Designing Potent Anti-Cancer Agents: Synthesis and Molecular Docking Studies of Thieno[2,3-d][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine Derivatives.

A new series of thieno[2,3-d][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines was designed and synthesized using readily available starting materials, specifically, ß-enaminoester. Their cytotoxicity was screened against three cancer cell lines, namely, MCF-7, HCT-116, and PC-3. 2-(4-bromophenyl)triazole 10b and 2-(anthracen-9-yl)triazole 10e afforded excellent potency against MCF-7 cell lines (IC50 = 19.4 ± 0.22 and 14.5 ± 0.30 µM, respectively) compared with doxorubicin (IC50 = 40.0 ± 3.9 µM). The latter derivatives 10b and 10e were further subjected to in silico ADME and docking simulation studies against EGFR and PI3K and could serve as ideal leads for additional modification in the field of anticancer research.

In Silico Targeting of Fascin Protein for Cancer Therapy: Benchmarking, Virtual Screening and Molecular Dynamics Approaches.

Fascin is an actin-bundling protein overexpressed in various invasive metastatic carcinomas through promoting cell migration and invasion. Therefore, blocking Fascin binding sites is considered a vital target for antimetastatic drugs. This inspired us to find new Fascin binding site blockers. First, we built an active compound set by collecting reported small molecules binding to Fascin's binding site 2. Consequently, a high-quality decoys set was generated employing DEKOIS 2.0 protocol to be applied in conducting the benchmarking analysis against the selected Fascin structures. Four docking programs, MOE, AutoDock Vina, VinaXB, and PLANTS were evaluated in the benchmarking study. All tools indicated better-than-random performance reflected by their pROC-AUC values against the Fascin crystal structure (PDB: ID 6I18). Interestingly, PLANTS exhibited the best screening performance and recognized potent actives at early enrichment. Accordingly, PLANTS was utilized in the prospective virtual screening effort for repurposing FDA-approved drugs (DrugBank database) and natural products (NANPDB). Further assessment via molecular dynamics simulations for 100 ns endorsed Remdesivir (DrugBank) and NANPDB3 (NANPDB) as potential binders to Fascin binding site 2. In conclusion, this study delivers a model for implementing a customized DEKOIS 2.0 benchmark set to enhance the VS success rate against new potential targets for cancer therapies.

Design and synthesis of new 2-oxoquinoxalinyl-1,2,4-triazoles as antitumor VEGFR-2 inhibitors.

VEGFR-2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor for VEGFs that play a central role in tumor angiogenesis. The inhibition of the tyrosine kinase domain of VEGFR-2 has become an attractive therapeutic strategy in recent years for inhibiting tumor growth. In this study, a series of novel 2-oxoquinoxalinyl-1,2,4-triazoles were designed and synthesized as potential antitumor agents and VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Eight compounds in this series showed high growth inhibition against MCF-7 with GI50 ranging from 1.6 to 8.06 µM compared to staurosporine (GI50 = 8.39 µM) and sorafenib (GI50 = 11.20 µM). In addition, the results of the in vitro tyrosine kinase inhibition of VEGFR-2 revealed that most of the compounds possessed IC50 values in the sub-micromolar range. Compound 6g (IC50 = 0.037 µM) showed more potent VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity than sorafenib (IC50 = 0.045 µM). Furthermore, docking studies of the compounds with tyrosine kinase domain of VEGFR-2 (PDB ID: 4ASD) were performed. According to the results, 6g exhibited hydrogen bonding interactions with Glu885, Asp1046 and Cys919 amino acids in a similar way to sorafenib. Finally, physicochemical predictions of target compounds were examined in silico. The results revealed that all the compounds possessed promising drug-likeness profile.

Antibacterial and anticancer profiling of new benzocaine derivatives: Design, synthesis, and molecular mechanism of action.

