Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of indoline-maleimide conjugates as potential antitumor agents for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

An efficient protocol for direct coupling of maleimides and indolines at the C7-position was achieved under Rh(III) catalysis. Thirty four novel indoline-maleimide conjugates were prepared in good to excellent yields using this method. All compounds were evaluated for their anti-proliferative effect against colorectal cell lines. Among them, compound 3ab showed the most potent anti-proliferative activity against the CRC cells, and displayed low toxicity in the normal cell. Further investigation indicated that 3ab could effectively suppress the proliferation and migration of CRC cells, along with inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Mechanistic studies revealed that compound 3ab inhibited the proliferation of CRC cells via suppressing the AKT/GSK-3ß pathway. In vivo evaluation demonstrated remarkable antitumor effect of 3ab (10 mg/kg) in the HCT116 xenograft model with no obvious toxicity, which is superior to that of 5-Fluorouracil (20 mg/kg). Therefore, conjugate 3ab could be considered as a potential CRC therapy agent for further development.

Metal-Free Radical [3 + 2] Annulation of Tetraalkylthiuram Disulfide with Alkynes/Alkenes: An Approach of Synthesizing 1,3-Dithiole and 1,3-Ditholane Derivatives.

A novel and metal-free [3 + 2] annulation of tetraalkylthiuram disulfide with alkynes/alkenes has been developed using Selectfluor at room temperature. The formed 1,3-dithiol-2-ylium/1,3-dithiolan-2-ylium salts can be easily transformed into the corresponding 1,3-dithiol-2-ylidenes/1,3-ditholan-2-ylidenes by one-pot subsequent condensation with malononitrile. The present protocol features the use of easily accessible starting materials, mild reaction conditions, good tolerance with diverse functional groups, easy scale-up, and a wide substrate scope, affording the desired products in good yields. Importantly, this method is suitable for the late-stage modification of bioactive molecules. Furthermore, 1,3-dithiol-2-ylium salt can also be easily converted into various 1,3-dithiole derivatives by condensation, reduction, or hydrolysis. Mechanism studies show that this transformation involves radical annulation. Of note, this method presented a novel example using tetraalkylthiuram disulfide as a sulfur synthon in annulation, which greatly enriches the application of tetraalkylthiuram disulfides in organic synthesis. Biological evaluation indicates that these prepared compounds are promising candidates in terms of their antitumor activity.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of ß-Trifluoroethoxydimethyl Selenides as Potent Antiosteoporosis Agents.

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of ß-trifluoroethoxydimethyl selenides was achieved under mild reaction conditions, and 39 compounds were prepared. All compounds were evaluated for their abilities to inhibit RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis, compound 4aa exhibited the most potent activity. Further investigations revealed that 4aa could inhibit F-actin ring generation, bone resorption, and osteoclast-specific gene expression in vitro. Western blot analyses demonstrated that compound 4aa abrogated the RANKL-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase and NF-kB-signaling pathways. In addition, 4aa also displayed a notable impact on the osteoblastogenesis of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts. In vivo experiments revealed that compound 4aa significantly ameliorated bone loss in an ovariectomized (OVX) mice model. Furthermore, the surface plasmon resonance experiment results revealed that 4aa probably bound to RANKL. Collectively, the above-mentioned findings suggested that compound 4aa as a potential RANKL inhibitor averted OVX-triggered osteoporosis by regulating the inhibition of osteoclast differentiation and stimulation of osteoblast differentiation.

Base promoted synthesis of novel indole-dithiocarbamate compounds as potential anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents for treatment of acute lung injury.

An efficient protocol for highly chemoselective introduction of dithiocarbamate groups to nitrogen position of indoles with bis(dialkylaminethiocarbonyl)disulfides was achieved by employing t-BuOK as a promoter. Based on this methodology, twenty nine novel indole-dithiocarbamate compounds were prepared in moderate to excellent yields at room temperature. All compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity. Most of the compounds exhibited high potency on inhibiting the releasing of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Four of them were found to suppress in vitro cytokine production in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 values in the nanomolar range. Additionally, 3-methyl-1H-indol-1-yl dimethylcarbamodithioate (3o) effectively ameliorated histopathological changes of lung tissues and attenuated lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in vivo. These data suggest that the new indole-dithiocarbamate derivatives could be particularly useful for further pharmaceutical development for the treatment of ALI.

Discovery of caffeic acid phenethyl ester derivatives as novel myeloid differentiation protein 2 inhibitors for treatment of acute lung injury.

Myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD2) is an essential molecule which recognizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS), leading to initiation of inflammation through the activation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) from propolis of honeybee hives could interfere interactions between LPS and the TLR4/MD2 complex, and thereby has promising anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we designed and synthesized 48 CAPE derivatives and evaluated their anti-inflammatory activities in mouse primary peritoneal macrophages (MPMs) activated by LPS. The most active compound, 10s, was found to bind with MD2 with high affinity, which prevented formation of the LPS/MD2/TLR4 complex. The binding mode of 10s revealed that the major interactions with MD2 were established via two key hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Furthermore, 10s showed remarkable protective effects against LPS-caused ALI (acute lung injury) in vivo. Taken together, this work provides new lead structures and candidates as MD2 inhibitors for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs.