Synthesis of 2-Aryl Indazole: Synthesis, Biological Evaluationand In-Silico Studies.

In this work, a highly effective synthesis technique for obtaining aryl indazole under mild circumstances is provided, using trimethyl phosphine as a powerful reagent. The procedure shows that a wide range of substrates can be investigated, yielding various 2-aryl indazole derivatives with acceptable to exceptional yields and a wide range of functional group tolerance. Additionally, based on In Silico studies tests were conducted to determine the anticancer activity In Vitro for all produced compounds (3 a-3 j) against A549, HT-29 and HepG2 cell lines. Compounds 3 c and 3 d, with IC50 values of 15, 53.55, 7.34, 7.10, 56.28, and 17.87 (µM) against A549, HT-29 and HepG2 respectively, showed significant anticancer activity.

Pyrazole-based and N,N-diethylcarbamate functionalized some novel aurone analogs: Design, synthesis, cytotoxic evaluation, docking and SAR studies, against AGS cancer cell line.

The present study involves the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a series of thirty-three, pyrazole-based and N,N-diethylcarbamate functionalized, novel aurone analogs, against AGS cancer cell line. These novel aurone analogs are obtained from the reaction of pyrazole-based 6-hydroxyaurones with diethyl carbamoyl chloride using mild basic reagent. The cytotoxic activities of these compounds were evaluated against a human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line (AGS) and disclosed some potential outcomes as several analogs were found to have cytotoxicity better than the reference drugs Oxaliplatin and Leucovorin. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) study further unveiled the critical role of replacing the hydroxyl group in ring A with a carbamoyl group for cytotoxic activity. Among these aurone analogs, 8e and 8f, with IC50 values of 6.5 ± 0.024 µM and 6.6 ± 0.035 µM, respectively, are identified as the most active compounds. Molecular docking studies were conducted against HER2, a human epidermal growth factor involved in gastric and ovarian cancer, to investigate the binding interactions between the compounds and the protein HER2, where7e and 8e exhibited maximum interactions.

Synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole-piperazin-benzo[b][1,4]thiazine 1,1-dioxides: antibacterial, hemolytic and in silico TLR4 protein inhibitory activities.

In this study, we designed and synthesized a number of novel 1,2,3-triazole-piperazin-benzo[b][1,4]thiazine 1,1-dioxide derivatives and investigated their in vitro antibacterial and hemolytic activity. When compared to the lead chemical, dicloxacillin, the majority of the compounds demonstrated acceptable activity. Among them, the most promising compounds 6e, 6g, 6i, 8d, and 8e exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against the methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) with MIC values of 1.56 ± 0.22 to 12.5 ± 1.75 µg mL-1, respectively, The percentage of hemolysis ranged from 21.3 µg mL-1 to 33.8 µg mL-1. Out of the six compounds (6i, 6e, 6f, 6g, 8e, 8d) tested compound 8e and 8d displayed minimal or negligible hemolytic activity across all the tested concentrations 29.6% and 30.2% recorded at 100 µg mL-1 concentration respectively. In silico docking studies were performed to evaluate the molecular interactions of 6e, 6f, 6g, 6i, 8d, and 8e compounds with Human, Mouse and Bovine TLR4 proteins (PDB: 3FXI, 3VQ1, 3RG1) and observed that three of the compounds (6i, 8d, and 8i) had appreciable binding energies ranging from -8.5 to -9.0 Kcal mol-1. Finally, the in silico pharmacokinetic profile was predicted for potent compounds 8d, 8e and 6i using SWISS/ADME, All compounds investigated in this study adhered to Lipinski's rule of five with slight deviation in molecular weight (8d and 8e).

C-Dimethylated Flavones as Possible Potential Anti-Tubercular and Anticancer Agents.

