Novel quinazolin-2-yl 1,2,3-triazole hybrids as promising multi-target anticancer agents: Design, synthesis, and molecular docking study.

In our study, a series of quinazoline-1,2,3-triazole hybrids (14a-r) have been designed and synthesized as multi-target EGFR, VEGFR-2, and Topo II inhibitors. All synthesized hybrids were assessed for their anticancer capacity. MTT assay revealed that compounds 14a, 14d, and 14k were the most potent hybrids against four cancer cell lines, HeLa, HePG-2, MCF-7, and HCT-116 at low micromolar range while exhibiting good selectivity against normal cell line WI-38. Sequentially, the three compounds were evaluated for EGFR, VEGFR-2, and Topo II inhibition. Compound 14d was moderate EGFR inhibitor (IC50 0.103 µM) compared to Erlotinib (IC50 0.049 µM), good VEGFR-2 inhibitor (IC50 0.069 µM) compared to Sorafenib (IC50 0.031 µM), and stronger Topo II inhibitor (IC50 19.74 µM) compared to Etoposide (IC50 34.19 µM) by about 1.7 folds. Compounds 14k and 14a represented strong inhibitory activity against Topo II with (IC50 31.02 µM and 56.3 µM) respectively, compared to Etoposide. Additionally, cell cycle analysis and apoptotic induction were performed. Compound 14d arrested the cell cycle on HeLa at G2/M phase by 17.53 % and enhanced apoptosis by 44.08 %. A molecular Docking study was implemented on the three hybrids and showed proper binding interaction with EGFR, VEGFR-2, and Topo II active sites.

Developing multitarget coumarin based anti-breast cancer agents: synthesis and molecular modeling study.

A new series of 7-substituted coumarin scaffolds containing a methyl ester moiety at the C4-position were synthesized and tested for their in vitro anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines using Doxorubicin (DOX) as reference. Compounds 2 and 8 showed noticeable selectivity against MCF-7 with IC50 = 6.0 and 5.8 µM, respectively compared to DOX with IC50 = 5.6 µM. Compounds 10, 12, and 14 exhibited considerable selectivity against Estrogen Negative cells with IC50 = 2.3, 3.5, and 1.9 µM, respectively) compared to DOX with (IC50 = 7.3 µM). The most promising compounds were tested as epidermal growth factor receptor and aromatase (ARO) enzymes inhibitors using erlotinib and exemestane (EXM) as standards, respectively. Results proved that compound 8 elicited the highest inhibitory activity (94.73% of the potency of EXM), while compounds 10 and 12 displayed 97.67% and 81.92% of the potency of Erlotinib, respectively. Further investigation showed that the promising candidates 8, 10, and 12 caused cell cycle arrest at G0-G1 and S phases and induced apoptosis. The mechanistic pathway was confirmed by elevating caspases-9 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. A set of in silico methods was also performed including docking, bioavailability ADMET screening and QSAR study.

New benzimidazole based hybrids: Synthesis, molecular modeling study and anticancer evaluation as TopoII inhibitors.

Three series of new benzimidazole hybrids were designed and synthesized as promising human TopoII inhibitors. They were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques (1H, 13C NMR, ESI-MS and IR). All hybrids (6-23) were screened for their in vitro antiproliferative activity against five human cancer cell lines namely; HepG-2, MCF-7, PC-3, HCT-116 and Hela. Compound 21 showed the most potent anticancer activity against all cancer cell lines, with IC50 range of 2.82 to 12.59 µM, while proving safe towards normal cells WI-38 (IC50 = 31.89 µM) compared to the reference drug doxorubicin (IC50 = 6.72 µM). The most active candidates 13, 20, 21, 22 and 23 were further assessed for their human TopoII inhibition. The best of which, compounds 13 and 20 showed IC50 of 6.72 and 8.18 µM respectively compared to staurosporine (IC50 = 4.64 µM). Further mechanistic studies for compound 13 showed cell cycle arrest at S-phase by 51.29 % and a significant increase in the total apoptosis by 62.5 folds. Furthermore, apoptosis study proved that it induced apoptosis by decreasing both IAP and Bcl-2, activating caspases 3, 8 and 9, and increasing accumulation of ROS in HepG-2 cells. Besides, it decreased transcription factors' binding activity to DNA. Comparative molecular docking study was performed between the most potent TopoII inhibitors 13 and 20, and the least potent one 23 to relate the binding pattern with TopoII catalytic active site to the biological activity, where all results came in agreement with the biological results. Additional molecular modeling studies including surface mapping and contact preferences were performed to emphasize the importance of hydrophobicity. Physicochemical calculations were assessed where compounds 13 and 20 represented very promising orally active drug candidates.

Insights into modulating the monastrol scaffold: Development of new pyrimidinones as Eg5 inhibitors with anticancer activity.