The need for new chemotherapeutics to overcome development of resistance merits research to discover new agents. Benzocaine derivatives are essential compounds in medicinal chemistry due to their various biological activities including antibacterial and anticancer activities. Therefore, this study focuses on the synthesis of new benzocaine derivatives 3a-e, 6, 7a and 7b, 8, 10-14, and 16a-d and their in vitro evaluation as antibacterial agents against gram +ve and -ve strains and as anticancer agents against HepG-2, HCT-116, and MCF-7 human cancer cell lines. The obtained results demonstrated that thiazolidines 6 and 7b showed higher antibacterial and anticancer activity in comparison with the reference drugs. In addition, 6 and 7b showed high potency as inhibitors toward their biological targets, that is DNA gyrase and human topoisomerase IIα, as compared to the reference standard drugs novobiocin and etoposide, respectively. Molecular docking demonstrated that both compounds could identify the active site of their target enzymes and develop effective binding interactions. Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME) and drug-likeness predictions of both compounds showed that they both have good ADME profiles and no structural alerts that might cause toxicity. Based on this, 6 and 7b could serve as lead compounds for the design of more potent antibacterial and anticancer agents.

Nourin-Associated miRNAs: Novel Inflammatory Monitoring Markers for Cyclocreatine Phosphate Therapy in Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Cyclocreatine phosphate (CCrP) is a potent bioenergetic cardioprotective compound known to preserve high levels of cellular adenosine triphosphate during ischemia. Using the standard Isoproterenol (ISO) rat model of heart failure (HF), we recently demonstrated that the administration of CCrP prevented the development of HF by markedly reducing cardiac remodeling (fibrosis and collagen deposition) and maintaining normal ejection fraction and heart weight, as well as physical activity. The novel inflammatory mediator, Nourin is a 3-KDa formyl peptide rapidly released by ischemic myocardium and is associated with post-ischemic cardiac inflammation. We reported that the Nourin-associated miR-137 (marker of cell damage) and miR-106b-5p (marker of inflammation) are significantly upregulated in unstable angina patients and patients with acute myocardial infarction, but not in healthy subjects. OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that Nourin-associated miR-137 and miR-106b-5p are upregulated in ISO-induced "HF rats" and that the administration of CCrP prevents myocardial injury (MI) and reduces Nourin gene expression in "non-HF rats". METHODS: 25 male Wistar rats (180-220 g) were used: ISO/saline (n = 6), ISO/CCrP (0.8 g/kg/day) (n = 5), control/saline (n = 5), and control/CCrP (0.8 g/kg/day) (n = 4). In a limited study, CCrP at a lower dose of 0.4 g/kg/day (n = 3) and a higher dose of 1.2 g/kg/day (n = 2) were also tested. The Rats were injected SC with ISO for two consecutive days at doses of 85 and 170 mg/kg/day, respectively, then allowed to survive for an additional two weeks. CCrP and saline were injected IP (1 mL) 24 h and 1 h before first ISO administration, then daily for two weeks. Serum CK-MB (U/L) was measured 24 h after the second ISO injection to confirm myocardial injury. After 14 days, gene expression levels of miR-137 and miR-106b-5p were measured in serum samples using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). RESULTS: While high levels of CK-MB were detected after 24 h in the ISO/saline rats indicative of MI, the ISO/CCrP rats showed normal CK-MB levels, supporting prevention of MI by CCrP. After 14 days, gene expression profiles showed significant upregulation of miR-137 and miR-106b-5p by 8.6-fold and 8.7-fold increase, respectively, in the ISO/saline rats, "HF rats," compared to the control/saline group. On the contrary, CCrP treatment at 0.8 g/kg/day markedly reduced gene expression of miR-137 by 75% and of miR-106b-5p by 44% in the ISO/CCrP rats, "non-HF rats," compared to the ISO/Saline rats, "HF rats." Additionally, healthy rats treated with CCrP for 14 days showed no toxicity in heart, liver, and renal function. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a role of Nourin-associated miR-137 and miR-106b-5p in the pathogenesis of HF and that CCrP treatment prevented ischemic injury in "non-HF rats" and significantly reduced Nourin gene expression levels in a dose-response manner. The Nourin gene-based mRNAs may, therefore, potentially be used as monitoring markers of drug therapy response in HF, and CCrP-as a novel preventive therapy of HF due to ischemia.

Marine Brominated Tyrosine Alkaloids as Promising Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2.

