small cell lung cancer (A549) cell lines. The synthesized compounds reported a remarkable gradual decrease in the cell viability of the three tested cancer cell lines. It was observed that compounds 2 and 12 had the lowest IC50s and the highest cytotoxic effects against all tested cell lines. As attempt to explain the cytotoxic activity achieved by the tested compounds in the in vitro study, molecular simulation was done to reveal the activity of the tested compounds against four different proteins (CDK2, CYP19, JAK2, and BCL2) which are highly implicated in cancer regulation and progression. We found that compound 2, and 12 were the best docked compounds against all tested receptors, which was indicated by lowest binding energy compared to reference ligand. Interestingly enough, our molecular study was in agreement with the cytotoxic activity. As future prospective, we are recommending further study on compounds 2, and 12 against the four different proteins to prove their mode of action.

Assessment of the Antitumor Potentiality of Newly Designed Steroid Derivatives: Pre-Clinical Study.

Cancer is recognized as one of the most prevalent contributors to mortality in several nations and it remains one of the common health issues globally. In particular, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become a public health problem along with the increase of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) virus infections. Based on this fact, our study goaled to synthesize newly hybrid drugs containing heterocyclic rings incorporated to steroid moiety and to examine the potential antitumor activity of the newly designed heterosteroid derivatives against HCC induced in animal model. Several heterocyclic steroids were synthesized 2-7 and confirmed via the analytical and spectral data (IR, 1H NMR13C NMR and Mass spectroscopy). Compounds 3, 4, and 5 were chosen to be investigated as anticancer agents in HCC rat model by means of validated biomarkers (alfa -fetoprotein, endoglin, lipocali-2 and heat shock protein-70). Following administration of compounds 3, 4 or 5, availability of the active tumor marker molecules was significantly dropped and a substantial decrease of the angiogenic and inflammatory mediators was also evident. These findings were supported by the histological examination of liver tissue. Taken together, this study indicates the potential anticancer activity of the newly synthesized heterosteroid derivatives against HCC in vivo. The antitumor activity of these compounds was likely attributable to modulating some signal transduction pathways involved in tumorigenesis, angiogenesis and inflammation.

Synthesis, Docking Studies into CDK-2 and Anticancer Activity of New Derivatives Based Pyrimidine Scaffold and Their Derived Glycosides.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: New diaryl-substituted pyrimidinedione compounds, their thioxo derivatives as well as their bicyclic thiazole compounds were synthesized and characterized. METHODS: The glycosylamino derivatives of the synthesized disubstituted derivatives of the pyrimidine scaffold were also prepared via reaction of the N3-amino derivatives with a number of monosaccharides followed by acetylation. RESULTS: The anticancer activity of the synthesized compounds was studied against human liver cancer (HepG2) and RPE-1cell lines. Compounds 2a, 2b, 3a and 12 showed potent activities with IC50 results comparable to that of doxorubicin. CONCLUSION: Docking investigations into Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK-2) enzyme, a potential target for cancer medication, were also reported showing the possible binding interaction into the enzyme active site to support their activity behavior.

Design, Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of New Thiazole-Tetrazole or Triazole Hybrid Glycosides Targeting CDK-2 via Structure-Based Virtual Screening.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The target tetrazole glycosides were synthesized by construction of ring system by cycloaddition reaction of benzothiazole-linked nitrile derivative and sodium azide followed by N-glycosylation process and deprotection. METHODS: The triazole glycosides were prepared by applying click approach involving dipolar cycloaddition of benzothiazole possessing alkyne functionality and different glycosyl azides. The products incorporating acyclic analogs of sugar moieties were synthesized through alkylation using acyclic oxygenated halides. RESULTS: The anticancer activity was studied against human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7) and human normal Retina pigmented epithelium cells (RPE-1). High activities were revealed by three compounds with IC50 values 11.9-16.5 µM compared to doxorubicin (18.6 µM) in addition to other four derivatives with good inhibition activities. CONCLUSION: Enzyme docking investigation was performed into cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2); a potential target for cancer medication. Compounds which have possessed highest activities revealed good fitting inside the binding site of the protein molecular surface and showed minimum binding energy.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Cholestanoheterocyclic Steroids as Anticancer Agents.

Modification of steroid molecules by introducing heterocyclic ring into the core structure of steroids has been utilized as an attractive approach for either cancer prognosis or diagnosis. Several new cholestanoheterocyclic steroids were synthesized, and analytical and spectral data proved the validity of the novel synthesized steroid derivatives. The cytotoxicity of synthesized compounds 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 15b, and 16b was evaluated using human colorectal cancer HCT 116 and Caco-2, cervical cancer HeLa, hepatoma HepG2, and breast cancer MCF7 cell lines. Intriguingly, compound 13 has the highest cytotoxic effect when applied on the majority of cancer cells. In conclusion, compound 13 may be considered as a promising anticancer candidate against all cancer cell lines, because it recorded the lowest IC50 of the majority of the cancer cell lines used. Furthermore, a molecular docking study was employed to determine the binding modes against aromatase cytochrome P450 (CYP19), cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), and B-cell lymphoma (BCL-2) proteins, which are major proteins involved in the pathogenesis of cancer. Molecular docking analyses revealed that compounds 13, 3, and 5 (free energy of binding = - 9.2, - 9.1, and - 9.0 kcal/mol, respectively) were the best docked ligand against aromatase CYP19; compounds 16b, 3, 9, and 10 (free energy of binding = - 9.6, - 9.3, and - 9.2 kcal/mol, respectively) were the best docked ligand against CDK2, while compounds 15b, 16b, and 13 (free energy of binding = - 9.1, - 9.0, and- 8.7 kcal/mol, respectively) were the best docked ligand against BCL2. In conclusion, compounds 3, 13, and 16b were the most promising compounds with the lowest IC50s against most of the tested cancer cell lines, and they displayed the lowest binding energies, critical hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic interactions with the three molecular targets compared to other tested compounds.

Synthesis of novel steroidal curcumin derivatives as anti-Alzheimer's disease candidates: Evidences-based on in vivo study.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex disease in which a single monofunctional 'targeted' drug is uneffective for management. Hybrid drugs that impact multiple targets simultaneously are better at controlling such complex disease systems. Hybrid agents were synthesized through the combination of the steroid moiety with curcumin molecule. Also novel curcumin analogues containing promising heterocyclic nucleus fused to the essential pharmacophoric feature of the curcumin moiety, were synthesized. The aim of the present study was extended to elucidate the efficacy of these novel synthesized compounds in the regression of AD induced in adult female albino rats. The results revealed that treatment of AD groups with compounds 3, 5, 8c or rivastigmin experienced significant increase in brain Ach, GSH, paraoxenase and BCL2 levels with respect to untreated group associated with significant decrease in brain AchE activity, urinary 8-OHG level, serum Caspase-3 level and brain P53 level relative to the untreated group. Immunohistochemical investigation revealed that the selected treatments caused marked increase in ChAT positive cells. These findings were documented by the histological investigation of the brain tissue. The activity of tested compounds showed gradual increase from compound b followed by compound 8c then compound 5. The anti-cholinesterase potential, anti-oxidant properties and anti-apoptotic activity are responsible for the anti-Alzheimer's disease potential of these compounds.