Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel l-phenylglycine derivatives as potential PPARγ lead compounds.

In accordance with the structural characteristics of thiazolidinedione drugs and highly bioactive tyrosine derivatives, we tentatively designed the l-phenylglycine derivatives TM1 and TM2 based on basic principles of drug design and then synthesized them. The in vitro screening of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) activated activity, α-glucosidase inhibitory and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitory activities showed that the novel molecule M5 had efficient PPAR response element (PPRE) activated activity (PPRE relative activity 105.04% at 10 µg·mL-1 compared with the positive control pioglitazone, with 100% activity). Therefore, M5 was selected as the hit compound from which the TM3 and TM4 series of compounds were further designed and synthesized. Based on the PPRE relative activities of TM3 and TM4, we discovered another new molecule, TM4h, which had the strongest PPRE relative activity (120.42% at 10 µg·mL-1). In addition, the concentration-dependent activity of the highly active compounds was determined by assaying their half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values. The molecular physical parameter calculation and the molecular toxicity prediction were used to theoretically evaluate the lead-likeness and safety of the active compounds. In conclusion, we identified a potential PPARγ lead molecule and developed a tangible strategy for antidiabetic drug development.

Novel 5-anilinoquinazoline-8-nitro derivatives as inhibitors of VEGFR-2 tyrosine kinase: synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking.

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) kinase inhibition is a well-established strategy to promptly tackle tumor growth by suppression of angiogenesis. We report herein a series of 5-anilinoquinazoline derivatives substituted by 1,3-disubstituted urea. All the newly synthesized compounds described were evaluated for VEGFR-2 kinase inhibition and antiproliferative activity against various cancer cells. The novel 1-aryl, 3-aryl-disubstituted urea quinazolines were effective VEGFR-2 kinase inhibitors with in vitro IC50 values in the submicromolar range (compound 6f, IC50 12.0 nM), but showed a weak to moderate inhibitory activity on cancer cells. Molecular interactions of the compounds were studied using molecular docking studies.

[The regulation mechanism of MASPIN expression in ovarian carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To study the regulation of P63 on expression of MASPIN in ovarian cancer by observe MASPIN promoter activity changes before and after transient transfection of constructed P63 and MASPIN reporter gene plasmids. METHODS: The MASPIN reporter plasmid, fused with luciferase reporter gene, was constructed and transfected into SKOV3 cells together with P63 (TAP63, ANP63) express plasmid transiently. The MASPIN promoter activity was determined in both the transfected cells and controlled ones by Luciferase Assays and the transcription of MASPIN mRNA of them was evaluated with semi quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: The MASPIN reporter plasmid was successfully constructed and transiently transfected into SKOV3 cells together with P63 (TAP63, ANP63) expression plasmid. The data showed among the tested P63 splice variants, TAP63 remarkably activated MASPIN promoter transactivation (P < 0.05). No significant difference in the activity level of MASPIN promoter was detected in the SKOV3-vector and SKOV3-ANP63 cells (P > 0.05). The level of MASPIN mRNA expression was notably enhanced in SKOV3-TAP63 cell after transient transfected with TAP63 express plasmid (P < 0.05), but no significant difference among the SKOV3, SKOV3-vector and SKOV3-ANP63 cell (P > 0.05) was detected. CONCLUSION: TAP63 can activate the transcription activity of MASPIN promoter, as well as regulate the expression of MASPIN. Put all together, these results suggested that MASPIN is a new molecular target of P63.

[Design, synthesis and PPAR agonist activities of novel L-tyrosine derivatives containing phenoxyacetyl moiety].

The design, synthesis and bioevaluation of a series of novel L-tyrosine derivatives as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists are reported. Four intermediates and twenty L-tyrosine derivatives containing phenoxyacetyl moiety TM1 were synthesized starting from L-tyrosine via four step reactions including the esterification of carboxyl group, phenoxyacetylation of a-amino group, bromoalkylation of phenolic hydroxyl group and then nucleophilic substitution reaction with various heterocyclic amines in 21%-75% overall yield. Subsequently TM1 were hydrolyzed to give sixteen corresponding target compounds TM2 in 77%-99% yield. The chemical structures of the thirty-nine new compounds were identified using 1H NMR, 13C NMR techniques and thirty-five were confirmed by HR-MS techniques. Screening results in vitro showed that the PPAR relative activation activities of the target molecules are weak overall, while compound TM2i reaches 50.01%, which hints that the molecular structures of these obtained compounds need to be modified further.

