Design, synthesis, and evaluation of new benzimidazole thiourea derivatives as antitumor agents.

Novel benzimidazole thiourea derivatives were designed and synthesized based on sorafenib as a lead compound. The benzimidazole moiety was traded by the pyridine ring to enhance the hydrophobic interaction and retain hydrogen bonding in the hinge region, while lipophilic moieties with different bulkiness were employed in the deep hydrophobic pocket for better hydrophobic interactions. Thiourea as a urea bioisostere was also utilized. Substantial activity was demonstrated against a leukemia subpanel in an in vitro antitumor screening at the NCI. In the single-dose assay, compounds 7i, 7j, and 7l had a GI%) higher than sorafenib against most leukemia cell lines (GI% = 86.2%-137.1%), while in the five-dose assay, compound 7l outperformed sorafenib against the HL-60(TB) and SR leukemia cell lines in terms of GI50 , TGI, and LC50 . Compound 7l also caused cycle arrest at the G0-G1 and S phases in the HL-60(TB) leukemia cell line and induced apoptosis via elevating the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and increasing caspases 3, 7, and 9 by 5.1-, 3.2-, and 5.2-fold, respectively. Compounds 7i, 7j, and 7l also inhibited the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), B-Raf(V600E) , and platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFR-ß) enzymes with an IC50 range of 0.063-0.44 µM. COMPARE analysis and a molecular docking study were also performed to predict the possible mechanism of action and binding mode, respectively.

New tilomisole-based benzimidazothiazole derivatives as anti-inflammatory agents: Synthesis, in vivo, in vitro evaluation, and in silico studies.

New tilomisole-based benzimidazothiazole derivatives were designed and synthesized in this work. Their anti-inflammatory activity was assessed through the in vivo carrageenan rat paw edema model, and the in vitro COX inhibition assay. Compounds 13, 20, 30, 40, 43, and 46 demonstrated values of inhibition of induced edema in the in vivo assay comparable to celecoxib. All the synthesized compounds expressed their activity on COX-2 enzyme more than COX-1, proving their advantageous selectivity. In addition, compounds 13, 16, 20, 25, and 46 displayed lower IC50 values than celecoxib as a reference drug against COX-2 enzyme; having values of 0.09, 13.87, 32.28, 33.01, and 5.18 nM respectively vs 40.00 nM for celecoxib. Particularly, the most active compound (13) with its extreme potency (400 folds more potent than celecoxib) exhibited a notable high selectivity index (SI = 159.5). In silico studies, including ADMET prediction, compliance to Lipinski's rule of five, and molecular docking into the active site of both COX isozymes were conducted for the synthesized compounds. The results suggested that these compounds are good candidates for orally active drugs, and docking revealed higher number of interactions with COX-2 for 13 as the most active compound compared with COX-1 reflecting its advantageous selectivity and explaining its extreme potency.

The Automatic Detection of Cognition Using EEG and Facial Expressions.

Detecting cognitive profiles is critical to efficient adaptive learning systems that automatically adjust the content delivered depending on the learner's cognitive states and skills. This study explores electroencephalography (EEG) and facial expressions as physiological monitoring tools to build models that detect two cognitive states, namely, engagement and instantaneous attention, and three cognitive skills, namely, focused attention, planning, and shifting. First, while wearing a 14-channel EEG Headset and being videotaped, data has been collected from 127 subjects taking two scientifically validated cognitive assessments. Second, labeling was performed based on the scores obtained from the used tools. Third, different shallow and deep models were experimented in the two modalities of EEG and facial expressions. Finally, the best performing models for the analyzed states are determined. According to the used performance measure, which is the f-beta score with beta = 2, the best obtained results for engagement, instantaneous attention, and focused attention are EEG-based models with 0.86, 0.82, and 0.63 scores, respectively. As for planning and shifting, the best performing models are facial expressions-based models with 0.78 and 0.81, respectively. The obtained results show that EEG and facial expressions contain important and different cues and features about the analyzed cognitive states, and hence, can be used to automatically and non-intrusively detect them.

New benzimidazothiazole derivatives as anti-inflammatory, antitumor active agents: Synthesis, in-vitro and in-vivo screening and molecular modeling studies.

