Design,synthesis, in silico and antiproliferative evaluation of novel pyrazole derivatives as VEGFR‐2 inhibitors

As the blockade of the VEGFR‐2 signaling pathway is a viable approach in cancer therapy, the present study focuses on a series of pyrazole based VEGFR‐2 inhibitors that were designed on the basis of the hybridization approach, supported by docking and in silico computational studies. The designed compounds were synthesized through facile synthetic methods and the structures were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The compounds were screened for in vitro antiproliferative activity against the HT‐29 (human colon cancer) and MCF‐7 (human breast cancer) cell lines by MTT assay. The compounds were also studied for in vitro inhibitory activity against VEGFR‐2 kinase. Among all the tested compounds, compound 6h emerged as a potent agent in the antiproliferative study against HT‐29 and MCF‐7 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 2.36 and 6.59 μM, respectively. Moreover, the same compound exhibited the highest VEGFR‐2 inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 1.89 μM. In docking studies, the designed compounds showed similar and essential key interactions as those of known VEGFR‐2 inhibitors. The present study may lead to new molecules in the development of anticancer agents targeting VEGFR‐2.     

Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel 4‐Aminopiperidinyl‐linked 3,5‐Disubstituted‐1,2,6‐thiadiazine‐1,1‐dione Derivatives as HIV‐1 NNRTIs

Based on the hybridization of the privileged fragments in DABO and DAPY‐typed HIV‐1 NNRTIs, a novel series of 4‐aminopiperidinyl‐linked 3,5‐disubstituted‐1,2,6‐thiadiazine‐1,1‐dione derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro anti‐HIV activities in MT‐4 cells. Most of the target compounds showed weak inhibitory activity against WT HIV‐1. In order to confirm the mode of action of the target compounds, representative compounds Ba8 and Bb8 were selected to perform the HIV‐1 RT inhibitory assay. In this assay, Ba8 and Bb8 displayed good activity with IC₅₀ values of 3.15 and 1.52 μm , respectively. Additionally, preliminary structure–activity relationships (SARs) analysis and molecular docking studies of newly synthesized compounds are also discussed.     

Design,synthesis, and preliminary bioactivity evaluation of N1‐hydroxyterephthalamide derivatives with indole cap as novel histone deacetylase inhibitors

Histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDACIs) have been widely recognized as significant therapeutic approach to cancers. In our efforts to develop novel histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDACIs) as potential anticancer agents, a series of N¹‐hydroxyterephthalamide derivatives with an indole cap group were designed and synthesized. Compound 12m was identified to be the most potent one (IC₅₀ = 0.074 μm against HeLa nuclear extract ) and showed higher inhibitory activity than the positive control SAHA (IC₅₀ = 0.131 μm ), which was also verified by further molecular docking studies into active site of HDAC2. The results of selectivity on the inhibition of HDACs exhibited 12m being with similar isoform selective profile with PXD101. In addition, the representative compounds (8d, 12d, 12j, 12m) based on the outcomes of preliminary tumor cell screening demonstrated more potent or comparable to SAHA in the next antiproliferative activity assays. Collectively, the results encouraged further development of this chemical template to provide more potent analogs as HDACIs.     

PXD101 analogs with L‐phenylglycine‐containing branched cap as histone deacetylase inhibitors

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) allow histones to wrap DNA more tightly and finally lead to the repression of some tumor suppressor genes. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) have been proved to have effects on tumorigenesis and tumor progression. In this study, we reported the design, synthesis, and in vitro activity evaluation of novel PXD101 analogs with L‐phenylglycine‐containing cap as HDACIs. Our results showed that HDACs inhibitory activities of compounds 10k , 10r , and 10s were not only superior to the first approved HDACI SAHA, but also comparable to their parent compound PXD101, a recently approved HDACI in 2014. However, all 6 selected PXD101 analogs exhibited moderate in vitro antiproliferative activities, less potent than PXD101 and SAHA. Representative compound 10s showed similar HDACs isoform selective profile to PXD101, which demonstrated that introduction of L‐phenylglycine‐containing branched cap group could not change the isoform selectivity of PXD101 dramatically.     

Enantioselective synthesis and biological investigation of tetrahydro‐β‐carboline‐based HDAC6 inhibitors with improved solubility

Aberrant epigenetic changes in DNA methylation and histone modification by acetylation or deacetylation regulate the pathogenesis of many diseases. Especially selective inhibitors are getting more and more attention. We recently reported on a new class of potent and selective anti‐inflammatory and antirheumatic histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitors (e.g., Marbostat‐100). The attachment of a morpholinoethoxy part to the head group dramatically enhances the solubility, in particular the solubility in aqueous solutions, of the lead compound Marbostat‐100. Here, we present the enantioselective synthesis of small‐molecule compounds based on the tetrahydro‐β‐carboline core system with improved solubility, and the influence of the stereochemistry on the biological activity. The enantiomers were synthesized in good enantiomeric excess (ee) purity and were potent and selective HDAC6 inhibitors, whereas the S‐derivative S‐ 21 is clearly the eutomer. The potency of our selective HDAC6 inhibitors is demonstrated by K_i values in the range of 0.5–2 nM toward HDAC6, and the selectivity was proved in cellular assays by Western blot analysis taking ac‐tubulin as surrogate parameter.     