The present investigation describes an intramolecular Oxa-Michael addition of penta-substituted phenols to the enone of the tether in the presence of iodine as the oxidizing agent. Ten C-Dimethylated flavones with moderate to good yields (10a-j, 60-89 %) were isolated by heating the corresponding C-dimethylated chalcones using iodine in DMSO. Using the Microplate Alamar Blue test (MABA) technique, the drugs' quantitative drug susceptibility against the H37Rv strain of replicating Mycobacterium TB was determined. The sensitivity of two of the developed compounds (10e, 10h) was up to 6.25 g/mL. The human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (A549) were used in the anticancer study, which was carried out using the MTT cell proliferation assay. In A549 cell lines, four flavones demonstrated anticancer activity with IC50 values between 39 and 48 µM. The C-dimethylated flavones, 10b (3,4-dimethoxy), 10c (2,3,4-trimethoxy), 10e (p-fluoro) and 10g (N-methyl indole) substitutions on ring 'B' showed good anticancer activity with IC50 values 39.17, 39.21, 48.43 and 43.48 µM, respectively. The compounds 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, and 10i had improved binding and interaction profiles among all the compounds examined during the current In Silico research, as shown by the docking simulations against two targets EGFR and MTB MurI.

Identification of novel C-15 fluoro isosteviol derivatives for GABA-AT inhibition by in silico investigations.

CONTEXT: The treatment of epilepsy is associated with the inhibition of γ-aminobutyric acid-aminotransferase (GABA-AT), which suppresses the concentration of a key neurotransmitter GABA. Isosteviol, a natural bioactive molecule, has been reported to possess an anticonvulsant property. In this work, we first reported a series of C-15 fluoro isosteviol analogs which are bearing different functional groups at C-16 to investigate the interactions with GABA-AT by applying molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation approach. The results revealed that all fluoro isosteviol analogs displayed a greater binding affinity than references vigabatrin, an FDA-approved GABA-AT inactivator, and CPP-115, which has Orphan Drug Designation status, and positioned at the same binding site as references. Furthermore, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation studies on minimum (A1), maximum (E1) binding energy score of fluoro isosteviol analogs, and isosteviol (G1) revealed their stable complex formation in terms of RMSD, RMSF, RG, and hydrogen bond formation. All analogs were found to have drug-like nature, non-toxic, >80% absorption, and the majority tend to penetrate brain-blood-barrier (BBB). The investigations found in this study can help in the development of isosteviol derivatives as drugs for the treatment of epilepsy. METHODS: The two-dimensional (2D) ligand structures were drawn using ChembioDraw Ultra 14.0. Molecular docking with Autodock4 and molecular dynamic simulation with GROMACS version 2020.1 were performed. The CHARMM27 all-atom force field was applied for writing the topology. Biovia Discovery Studio DS2021 was used for viewing and analyzing the protein-ligand complexes. The data generated from molecular dynamic simulation trajectories were plotted using the Origin® 8 software. The Open Babel software was utilized for extracting SMILEs files of all the fluoro isosteviol analogs. The drug-likeness and ADMET of the molecules were evaluated by SwissADME and ADMETlab 2.0 web tools.

Ultrasound assisted Cu-catalyzed Ullmann-Goldberg type coupling-cyclization in a single pot: Synthesis and in silico evaluation of 11H-pyrido[2,1-b]quinazolin-11-ones against SARS-CoV-2 RdRp.

The in silico evaluation of 11H-pyrido[2,1-b]quinazolin-11-one derivatives against SARS-CoV-2 RdRp was undertaken based on the reports on antiviral activities of this class of compounds in addition to the promising interactions of the antiviral drug penciclovir as well as quinazoline derivatives with SARS-CoV-2 RdRp in silico. The target compounds were prepared via an Ullmann-Goldberg type coupling followed by the subsequent cyclization (involving amidation) in a single pot. The methodology involved a CuI-catalyzed reaction of 2-iodobenzoate ester with 2-aminopyridine or quinolin-2-amine or thiazol-2-amine under ultrasound to give the expected products in acceptable (51-93%) yields. The molecular interactions of the synthesized 11H-pyrido[2,1-b]quinazolin-11-one derivatives with the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp (PDB: 7AAP) were evaluated in silico. The study suggested that though none of these compounds showed interactions better than penciclovir but the compound 3a and 3n appeared to be comparable along with 3b seemed to be nearly comparable to favipiravir and remdesivir. The compound 3n with the best binding energy (-79.85 Kcal/mol) participated in the H-bond interactions through its OMe group with THR556 as well as ARG624 and via the N-5 atom with the residue SER682. The in silico studies further suggested that majority of the compounds interacted with the main cavity of active site pocket whereas 3h and 3o that showed relatively lower binding energies (-66.06 and -66.28 Kcal/mol) interacted with the shallow cavity underneath the active site of SARS CoV-2 RdRp. The study also revealed that a OMe group was favourable for interaction with respect to its position in the order C-8 > C-1 > C-2. Further, the presence of a fused quinoline ring was tolerated whereas a fused thiazole ring decreased the interaction significantly. The in silico predictions of pharmacokinetic properties of 3a, 3b and 3n indicated that besides the BBB (Blood Brain Barrier) penetration potential these molecules may show a good overall ADME. Overall, the regioisomers 3a, 3b and 3n have emerged as molecules of possible interest in the context of targeting COVID-19.

