New 1,3,4‒oxadiazole Quinazolines as Potential Anticancer Agents: Design, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and In silico Studies.

BACKGROUND: A novel series of 1,3,4‒oxadiazole connected to derivatives of quinazolinone (7a-e and 8a-f) was synthesized in the current investigation, and its anticancer and Topoisomerase‒ II inhibitory activity was evaluated. OBJECTIVE: These findings inspired the design, synthesis, and biological analysis of these 1,3,4‒oxadiazole-quinazolinone analogues as antiproliferative Topo‒II inhibitors. METHODS: The novel compound structures were determined using mass spectrometry and spectral methods (IR, NMR: 1H & 13C). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide colourimetric assay has been used to evaluate the anticancer efficacy of these drugs, and Autodock 4.2 provides a description of the docking results. For the more active members, additional biological tests, such as the Topo‒II inhibition experiment, were performed. These compounds' physicochemical and ADMET characteristics were examined in more detail. RESULTS: In the experiment for antiproliferative activity, compounds 7d, 7e, 8c, 8e, and 8f demonstrated encouraging cytotoxicity findings against HCT‒116 and HepG2 cancer cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 3.85 to 19.43 µM. Compounds 7d, 7e, and 8e were the most potent inhibitors of Topo II with IC50 values of 15.18, 17.55, and 12.59 µM, respectively. Additionally, the docked compound 8c showed the strongest conventional hydrogen bonds among the residues Leu507(B), Asn508(B), Asn520(B), and Glu522(B) in the Human topoisomerase‒IIß active site in the DNA complex (4G0U) when compared to the findings of docking experiments. CONCLUSIONS: New findings have discovered the fact that fused 1,3,4‒oxadiazole bearing quinazolinone contributed great significance in the field of medicinal chemistry due to their diverse biological properties. Finally, the in silico pharmacokinetic profile of all the synthesized derivatives was estimated using SwissADME, where some of the compounds followed Lipinski, Veber, Egan, and Muegge rules without deviation. The result of this activity advises that with a simple modification in structure, a potent anticancer agent can be generated with good efficacy.

Synthesis and in Silico Studies of Some New 1,2,3-Triazolyltetrazole Bearing Indazole Derivatives as Potent Antimicrobial Agents.

1,2,3-Triazole and tetrazole derivatives bearing pyrrolidines are found to exhibit notable biological activity and have become useful scaffolds in medicinal chemistry for application in lead discovery and optimization. Novel indazole bearing 1,2,3-triazolyltetrazoles were designed as potential antimicrobial candidates. The structure of duel heterocyclics was validated by a spectroscopic technique of infrared (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H and 13 C NMR), and mass spectral data. Compounds 4b, 4c, 4d, and 4h were found to have a stronger antibacterial effect against Gram-positive (S. aureus, B. subtilis, M. Luteus) and Gram-negative (E. coli, P. aeruginosa) microorganisms with MICs ranging from 5±0.03-18±0.02 µM, respectively. Moreover, scaffolds 4a, 4h showed potent antifungal activity against A. flavus, M. gypsuem strains with MIC values of 10±0.02, 11±0.01 µM, which are similar activity that of the standard Itraconazole (MIC=8±0.02, 10±0.01 µM). The binding mode for compound 4 inside the catalytic pocket of S. aureus complexed with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate and trimethoprim and produced a network of hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions (3FRE). From in silico results, 4b demonstrated highly stable hydrogen binding amino acids Leu62(X) [N18…O, 2.47 Å], Arg44(X) [N17…N, 3.11 Å], Thr96(X) [N10…OG1, 3.05 Å], Gly94(X) [F7…N, 2.82 Å], and Gly43(X) [F7…N, 2.90 Å], which are plays a crucial role in ensuring efficient binding of the ligand in a crystal structure of antibacterial receptor. Furthermore, the physicochemical and ADME filtration molecular properties, estimation of toxicity, and bioactivity scores of these novel scaffolds were evaluated by using SwissADME and ADMETlab2.0 online protocols. Thus, the significant antimicrobial activity of indazole linked to duel heterocyclic compounds can be used for development of new antimicrobial agents with further modifications.

Evaluation of Anti-inflammatory and Regenerative Efficiency of Naringin and Naringenin in Degenerated Human Nucleus Pulposus Cells: Biological and Molecular Modeling Studies.

