Semisynthesis and biological evaluation of novel honokiol thioethers against colon cancer cells HCT116 via inhibiting the transcription and expression of YAP protein.

Honokiol, derived from Magnolia officinalis (a traditional Chinese medicine), has been reported to have anticancer activity. Here, a series of novel honokiol thioethers bearing a 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety were prepared and evaluated for their anticancer activities against three types of digestive system tumor cells. Biological evaluation showed that honokiol derivative 3k exhibited the best antiproliferative activity against HCT116 cells with an IC50 value of 6.1 µmol/L, superior to the reference drug 5-fluorouracil (IC50: 9.63 ± 0.27 µmol/L). The structure-activity relationships (SARs) indicated that the introduction of -(4-NO2)Ph, 3-pyridyl, -(2-F)Ph, -(4-F)Ph, -(3-F)Ph, -(4-Cl)Ph, and -(3-Cl)Ph groups was favorable for enhancing the anticancer activity of the title honokiol thioethers. Further study revealed that honokiol thioether 3k can well inhibit the proliferation of colon cancer cells HCT116, arresting the cells in G1 phase and inducing cell death. Moreover, a preliminary mechanism study indicated that 3k directly inhibits the transcription and expression of YAP protein without activating the Hippo signaling pathway. Thus, honokiol thioether 3k could be deeply developed for the development of honokiol-based anticancer candidates.

Innovative On-DNA Synthesis of Sulfides and Sulfoximines: Enriching the DEL Synthesis Toolbox.

DNA-encoded library (DEL) technologies enable the fast exploration of gigantic chemical space to identify ligands for the target protein of interest and have become a powerful hit finding tool for drug discovery projects. However, amenable DEL chemistry is restricted to a handful of reactions, limiting the creativity of drug hunters. Here, we describe a new on-DNA synthetic pathway to access sulfides and sulfoximines. These moieties, usually contemplated as challenging to achieve through alkylation and oxidation, can now be leveraged in routine DEL selection campaigns.

Challenges with the Synthesis of a Macrocyclic Thioether Peptide: From Milligram to Multigram Using Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis (SPPS).

We describe an optimization and scale-up of the 45-membered macrocyclic thioether peptide BMS-986189 utilizing solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). Improvements to linear peptide isolation, macrocyclization, and peptide purification were demonstrated to increase the throughput and purification of material on scale and enabled the synthesis and purification of >60 g of target peptide. Taken together, not only these improvements resulted in a 28-fold yield increase from the original SPPS approach, but also the generality of this newly developed SPPS purification sequence has found application in the synthesis and purification of other macrocyclic thioether peptides.

Design, Synthesis and Bioactivity of Novel Pyrimidine Sulfonate Esters Containing Thioether Moiety.

Pesticides play an important role in crop disease and pest control. However, their irrational use leads to the emergence of drug resistance. Therefore, it is necessary to search for new pesticide-lead compounds with new structures. We designed and synthesized 33 novel pyrimidine derivatives containing sulfonate groups and evaluated their antibacterial and insecticidal activities. Results: Most of the synthesized compounds showed good antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo), Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Citri (Xac), Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) and Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs), and certain insecticidal activity. A5, A31 and A33 showed strong antibacterial activity against Xoo, with EC50 values of 4.24, 6.77 and 9.35 µg/mL, respectively. Compounds A1, A3, A5 and A33 showed remarkable activity against Xac (EC50 was 79.02, 82.28, 70.80 and 44.11 µg/mL, respectively). In addition, A5 could significantly improve the defense enzyme (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and catalase) activity of plants against pathogens and thus improve the disease resistance of plants. Moreover, a few compounds also showed good insecticidal activity against Plutella xylostella and Myzus persicae. The results of this study provide insight into the development of new broad-spectrum pesticides.

Synthesis of Copper Oxide-Based Nanoformulations of Etoricoxib and Montelukast and Their Evaluation through Analgesic, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Pyretic, and Acute Toxicity Activities.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were synthesized through the coprecipitation method and used as nanocarriers for etoricoxib (selective COX-2 inhibitor drug) and montelukast (leukotriene product inhibitor drug) in combination therapy. The CuO NPs, free drugs, and nanoformulations were investigated through UV/Vis spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, and DLS. SEM imaging showed agglomerated nanorods of CuO NPs of about 87 nm size. The CE1, CE2, and CE6 nanoformulations were investigated through DLS, and their particle sizes were 271, 258, and 254 nm, respectively. The nanoformulations were evaluated through in vitro anti-inflammatory activity, in vivo anti-inflammatory activity, in vivo analgesic activity, in vivo anti-pyretic activity, and in vivo acute toxicity activity. In vivo activities were performed on albino mice. BSA denaturation was highly inhibited by CE1, CE2, and CE6 as compared to other nanoformulations in the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity. The in vivo bioactivities showed that low doses (5 mg/kg) of nanoformulations were more potent than high doses (10 and 20 mg/kg) of free drugs in the inhibition of pain, fever, and inflammation. Lastly, CE2 was more potent than that of other nanoformulations.

