"An unprecedented occurrence: a case report of pulmonary hypertension manifestation in Donohue syndrome".

INTRODUCTION: Donohue syndrome (DS), also referred to as leprechaunism, is a remarkably uncommon autosomal recessive disorder that primarily affects the endocrine system. Its incidence rate is exceedingly low, with only 1 case reported per 4 million live births. The syndrome is distinguished by a series of characteristic clinical features. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a twenty-month-old male with DS who experienced a range of dysmorphic and clinical features with the involvement of multiple systems. These features include skin hyperpigmentation, hypertrichosis, distinct facial features, abdominal distension, and microcephaly, with the involvement of the endocrine, renal, respiratory, and cardiac systems. CONCLUSION: The primary features of DS involve severe insulin resistance and growth abnormalities, the association with pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) has not been reported before. This finding adds more complexity to the condition. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first report for a patient with DS who has PHTN. Further investigation is required since the mechanisms behind the development of PHTN in DS are not entirely understood. Shedding light on this association will contribute to better management strategies and outcomes for affected patients.

Investigation of biological activities of two cultivars of Cicer arietinum proteins mass associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, with some known classical factors. Cicer arietinum (Leguminosae) is a source of protein for humans and contains albumin, globulin, glutelin, and prolamin. The protein content of two cultivars of C. arietinum, Hashem and Mansour, was isolated to evaluate their inhibition activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholine esterase (BChE), and ß-amyloid peptide (ßA) aggregation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and molecular docking were also applied to evaluate the content and determine the potential of each chickpea protein to interact with AChE, respectively. Obtained data showed that proteins from both cultivars could inhibit AChE with IC50 of 17.73 (0.03) and 22.20 (0.06) µg/mL, respectively, with no activity on BChE. The 50 µg/mL protein concentration of each cultivar suppressed ßA accumulation (Mansour: 25.66% and Hashem: 21.69%) and showed biometal chelating activity. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed relatively different protein patterns, though the Mansour cultivar contained some protein bands with molecular weights of 18, 24, and 70 kDa were estimated to belong to vicilin and legumin, which were absent in the Hashem protein mass. Molecular docking showed that legumin and especially vicilin have good potential to interact with AChE. The chickpea proteins showed inhibitory activity against AChE, which might be due to the vicilin and legumin fractions. The characterization of the inhibitory effect of each protein band could be promising in finding new therapeutic peptide candidates to treat Alzheimer's in the future, although more experimental work is needed in this issue.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel arylisoxazoles linked to tacrine moiety: in vitro and in vivo biological activities against Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is now ranked as the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. There is no definite cure for AD due to the multi-factorial nature of the disease, hence, multi-target-directed ligands (MTDLs) have attracted lots of attention. In this work, focusing on the efficient cholinesterase inhibitory activity of tacrine, design and synthesis of novel arylisoxazole-tacrine analogues was developed. In vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition assay confirmed high potency of the title compounds. Among them, compounds 7l and 7b demonstrated high activity toward AChE and BChE with IC50 values of 0.050 and 0.039 µM, respectively. Both compounds showed very good self-induced Aß aggregation and AChE-induced inhibitory activity (79.4 and 71.4% for compound 7l and 61.8 and 58.6% for compound 7b, respectively). Also, 7l showed good anti-BACE1 activity with IC50 value of 1.65 µM. The metal chelation test indicated the ability of compounds 7l and 7b to chelate biometals (Zn2+, Cu2+, and Fe2+). However, they showed no significant neuroprotectivity against Aß-induced damage in PC12 cells. Evaluation of in vitro hepatotoxicity revealed comparable toxicity of compounds 7l and 7b with tacrine. In vivo studies by Morris water maze (MWM) task demonstrated that compound 7l significantly reversed scopolamine-induced memory deficit in rats. Finally, molecular docking studies of compounds 7l and 7b confirmed establishment of desired interactions with the AChE, BChE, and BACE1 active sites.

Naturally occurring and synthetic peptides: Efficient tyrosinase inhibitors.