A new series of benzimidazothiazole derivatives has been synthesized. The structure of the products was confirmed by spectroscopic techniques such as IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy. The tested compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity either in vitro through the COX enzyme inhibition assay, or in vivo through carrageenan paw edema technique. Results revealed that compound 25 and 29 represented the most active ones among the entire series with % inhibition 72.19, 72.07 for COX-1, and 87.46, 87.38 for COX-2, respectively. Interestingly, all synthesized compounds exhibited IC50 values less than both reference drugs celecoxib and naproxen, indicating their superior potency. For compound 25, it showed about 340 and 198 times more potent than celecoxib and naproxen respectively as COX-1 inhibitor (IC50 value 0.044 vs. 15.000 and 8.700 µM), and 10 and 115 times more potent than the same drugs as COX-2 inhibitor (IC50 value 4.52 vs. 40.00 and 520.00 nM). The antitumor activity of the products was also evaluated and the results obtained are consistent with those obtained by the anti-inflammatory screening where compounds 25 and 29 proved to be the most active ones among the other compounds with %GI ranging from 31.5 to 62.5% and they exhibited the lowest IC50 values as well. The ADMET analysis of the tested compounds was also performed in addition to the molecular modeling studies that included flexible alignment, surface and electrostatic maps in addition to the Lipinisk's rule of five.

Synthesis and in vitro antitumor evaluation of some new thiophenes and thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives.

New thiophene (2-13) and thienopyrimidine (15-27) derivatives have been synthesized. Twenty three compounds were screened against five cell lines namely; hepatocellular carcinoma (liver) HepG-2, epidermoid carcinoma (larynx) Hep-2, mammary gland (breast) MCF-7, human prostate cancer PC-3 and epithelioid cervix carcinoma HeLa. The results revealed that compounds 15,16,17,24 and 25 showed the highest antitumor activity against all tested cell lines compared to Doxorubicin. In order to explain the expected mode of action of the observed anticancer activity, compounds 15,16,17,24 and 25 were selected to screen their DNA binding affinity and enzyme inhibitory activity against DNA polymerase, thymidylate synthase and tyrosine kinase. The results revealed that the tested compounds showed good DNA binding affinity as well as good inhibitory activity against the three enzymes which might explain the observed anticancer activity of the target compounds.

Structure-based drug design and biological evaluation of 2-acetamidobenzothiazole derivative as EGFR kinase inhibitor.

EGFR tyrosine kinase has been reported mainly in 40-80% of non-small lung cancers, in addition to colon and breast cancers. In this study, we illustrate the synthesis of a highly potent antitumor agent. The synthesized compound 4 was screened at NCI, USA, for antitumor activity against non-small lung cancer, colon cancer and breast cancer cell lines. Results indicated that this compound is more potent antitumor agent compared to erlotinib against all tested cell lines except breast cancer (MDA-MB-468) cell line. In addition, it was tested initially at a single dose concentration of 100 µM over 11 different kinases. At this concentration, 94.45% inhibition of the enzymatic activity of EGFR kinase was observed, while the inhibition in activity was below 55% in all other kinases. Compound 4 was further tested in a 10-dose IC50 mode and showed IC50 value of 0.239 µM for EGFR kinase. In vivo acute toxicity of this compound was also tested.

Synthesis, docking study and ß-adrenoceptor activity of some new oxime ether derivatives.

A new series of oxime ethers 4a-z was designed and synthesized to test the blocking activity against ß1 and ß2-adrenergic receptors. Docking of these ether derivatives into the active site of the identified 3D structures of ß1 and ß2-adrenergic receptors showed MolDock scores comparable to those of reference compounds. Biological results revealed that the inhibition effects on the heart rate and contractility are less than those of propranolol. Nevertheless, the two compounds 4p and 4q that displayed the highest negative MolDock score with ß2-adrenergic receptors showed ß2-antagonistic activity by decreasing salbutamol relaxation of precontracted tracheal strips, which indicates the importance of a chlorothiophene moiety in the hydrophobic region for best complementarity with ß2 receptors. On other hand, the presence of a homoveratryl moiety increases the MolDock score of the tested compounds with the ß1 receptor.

Isatin-ß-thiocarbohydrazones: Microwave-assisted synthesis, antitumor activity and structure-activity relationship.

A new series of isatin-ß-thiocarbohydrazones was synthesized based on the pharmacophoric features of triapine required for metal chelation. Our strategy involved the modifications of triapine basic skeleton by replacing pyridinyl moiety with isatin which retains the tridentate feature of triapine needed for metal chelation. The new compounds were esteemed for their antitumor efficacy against cervical cancer (Hela) and kidney fibroblast cancer (COS-7) cell lines. Compounds 4c, 4d, 5c and 5e exhibited remarkable efficacy against Hela cell line. In addition, compounds 4c, 4k, 4e, 5c and 5e displayed an outstanding efficacy against COS-7 cell line. Compounds 4c, 4k, 4e, 5c and 5e were examined for their in vivo antitumor efficacy against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) in mice. Pharmacophore mapping was performed to study the structural features of the synthesized compounds compared to triapine and to identify the essential moieties required for potent and selective antitumor activity.