Modular and stereoselective synthesis of tetrasubstituted vinyl sulfides leading to a library of AIEgens.

Tetraarylethylenes exhibit intriguing photophysical properties and sulfur atom frequently play a vital role in organic photoelectric materials and biologically active compounds. Tetrasubstituted vinyl sulfides, which include both sulfur atom and tetrasubstituted alkenes motifs, might be a suitable skeleton for the discovery of the new material molecules and drug with unique functions and properties. However, how to modular synthesis these kinds of compounds is still challenging. Herein, a chemo- and stereo-selective Rh(II)-catalyzed [1,4]-acyl rearrangements of α-diazo carbonyl compounds and thioesters has been developed, providing a modular strategy to a library of 63 tetrasubstituted vinyl sulfides. In this transformation, the yield is up to 95% and the turnover number is up to 3650. The mechanism of this reaction is investigated by combining experiments and density functional theory calculation. Moreover, the "aggregation-induced emission" effect of tetrasubstituted vinyl sulfides were also investigated, which might useful in functional material, biological imaging and chemicalnsing via structural modification.

Synthesis, Antifungal Activity, 3D-QSAR, and Molecular Docking Study of Novel Menthol-Derived 1,2,4-Triazole-thioether Compounds.

A series of novel menthol derivatives containing 1,2,4-triazole-thioether moiety were designed, synthesized, characterized structurally, and evaluated biologically to explore more potent natural product-based antifungal agents. The bioassay results revealed that at 50 µg/mL, some of the target compounds exhibited good inhibitory activity against the tested fungi, especially against Physalospora piricola. Compounds 5b (R = o-CH3 Ph), 5i (R = o-Cl Ph), 5v (R = m,p-OCH3 Ph) and 5x (R = α-furyl) had inhibition rates of 93.3%, 79.4%, and 79.4%, respectively, against P. piricola, much better than that of the positive control chlorothalonil. Compounds 5v (R = m,p-OCH3 Ph) and 5g (R = o-Cl Ph) held inhibition rates of 82.4% and 86.5% against Cercospora arachidicola and Gibberella zeae, respectively, much better than that of the commercial fungicide chlorothalonil. Compound 5b (R = o-CH3 Ph) displayed antifungal activity of 90.5% and 83.8%, respectively, against Colleterichum orbicalare and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum. Compounds 5m (R = o-I Ph) had inhibition rates of 88.6%, 80.0%, and 88.0%, respectively, against F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinu, Bipolaris maydis and C. orbiculare. Furthermore, compound 5b (R = o-CH3 Ph) showed the best and broad-spectrum antifungal activity against all the tested fungi. To design more effective antifungal compounds against P. piricola, 3D-QSAR analysis was performed using the CoMFA method, and a reasonable 3D-QSAR model (r2 = 0.991, q2 = 0.514) was established. The simulative binding pattern of the target compounds with cytochrome P450 14α-sterol demethylase (CYP51) was investigated by molecular docking.

Design, synthesis and anticancer activity of sulfenylated imidazo-fused heterocycles.

We report herein, the design, synthesis and study of anticancer properties of sulfenylated 2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and their analogues. A set of twenty sulfenylated imidazo[1, 2-a]pyridine derivatives were synthesized. Whereby elusive amendments to the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine motif confer dramatic changes in functional affinity of a novel action to modulate anticancer activity in seven different human cancer cell lines i.e.: MDA MB 231 (breast), HepG2 (liver), Hela (cervical), A549 (lung), U87MG (glioblastoma), SKMEL-28 (skin melanoma) and DU-145 (prostate) by employing MTT assay. Among the series, compounds 4e (naphthalene), 4f (styrene) and 4h (thiomethyl) showed potent activity towards human liver cancer cells HepG2. Cell cycle analysis results revealed that these compounds arrested the cell cycle at G2/M phase and induced apoptosis in human liver cancer cells HepG2. It was further confirmed by Hoechst staining, Measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and Annexin V-FITC assay.