There have been more than 150 million confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic in 2019. By June 2021, the mortality from such infections approached 3.9 million people. Despite the availability of a number of vaccines which provide protection against this virus, the evolution of new viral variants, inconsistent availability of the vaccine around the world, and vaccine hesitancy, in some countries, makes it unreasonable to rely on mass vaccination alone to combat this pandemic. Consequently, much effort is directed to identifying potential antiviral treatments. Marine brominated tyrosine alkaloids are recognized to have antiviral potential. We test here the antiviral capacity of fourteen marine brominated tyrosine alkaloids against five different target proteins from SARS-CoV-2, including main protease (Mpro) (PDB ID: 6lu7), spike glycoprotein (PDB ID: 6VYB), nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (PDB ID: 6VYO), membrane glycoprotein (PDB ID: 6M17), and non-structural protein 10 (nsp10) (PDB ID: 6W4H). These marine alkaloids, particularly the hexabrominated compound, fistularin-3, shows promising docking interactions with predicted binding affinities (S-score = -7.78, -7.65, -6.39, -6.28, -8.84 Kcal/mol) for the main protease (Mpro) (PDB ID: 6lu7), spike glycoprotein (PDB ID: 6VYB), nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (PDB ID: 6VYO), membrane glycoprotein (PDB ID: 6M17), and non-structural protein 10 (nsp10) (PDB ID: 6W4H), respectively, where it forms better interactions with the protein pockets than the native interaction. It also shows promising molecular dynamics, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity profiles. As such, further exploration of the antiviral properties of fistularin-3 against SARS-CoV-2 is merited.

Selective VEGFR-2 inhibitors: Synthesis of pyridine derivatives, cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction profiling.

VEGFR-2 is a key regulator in cancer angiogenesis. This research displays the design and synthesis of novel 3-cyano-6-naphthylpyridine scaffold-based derivatives as selective VEGFR-2 inhibitors and cytotoxic agents. In vitro percent kinase activity inhibition screening against a panel of 23 kinases at a single high dose (30 nM) affirmed that VEGFR-2 was selectively the most responsive to inhibition by the investigated chemotypes. IC50 values determination demonstrated kinase inhibitory activities of the test compounds at the sub-nanomolar level. In vitro testing of the new compounds against two prostate cancer cell lines namely PC3 and DU145 and two breast cancer cell lines namely MCF-7 and MDA-MB435 confirmed their potent cytotoxic activity with IC50s at the nanomolar level. The most active compound against MCF-7 viz.11d was subjected to an in vivo examination against a xenograft mouse model and was found effective. Studying the tissue mRNA expression levels of various cell cycle controlling biomolecules in 11d-treated MCF-7 cells demonstrated (i) upregulation of p53, p21 and p27, (ii) cleavage of PARP protein, (iii) activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9, (iv) downregulation of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl, (v) upregulation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax, and (vi) decreased expression of Cdks 2, 4, 6 and cyclin D1. Additionally, 11d affected a cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase in treated MCF-7 cells and an S phase arrest in MCF-7 p53 knockdown cells. Additionally, molecular docking was performed to predict how 11d might bind to its biological target VEGFR-2. Finally, in-silico ADME and drug-likeness profiling of these derivatives demonstrated favorable properties thereof.

Synthesis and in vitro investigation of novel cytotoxic pyrimidine and pyrazolopyrimidne derivatives showing apoptotic effect.

A series of novel derivatives of hydrazinylpyrimidines, pyrazolylpyrimidines and 3-amino[3,4-d]pyrazolopyrimidines have been synthesized and tested for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against 60 tumor cell lines by NCI. The in vitro cytotoxic IC50 values for the most active compounds were determined against the colon-KM12 cell line (5d, 7c and 7d), breast-MCF-7 (6a) and melanoma-MDA-MB-435 (6h) using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as a positive control. Derivatives 5d and 7c were found to be the most potent derivatives against KM12 cell line (IC50 = 1.73 and 1.21 µM, respectively) with a high selectivity index (SI) (18.82 and 35.49, respectively) compared to 5-FU (IC50 = 12.26 µM, SI = 1.93). Compounds 5d and 7c were further investigated for their apoptotic behavior in KM12 cell line. The investigations showed the up-regulation of caspase 3/9 and the pro-apoptotic factor Bax. On the other hand, the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2, was down-regulated, as well as its inhibition at a nanomolar concentration. Furthermore, the apoptotic effect for derivatives 5d and 7c in KM12 cells was detected using annexin V-FITC staining method.