Synthesis and characterization of two known and one new impurities of dolutegravir: In silico evaluation of certain intermediates against SARS CoV-2 O-ribose methyltransferase (OMTase).

Besides its use against HIV infection the marketed anti-retroviral drug dolutegravir attracted attention as a potential agent against COVID-19 in multiple AI (artificial intelligence) based studies. Due to our interest in accessing the impurities of this drug we report the synthesis and characterization of three impurities of dolutegravir one of which is new. The synthesis of O-methyl ent-dolutegravir was accomplished in three-steps the first one involved the construction of fused 1,3-oxazinane ring. The cleavage of -OEt ether moiety followed by methylation afforded the target compound. The second impurity i.e. N-(2,4-difluorobenzyl)-4-methoxy-3-oxobutanamide was synthesized via a multi-step method involving sequentially the keto group protection, ester hydrolysis, acid chloride formation followed by the reaction with amine and finally keto group deprotection. The synthesis of new or dimer impurity was carried out via another multi-step method similar to the previous one starting from ethyl 4-chloro acetoacetate. The methodology involved preparation of ether derivative, keto group protection, ester hydrolysis, preparation of amide derivative via acid chloride formation in situ and then keto group deprotection for a longer duration. The last step afforded the target compound for which a plausible reaction mechanism has been proposed. All three impurities were prepared in gram scale (minimum 2 g and maximum 8 g). The in silico evaluation of three selected synthesized intermediates e.g. 7, 8 and 9 (structurally similar to dolutegravir) against SARS CoV-2 O-ribose methyltransferase (OMTase) (PDB: 3R24) indicated that compound 7 could be of interest as a possible inhibitor of this protein.

CuCl2-catalyzed inexpensive, faster and ligand/additive free synthesis of isoquinolin-1(2H)-one derivatives via the coupling-cyclization strategy: Evaluation of a new class of compounds as potential PDE4 inhibitors.

In spite of possessing a wide range of pharmacological properties the anti-inflammatory activities of isoquinolin-1(2H)-ones were rarely known or explored earlier. PDE4 inhibitors on the other hand in addition to their usefulness in treating inflammatory diseases have been suggested to attenuate the cytokine storm in COVID-19 especially TNF-α. In our effort, a new class of isoquinolin-1(2H)-ones derivatives containing an aminosulfonyl moiety were designed and explored as potential inhibitors of PDE4. Accordingly, for the first time a CuCl2-catalyzed inexpensive, faster and ligand/additive free approach has been developed for the synthesis of these predesigned isoquinolin-1(2H)-one derivatives via the coupling-cyclization strategy. Thus, the CuCl2-catalyzed reaction of 2-iodobenzamides with appropriate terminal alkynes proceeded with high chemo and regioselectivity affording the desired compounds in 77-84% yield within 1-1.5 h. The methodology also afforded simpler isoquinolin-1(2H)-ones devoid of aminosulfonyl moiety showing a broader generality and scope of this approach. Several of the synthesized compounds especially 3c, 3k and 3s showed impressive inhibition (83-90%) of PDE4B when tested at 10 µM in vitro whereas compounds devoid of aminosulfonyl moiety was found to be less active. In spite of high inhibition showed at 10 µM these compounds did not show proper concertation dependent inhibition below 1 µM that was reflected in their IC50 values e.g. 2.43 ± 0.32, 3.26 ± 0.24 and 3.63 ± 0.80 µM for 3k, 3o and 3s respectively. The anti-inflammatory potential of these compounds was indicated by their TNF-α inhibition (60-50% at 10 µM). The in silico docking studies of these molecules suggested good interactions with PDE4B and selective inhibition of PDE4B by 3k over PDE4D that was supported by in vitro assay results. These observations together with the favorable ADME and safety predicted for 3kin silico not only suggested 3k as an interesting hit molecule for further studies but also reveal the first example of isoquinolin-1(2H)-one based inhibitor of PDE4B.