Sequential C-H activation enabled expedient delivery of polyfunctional arenes.

Modular construction of polyfunctional arenes from abundant feedstocks stands as an unremitting pursue in synthetic chemistry, accelerating the discovery of drugs and materials. Herein, using the multiple C-H activation strategy with versatile imidate esters, the expedient delivery of molecular libraries of densely functionalized sulfur-containing arenes was achieved, which enabled the concise construction of biologically active molecules, such as Bipenamol.

Fluorescent Semiconductor Nanorods for the Solid-Phase Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based, Multiplexed Gene Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The spread of infectious diseases with significantly high mortality rates can wreak devastating damage on global health systems and economies, underscoring the need for better disease diagnostic platforms. Solid-phase polymerase chain reaction (SP-PCR) potentially combines the advantages of conventional PCR-based diagnostics with the capability of multiplexed detection, given that the spatial separation between primers circumvents unwanted primer-primer interactions. However, the generally low efficiency of solid-phase amplification results in poor sensitivity and limits its use in detection schemes. We present an SP-PCR-based, multiplexed pulldown fluorescence assay for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), utilizing highly fluorescent oligonucleotide-functionalized CdSe/CdS and CdSe1-xSx/CdS nanorods (NRs) as multicolor hybridization probes. The large surface area of the NRs allows for their easy capture and pulldown, but without contributing significantly to the interparticle photon reabsorption when clustered at the pulldown sites. The NR nanoprobes were specifically designed to target the hotspot regions of the rpoB gene of MTB, which have been implicated in resistance to standard rifampicin treatment. The implementation of the semiconductor NRs as photostable multicolor fluorophores in a multiplexed SP-PCR-based detection scheme allowed for the identification of multiple hotspot regions with sub-picomolar levels of sensitivity and high specificity in artificial sputum. While this work demonstrates the utility of semiconductor NRs as highly fluorescent chromophores that can enable SP-PCR as a sensitive and accurate technique for multipathogen diagnostics, the flexible surface chemistry of the NRs should allow them to be applicable to a wide variety of detection motifs.

Difluoromethylthiolator: A Toolbox of Reagents for Difluoromethylthiolation.

Recently, the strategic installation of a fluorine atom or a fluoroalkyl group site-selectively at the specific position of the target molecule has become a routine approach and daily practice for medicinal chemists in their endeavor to fine tune the structure of the lead compound to improve its physicochemical properties such as the cell membrane permeability and metabolic stability. Among many fluoroalkyl groups, the difluoromethylthio group (-SCF2H) has attracted recent intense attention. Largely due to the weak acidity of the proton in the difluoromethylthio group, the difluoromethylthio group is generally considered to be a lipophilic hydrogen-bonding donor and a bioisostere of the hydroxy/thio group that might interact with the heteroatom of the enzyme via a hydrogen bond to improve the binding selectivity of the drug molecule. Besides, the difluoromethylthio group is less lipophilic, less electron-withdrawing, and less stable to the acidic or basic environment than its analogue trifluoromethylthio group (-SCF3), making it easier to regulate the metabolic stability of drug molecules. These beneficial effects render the difluoromethylthio group one of the most favorable functional groups in drug design; consequently, there is an urgent need to develop new strategies for the efficient introduction of the difluoromethylthio group into small molecules under mild conditions. Over the last few decades, several different approaches to the preparation of difluoromethylthiolated compounds have been developed, including the difluoromethylation of thiolated substrates with an electrophilic/nucleophilic difluoromethylating reagent or the insertion of a difluoromethyl carbene into the S-H bond of the thiols. In contrast, we adopt an alternative approach to the preparation of difluoromethylthiolated compounds by late-stage direct difluoromethylthiolation of the specific substrates with a difluoromethylthiolating reagent. With this aim in mind, in the last 6 years we have successfully developed a toolbox of reagents that are capable of the direct introduction of the difluoromethylthio group into the target molecules, including nucleophilic difluoromethylthiolating reagent [(SIPr)AgSCF2H] I, electrophilic difluoromethylthiolating reagent PhthSCF2H II, three optically pure difluoromethylthiolating reagents camphorsultam-SCF2H III, radical difluoromethylthiolating reagent PhSO2SCF2H IV, and reagent PhSO2SCFClH V that could be used for the preparation of 18F-labeled [18F]ArSCF2H. These reagents reacted with a broad range of substrates to get access to difluoromethylthiolated compounds efficiently, thus providing medicinal chemists a powerful weapon for the direct introduction of the difluoromethylthio group into promising molecules during the search for new drugs.