Synthesis and antidiabetic performance of ß-amino ketone containing nabumetone moiety.

We wish to report the further design and improved synthesis that resulted in two series of target molecules, TM-1 and TM-2, with remarkably simplified structures containing ß-amino ketone of discrete nabumetone moiety. These were obtained via a 'one-pot, two-step, three-component' protocol of Mannich reaction with yield up to 97%. A total of 28 out of 31 new compounds were characterized using (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, ESI MS and HRMS techniques. Studies on their antidiabetic activities, screened in vitro at 10 µg mL(-1) level, indicate that TM-2 possesses peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor activation and α-glucosidase inhibition activity significantly stronger than that of TM-1, and also that of the series B compounds that were previously synthesized by the group. Analysis of the structure-activity relationship points to the sulfanilamide unit as the most probable potent group of ß-amino ketone and, on the basis of which, a tangible strategy is presented for the development of new antidiabetic drugs.

[Synthesis and PPAR activities of novel phenylacetic acid derivatives containing sulfonamide moiety].

The discovery of high performance leading antidiabetic compounds containing sulfonamide and 4-aminophenylacetic acid moieties is reported. This was achieved by the synthesis of 6 intermediates and subsequently 20 target molecules using 4-aminophenylacetic acid as the starting materials, and through a few synthetic routes aided by multi-step reactions including sulfonylation of amino group, deacylation of amides and esterification of carboxyl group, as well as acylation of amino group. The chemical structures of the twenty-four new compounds were determined using 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HR-MS techniques. Screening in vitro of their peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) activation activities showed weak relative PPAR activation activities to most of the target molecules. However, 4 target molecules exhibit PPAR over 58%, and as high as 81.79% for TM2-i, presenting itself as potent leading compound for antidiabetic drugs. This research also confirms that it is probable to achieve esterification of carboxyl group and deacylation of fatty acid N-phenyl amides concurrently in SOCl2/alcohol solvent system. This provides new synthetic method for the selective reaction within molecules containing both carboxyl and N-aryl amido groups of fatty acids.

Discovery and identification of 2-phenylethyl 2,6-dihydroxybenzoate as a natural lipid-lowering lead.

Guided by lipid-lowering assays, a new compound (1, 2-phenylethyl 2,6-dihydroxybenzoate) was isolated from the ethanolic extract of Geophila herbacea. The structure of 1 was determined unambiguously by spectral data interpretation and confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Preliminary dose-dependency of 1 verified its lipid-lowering bioactivity in vitro. A facile chemical synthesis for 1 was performed to provide a practical approach for further studies on structure-activity relationship.

[Synthesis of novel beta-aminoalcohols containing nabumetone moiety with potential antidiabetic activity].

Twenty five new beta-aminoalcohols containing nabumetone moiety were prepared via the reduction of potassium borohydride with a convenient and efficient procedure, starting from beta-aminoketones that have been synthesized by our group. Their chemical structures were determined by IR, MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HR-MS and antidiabetic activities were screened in vitro. Preliminary results revealed that the antidiabetic activity of most beta-aminoalcohols were better than that of the corresponding beta-aminoketones. Although most compounds showed weak antidiabetic activity, the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of compounds 5hd(1) and 5id(2) reached 74.37% and 90.15%, respectively, which were superior to the positive control. The relative peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor response element (PPRE) activity of five compounds were more than 60%, among them compound 5ca possessed the highest activity (112.59%). As lead molecules of antidiabetic agents, compounds 5hd(1), 5id(2) and 5ca deserve further study.

Chemical constituents from Astilbe chinensis.

A new compound, 11-O-(3'-O-methylgalloyl)-bergenin (1), along with 11 known compounds (2-12), has been isolated from the rhizome of Astilbe chinensis. The chemical structure of compound 1 was determined by IR, MS, and NMR spectral data. All compounds were evaluated for the cytotoxic activity in vitro, and compound 4 showed a moderate cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells.

First identification of xanthone sulfonamides as potent acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitors.