Microwave-assisted synthesis and antitumor evaluation of a new series of thiazolylcoumarin derivatives.

A new series of thiazolylcoumarin derivatives was synthesized. The designed strategy embraced a molecular hybridization approach which involves the combination of the thiazole and coumarin pharmacophores together. The new hybrid compounds were tested for in vitro antitumor efficacy over cervical (Hela) and kidney fibroblast (COS-7) cancer cells. Compounds 5f, 5h, 5m and 5r displayed promising efficacy toward Hela cell line. In addition, 5h and 5r were found to be the most active candidates toward COS-7 cell line. The four active analogs, 5f, 5h, 5m and 5r were screened for in vivo antitumor activity over EAC cells in mice, as well as in vitro cytotoxicity toward W138 normal cells. Results illustrated that 5r has the highest in vivo activity, and that the four analogs are less cytotoxic than 5-FU toward W138 normal cells. In this study, 3D pharmacophore analysis was performed to investigate the matching pharmacophoric features of the synthesized compounds with trichostatin A. In silico studies showed that the investigated compounds meet the optimal needs for good oral absorption with no expected toxicity hazards.

EGFR tyrosine kinase targeted compounds: in vitro antitumor activity and molecular modeling studies of new benzothiazole and pyrimido[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives.

In this study, we illustrate computer aided drug design of new benzothiazole and pyrimido[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives as epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) inhibitors. Compounds 1-5 were screened at NCI, USA, for antitumor activity against non-small cell lung cancer (NCI-H522), colon cancer (HCT-116, HCT-15 and HT29) and breast cancer (MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231/ATCC) cell lines in which EGFR is overexpressed in varying levels. Results indicated that these compounds are more potent antitumor agents compared to erlotinib against HT29 and MDA-MB-231/ATCC cell lines. Compound 3 showed GI50 value of 22.3 nM against NCI-H522 cell line, while erlotinib exhibited GI50 value of 1 µM against the same cell line. In addition, these compounds were studied for their EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitory activity. Virtual screening utilizing molecular modeling and QSAR techniques enabled the understanding of the pharmacophoric requirements for antitumor activity. Docking the designed compounds into the ATP binding site of EGFR-TK domain was done to predict the analogous binding mode of these compounds to the EGFR-TK inhibitors.

Synthesis and in vitro antitumor activity of new series of benzothiazole and pyrimido[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives.

New series of benzothiazole and pyrimido[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives were synthesized and characterized by analytical and spectrometrical methods (IR, HRMS, (1)H and (13)C NMR). Nineteen of the synthesized compounds were selected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), USA, to be screened for their antitumor activity at a single dose (10 µM) against a panel of 60 cancer cell lines. The most active compounds, 4, 6, 10, 14, 17 and 20 were selected for further evaluation at five dose level screening. Compounds 17 (GI50 = 0.44 µM, TGI = 1.2 µM and LC50 MG-MID = 6.6 µM) and 4 (GI50 = 0.77 µM, TGI = 2.08 µM and LC50 MG-MID = 11.74 µM) were proved to be the most active members in this study. 3D and 2D pharmacophoric maps for the structural features of both compounds were studied.

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of novel fused thiophene derivatives as 5-HT2A receptor antagonists: molecular modeling study.

Novel derivatives of cyclopentathienopyrimidinediones 6, pyridothienopyrimidinediones 7, ethyl cycloheptathiophene-3-carboxylates 10, ethyl tetrahydrothienopyridine-3-carboxylates 11, tetrahydrocycloheptathienopyrimidin-4(3H)-ones 12, tetrahydrotriazolobenzothienopyrimidin-5(4H)-ones 17 and tetrahydro-5H-cycloheptathienopyrimidin-4(3H)-ones 21 have been synthesized and tested for their 5-HT2A antagonist activity. Preliminary pharmacological studies showed that compounds 3-[2-[4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl]ethyl]-6,7-dihydro-5H-cyclopenta[b]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione 6a and ethyl 2-[[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]acetylamino]-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-6-methylthieno[2,3-c]pyridine-3-carboxylate 11d were found to be the most active molecules as 5-HT2A antagonists. Molecular modeling and pharmacophore prediction methodology are used to study the structural features required for 5-HT2A antagonist properties of the active compounds compared with nonactive species by means of the molecular mechanic method. The 2-methoxy substituent in the structure of 11d seems to be necessary for its full antagonistic properties. Optimal placement of basic nitrogen relative to the plane of thiophene core was found to have a profound effect on affinity and biological activity.