New benzenesulfonamide scaffold-based cytotoxic agents: Design, synthesis, cell viability, apoptotic activity and radioactive tracing studies.

A new series of thiazolidinone (5a-g), thiazinone (9a-g) and dithiazepinone (9a-g) heterocycles bearing a benzenesulfonamide scaffold was synthesized. Cytotoxicity of these derivatives was assessed against MCF-7, HepG2, HCT-116 and A549 cancer cell lines and activity was compared to the known cytotoxic agents doxorubicin and 5-FU where the most active compounds displayed better to nearly similar IC50 values to the reference compounds. For assessing selectivity, the most active derivatives against MCF-7, 5b, 5c and 5e, were also assessed against the normal breast cell line MCF-10 A where they demonstrated high selective cytotoxicity to cancerous cells over that to normal cells. Further, the effect of the most active compounds 5b-e on MCF-7 and HepG2 cell cycle phase distribution was assessed and the tested sulfonamide derivatives were found to induce accumulation of cells in the <2n phase. To further confirm apoptosis induction, caspase 8 and 9 levels in MCF-7 and HepG2 were evaluated before and after treatment with compounds 5b-e and were found to be significantly higher after exposure to the test agents. Since 5c was the most active, its effect on the cell cycle regulation was confirmed where it showed inhibition of the CDK2/cyclin E1. Finally, in vivo biodistribution study using radioiodinated-5c revealed a significant uptake and targeting ability into solid tumor in a xenograft mouse model.

Design and molecular modeling of novel P38α MAPK inhibitors targeting breast cancer, synthesized from oxygen heterocyclic natural compounds.

Two new series of furochromone and benzofuran derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against MCF-7 and MDA231 breast cancer cell lines. Compounds 5, 6, 7, 9, 15a, 16, 17a and 18 exhibited the best antiproliferative activities with IC50 values ranging from 1.19 to 2.78 µM against MCF-7 superior to lapatinib as reference standard (IC50; 4.69 µM). Compounds 15a and 18 revealed significant cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and MDA231, therefore their inhibitory potencies against p38α MAP kinase were evaluated. Remarkably they exhibited significant IC50 of 0.04 µM comparable to SB203580 (IC50; 0.50 µM) as a reference standard. These promising results of cytotoxic activity and significant inhibition of p38α MAP kinase, were confirmed by exploring the effect of benzofuran derivative (18) on the apoptotic induction and cell cycle progression of MCF-7 cell line. Compound 18 induced preG1 apoptosis and cell growth arrest at G2/M phase preventing the mitotic cycle. Moreover it activated the caspase-7 which executes apoptosis. Molecular docking study was carried out using GOLD program to predict the mode of binding interaction of the synthesized compounds into the target p38α MAPK. Additionally, the physicochemical properties and ADME parameters of compound 18 were examined in silico to investigate its drug-likeness.

The molecular basis of cytotoxicity of α-spinasterol from Ganoderma resinaceum: Induction of apoptosis and overexpression of p53 in breast and ovarian cancer cell lines.