Based on modulation of the monastrol scaffold, two series of pyrimidinone derivatives, 3a-e and 5a-k, were designed, synthesized, and investigated for their in vitro anticancer activity. Compound 5j exhibited the most potent cytotoxic activity against four cancer cell lines, including HCT-116, HeLa, HEPG-2, and MCF-7, with IC50 values of 3.75-5.13 µM, while proving to be safe in the normal human cell line WI-38, with a selectivity index value of 13.7 on HCT-116 cells. Compounds 3d, 3e, and 5h-j were further assessed for their Eg5 inhibitory activity, where 3d and 5h-j showed high Eg5 inhibition with IC50 values of 28.48, 24.22, 18.90, and 12.89 µM, respectively, when compared to monastrol (IC50 = 14.89 µM). Cell cycle distribution of HCT-116 cells monitored with compound 5j illustrated that the cell cycle was arrested at the G2/M phase, with considerable apoptotic effect. A molecular docking study was performed to investigate the mode of action of the synthesized anticancer agents as Eg5 inhibitors.

Design, synthesis and molecular modeling of phenyl dihydropyridazinone derivatives as B-Raf inhibitors with anticancer activity.

Three new series of phenyl dihydropyridazinone derivatives 4b-8i have been designed, synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activity against different cancer cell lines. Nine compounds showed strong inhibitory activity, among which compound 8b exhibited potent activity against PC-3 cell line with IC50 value of 7.83 µM in comparison to sorafenib (IC50 11.53 µM). Compounds 6a, 6c, 7f-h and 8a-d were further screened for their B-Raf inhibitory activity where seven compounds 7f-h and 8a-d showed high B-Raf inhibition with ranges of IC50 values 70.65-84.14 nM and 24.97-44.60 nM, respectively when compared to sorafenib (IC50 44.05 nM). Among the tested compounds, 8b was the most potent B-Raf inhibitor with IC50 value of 24.79 nM. Cell cycle analysis of MCF-7 cells treated with 8b showed cell cycle arrest at G2-M phase with significant apoptotic effect. Molecular modeling study was performed to understand the binding mode of the most active synthesized compounds with B-Raf enzyme.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modeling study of [1,2,4]-Triazolo[4,3-c]quinazolines: New class of EGFR-TK inhibitors.

New series of triazolo[4,3-c]quinazolines were designed, synthesized and their structures were elucidated using different spectroscopic techniques. They were evaluated for their in vitro antitumor activity against HepG2, MCF-7, PC-3, HCT-116 and HeLa cancer cell lines using MTT assay. It was found that all compounds showed variable in vitro cytotoxicity. Distinct derivatives exhibited higher inhibitory activity against the tested cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 8.27 to 10.68 µM using DOX standard (IC50 = 4.17-8.87 µM). In vitro epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition assay was performed. Results revealed that compounds 8, 19 and 21 exhibited worthy EGFR inhibitory activity with IC50 values ranging from 0.69 to1.8 µM in comparison to the reference drug Gefitinib (IC50 = 1.74 µM). Further investigation showed that active candidates 8, 19 and 21 caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and interestingly, induced cell death by apoptosis of MCF-7 cells cumulatively with 7.14, 17.52 and 24.88%, respectively, compared with DOX as a positive reference (29.09%). Molecular modeling studies, including docking, flexible alignment and surface mapping, were also done to study the interaction mode into the active site of EGFR kinase domain. There was a good agreement between modeling results and biological results. ADMET analysis and parameters of Lipinski's rule of five were calculated. Pharmacokinetic parameters showed that compound 8 had more expected penetration through blood brain barrier than Gefitinib. The present work displayed new triazoloquinazoline based derivatives with potent cytotoxicity and promising EGFR inhibition activity.

Synthesis, molecular modeling and anticancer activity of new coumarin containing compounds.

A series of new coumarin containing compounds were synthesized from 4-bromomethylcoumarin derivatives 2a, b and different heteroaromatic systems 4a-e, 6a-d, 8, 10via methylene thiolinker. Twenty-four compounds were screened biologically against two human tumor cell lines, breast carcinoma MCF-7 and hepatocellular carcinoma HePG-2, at the national cancer institute, Cairo, Egypt using 5-fluorouracil as standard drug. Compounds 5h, 7d, 7h, 9a, 13a and 13d showed strong activity against both MCF-7 and HepG-2 cell lines with being compound 13a is the most active with IC50 values of 5.5 µg/ml and 6.9 µg/ml respectively. Docking was performed with protein 1KE9 to study the binding mode of the designed compounds.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new curcumin analogues as antioxidant and antitumor agents: molecular modeling study.