Design, synthesis, and pharmacological characterization of some 2-substituted-3-phenyl-quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives as phosphodiesterase inhibitors.

Some 3-phenyl-quinazolin-4(3H)-one-2-thioethers (3a-e, 5a,b, 7a-e, 9a-d, 10a-d, and 12) along with 2-aminoquinazoline derivatives 13a-c were prepared and screened for their in vitro phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitory activity. Some compounds such as 7d,e, 9a,b,d, 10a,d, and 13b exhibited promising activity as compared with the non-selective PDE inhibitor IBMX. This inhibitory activity was validated by molecular docking in the active site of PDE7A and PDE4 to investigate their selectivity. Furthermore, the most active compound 10d (IC50 = 1.15 µM) was tested in vivo using behavioral tests. Compound 10d was able to pass the blood-brain barrier and improve scopolamine-induced cognitive deficits. Therefore, this core can be considered as a promising scaffold for further optimization to obtain new compounds with better PDE7A selective inhibition.

In pursuit of a selective hepatocellular carcinoma therapeutic agent: Novel thalidomide derivatives with antiproliferative, antimigratory and STAT3 inhibitory properties.

Advanced stage liver cancer is predominantly treated with the multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib; however, this therapeutic agent lacks selectivity in its cytotoxic actions and is associated with poor survival outcomes. Herein we report the design and preparation of several thalidomide derivatives, including a variety of novel thioether-containing forms that are especially rare in the literature. Importantly, two of the derivatives described are potent antiproliferative agents with dose-dependent selectivity for tumorigenic liver progenitor cells (LPC) growth inhibition (up to 36% increase in doubling time at 10 µM) over non-tumorigenic cells (no effect at 10 µM). Furthermore, these putative anti-liver cancer agents were also found to be potent inhibitors of tumorigenic LPC migration. This report also describes these derivatives' effects on several key signalling pathways in our novel liver cell lines by immunofluorescence and AlphaLISA assays. Aryl thioether derivative 7f significantly reduced STAT3 phosphorylation (23%) and its nuclear localisation (16%) at 10 µM in tumorigenic LPCs, implicating the IL-6/JAK/STAT3 axis is central in the mode of action of our derivatives.

High-Throughput Quality Control Assay for the Solid-Phase Synthesis of DNA-Encoded Libraries of Macrocycles*.

There is considerable interest in the development of libraries of scaffold-diverse macrocycles as a source of ligands for difficult targets, such as protein-protein interaction surfaces. A classic problem in the synthesis of high-quality macrocyclic libraries is that some linear precursors will cyclize efficiently while some will not, depending on their conformational preferences. We report here a powerful quality control method that can be employed to readily distinguish between scaffolds that do and do not cyclize efficiently during solid-phase synthesis of thioether macrocycles without the need for tedious liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. We demonstrate that this assay can be employed to identify linear impurities in a DNA-encoded library of macrocycles. We also use the method to establish a useful quality control protocol for re-synthesis of putative macrocyclic screening hits.

Design of Thioether Cyclic Peptide Scaffolds with Passive Permeability and Oral Exposure.

Advances in the design of permeable peptides and in the synthesis of large arrays of macrocyclic peptides with diverse amino acids have evolved on parallel but independent tracks. Less precedent combines their respective attributes, thereby limiting the potential to identify permeable peptide ligands for key targets. Herein, we present novel 6-, 7-, and 8-mer cyclic peptides (MW 774-1076 g·mol-1) with passive permeability and oral exposure that feature the amino acids and thioether ring-closing common to large array formats, including DNA- and RNA-templated synthesis. Each oral peptide herein, selected from virtual libraries of partially N-methylated peptides using in silico methods, reflects the subset consistent with low energy conformations, low desolvation penalties, and passive permeability. We envision that, by retaining the backbone N-methylation pattern and consequent bias toward permeability, one can generate large peptide arrays with sufficient side chain diversity to identify permeability-biased ligands to a variety of protein targets.

Synthesis of Polyfluorinated Thia- and Oxathiacalixarenes Based on Perfluoro-m-xylene.

Perfluorinated tetrathiacalix[4]arene was obtained by heating perfluoro-m-xylene with thiourea or 2,5-difluoro-4,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene-1,3-dithiol at 90 °C. Interaction of perfluoro-m-xylene with resorcinol or orcinol under mild conditions and subsequent heating of the mixture with 2,5-difluoro-4,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene-1,3-dithiol leads to polyfluorinated dioxadithiacalix[4]arenes. Triphenyl and pentaphenyl ethers formed by the interaction of perfluoro-m-xylene with resorcinol under heating with thiourea gives polyfluorinated oxathiacalixarenes containing six and five aromatic nuclei, respectively.

