Nanovesicular ultraflexible invasomes and invasomal gel for transdermal delivery of phytopharmaceuticals.

Tweetable abstract Invasomes and invasomal gel are ultraflexible, soft vesicular, phospholipid based nanocarriers with deeper skin penetration ability for transdermal applications of drugs and phytopharmaceuticals.

Synthesis, characterization, and radiosynthesis of fluorine-18-AVT-011 as a Pgp chemoresistance imaging marker.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is the most studied ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporter and contributes to chemoresistance. A few tracers have been developed to detect the in-vivo status of chemoresistance using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. In our study, we have synthesized labeled AVT-011 with fluorine-18 (18F) followed by in-vitro and in-vivo analysis. Tosylate AVT-011 precursor was synthesized and characterized by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. AVT-011 was labeled with 18F using the nucleophilic substitution method, and a standard set of quality control was performed. The specificity for Pgp was tested in U87MG cells with and without an inhibitor (tariquidar). The biodistribution and in-vivo stability were tested in the small animals (mice). The biodistribution data of [18F]-AVT-011 was extracted from the PET-CT imaging of breast cancer patients (n = 6). The precursor was synthesized with 36 ± 4% yield and 97 ± 2% purity. The labeling was more than 95% with a 42 ± 2% yield, as evaluated by Radio-HPLC. The cell-binding assay showed a specificity of the tracer for Pgp as the uptake increased by twice after blocking the Pgp receptors. The radiotracer showed a hepatorenal excretion pathway for clearance in an animal study. The uptake was higher in the liver, lungs, spleen, and heart at 15 min and decreased at 60 min. The patients' distribution showed similar uptake patterns as observed in the small animals. [18F]AVT-011 was characterized successfully with high radiochemical purity and yield. The in-vitro and in-vivo studies proved its specificity for Pgp and safe for patient use.

Targeting G-Quadruplex DNA for Cancer Chemotherapy.

The self-association of DNA formed by Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding comprises several layers of four guanine or G-tetrads or G4s. The distinct feature of G4s, such as the G-tetrads and loops, qualify structure-selective recognition by small molecules and various ligands and can act as potential anticancer therapeutic molecules. The G4 selective ligands can influence gene expression by targeting a nucleic acid structure rather than sequence. Telomere G4 can be targeted for cancer treatment by small molecules inhibiting the telomerase activity, whereas c-MYC is capable of controlling transcription and can be targeted to influence transcription. The k-RAS is one of the most frequently encountered oncogenic driver mutations in pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers. The k-RAS oncogene plays an important role in acquiring and increasing drug resistance and can also be directly targeted by small molecules to combat k-RAS mutant tumors. Modular G4 ligands with different functional groups, side chains, and rotatable bonds, as well as conformation, affect the binding affinity/ selectivity in cancer chemotherapeutic interventions. These modular G4 ligands act by targeting the diversity of G4 loops and groves and assist in developing more drug-like compounds with selectivity. In this review, we present the recent research on synthetic G4 DNA-interacting ligands as an approach towards the discovery of target-specific anticancer chemotherapeutic agents.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Spirooxindole Derivatives Using One-Pot Multicomponent Cycloaddition Reaction and Evaluation of Their Antiproliferative Efficacy.

A highly stereoselective, one-pot, multicomponent method has been developed to synthesize pyrrolizidine- and N-methyl pyrrolidine-substituted spirooxindole derivatives. The [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction involves the reaction between the dipole azomethine ylides, generated in situ from the reaction between isatin and secondary amino acids such as L-proline or sarcosine, and α,ß-unsaturated carbonyl compounds as the dipolarophile. The reaction condition was optimized to achieve excellent regio- and stereoselectivity. Products were obtained in good yield using ethanol as a solvent at the reflux temperature. The newly synthesized spirooxindole derivatives were evaluated for their antiproliferative efficacy against National Cancer Institute (NCI)-60 cancer cell lines and DNA G-quadruplex (G4) interaction capacity. Compound 14b produced selective cytotoxicity against leukemia, renal, colon, and prostate cancer cell lines at a 10 µM concentration. The G4 interaction studies further suggested that these spirooxindole derivatives were devoid of any activity as DNA G4 ligands.

Author Correction: Preparation of Lauroyl Grafted Alginate-Psyllium Husk Gel Composite Film with Enhanced Physicochemical, Mechanical and Antimicrobial Properties.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Preparation of Lauroyl Grafted Alginate-Psyllium Husk Gel Composite Film with Enhanced Physicochemical, Mechanical and Antimicrobial Properties.