Tyrosinase is a copper-containing enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of melanin pigment, which is the most important photo protective agent against skin photo carcinogenesis. Excess production of melanin causes hyperpigmentation leading to undesired browning in human skin, fruits, and vegetable as well as plant-derived foods. Moreover, the role of tyrosinase in the onset and progression of various diseases such as cancers, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson diseases has been well documented in the literature. In this respect, tyrosinase inhibitors have been in the center of attention particularly as the efficient skin whitening agents. Among a wide range of compounds possessing anti-tyrosinase activity, peptides both natural and synthetic derivatives have attracted attention due to high potency and safety.

Synthesis, in vitro evaluation, and molecular docking studies of novel hydrazineylideneindolinone linked to phenoxymethyl-1,2,3-triazole derivatives as potential α-glucosidase inhibitors.

In this work, a novel series of hydrazineylideneindolinone linked to phenoxymethyl-1,2,3-triazole derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their anti-α-glucosidase activity due to an urgent need to develop effective anti-diabetic agents. Among tested 15 compounds, 8 derivatives (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9h, and 9o) demonstrated superior potency compared to that of positive control, acarbose. Particularly, compound 9d possessed the best anti-α-glucosidase activity with around a 46-fold improvement in the inhibitory activity. Additionally, 9d showed a competitive type of inhibition in the kinetic study and the molecular docking study demonstrated that it well occupied the binding pocket of the catalytic center through desired interactions with residues, correlating to the experimental results.

Synthesis of 4-alkylaminoimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines linked to carbamate moiety as potent α-glucosidase inhibitors.

In this work, various imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines linked to carbamate moiety were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Among synthesized compounds, 4-(3-(tert-Butylamino)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2-yl)phenyl p-tolylcarbamate (6d) was the most potent compound (IC50 = 75.6 µM) compared with acarbose as the reference drug (IC50 = 750.0 µM). Kinetic study of compound 6d indicated a competitive inhibition. Also, the molecular docking study suggested desired interactions with the active site residues. In particular, hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions constructed by compound 6d afforded well-oriented conformation in the 3A4A active site.

Novel N-benzylpiperidine derivatives of 5-arylisoxazole-3-carboxamides as anti-Alzheimer's agents.

The complex pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has prompted researchers to develop multitarget-directed molecules to find an effective therapy against the disease. In this context, a novel series of N-(1-benzylpiperidin-4-yl)-5-arylisoxazole-3-carboxamide derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). In vitro biological evaluation demonstrated that compound 4e was the best AChE (IC50 = 16.07 µM) and BuChE inhibitor (IC50 = 15.16 µM). A kinetic study of 4e was also conducted, which presented a mixed-type inhibition for both enzymes. Molecular docking studies revealed that compound 4e fitted well into the active sites of AChE and BuChE, forming stable and strong interactions with key residues Glu199, Trp84, Asp72, Tyr121, and Phe288 in AChE and His438, Trp82, Ala328, Tyr332, Phe329, Thr120, and Pro285 in BuChE. Besides, the inhibition of BACE1 by 4e and the biometal chelation activity of 4e were measured. The neuroprotective assessment revealed that 4e exhibited 23.2% protection at 50 µM toward amyloid-beta-induced PC12 neuronal cells. Overall, this study exhibited that compound 4e was a promising compound targeting multiple factors associated with AD.

N-Cyclohexylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives as multi-target-directed ligands for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. While drugs that target several pathways underlying AD have been proposed, effective treatments remain to be discovered. BACE1, an enzyme associated with AD progression, is a promising target for developing anti-Alzheimer drugs. To find novel multifunctional anti-Alzheimer agents, we designed and synthesized a series of new substituted benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl-N-cyclohexylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-amine. The in vitro screening results revealed that most of the compounds exhibited moderate to potent BACE1 and BuChE inhibitory and antioxidant activities. Compounds 7f and 7g, bearing dichloro (2,3-Cl2 and 3,4-Cl2) moieties on the benzyl pendant were selected as the most active compounds in our BACE1 inhibitory assay with respective IC50 values of about 12 and 8.9 µM. In addition, compounds 7g and 7h (4-bromo derivative) showed the highest BuChE inhibitory activity with IC50 of 3.2 and 2.5 µM, respectively. Compound 7g also possessed antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 10.2 µM and metal chelation potential. Moreover, docking studies were performed to investigate the possible mechanism of inhibition. Taken together, we demonstrate that N-cyclohexylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine containing triazole motif derivatives deserve further investigation for anti-Alzheimer drug development.