Despite advances in therapy of breast and ovarian cancers, they still remain among the most imperative causes of cancer death in women. The first can be considered one of the most widespread diseases among females, while the latter is more lethal and needs prompt treatment. Thus, the research field can still benefit from discovery of new compounds that can be of potential use in management of these grave illnesses. We hereby aimed to assess the antitumor activity of the phytosterol α-spinasterol isolated from Ganoderma resinaceum mushroom on human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231), as well as, on human ovarian cancer cell line (SKOV-3). The anti-tumor activity of α-spinasterol, isolated from the mycelial extract of the Egyptian G. resinaceum, on human breast and ovarian cancer cell lines was evaluated by MTT cell viability assay and AnnexinV/propidium iodide apoptosis assay. The molecular mechanism underlying this effect was assessed by the relative expression of the following markers; tumor suppressor (p53, BRCA1, BRCA2), apoptotic marker (Bax) and cell cycle progression markers (cyclin dependent kinases cdk4/6) using real-time PCR. Cell cycle analysis was performed for the three investigated cancer cell lines to explore the effect on cell cycle progression. Our findings showed that α-spinasterol exhibited a higher antitumor activity on MCF-7 cells relative to SKOV-3 cells, while its lowest antitumor activity was against MDA-MB-231 cells. A significant increase in the expression of p53 and Bax was observed in cells treated with α-spinasterol, while cdk4/6 were significantly down-regulated upon exposure to α-spinasterol. Cell cycle analysis of α-spinasterol treated cells showed a G0 -G1 arrest. In conclusion, α-spinasterol isolated from G. resinaceum mushroom exerts a potent inhibitory activity on breast and ovarian cancer cell lines in a time- and dose-dependent manner. This can be reasonified in lights of the compound's ability to increase p53 and Bax expressions, and to lower the expression of cdk4/6.

Personalized Medicine and Resurrected Hopes for the Management of Alzheimer's Disease: A Modular Approach Based on GSK-3ß Inhibitors.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurological disorders with vast reaching worldwide prevalence. Research attempts to decipher what's happening to the human mind have shown that pathogenesis of AD is associated with misfolded protein intermediates displaying tertiary structure conformational changes eventually leading to forming large polymers of unwanted aggregates. The two hallmarks of AD pathological protein aggregates are extraneuronal ß-amyloid (Aß) based senile plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). As such, AD is categorized as a protein misfolding neurodegenerative disease (PMND) . Therapeutic interventions interfering with the formation of these protein aggregates have been widely explored as potential pathways for thwarting AD progression. One such tactic is modulating the function of enzymes involved in the metabolic pathways leading to formation of these misfolded protein aggregates. Much evidence has shown that glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß) plays a key role in hyperphosphorylation of tau protein leading eventually to its aggregation to form NFTs. Data presented hereby will display a plethora of information as to how to interfere with progression of AD through the route of GSK-3ß activity control.

Synthesis, molecular modeling and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 inducer activity of novel 2-phenylquinazolin-4-amine derivatives.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an integral role in the pathogenesis of most diseases. This work presents the design and synthesis of novel 2-phenylquinazolin-4-amine derivatives (2-12) and evaluation of their NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) inducer activity in murine cells. Also, molecular docking of all the new compounds was performed to assess their ability to inhibit Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction through occupying the Keap1-Nrf2-binding domain which biologically leads to a consequent Nrf2 accumulation and enhanced gene expression of NQO1. Docking results showed that all compounds have the ability to interact with Keap1; however compound 7, the most active compound in this study, showed more interactions with key amino acids.

Cytotoxic activity of some novel sulfonamide derivatives.

The versatile synthons 2-chloro-N-(4-sulfamoylphenyl)acetamides la,b were used as a key intermediates for the synthesis of sulfonamide derivatives with adamantyl 2, indene 3, morpholinophenyl 4, pipronyl 5, benzothiazole 6-8, pyrazole 9, thiadiazole 10,11, quinoline 12, isoquinoline 13, thiazoles 14-19, acrylamides 20-24 and benzochromene 25 moieties via reaction with several nitrogen nucleophiles. The newly synthesized compounds were screened in vitro for their anticancer activity against breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) and colon cancer (HT-29) cell lines. Compound 17 was found to be the most potent against breast cancer cell lines with IC55 value 66.6 µM compared with the reference drug 5-fluorouracil with IC50 value 77.28 µM.

Design, synthesis and molecular docking of novel N,N-dimethylbenzenesulfonamide derivatives as potential antiproliferative agents.

Novel pyridine, thiophene, thiazole, chromene and benzochromene derivatives bearing a N,N-dimethylbenzenesulfonamide moiety 6-20 were synthesized. The target compounds were obtained through employing a series of heterocyclization reactions utilizing the key intermediate hydrazide hydrazone derivative 3. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by elemental analyses, IR, (1)H-NMR and (13)C-NMR spectral data. All the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antiproliferative activity against the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Biological screening results showed that sulfonamides 6, 9, 11, 16 and 17 with IC50 values 21.81, 25.50, 20.60, 25.83 and 31.20 µM, respectively, possessed higher antiproliferative activity compared to doxorubicin, IC50 value 32.00 µM, as position control. Molecular docking study was also performed to assess the binding mode of the synthesized sulfonamides with their potential biomolecular target, carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX), which is usually highly expressed in some types of cancer cells.