Targeted Delivery of Persulfides to the Gut: Effects on the Microbiome.

Persulfides (R-SSH) have been hypothesized as potent redox modulators and signaling compounds. Reported herein is the synthesis, characterization, and in vivo evaluation of a persulfide donor that releases N-acetyl cysteine persulfide (NAC-SSH) in response to the prokaryote-specific enzyme nitroreductase. The donor, termed NDP-NAC, decomposed in response to E. coli nitroreductase, resulting in release of NAC-SSH. NDP-NAC elicited gastroprotective effects in mice that were not observed in animals treated with control compounds incapable of persulfide release or in animals treated with Na2 S. NDP-NAC induced these effects by the upregulation of beneficial small- and medium-chain fatty acids and through increasing growth of Turicibacter sanguinis, a beneficial gut bacterium. It also decreased the populations of Synergistales bacteria, opportunistic pathogens implicated in gastrointestinal infections. This study reveals the possibility of maintaining gut health or treating microbiome-related diseases by the targeted delivery of reactive sulfur species.

Improved, Odorless Access to Benzo[1,2-d;4,5-d']- bis[1,3]dithioles and Tert-butyl Arylsulfides via C-S Cross Coupling.

Benzo[1,2-d;4,5-d']bis[1,3]dithioles are important building blocks within a range of functional materials such as fluorescent dyes, conjugated polymers, and stable trityl radicals. Access to these is usually gained via tert-butyl aryl sulfides, the synthesis of which requires the use of highly malodorous tert-butyl thiol and relies on SNAr-chemistry requiring harsh reaction conditions, while giving low yields. In the present work, S-tert-butyl isothiouronium bromide is successfully applied as an odorless surrogate for tert-butyl thiol. The C-S bond formation is carried out under palladium catalysis with the thiolate formed in situ resulting in high yields of tert-butyl aryl sulfides. The subsequent formation of benzo[1,2-d;4,5-d']bis[1,3]dithioles is here achieved with scandium(III)triflate, a less harmful reagent than the usually used Lewis acids, e.g., boron trifluoride or tetrafluoroboric acid. This enables a convenient and environmentally more compliant access to high yields of benzo[1,2-d;4,5-d']bis[1,3]dithioles.

Discovery of Antibacterials That Inhibit Bacterial RNA Polymerase Interactions with Sigma Factors.

Formation of a bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) holoenzyme by a catalytic core RNAP and a sigma (σ) initiation factor is essential for bacterial viability. As the primary binding site for the housekeeping σ factors, the RNAP clamp helix domain represents an attractive target for novel antimicrobial agent discovery. Previously, we designed a pharmacophore model based on the essential amino acids of the clamp helix, such as R278, R281, and I291 (Escherichia coli numbering), and identified hit compounds with antimicrobial activity that interfered with the core-σ interactions. In this work, we rationally designed and synthesized a class of triaryl derivatives of one hit compound and succeeded in drastically improving the antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, with the minimum inhibitory concentration reduced from 256 to 1 µg/mL. Additional characterization of antimicrobial activity, inhibition of transcription, in vitro pharmacological properties, and cytotoxicity of the optimized compounds demonstrated their potential for further development.

Alleviating Cellular Oxidative Stress through Treatment with Superoxide-Triggered Persulfide Prodrugs.

Overproduction of superoxide anion (O2.- ), the primary cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), is implicated in various human diseases. To reduce cellular oxidative stress caused by overproduction of superoxide, we developed a compound that reacts with O2.- to release a persulfide (RSSH), a type of reactive sulfur species related to the gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H2 S). Termed SOPD-NAC, this persulfide donor reacts specifically with O2.- , decomposing to generate N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) persulfide. To enhance persulfide delivery to cells, we conjugated the SOPD motif to a short, self-assembling peptide (Bz-CFFE-NH2 ) to make a superoxide-responsive, persulfide-donating peptide (SOPD-Pep). Both SOPD-NAC and SOPD-Pep delivered persulfides/H2 S to H9C2 cardiomyocytes and lowered ROS levels as confirmed by quantitative in vitro fluorescence imaging studies. Additional in vitro studies on RAW 264.7 macrophages showed that SOPD-Pep mitigated toxicity induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) more effectively than SOPD-NAC and several control compounds, including common H2 S donors.