New curcumin analogues have been synthesized and their antioxidant activities were investigated by measuring their free radical scavenging capacities. The in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities of the synthesized compounds on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cell line were evaluated. 4-(4-Chlorophenyl)-2-(5-ethyl-7-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3,3a,4,5,6,7-hexahydro-2H-pyrazolo[4,3-c] pyridin-2-yl)thiazole 7h showed excellent antineoplastic activity in both in vitro and in vivo studies more than that of tested compounds and reference drug, cisplatin. Different molecular modeling studies were performed, where docking of compound 7h into telomerase active site suggested that it could exert its antitumor potential by telomerase inhibition.

Novel analogues of sydnone: synthesis, characterization and antibacterial evaluation.

New sydnone derivatives bearing a substituted phenyl ring at the 3-position have been synthesized. Two separate series of 3-(carboxyphenyl)sydnone derivatives have been prepared by cyclization of the corresponding N-nitroso-N-(carboxyphenyl)-glycine 3. The obtained 3-(carboxyphenyl)sydnones 4 were subjected to a series of different chemical reactions on the carboxylic acid group. Compound 5, the potassium salt of 4a, was reacted with alpha-chloroacetanilide derivatives 6 to give the corresponding esters 7. On the other hand, the acid hydrazide 9 was condensed with different aromatic aldehydes to give the corresponding arylidene derivatives 10. The synthesized compounds were tested for their antibacterial activities against both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. Some of the test compounds exhibited high activity; among them, 10d is considered to be a lead compound possessing high broad-spectrum antibacterial activity.

Synthesis and biological testing of novel analogues of sydnone as potential antibacterial agents.

Several series of 3-phenylsydnone derivatives conjugated to well-known moieties with antibacterial activity were synthesized via several routes. These derivatives include 3-cyano-2-oxopyridine, 2-amino-3-cyanopyridine, 2-arylidene-1-ethylidenehydrazine and 2-aroyl-1-ethylidenehydrazine moieties. Thus, the key intermediate 3-(4-acetylphenyl)sydnone (3) was allowed to react with the appropriate aldehyde, ethyl cyanoacetate or malononitrile in presence of excess ammonium acetate in two steps (method 1) or through a one-pot reaction technique (methods 2 and 3) to give the corresponding sydnone derivatives 5 and 6, respectively. Moreover, condensation of compound 3 with hydrazine hydrate followed by the reaction with the appropriate aldehyde, mono- and dicarboxylic acid hydrazide yielded the corresponding sydnone derivatives 8, 9 and 10, respectively. Most of the synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against various pathogenic organisms of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using agar dilution method.

Novel 3,3a,4,5,6,7-hexahydroindazole and arylthiazolylpyrazoline derivatives as anti-inflammatory agents.

A novel series of 7-benzylidene-3, 3a, 4, 5, 6, 7-hexahydro-3-phenyl-2H-indazole substituted at the 2-position were synthesized. The reaction of 2, 6-bis-benzylidenecyclohexanone (1) with thiosemicarbazide in the presence of NaOH afforded a mixture of the 3-H, 3a-H trans 2 and cis 2a diastereoisomers which have been separated by fractional recrystallization. Interaction of the first intermediate 2 with substituted phenacyl bromides, aromatic aldehydes and chloroacetic acid in presence of a mixture of acetic acid and acetic anhydride, and 2, 3-dichloroquinoxaline yielded the corresponding 7-benzylidene-3, 3a, 4, 5, 6, 7-hexahydro-3-phenyl-2H-indazole derivatives substituted at the 2-position with 4-aryl-2-thiazolyl 3a, b, 5-arylidene-4, 5-dihydro-4-oxo-2-thiazolyl 4a, b and thiazolo[4, 5-b]quinoxalin-2-yl 5, respectively. Moreover, the other intermediates 3, 5-diaryl-1-thiocarbamoyl-2-pyrazolines 7a-d were reacted with the previously-mentioned reagents and gave the corresponding 3, 5-diaryl-1-(4-aryl-2-thiazolyl)-2-pyrazolines 8a-h, 3, 5-diaryl-1-(5-arylidene-4, 5-dihydro-4-oxo-2-thiazolyl)-2-pyrazolines 9a-d and 3, 5-diaryl-1-(thiazolo[4, 5-b]quinoxalin-2-yl)-2-pyrazoline derivatives 10a, b, respectively. Some of the newly prepared compounds were subjected to evaluation for their anti-inflammatory activity. The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by elemental analyses as well as (1)H-NMR, IR, and MS data.

Synthesis and in vitro antibacterial evaluation of novel imidazo[2',1':5,1]-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-c]-quinazoline derivatives of 5-thioxo-1, 2, 4-triazole, 4-oxothiazolidine, and their open-chain counterparts.