Pyrrolo[2,3-b]quinoxalines in attenuating cytokine storm in COVID-19: their sonochemical synthesis and in silico / in vitro assessment.

In view of the recent global pandemic caused by COVID-19 intense efforts have been devoted worldwide towards the development of an effective treatment for this disease. Recently, PDE4 inhibitors have been suggested to attenuate the cytokine storm in COVID-19 especially tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). In our effort we have explored the 2-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-b]quinoxalines for this purpose because of their potential inhibitory properties of PDE-4 / TNF-α. Moreover, several of these compounds appeared to be promising in silico when assessed for their binding affinities via docking into the N-terminal RNA-binding domain (NTD) of N-protein of SARS-CoV-2. A rapid and one-pot synthesis of this class of molecules was achieved via the Cu-catalyzed coupling-cyclization-desulfinylation of 3-alkynyl-2-chloroquinoxalines with t-butyl sulfinamide as the ammonia surrogate under ultrasound irradiation. Most of these compounds showed good to significant inhibition of TNF-α in vitro establishing a SAR (Structure Activity Relationship) within the series. One compound e.g. 3i was identified as a promising hit for which the desirable ADME and acceptable toxicity profile was predicted in silico.

1,2,3-Triazole-nimesulide hybrid: Their design, synthesis and evaluation as potential anticancer agents.

A new hybrid template has been designed by integrating the structural features of nimesulide and the 1,2,3-triazole moiety in a single molecular entity at the same time eliminating the problematic nitro group of nimesulide. The template has been used for the generation of a library of molecules as potential anticancer agents. A mild and greener CuAAC approach has been used to synthesize these compounds via the reaction of 4-azido derivative of nimesulide and terminal alkynes in water. Three of these compounds showed promising growth inhibition (IC50 ∼6-10µM) of A549, HepG2, HeLa and DU145 cancer cell lines but no significant effects on HEK293 cell line. They also inhibited PDE4B in vitro (60-70% at 10µM) that was supported by the docking studies (PLP score 87-94) in silico.

Design of new hybrid template by linking quinoline, triazole and dihydroquinoline pharmacophoric groups: A greener approach to novel polyazaheterocycles as cytotoxic agents.

A new hybrid template designed by linking three pharmacophoric groups, for example, quinoline, triazole and dihydroquinoline moieties have been used for the generation of a library of molecules as potential cytotoxic agents. Synthesis of these polyazaheterocycles were carried out by using a strategy that involved one-pot sequential azidation and CuAAC in water under mild conditions. A number of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles possessing quinolinylmethylene at N-1 and 1,2-dihydroquinolinyl methylene at C-4 as different substituents were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against various cancer cells. Some of them showed encouraging activities against lung cancer cells and one of them showed inhibition of PDE4 indicating the potential medicinal value of these novel polyazaheterocycles.

Enhanced chitosan-DNA interaction by 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane coupling for an efficient transfection in cancer cells.

Gene therapy is the treatment of human disorders by the introduction of genetic material to specific target cells of a patient. Chitosan and its derivatives show excellent biological properties including biocompatibility, biodegradability and nonallergenicity. Primary amines of chitosan are responsible for its cationic nature and hence binding and protection of DNA for intracellular delivery. But the transfection efficiency of chitosan based gene transporters is severely hampered by its poor physical properties such as low water solubility and high viscosity. In this study, primary amines of low molecular weight (LMW) chitosan were coupled with 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulphonic acid (AMP) making it water soluble for its application in gene delivery. AMP modified chitosan (CSAMP) showed an enhanced interaction with DNA and a higher buffering capacity due to AMP amines leading to a higher transfection efficiency in cancer cells (A549, HeLa and HepG2) compared to native chitosan and Lipofectamine®. In vivo studies in Balb/c through intravenous injection demonstrated a higher luciferase expression compared to LMW chitosan.

A direct access to bioactive fused N-heterocyclic acetic acid derivatives.

A Cu-catalyzed new sequence involving the Ullmann type intermolecular C-C followed by an intramolecular C-N coupling and then intramolecular aza-Michael type addition (and oxidation) in a single pot afforded various fused N-heterocyclic acetic acid derivatives as inhibitors of PDE4.