STUDY DESIGN: Development of an in vitro model for assessing the anti-inflammatory efficacies of naringin (Nar) and naringenin (NG). PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of natural flavonoids as therapeutic drugs against anti-inflammatory processes in the nucleus pulposus (NP) cells using in-vitro and in-silico methods. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Intervertebral disc (IVD) disease is a common cause of low back pain. Chronic inflammation and degeneration play a significant role in its etiopathology. Thus, a better understanding of anti-inflammatory agents and their role in IVD degeneration and pro-inflammatory cytokines expression is necessary for pain management and regeneration in IVD. METHODS: We performed primary cell culture of NP cells; immunocytochemistry; gene expression studies of cytokines, metalloproteases, extracellular proteins, and apoptotic markers using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); cytotoxicity assay (MTT); and molecular docking studies using AutoDock 4.2 software (Molecular Graphics Laboratory, La Jolla, CA, USA) to confirm the binding mode of proteins and synthesized complexes. We calculated the mean±standard deviation values and performed analysis of variance and t-test using SPSS ver. 17.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: Molecular docking showed that both Nar and NG bind to the selected genes of interest. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis reveals differential gene expression of collagen (COL)9A1, COL9A2, COL9A3, COL11A2, COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase), and THBS2 (thrombospondin 2); up regulation of ACAN (aggrecan), COL1A1, COL11A1, interleukin (IL)6, IL10, IL18R1, IL18RAP, metalloprotease (MMP)2, MMP3, MMP9, ADAMTS5 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5), IGF1R (insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor), SPARC (secreted protein acidic and cysteine rich), PARK2 (parkin), VDR (vitamin D receptor), and BCL2 (B-cell lymphoma 2); down regulation of IL1A, CASP3 (caspase 3), and nine genes with predetermined concentrations of Nar and NG. CONCLUSIONS: The present study evaluated the anti-inflammatory and regenerative efficiencies of Nar and NG in degenerated human NP cells. Altered gene expressions of cytokines, metalloproteases, extracellular proteins, apoptotic genes were dose responsive. The molecular docking (in silico) studies showed effective binding of these native ligands (Nar and NG) with genes identified as potent inhibitors of inflammation. Thus, these natural flavonoids could serve as anti-inflammatory agents in the treatment of low back pain and sciatica.

Synthesis, Antimycobacterial Evaluation and Docking Studies of Some 7-Methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropyrido[4',3':4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones.

Two series of 3-substituted-7-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropyrido[4',3':4,5] thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (6a-k) and 3-substituted-7,2-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropyrido[4',3':4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (7a-k) derivatives were synthesized and characterized using spectral data i.e., IR, 1H-, 13C-NMR, Mass and CHN elemental analyses. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activity against each of two strains of Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacteria and antimycobacterial activity screened against two strains i.e., Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H37Rv and an isoniazid-resistant clinical sample. Further to validate potentiality of our design was analyzed using molecular docking studies by taking crystal structure of MTB pantothenate synthetase (MTB-PS) (PDB: 3IVX). In this study, some compounds 6k (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC): MIC-22 µM), 7d (MTB: MIC-22 µM) and 7k (MTB: MIC-11 µM) showed potential antibacterial and antimycobacterial activities.

Design, Synthesis, and in vitro antitubercular activity of 1,2,3-triazolyl-dihydroquinoline derivatives.

In the quest for new active molecules against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a series of dihydroquinoline derivatives possessing triazolo substituents were efficiently synthesized using click chemistry. The structure of 6l was evidenced by X-ray crystallographic study. The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (ATCC27294). The compounds 6a, 6g, and 6j (MIC: 3.13 µg/ml) showed promising activity when compared to the first-line drug such as ethambutol. In addition, the structure and antitubercular activity relationship were further supported by in silico molecular docking studies of the active compounds against 3IVX.PDB (crystal structure of pantothenate synthetase in complex with 2-(2-(benzofuran-2-ylsulfonylcarbamoyl)-5-methoxy-1H-indol-1-yl)acetic acid).

Novel drug targets for Mycobacterium tuberculosis: 2-heterostyrylbenzimidazoles as inhibitors of cell wall protein synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Multi drug-resistant and mycobacterial infections are a major public health challenge, leading to high mortality and socioeconomic burdens through worldwide. Novel therapeutics are necessary to treat the drug resistant strains, since no new chemical entities are emerged in the last four decades for the treatment of TB. FINDINGS: A series of novel 2-heterostyrylbenzimidazole derivatives were synthesised by cyclisation of (3,4-diaminophenyl)(phenyl)methanone, cinnamic acid using glycerol in high yield. The molecular structures of target compounds (5a-5n) were confirmed by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Newly synthesized compounds were screened for anti-tubercular activity and the MIC was determined against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv by broth microdilution method using Lowenstein Jensen medium (LJ). These compounds docked into the active site of "Crystal structure of pantothenate synthetase in complex with 2-(2-(benzofuran-2-ylsulfonylcarbamoyl)-5-methoxy-1H-indol-1-yl)acetic acid" (PDB code, 3IVX). Auto dock 4.2 software was used for docking studies. RESULTS: 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5i, and 5l show better activity and the most active inhibitor of tuberculosis 5f showed a promising inhibition of M. tuberculosis with MIC value of 16 µg/mL. The molecules functionalized with electron-donating groups (Cl, O, S, etc.) on different aromatic aldehydes (5a-5n) were found to be more active in inhibiting M. tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of docking studies, 5f has shown good affinity for the enzyme. Comparison was made with the binding energies of the standard drugs amoxicillin (-34.28 kcal/mol) and ciprofloxacin (-28.20 kcal/mol). Among all the designed compounds, the compound 5f shows highest binding energy with two amino acid interactions Lys160, Val187 (-9.80 kcal/mol).