Inhibitors of acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) would be useful anti-atherogenic agents, since an absence of ACAT affects the absorption and transformation of cholesterol, indirectly resulting in the reduction of cholesteryl ester accumulation in blood vessels. This report discloses xanthone sulfonamides as novel class small molecule inhibitors of ACAT. A series of xanthone sulfonamides were synthesized and evaluated to result in the identification of several potent ACAT inhibitors, among which 2n proved to be more potent than the positive control Sandoz58-35. Moreover, a molecular model for the binding between 2n and the active site of ACAT-2 was provided based computational docking results.

Synthesis of some 5-phenylisoxazole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives as potent xanthine oxidase inhibitors.

A number of 5-phenylisoxazole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives (5a-e, 11a-e) were synthesized and analyzed for their ability to inhibit xanthine oxidase. Most of the compounds exhibited potency levels in the micromolar/submicromolar range. The presence of a cyano group at the 3-position of phenyl moiety turned out to be the preferred substitution pattern, as its transformation into the nitro group determined a general reduction of the inhibitory potency. A molecular modeling study on compound 11a was performed to gain an insight into its binding mode with xanthine oxidase, and to provide the basis for further structure-guided design of new non-purine xanthine oxidase inhibitors related with 5-phenylisoxazole-3-carboxylic acid scaffold.

Synthesis and evaluation of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 3-[4-(phenylsulfonamido)benzoyl]-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one derivatives.

In the course of studies directed toward the discovery of novel non-sugar alpha-glucosidase inhibitors for the treatment of diabetes, a series of 3-[4-(phenylsulfonamido)benzoyl]-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one derivatives was synthesized and evaluated as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. Most compounds showed good inhibitory activity with IC(50) values ranging from 0.0645 microM to 26.746 microM. 7-Hydroxy-6-methoxy-3-[4-(4-methylphenylsulfonamido)benzoyl]-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one 7u manifested the most potent inhibitory activity with an IC(50) value of 0.0645 microM.

[Synthesis and investigation on antidiabetic activity of 4-(1-aryl-3-oxo-5-phenylpentylamino) benzenesulfonamide].

Searching for new antidiabetic lead compound, 4-(1-aryl-3-oxo-5-phenylpentylamino) benzenesulfonamides were designed and synthesized directly by three component one-pot condensation of 4-phenyl-2-butanone and sulfanilamide with some aromatic aldehydes at an yield of 23%-97%. The chemical structures of the twelve new Mannich bases were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FTIR, ESI-MS and HR-MS. The screening results of antidiabetic activity indicated that most of these title compounds possess alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity, among which compound le is the strongest one. And compound 11 possesses good peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor response element (PPRE) agonist activity. The structure-activity relationship of these new beta-amino ketones containing benzenesulfonamide unit was also discussed preliminarily.

Chemical constituents from the aerial parts of Artemisia minor.

Four new compounds including three bicoumarins, arteminorins A-C (1-3), and one neolignan, arteminorin D (4), together with 31 known ones were isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia minor. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic data and comparison with those of the related known compounds. Ethyl caffeate (27) showed in vitro cytotoxicity against the HepG2 cancer cell line. Arteminorin C (3) and luteolin (19) showed inhibitory activity on xanthine oxidase (XOD), and caffeic acid (28) exhibited inhibitory activity on protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B).

Synthesis and evaluation of structurally constrained imidazolidin derivatives as potent dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors.

To find potent and selective inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), we synthesized a series of 2-cyanopyrrolidine derivatives with constrained imidazolidin ring and tested their activities against DPP-IV. Most of them exhibited submicromolar inhibitory activities against DPP-IV. The most potent compound among these is (S)-1-(2-(2-(3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)ethyl-amino)acetyl)pyrrolidine-2-carbonitrile (6n), which is a 2 nM DPP-IV inhibitor.

[Synthesis and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of N-(1,5-diaryl-3-pentone-1-yl)-4-aminobenzoic acid].

In order to find highly active antidiabetic lead compound, sixteen 4-aminobenzoic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized directly through Mannich reaction in the solution of ethanol at 15-35 degrees C with facile method, mild reaction condition and high yield (45%-90%). Fifteen of them are new compounds. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR, ESI-MS and HR-MS. Alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of these compounds indicated that most of these compounds possess the activity with the order: 2c > 2b > 2h > 1a > 1f. The structure-activity relationship of these 4-aminobenzoic acid derivatives was also discussed.

[Synthesis and preliminary evaluation of antidiabetic activity of 4-(3-(4-bromophenyl)-3-oxo-1-arylpropylamino)-N-(5-methylisoxazol-3-yl)benzenesulfonamide].

Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disease with a high and growing prevalence affecting 4% of the population worldwide, the development of safe and effective therapeutic drug is the major thrust for chemists and pharmacists. To search for active antidiabetic lead compound, we designed and synthesized some novel beta-amino ketone derivatives containing sulfamethoxazole moiety directly through Mannich reaction of sulfamethoxazole, 4-bromoacetophenone and some aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by concentrated hydogen chloride or iodine in the solution of ethanol at 24-40 degrees C with convenient operation, mild reaction condition and satisfactory yield (32%-90%). Their chemical structures were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and HR-MS. Biological activity tests showed that, in the range of low concentration (5-10 microg x mL(-1)), these title compounds to a certain degree possess protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity and a-glucosidase inhibitory activity, moreover, some could activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor response element (PPRE) moderately. The PPRE agonist activities of seven compounds are almost 40% of that of Pioglitazone (the positive control), compound 12 shows the strongest activity (66.35%) among them. Thus, it was found that some of 4-(3-(4-bromophenyl)-3-oxo-1-arylpropylamino)-N-(5-methyl-isoxazol-3-yl) benzenesulfonamide containing sulfamethoxazole moiety exhibited antidiabetic activity for the first time.

[Mechanism of rosiglitasone to improve glucose-uptake of 3T3-L1 adipocyte with insulin resistance induced by dexamethasone and insulin].

OBJECTIVE: To study the mechanism of rosiglitasone to improve glucose-uptake of 3T3-L1 adipocyte with insulin resistance induced by dexamethasone and insulin. METHODS: Insulin resistance was induced to 3T3-L1 adipocyte after chronic treatment of dexamethasone and insulin. The insulin resisted 3T3-L1 adipocyte was treated with 10(-5) mol/L of rosiglitasone for 48 h. The mRNA, protein of glucose transporter GLUT4 and CAP gene were then examined. RESULTS: (1) Rosiglitasone increased the expression of GLUT4 mRNA and protein inhibited by dexamethasone and insulin although it had not reached a normal level. (2) Rosiglitasone increased the mRNA of CAP, which remained unchanged during insulin resistance. CONCLUSION: Rosiglitasone, an insulin sensitizer, might up-regulate GLUT4 and CAP along with the peroxisome proliferators activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma), which not only increases the GLUT4, but also activates the CAP-depended signaling pathway; improves the translocating of GLUT4 to the cell membrane; and increases the ability of glucose-uptake of cells.

Synthesis and activity of a new series of (Z)-3-phenyl-2-benzoylpropenoic acid derivatives as aldose reductase inhibitors.

During the course of studies directed towards the discovery of novel aldose reductase inhibitors for the treatment of diabetic complications, we synthesized a series of new (Z)-3-phenyl-2-benzoylpropenoic acid derivatives and tested their in vitro inhibitory activities on rat lens aldose reductase. Of these compounds, (Z)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-methylbenzoyl)propenoicacid (3k) was identified as the most potent inhibitor, with an IC50 of 0.49 microM. The theoretical binding mode of 3k was obtained by simulation of its docking into the active site of the human aldose reductase crystal structure.

Monodisperse polystyrene microspheres by dispersion copolymerization of styrene and other vinyl comonomers: characterization and protein adsorption properties.

Dispersion polymerization is a very attractive method for preparing micron-size monodisperse polymeric microspheres. The applications of microspheres have been greatly extended by using comonomers. In the present study, five kinds of polystyrene microspheres of 4-6 microm in diameters bearing different surface functional groups were synthesized by copolymerization of styrene and various vinyl comonomers. Their surface physicochemical characteristics were examined, including average particle size and size distribution, concentration of surface functional groups, as well as hydrophobicity. Concentration of FT-IR spectra of different samples were also discussed. The effects of microspheres' surface physicochemical properties on the isotherms of adsorption and chemisorption of BSA were determined. The results show that microspheres bearing different surface function groups have different capacity of protein adsorption. Besides, since the protein adsorption behaviors were more complex than the ideal adsorption model, the isotherms could not fit Freundlich model very well. Possible reasons were discussed. Knowledge gained from these results may be utilized for rational design of carriers of receptors and antibodies used in solid-phase immunoassay, especially Scintillation proximity assay in High-throughput Screening.