Synthesis of highly functionalized organic compounds through Ugi post-transformations started from propiolic acids.

The Ugi four-component (Ugi-4CR) post-transformation reactions have emerged as a prominent tool to construct complex organic molecules utilizing readily available starting materials. Propiolic acid derivatives are promising choice of substrates due to their versatile reactivity. Over the last decade, Ugi post-transformations starting from propiolic acid derivatives have experienced a rapid growth to afford atom-efficient processes and enantioselective transformations. This review has focused on the recent advances in the Ugi post-transformations starting from propiolic acids and their application for the preparation of highly functionalized organic compounds.

Design and Synthesis of Novel Arylisoxazole-Chromenone Carboxamides: Investigation of Biological Activities Associated with Alzheimer's Disease.

A novel series of hybrid arylisoxazole-chromenone carboxamides were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitory activity based on the modified Ellman's method. Among synthesized compounds, 5-(3-nitrophenyl)-N-{4-[(2-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-7-yl)oxy]phenyl}-1,2-oxazole-3-carboxamide depicted the most acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity (IC50 =1.23 µm) and 5-(3-chlorophenyl)-N-{4-[(2-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-7-yl)oxy]phenyl}-1,2-oxazole-3-carboxamide was found to be the most potent butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitor (IC50 =9.71 µm). 5-(3-Nitrophenyl)-N-{4-[(2-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-7-yl)oxy]phenyl}-1,2-oxazole-3-carboxamide was further investigated for its BACE1 inhibitory activity as well as neuroprotectivity and metal chelating ability as important factors involved in onset and progress of Alzheimer's disease. It could inhibit BACE1 by 48.46 % at 50 µm. It also showed 6.4 % protection at 25 µm and satisfactory chelating ability toward Zn2+ , Fe2+ , and Cu2+ ions. Docking studies of 5-(3-nitrophenyl)-N-{4-[(2-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-7-yl)oxy]phenyl}-1,2-oxazole-3-carboxamide and 5-(3-chlorophenyl)-N-{4-[(2-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-7-yl)oxy]phenyl}-1,2-oxazole-3-carboxamide confirmed desired interactions with those amino acid residues of the AChE and BChE, respectively.

Thieno[2,3-b]pyridine amines: Synthesis and evaluation of tacrine analogs against biological activities related to Alzheimer's disease.

In search of safer tacrine analogs, various thieno[2,3-b]pyridine amine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against cholinesterases (ChEs). Among the synthesized compounds, compounds 5e and 5d showed the highest activity towards acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, with IC50 values of 1.55 and 0.23 µM, respectively. The most active ChE inhibitors (5e and 5d) were also candidates for further complementary assays, such as kinetic and molecular docking studies as well as studies on inhibitory activity towards amyloid-beta (ßA) aggregation and ß-secretase 1, neuroprotectivity, and cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells. Our results indicated efficient anti-Alzheimer's activity of the synthesized compounds.

Design, synthesis, in vitro, and in silico studies of novel diarylimidazole-1,2,3-triazole hybrids as potent α-glucosidase inhibitors.

In this work, new derivatives of diarylimidazole-1,2,3-triazole 7a-p were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. All compounds showed potent inhibitory activity in the range of IC50 = 90.4-246.7 µM comparing with acarbose as the standard drug (IC50 = 750.0 µM). Among the synthesized compounds, compounds 7b, 7c, and 7e were approximately 8 times more potent than acarbose. The kinetic study of those compounds indicated that they acted as the competitive inhibitors of α-glucosidase. Molecular docking studies were also carried out for compounds 7b, 7c, and 7e using modeled α-glucosidase to find the interaction modes responsible for the desired inhibitory activity.

Novel N-benzylpyridinium moiety linked to arylisoxazole derivatives as selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors: Synthesis, biological evaluation, and docking study.