Potential antimicrobial agents from triazole-functionalized 2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-ones.

A series of substituted triazole functionalized 2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-ones were synthesized by employing click chemistry and further characterized based on 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and mass spectral studies. All the synthesized derivatives were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activities. Further, molecular docking studies were accomplished to explore the binding interactions between 1,2,3-triazol-4-yl-2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-one and the active site of Staphylococcus aureus (CrtM) dehydrosqualene synthase (PDB ID: 2ZCS). These docking studies revealed that the synthesized derivatives showed high binding energies and strong H-bond interactions with the dehydrosqualene synthase validating the observed antimicrobial activity data. Based on antimicrobial activity and docking studies, the compounds 9c, 9d and 9e were identified as promising antimicrobial leads.

Inhibition of the multidrug efflux pump LmrS from Staphylococcus aureus by cumin spice Cuminum cyminum.

Staphylococcus aureus is a serious causative agent of infectious disease. Multidrug-resistant strains like methicillin-resistant S. aureus compromise treatment efficacy, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Active efflux represents a major antimicrobial resistance mechanism. The proton-driven multidrug efflux pump, LmrS, actively exports structurally distinct antimicrobials. To circumvent resistance and restore clinical efficacy of antibiotics, efflux pump inhibitors are necessary, and natural edible spices like cumin are potential candidates. The mode of cumin antibacterial action and underlying mechanisms behind drug resistance inhibition, however, are unclear. We tested the hypothesis that cumin inhibits LmrS drug transport. We found that cumin inhibited bacterial growth and LmrS ethidium transport in a dosage-dependent manner. We demonstrate that cumin is antibacterial toward a multidrug-resistant host and that resistance modulation involves multidrug efflux inhibition.

3D-QSAR AND CONTOUR MAP ANALYSIS OF TARIQUIDAR ANALOGUES AS MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE PROTEIN-1 (MRP1) INHIBITORS.

One of the major obstacles to the successful chemotherapy towards several cancers is multidrug resistance of human cancer cells to anti-cancer drugs. An important contributor to multidrug resistance is the human multidrug resistance protein-1 transporter (MRP1), which is an efflux pump of the ABC (ATP binding cassette) superfamily. Thus, highly efficacious, third generation MRP1 inhibitors, like tariquidar analogues, are promising inhibitors of multidrug resistance and are under clinical trials. To maximize the efficacy of MRP1 inhibitors and to reduce systemic toxicity, it is important to limit the exposure of MRP1 inhibitors and anticancer drugs to normal tissues and to increase their co-localization with tumor cells. Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) and Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis (CoMSIA) associated with 3D-Quantitiative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) studies were performed on a series of tariquidar analogues, as selective MDR modulators. Best predictability was obtained with CoMFA model r2 (non-cross-validated square of correlation coefficient) = 0.968, F value = 151.768 with five components, standard error of estimate = 0.107 while the CoMSIA yielded r2 = 0.982, F value = 60.628 with six components, and standard error of estimate = 0.154. These results indicate that steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic (lipophilic), and hydrogen bond donor substituents play significant roles in multidrug resistance modulation of tariquidar analogues upon MRP1. The tariquidar analogue and MRP1 binding and stability data generated from CoMFA and CoMSIA based 3D-contour maps may further aid in study and design of tariquidar analogues as novel, potent and selective MDR modulator drug candidates.

Natural flavonoid derivatives as oral human epidermoid carcinoma cell inhibitors.

Natural flavonoid derivatives against cancer for selective KB cell lines (oral human epidermoid carcinoma) are analysed to determine the relationship between biological activities and structural properties of these molecules. Molecular alignment was performed for 88 natural flavonoid derivatives; out of these 88 molecules, 69 molecules were taken into training set and rest of the 19 molecules were used in test set prediction. We describe our elucidation of their structure activity relation (SAR) using three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (3D-QSAR) models. A predictive comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) model of q² = 0.888 and r² = 0.940 was obtained and a comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) model q² = 0.778 and r² = 0.971 was used to describe the non-linearly combined affinity of each functional group in the inhibitors. The contour maps obtained from 3D-QSAR studies were evaluated for the activity trends of the molecules analysed.

