Synthesis and Bioactivity Evaluation of N-Arylsulfonylindole Analogs Bearing a Rhodanine Moiety as Antibacterial Agents.

Due to the rapidly growing bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the scarcity of novel agents under development, bacterial infections are still a pressing global problem, making new types of antibacterial agents, which are effective both alone and in combination with traditional antibiotics, urgently needed. In this paper, seven series of N-arylsulfonylindole analogs 5-11 bearing rhodanine moieties were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for antibacterial activity. According to the in vitro antimicrobial results, half of the synthesized compounds showed potent inhibition against four Gram-positive bacteria, with MIC values in the range of 0.5-8 µg/mL. For multidrug-resistant strains, compounds 6a and 6c were the most potent, with MIC values of 0.5 µg/mL, having comparable activity to gatifloxacin, moxiflocaxin and norfloxacin and being 128-fold more potent than oxacillin (MIC = 64 µg/mL) and 64-fold more active than penicillin (MIC = 32 µg/mL) against Staphylococcus aureusATCC 43300.

LTP-1, a novel antimitotic agent and Stat3 inhibitor, inhibits human pancreatic carcinomas in vitro and in vivo.

Pancreatic cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide with a poor survival rate. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism of action of a novel antimitotic and Stat3 inhibitor, LTP-1, on human pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo. We found that LTP-1 inhibited pancreatic cancer cell growth and viability with significant G2/M arrest and disruption of microtubule dynamics. LTP-1 also caused G2/M arrest-independent Stat3 dephosphorylation along with ERK activation, which indicated the possible dual function of LTP-1. Long-term treatment of LTP-1 also induced polyploidy, activated caspases, induced subG1 cell population, and therefore, triggered pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis. Finally, we used an in vivo xenograft model to demonstrate that LTP-1 suppressed the growth of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In summary, our data suggest that LTP-1 may alter microtubule dynamics, which ultimately causes polyploidy and apoptosis, thereby inhibiting pancreatic cancer growth in vitro and in vivo. This study provides evidence that LTP-1 could be a potential therapeutic agent for further development of pancreatic cancer treatment.

Synthesis and optimization of arylsulfonylpiperazines as a novel class of inhibitors of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11 beta-HSD1).

The synthesis and SAR of a series of arylsulfonylpiperazine inhibitors of 11beta-HSD1 are described. Optimization rapidly led to potent, selective, and orally bioavailable inhibitors demonstrating efficacy in a cynomolgus monkey ex vivo enzyme inhibition model.

Identification of arylsulfonamides as Aquaporin 4 inhibitors.

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors AZA, EZA, and 4-acetamidobenzsulfonamide were found to inhibit human AQP4-M23 mediated water transport by 80%, 68%, and 23%, respectively, at 20 microM in an in vitro functional assay. AZA was found to have an IC50 against AQP4 of 0.9 microM. Phloretin was inactive under the same conditions.

8-(Sulfostyryl)xanthines: water-soluble A2A-selective adenosine receptor antagonists.

8-(Sulfostyryl)xanthine derivatives were synthesized as water-soluble A2A-selective adenosine receptor (AR) antagonists. meta- and para-sulfostyryl-DMPX (3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine) derivatives 11a and 11b exhibited high affinity to rat A2A-AR in submicromolar concentrations, and were 20- to 30-fold selective versus rat A1-AR. Styryl-DMPX derivatives were inactive at human A2B- and A3-AR. 1,3-Dipropyl-8-p-sulfostyrylxanthine (13) or only a 7-methyl derivative (14) showed similar (13) or higher (14) A2A affinity than 11a and 11b but showed no (13) or only a low degree (14) of selectivity versus A1-, A2B-, and A3-AR. The A2A-selective sulfostyryl-DMPX derivatives exhibit high water-solubility and may be useful research tools for in vivo studies.