A novel series of N-benzylpyridinium moiety linked to arylisoxazole ring were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities. Synthesized compounds were classified into two series of 5a-i and 5j-q considering the position of positively charged nitrogen of pyridinium moiety (3- or 4- position, respectively) connected to isoxazole carboxamide group. Among the synthesized compounds, compound 5n from the second series of compounds possessing 2,4-dichloroaryl group connected to isoxazole ring was found to be the most potent AChE inhibitor (IC50 = 5.96 µM) and compound 5j also from the same series of compounds containing phenyl group connected to isoxazole ring demonstrated the most promising inhibitory activity against BChE (IC50 = 0.32 µM). Also, kinetic study demonstrated competitive inhibition mode for both AChE and BChE inhibitory activity. Docking study was also performed for those compounds and desired interactions with those active site amino acid residues were confirmed through hydrogen bonding as well as π-π and π-anion interactions. In addition, the most potent compounds were tested against BACE1 and their neuroprotectivity on Aß-treated neurotoxicity in PC12 cells which depicted negligible activity. It should be noted that most of the synthesized compounds from both categories 5a-i and 5j-q showed a significant selectivity toward BChE. However, series 5j-q were more active toward AChE than series 5a-i.

Novel tacrine-coumarin hybrids linked to 1,2,3-triazole as anti-Alzheimer's compounds: In vitro and in vivo biological evaluation and docking study.

A new series of tacrine-coumarin hybrids linked to 1,2,3-triazole were designed, synthesized, and tested as potent dual binding site cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Among them, compound 8e was the most potent anti-AChE derivative (IC50 = 27 nM) and compound 8m displayed the best anti-BChE activity (IC50 = 6 nM) much more active than tacrine and donepezil as the reference drugs. Compound 8e was also evaluated for its BACE1 inhibitory activity and neuroprotectivity against PC12 cells exposed to Aß25-35 which indicated low activity. Finally, in vivo studies by Morris water maze task showed that compound 8e significantly reversed scopolamine-induced memory deficit in rats.

Design, synthesis, in vivo, and in silico evaluation of new coumarin-1,2,4-oxadiazole hybrids as anticonvulsant agents.

A novel series of coumarin-1,2,4-oxadiazole hybrids were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as anticonvulsant agents. The title compounds were easily synthesized from reaction of appropriate coumarins and 3-aryl-5-(chloromethyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives. In vivo anticonvulsant activity of the synthesized compounds were determined using pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)- and maximal electroshock (MES)-induced seizures confirming that they were more effective against MES test than PTZ test. It should be noted that compounds 3b, 3c, and 3e showed the best activity in MES model which possessed drug-like properties with no neurotoxicity. Anticonvulsant activity of the most potent compound 3b was remarkably reduced after treatment with flumazenil which confirmed the participation of a benzodiazepine mechanism in the anticonvulsant activity. Also, docking study of compound 3b in the BZD-binding site of GABAA receptor confirmed possible binding of 3b to the BZD receptors.

Design, synthesis and anti-Alzheimer's activity of novel 1,2,3-triazole-chromenone carboxamide derivatives.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a well-known neurodegenerative disorder affecting millions of old people worldwide and the corresponding epidemiological data highlights the significance of the disease. As AD is a multifactorial illness, various single-target directed drugs that have reached clinical trials have failed. Therefore, various factors associated with outset of AD have been considered in targeted drug discovery and development. In this work, a wide range of 1,2,3-triazole-chromenone carboxamides were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their cholinesterase inhibitory activity. Among them, N-(1-benzylpiperidin-4-yl)-7-((1-(3,4-dimethylbenzyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide (11b) showed the best acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 1.80 µM), however, it was inactive toward butyrylcholinesterase. It should be noted that compound 11b was evaluated for its BACE1 inhibitory activity and calculated IC50 = 21.13 µM confirmed desired inhibitory activity. Also, this compound revealed satisfactory neuroprotective effect against H2O2-induced cell death in PC12 neurons at 50 µM as well as metal chelating ability toward Fe2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ ions.

Design and synthesis of novel quinazolinone-1,2,3-triazole hybrids as new anti-diabetic agents: In vitro α-glucosidase inhibition, kinetic, and docking study.