Synthesis, molecular modeling and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 inducer activity of novel cyanoenone and enone benzenesulfonamides.

Abstract In biological systems, the Keap1/Nrf2/antioxidant response element pathway determines the ability of mammalian cells to adapt and survive conditions of oxidative, electrophilic and inflammatory stress by regulating the production of cytoprotective enzymes NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1, EC 1.6.99.2) being one of them. Novel biologically active benzenesulfonamides 2, 3, 5-7, penta-2,4-dienamide 4 and chromene-2-carboxamide 8 structurally augmented with an electron-deficient Michael acceptor enone or cyanoenone functionalities were prepared. A new biological activity was conferred to these molecules, that of induction of NQO1. The potency of induction was increased by incorporation of a nitrile group adjacent to the enone and the dinitrophenyl derivative 3 was the most promising inducer. Also, molecular docking of the new compounds in the Nrf2-binding site of Keap1 was performed to assess their ability to inhibit Keap1 which biologically leads to a consequent Nrf2 accumulation and enhanced gene expression of NQO1. Docking results showed considerable interactions between the new molecules and essential binding site amino acids.

Gamma Secretase as an Important Drug Target for Management of Alzheimer's Disease: A Comprehensive Review.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disease that affects the memory. AD has been attributed to the aggregations of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides which result in the formation of plaques that block the neuron-transferring process done by the brain memory cells. These plaques are formed upon cleavage of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) by Gamma-Secretase (GS). GS protein has around 141 substrates, the important two are APP and Notch. Considering one of the hot spots in AD research, we focused on GS and its relation to AD. Moreover, a lot of research was done on beta-secretase and drugs were developed to target it however, few drugs are established for GS. GS contains four subunits: Presenilin (PS), PEN-2, Nicastrin, and APH-1. The catalytic subunit is PS, which contains the active site for substrate binding, as well as the allosteric and docking sites. Both PEN-2 and APH-1 are regulators for the stability and activity of GS. Nicastrin, helps the substrates bind to the PS. Additionally, the role of the immuno-protein named "IFITM3" and how it affects the immune system and its relation to AD is presented. GS is one of the most studied proteins with many developed candidates as inhibitors (GSI) and modulators (GSM). Examples of GSI are Semagacestat and Avagacestat while GSM includes E2012; which inhibits the cleavage activity of GS. In this report, each of the four subunits of GS is described in detail, along with the interactions between GS and its inhibitors or modulators. In addition, the FDA-approved drugs are enlisted.

Exploring a repurposed candidate with dual hIDO1/hTDO2 inhibitory potential for anticancer efficacy identified through pharmacophore-based virtual screening and in vitro evaluation.

Discovering effective anti-cancer agents poses a formidable challenge given the limited efficacy of current therapeutic modalities against various cancer types due to intrinsic resistance mechanisms. Cancer immunochemotherapy is an alternative strategy for breast cancer treatment and overcoming cancer resistance. Human Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (hIDO1) and human Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (hTDO2) play pivotal roles in tryptophan metabolism, leading to the generation of kynurenine and other bioactive metabolites. This process facilitates the de novo synthesis of Nicotinamide Dinucleotide (NAD), promoting cancer resistance. This study identified a new dual hIDO1/hTDO2 inhibitor using a drug repurposing strategy of FDA-approved drugs. Herein, we delineate the development of a ligand-based pharmacophore model based on a training set of 12 compounds with reported hIDO1/hTDO2 inhibitory activity. We conducted a pharmacophore search followed by high-throughput virtual screening of 2568 FDA-approved drugs against both enzymes, resulting in ten hits, four of them with high potential of dual inhibitory activity. For further in silico and in vitro biological investigation, the anti-hypercholesterolemic drug Pitavastatin deemed the drug of choice in this study. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations demonstrated that Pitavastatin forms stable complexes with both hIDO1 and hTDO2 receptors, providing a structural basis for its potential therapeutic efficacy. At nanomolar (nM) concentration, it exhibited remarkable in vitro enzyme inhibitory activity against both examined enzymes. Additionally, Pitavastatin demonstrated potent cytotoxic activity against BT-549, MCF-7, and HepG2 cell lines (IC50 = 16.82, 9.52, and 1.84 µM, respectively). Its anticancer activity was primarily due to the induction of G1/S phase arrest as discovered through cell cycle analysis of HepG2 cancer cells. Ultimately, treating HepG2 cancer cells with Pitavastatin affected significant activation of caspase-3 accompanied by down-regulation of cellular apoptotic biomarkers such as IDO, TDO, STAT3, P21, P27, IL-6, and AhR.