P56(lck) kinase inhibitor studies: a 3D QSAR approach towards designing new drugs from flavonoid derivatives.

Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) based on 3D-QSAR (3D-quantitative structure activity relationship) studies were carried out on 97 flavonoid derivatives as potent P56(lck) protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The best prediction was obtained with CoMFA standard model (q² = 0.838, r² = 0.948) using steric, electrostatic along with CoMSIA standard model (q² = 0.714, r² = 0.921) using steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic, hydrogen bond donor and acceptor fields. Of the 97 molecules a training set of 76 compounds and the predictive ability of the QSAR model were assessed employing a test set of 21 compounds. The resulting CoMFA and CoMSIA contour maps were used to identify the structural features relevant to the biological activity in this series of flavonoid derivatives, based upon which we identified and designed 10 novel molecules that showed superior inhibitory activity against P56(lck) protein which shed new light on effective therapeutic agents against these classes of enzymes.

Comparative modeling of Rab6 proteins: identification of key residues and their interactions with guanine nucleotides.

The cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell consists of a wide variety of membrane bound cell organelles and continuous flow of proteins amongst these organelles is a major challenge and must be stringently maintained in order to continue the correct biochemical functioning inside a cell. The transportation of various proteins amongst these organelles is facilitated by a vast Tubulo-vesicular network mediated by carrier proteins. The Rabs belong to small G proteins super family involved in the regulation and vesicle transport in between the organelles by shuttling between the active GTP and inactive GDP bound states. In this paper we put forth the homology modeling and docking studies of Rab6A proteins (Mus musculus, Gallus gallus and Caenorhabditis elegans) with GTP, GMP-PNP and GDP molecules and a comparative study between these proteins is done to identify key residues out of which serine of the phosphate binding loop (P - loop) and aspartic acid showed prominent interactions with the GTP, GDP and GMP-PNP nucleotides and cogitate that aspartic acid might also help in the stabilization of the switch I region of the Rab proteins besides serine.

3D QSAR CoMFA/CoMSIA and docking studies on azole dione derivatives, as anti-cancer inhibitors.

Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) and Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis (CoMSIA) were performed on a series of 103 azole dione derivatives, as selective anti-cancer inhibitors. The atom and shape based root mean square alignment yielded the best predictive CoMFA model q² = 0.923, r² = 0.980, when compared with the CoMSIA model. Docking studies were employed to position the inhibitors into active site of Crystal Structure of Delta (4)-3-ketosteroid 5-beta-reductase (PDB id: 3BUR). Results that indicate steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic, hydrogen bond donor and acceptor substituents play a significant role in design novel, potent and selective anti-cancer activity of the compounds.

Structural investigations of CXCR2 receptor antagonists by CoMFA, CoMSIA and flexible docking studies.

Three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (3D QSAR) analysis was carried out on a et of 56 N,N'-diarylsquaramides, N,N'-diarylureas and diaminocyclobutenediones in order to understand their antagonistic activities against CXCR2. The studies included comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA). Models with good predictive abilities were generated with CoMFA q² = 0.709, r² (non-cross-validated square of correlation coefficient) = 0.951, F value = 139.903, r² bs = 0.978 with five components, standard error of estimate = 0.144 and the CoMSIA q² = 0.592, r² = 0.955, F value = 122.399, r² bs = 0.973 with six components, standard error of estimate = 0.141. In addition, a homology model of CXCR2 was used for docking based alignment of the compounds. The most active compound then served as a template for alignment of the remaining structures. Further, mapping of contours onto the active site validated each other in terms of residues involved with reference to the respective contours. This integrated molecular docking based alignment followed by 3D QSAR studies provided a further insight to support the structure-based design of CXCR2 antagonistic agents with improved activity profiles. Furthermore, in silico screening was adapted to the QSAR model in order to predict the structures of new, potentially active compounds.

Anthranilate derivatives as TACE inhibitors: docking based CoMFA and CoMSIA analyses.

Anthranilic acid based derivatives (ANTs) have been identified as a novel class of potent tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE) inhibitors. A computational strategy based on molecular docking studies, followed by CoMFA and CoMSIA analyses has been performed to elucidate the atomic details of the TACE/ANT interactions and also to identify the most important features impacting TACE inhibitory activity of ANTs. The CoMSIA model resulted to be slightly more predictive than CoMFA model, and gave conventional r² 0.991, r²(cv) 0.793, q² 0.777, SEE 0.050, F-value 655.610, and r²(test) 0.871. The 3D-QSAR field contributions and the structural features of the TACE binding site showed a good correlation. These studies will be useful to design new TACE inhibitors with improved potency.