A novel series of quinazolinone-1,2,3-triazole hybrids 10a-p were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity leading to efficient anti-diabetic agents. All synthesized compounds exhibited good inhibitory activity against yeast α-glucosidase (IC50 values in the range of 181.0-474.5 µM) even much more potent than standard drug acarbose (IC50 = 750.0). Among them, quinazolinone-1,2,3-triazoles possessing 4-bromobenzyl moiety connected to 1,2,3-triazole ring (10g and 10p) demonstrated the most potent inhibitory activity towards α-glucosidase. Compound 10g inhibited α-glucosidase in a competitive manner with Ki value of 117 µM. Furthermore, the binding modes of the most potent compounds 10g and 10p in the α-glucosidase active site was studied through in silico docking studies. Also, lack of cytotoxicity of compounds 10g and 10p was confirmed via MTT assay.

Synthesis and Biological Activity of Some Benzochromenoquinolinones: Tacrine Analogs as Potent Anti-Alzheimer's Agents.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a well-known neurodegenerative disorder affecting millions of old people worldwide and the corresponding epidemiological data emphasize the importance of the disease. As AD is a multifactorial illness, various single target directed drugs that have reached clinical trials have failed. Therefore, various factors associated with outset of AD have been considered in targeted drug discovery. In this work, various benzochromenoquinolinones were synthesized and evaluated for their cholinesterase and BACE1 inhibitory activities as well as neuroprotective and metal-chelating properties. Among the synthesized compounds, 14-amino-13-(3-nitrophenyl)-2,3,4,13-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[6,7]chromeno[2,3-b]quinoline-7,12-dione (6m) depicted the best inhibitory activity toward acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with IC50 s of 0.86 and 6.03 µm, respectively. Also, the compound could inhibit ß-secretase 1 (BACE1) with IC50 =19.60 µm and showed metal chelating ability toward Cu2+ , Fe2+ , and Zn2+ . In addition, docking study demonstrated desirable interactions of compound 6m with amino acid residues characterizing AChE, BChE, and BACE1.

Design and Synthesis of Novel Cytotoxic Indole-Thiosemicarbazone Derivatives: Biological Evaluation and Docking Study.

In this work, two novel series of indole-thiosemicarbazone derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, A-549, and Hep-G2 cell lines in comparison to etoposide and colchicine as the reference drugs. Generally, the synthesized compounds showed better cytotoxicity towards A-549 and Hep-G2 than MCF-7. Among them, (2E)-2-{[2-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-indol-3-yl]methylidene}-N-(4-methoxyphenyl)hydrazinecarbothioamide (8l) was found to be the most potent compound against A-549 and Hep-G2, at least three times more potent than etoposide. The morphological analysis by the acridine orange/ethidium bromide double staining test and flow cytometry analysis indicated that compound 8l induced apoptosis in A-549 cells. Moreover, molecular docking methodology was exploited to elucidate the details of molecular interactions of the studied compounds with putative targets.

Design and Synthesis of Selective Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors: Arylisoxazole-Phenylpiperazine Derivatives.

In this work, a novel series of arylisoxazole-phenylpiperazines were designed, synthesized, and evaluated toward acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Our results revealed that [5-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-oxazol-3-yl](4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl)methanone (5c) was the most potent AChE inhibitor with IC50 of 21.85 µm. It should be noted that most of synthesized compounds showed no BChE inhibitory activity and [5-(2-fluorophenyl)-1,2-oxazol-3-yl](4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl)methanone (5a) was the most active anti-BChE derivative (IC50 =51.66 µm). Also, kinetic studies for the AChE and BChE inhibitory activity of compounds 5c and 5a confirmed that they have simultaneously bound to the catalytic site (CS) and peripheral anionic site (PAS) of both AChE and BChE. Furthermore, docking study of compound 5c showed desired interactions of that compound with amino acid residues located in the active and peripheral anionic sites. Compound 5c was also evaluated for its BACE1 inhibitory activity and demonstrated IC50 =76.78 µm. Finally, neuroprotectivity of compound 5c on Aß-treated neurotoxicity in PC12 cells depicted low activity.