Unleashing new MTDL AChE and BuChE inhibitors as potential anti-AD therapeutic agents: In vitro, in vivo and in silico studies.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is challenging due to its irreversible declining cognitive symptoms and multifactorial nature. This work tackles targeting both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and BuChE with a multitarget-directed ligand (MTDL) through design, synthesis, and biological and in silico evaluation of a series of twenty eight new 5-substituted-2-anilino-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives 4a-g, 5a-g, 9a-g and 13a-g dual inhibitors of the target biomolecules. In vitro cholinesterases inhibition and selectivity assay of the synthesized derivatives showed excellent nanomolar level inhibitory activities. Compound 5a, the most potent inhibitor, elicited IC50s of 46.9 and 3.5 nM against AChE and BuChE, respectively (SI = 0.07), 5 folds better than the known dual inhibitor Rivastagmine. In vivo and ex vivo investigation showed that 5a significantly inhibited MDA levels and increased GSH contents, thus, attenuating the brain tissue oxidative stress. Additionally, 5a significantly decreased AChE and BuChE levels and inhibited self-mediated ß-amyloid aggregation in brains of treated rats. Histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation demonstrated lessened damage and decreased caspase-3 and VEGF expression levels. In silico prediction of 5a's pharmacokinetics and toxicity profiles reflected promising results. Finally, 5a demonstrated tight binding interactions with the two target biomolecules upon docking along with stable complex formation with its bio-targets throughout the 100 ns MD trajectories.

Discovery of Quinolinone Hybrids as Dual Inhibitors of Acetylcholinesterase and Aß Aggregation for Alzheimer's Disease Therapy.

The development of multitargeted therapeutics has evolved as a promising strategy to identify efficient therapeutics for neurological disorders. We report herein new quinolinone hybrids as dual inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Aß aggregation that function as multitargeted ligands for Alzheimer's disease. The quinoline hybrids (AM1-AM16) were screened for their ability to inhibit AChE, BACE1, amyloid fibrillation, α-syn aggregation, and tau aggregation. Among the tested compounds, AM5 and AM10 inhibited AChE activity by more than 80% at single-dose screening and possessed a remarkable ability to inhibit the fibrillation of Aß42 oligomers at 10 µM. In addition, dose-dependent screening of AM5 and AM10 was performed, giving half-maximal AChE inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 1.29 ± 0.13 and 1.72 ± 0.18 µM, respectively. In addition, AM5 and AM10 demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibitory profiles for the aggregation of Aß42 oligomers with estimated IC50 values of 4.93 ± 0.8 and 1.42 ± 0.3 µM, respectively. Moreover, the neuroprotective properties of the lead compounds AM5 and AM10 were determined in SH-SY5Y cells incubated with Aß oligomers. This work would enable future research efforts aiming at the structural optimization of AM5 and AM10 to develop potent dual inhibitors of AChE and amyloid aggregation. Furthermore, the in vivo assay confirmed the antioxidant activity of compounds AM5 and AM10 through increasing GSH, CAT, and SOD activities that are responsible for scavenging the ROS and restoring its normal level. Blood investigation illustrated the protective activity of the two compounds against lead-induced neurotoxicity through retaining hematological and liver enzymes near normal levels. Finally, immunohistochemistry investigation revealed the inhibitory activity of ß-amyloid (Aß) aggregation.