Synthesis and in vitro anti-proliferative effects of 3-(hetero)aryl substituted 3-[(prop-2-ynyloxy)(thiophen-2-yl)methyl]pyridine derivatives on various cancer cell lines.

A series of 3-(hetero)aryl substituted 3-[(prop-2-ynyloxy)(thiophen-2-yl)methyl]pyridine derivatives were designed as potential anticancer agents. These compounds were conveniently prepared by using Pd/C-Cu mediated Sonogashira type coupling as a key step. Many of these compounds were found to be promising when tested for their in vitro anti-proliferative properties against six cancer cell lines. All these compounds were found to be selective towards the growth inhibition of cancer cells with IC50 values in the range of 0.9-1.7 µM (against MDA-MB 231 and MCF7 cells), comparable to the known anticancer drug doxorubicin.

Synthesis of 2H-1,3-benzoxazin-4(3H)-one derivatives containing indole moiety: their in vitro evaluation against PDE4B.

A number of 2H-1,3-benzoxazin-4(3H)-one derivatives containing indole or benzofuran moieties were synthesized by using Pd/C-Cu mediated coupling-cyclization strategy as a key step. The o-iodoanilides or o-iodophenol were coupled with 3-{2-(prop-2-ynyloxy)ethyl}-2H-benzo[e][1,3]oxazin-4(3H)-one using 10%Pd/C-CuI-PPh3 as a catalyst system and Et3N as a base to give the target compounds. All the synthesized compounds were tested for their PDE4B inhibitory potential in vitro using a cell based cAMP reporter assay. Some of them showed fold increase of the cAMP level when tested at 30 µM. A representative compound showed encouraging PDE4B inhibitory properties that were supported by its docking results.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of nimesulide based new class of triazole derivatives as potential PDE4B inhibitors against cancer cells.

A new class of 1,2,3-triazol derivatives derived from nimesulide was designed as potential inhibitors of PDE4B. Synthesis of these compounds was carried out via a multi-step sequence consisting of copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) as a key step in aqueous media. The required azide was prepared via the reaction of aryl amine (obtained from nimesulide) with α-chloroacetyl chloride followed by displacing the α-chloro group by an azide. Some of the synthesized compounds showed encouraging PDE4B inhibitory properties in vitro that is >50% inhibition at 30 µM that were supported by the docking studies of these compounds at the active site of PDE4B enzyme (dock scores ~ -28.6 for a representative compound). Two of these PDE4 inhibitors showed promising cytotoxic properties against HCT-15 human colon cancer cells in vitro with IC50 ~ 21-22 µg/mL.

Novel alkynyl substituted 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one derivatives as potential inhibitors of chorismate mutase.

A series of novel alkynyl substituted 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one (DHPM) derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated in vitro as potential inhibitors of chorismate mutase (CM). All these compounds were prepared via a multi-component reaction (MCR) involving sequential I2-mediated Biginelli reaction followed by Cu-free Sonogashira coupling. Some of them showed promising inhibitory activities when tested at 30µM. One compound showed dose dependent inhibition of CM with IC50 value of 14.76±0.54µM indicating o-alkynylphenyl substituted DHPM as a new scaffold for the discovery of promising inhibitors of CM.

Pd-mediated construction of a cyclopentane ring fused with indoles.

Unprecedented synthesis of functionalized indoles of potential pharmacological interest has been developed via a Pd-mediated cascade reaction involving an intramolecular Heck coupling followed by the construction of a fused cyclopentane ring in a single pot.

Vinylic amino group activation: a new and general strategy leading to functionalized fused heteroaromatics.

A conceptually new and general strategy has been developed for the construction of a benzimidazole or a benzoxazole ring fused with isoquinolinone affording a diverse and unique class of small molecules as potential and novel inhibitors of PDE4.

Construction and functionalization of fused pyridine ring leading to novel compounds as potential antitubercular agents.

A series of fused and functionalized pyridine derivatives were designed, synthesized and tested for their potential antitubercular properties. All these novel compounds were prepared by using multistep methods involving the construction of pyridine ring as a key synthetic step. Some of these compounds were found to be interesting when tested for their antitubercular properties in vitro and one of them appeared as an attractive and potential antitubercular agent.