In this study, a lauroyl grafted hydrophobic glycolipid derivative of alginate has been successfully synthesized and characterized. This glycolipid has been incorporated into Psyllium husk gel-alginate composite films and compared with the films containing only Psyllim husk gel and Psyllim husk gel-alginate for its mechanical and physicochemical properties. Additionally, the composite film has also been evaluated for protein adsorption and antimicrobial property to verify its utility in biomedical applications. The results showed that the composite films have enhanced physicochemical and mechanical properties. The film produced better swelling characteristic and lower protein adsorption property indicating the usefulness of the film in wound care dressing, particularly for low suppurating wounds. Incorporation of the synthesised glycolipid derivative also imparts antimicrobial activity to the composite film. Therefore, the developed film is capable of sustaining the microbial contamination during the storage and also valuable in the biomedical utility including wound dressings.

Hybrids of Steroid and Nitrogen Mustard as Antiproliferative Agents: Synthesis, In Vitro Evaluation and In Silico Inverse Screening.

Hybrids of 16E-arylidene steroids and nitrogen mustard have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity to develop tissue specific antineoplastic agents from steroids. These hybrids displayed specificity towards leukemia cell lines, however somewhat reduced potency was observed in comparison with the earlier reported 16E-arylidene steroids. The in silico reverse screening experiments were employed to find out the probable pharmacological mechanism of these hybrids. Molecular docking studies suggested glucocorticoid receptors as a probable target for the antileukemic action of these steroid-nitrogen mustard hybrids.

Synthesis of androstene oxime-nitrogen mustard bioconjugates as potent antineoplastic agents.

In the present study, synthesis and antineoplastic activity of phenylacetic acid and benzoic acid nitrogen mustard conjugates of various steroidal oximes are reported for the first time. The conjugation was achieved through a more stable oxime-ester linkage and the resulting newly synthesized conjugates were evaluated in vitro on various human cancer cell lines for cytotoxicity. The extent of their alkylating activity was investigated by the in vitro colorimetric 4-(p-nitrobenzyl)pyridine (NBP) assay. The 17E-steroidal oxime-benzoic acid mustard ester 3ß-acetoxy-17E-[p-(N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)amino)]benzoyloxyimino-androst-5-ene (8) emerged as the most potent conjugate having significant cytotoxicity on most of the NCI 60-cell lines. Outstanding growth inhibition was observed on the IGROV1 ovarian cancer cell line with GI50=0.937µM. In general, the D-ring derived androstene oxime-nitrogen mustard conjugates were found to possess better antineoplastic activity over a variety of cancer cells in comparison to those derived from other rings of the steroid skeleton.

FTIR assay method for UV inactive drug carisoprodol and identification of degradants by RP-HPLC and ESI-MS.

A new method of analysis has been developed for UV inactive drug carisoprodol using FTIR spectroscopy. These methods were validated for various parameters according to ICH guidelines. The proposed method has also been successfully applied for the determination of the drug concentration in a tablet formulation. The method proved to be accurate (mean percentage recovery between 95 and 105%), precise and reproducible (relative standard deviation<2%), while being simple, economical and less time consuming than other methods and can be used for routine estimation of carisoprodol in the pharmaceutical industry. The developed method also implicates its utility for other UV inactive substances. The stability of the drug under various stress conditions was studied and the drug was found to be particularly susceptible to alkaline hydrolysis. Degradation products of the alkaline hydrolysis were detected by RP-HPLC and tentatively identified by ESI-MS.

Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of some androstene oximes and their O-alkylated derivatives.

In order to study the structure-activity relationship with respect to the cytotoxicity of steroidal oximes, several 6E-hydroximino-4-ene steroids and their O-alkylated derivatives were synthesized. The oxime ethers were solidified and purified by preparing their corresponding oxalate salts. The new derivatives as well as some previously synthesized ones were evaluated for in vitro antineoplastic activity against a panel of 60 cancer cell lines at 10 µM. The oximes and oxime ethers were found to have moderate to good antiproliferative activity against various leukemia, colon, melanoma, and renal cancer cell lines.

Synthesis and antileukemic activity of 16E-[4-(2-carboxy)ethoxybenzylidene]-androstene amides.

In order to determine the structural requirements for cytotoxicity against various tumor cell lines, a new series of 16E-arylidene androstene amides with varying degrees of unsaturation in ring A has been synthesized. Characterization and invitro cytotoxic studies of the newly synthesized compounds are discussed. The compounds on evaluation against various tumor cell lines exhibited significant growth inhibition on leukemia cell lines. 3-Chloro-16E-{[4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-oxoethoxy]benzylidene}androst-5-en-17-one (10) emerged as the most potent compound of the series with GI(50) values of 3.94, 2.61, 6.90 and 1.79µM against CCRF-CEM, K-562, RPMI-8226 and SR leukemia cell lines, respectively.