Two novel series of imidazo[2', 1':5, 1]-1, 2, 4-triazolo[4, 3-c]quinazolines bearing 5-thioxo-1, 2, 4-triazoles, 6a-f, and 4-oxothiazolidines, 7a-f, were synthesized from corresponding thiosemicarbazide derivatives, 5a-f. The stepwise methodology applied to the preparation of compounds 5a-f was initiated with reaction of the parent 3-amino-1, 2, 4-triazolo[4, 3-c]quinazolines, 2, with ethyl 2-chloroacetoacetate resulting in annelation of the imidazole ring to give esters, 3a-c. However, hydrazinolysis of these ester derivatives gave the corresponding acid hydrazides, 4a-c, which on reaction with the appropriate alkyl isothiocyanate yielded compounds 5a-f. In turn, compounds 5, were cyclized with potassium hydroxide or with ethyl bromoacetate to give the corresponding thioxotriazoles 6 and oxothiazolidines 7, respectively. All synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Some test compounds were found to possess potent antibacterial activities. Compound, 7f, exhibited much higher potency than the reference standard ciprofloxacin, against both types of bacteria, particularly, Gram-positive organisms.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of some quinazoline derivatives as antitumor and antiviral agents.

A new series of 4-(4-aryl-1-piperazinyl)quinazolines 4a-f, 4-(3-substituted phenylamino)quinazoline derivatives 5a-h, 2-methoxycarbonylphenylaminoquinazoline derivatives 6a, b, 2-hydrazinocarbonylphenylaminoquinazolines 7a, b and 2-aryl-1-(substituted 4-quinazolinyl)-1,4-dihydro-5-oxo-5H-1,3,4-benzotriazepines 8a-j have been synthesized and tested for their antitumor and antiviral activities. Among them, compounds 5a-d exhibited broad spectrum antitumor activity with full panel median growth inhibition (GI50) at concentrations of 3.2, 2.0, 4.8, 4.0 mumol/l and total growth inhibition at concentrations of 56.5, 51.0, 63.0 and 73.0 mumol/l, respectively. Compounds 7a and 7b showed moderate selectivity toward leukemia cell line. On the other hand, compounds 8a and 8b showed moderate anti HIV-1 potency with EC50 values of 40.5 and 52.8 mumol/l, respectively. The detailed synthesis, spectroscopic and biological data are reported.

Pyrido[2, 3-d]pyrimidines and pyrimido[5',4':5, 6]pyrido[2, 3-d]pyrimidines as new antiviral agents: synthesis and biological activity.

A series of 7-amino- and 7-oxo-5-aryl-6-cyanopyrido[2, 3-d]pyrimidines, 4 and 11, respectively, and pyrimido [5', 4':5, 6]pyrido[2, 3-d]pyrimidine derivatives 6 and 7 was synthesized and investigated as antiviral agents. Different synthetic strategies for the preparation of the target compounds were explored. A synthetic procedure for 4 and 11 starting with 6-amino-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydro-2, 4-dioxopyrimidine, proper aldehyde, and malononitrile or ethyl cyanoacetate, respectively, in a one-pot reaction proved to be the method of choice for preparation of compounds of such type. Construction of another pyrimidine ring on the pyridine nucleus of compound 4 was achieved either by reaction with phenyl iso(thio)cyanate or with formic acid to yield 6 and 7, respectively. The structure of the prepared compounds was confirmed through elemental analysis and spectral investigation. Most of the newly synthesized compounds were subjected to antiviral activity testing against herpes simplex virus (HSV) where some of them show good activities.

Synthesis and antiinflammatory screening of some quinazoline and quinazolyl-4-oxoquinazoline derivatives.

Synthesis of some new derivatives of 2-aryl-4-oxo-1-(4-quinazolyl)quinazolines is described. Methyl N-(4-quinazolyl)anthranilate was allowed to react with phenyl iso(thio)cyanate to give 3-phenyl-1-(4-quinazolyl)-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydro-2, 4-dioxo- and 4-oxo-2-thioxoquinazolines (3a and 3b respectively) Alternatively, anthranilic acid amide derivatives were subjected to cyclization with aromatic aldehydes to give 2-aryl-4-oxo-1-(4-quinazolyl)-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydroquinazolines 5. On the other hand, 2-chloro-4-(4-substituted 1-piperazinyl)quinazoline derivatives were subjected to the same type of reactions at the 2-position to afford the corresponding quinazoline derivatives 8 and 10 respectively. Furthermore, the acid amide 4b cyclized with acid chlorides to give the corresponding 2-aryl-1-(2-chloro-4-quinazolyl)-4-oxo-1, 4-dihydroquinazolines 11 from which the triazoloquinazoline derivatives 13 and 15 were synthesized through the intermediate hydrazine derivatives 12. Most of the newly synthesized compounds were tested for their antiinflammatory activities. However, some of the novel compounds were found to exhibit good antiinflammatory potencies.