组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂的合成及其体外抗肿瘤研究

目的设计并合成组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(HDACi),并对其组蛋白去乙酰化酶(HDACs)抑制活性和体外抗肿瘤活性进行研究。方法以N-Boc-对苯二胺和辛二酸酐为起始原料,反应制得7-(N-Boc-氨基)苯胺甲酰基庚酸,再通过胺醛缩合反应合成HDACi;并采用HDACs试剂盒和CCK-8试剂盒测试所合成目标化合物抑制HDACs的活性和抗肿瘤活性。结果合成了26个新化合物,其结构均经过核磁共振氢谱和质谱进行了确证。初步的生物活性测试结果表明,所合成的目标化合物对HDACs的抑制活性均强于阳性药物伏立诺他,并对MCF-7、PC-3、HepG2、MGC-803和KB 5种肿瘤细胞有不同程度的抑制活性,其中希夫碱含有吸电子基的化合物对HDACs的抑制活性以及抗肿瘤活性强于其他衍生物。尤其是4-氰基化合物11c对HDACs展现出了最强的抑制活性,是阳性药伏立诺他的58倍;同时,化合物11c对肿瘤细胞MCF-7、PC3、MGC-803和HepG2展现出了最强的抗肿瘤活性,其抗胃癌MGC-803甚至是阳性药物伏立诺他的7.2倍。结论希夫碱是一类重要的抗肿瘤药效团,能够提高HDACi的抗肿瘤活性,为今后发展新型、高效的HDACi提供了新的思路。     

Minor structural modifications to Pracinostat produce big changes in its biological responses

A series of compounds similar to Pracinostat that contained benzimidazole ring and N‐hydroxyacrylamide attached at 5‐ or 6‐position were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as HDAC inhibitors. It was interesting to find that the corresponding derivative 1 with N‐hydroxyacrylamide attached at 5‐position was a potent HDAC inhibitor while the others at 6‐position were not. This is the first time to demonstrate the position difference plays important role in the HDAC inhibitory activities of the cinnamic hydroxamates.     

Synthesis,Biological Evaluation,and Molecular Docking of 8‐imino‐2‐oxo‐2H,8H‐pyrano[2,3‐f]chromene Analogs: New Dual AChE Inhibitors as Potential Drugs for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease onset and progression are associated with the dysregulation of multiple and complex physiological processes, and a successful therapeutic approach should therefore address more than one target. In line with this modern paradigm, a series of 8‐imino‐2‐oxo‐2H,8H‐pyrano[2,3‐f]chromene analogs ( 4a – q ) were synthesized and evaluated for their multitarget‐directed activity on acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), 2,2’‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzthiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical, and amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) specific targets for Alzheimer's disease therapy. Most of the synthesized compounds showed remarkable acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities in low nm concentrations and good ABTS radical scavenging activity, however, no evidence of BuChE inhibitory activity. Among them, 3‐bromobenzylamide derivative 4m exhibited the best acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ value of 13 ± 1.4 nm which is 51‐fold superior to galantamine, a reference drug. Kinetic and molecular docking studies indicated 4m as mixed‐type inhibitor, binding simultaneously to catalytic active and peripheral anionic sites of acetylcholinesterase. Five compounds 4e , 4f , 4g , 4j , and 4k have shown 1.4‐ to 2.5‐fold of higher antioxidant activities than trolox. Interestingly, the most active compound 4m demonstrated dosage‐dependent acceleration of Aβ_1?42 aggregation, which may reduce toxicity of oligomers. Overall, these results lead to discovery of fused tricyclic coumarins as promising dual binding site inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase and afford multifunctional compounds with potential impact for further pharmacological development in Alzheimer's therapy.     

Design,synthesis, biological evaluation,and docking study of 4‐isochromanone hybrids bearing N‐benzyl pyridinium moiety as dual binding site acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (part II)

A series of novel 4‐isochromanone compounds bearing N‐benzyl pyridinium moiety were designed and synthesized as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors. The biological evaluation showed that most of the target compounds exhibited potent inhibitory activities against AChE. Among them, compound 1q possessed the strongest anti‐AChE activity with an IC₅₀ value of 0.15 nm and high AChE/BuChE selectivity (SI > 5,000). Moreover, compound 1q had low toxicity in normal nerve cells and was relatively stable in rat plasma. Together, the current finding may provide a new approach for the discovery of novel anti‐Alzheimer's disease agents.     

Design,synthesis, and molecular docking study of 3H‐imidazole[4,5‐c]pyridine derivatives as CDK2 inhibitors

A novel series of imidazo[4,5‐c]pyridine‐based CDK2 inhibitors were designed from the structure of CYC202 via scaffold hopping strategy. These compounds were synthesized and biologically evaluated for their CDK2 inhibitory and in vitro anti‐proliferation potential against cancer cell lines. Several compounds exhibited potent CDK2 inhibition with IC₅₀ values of less than 1 µM. The most potent compound 5b showed excellent CDK2 inhibitory (IC₅₀ = 21 nM) and in vitro anti‐proliferation activity against three different cell lines (HL60, A549, and HCT116). The molecular docking and dynamic studies portrayed the potential binding mechanism between 5b and CDK2, and several key interactions between them were observed, which would be the reason for its potent CDK2 inhibitory and anti‐proliferation activities. Therefore, the pyridin‐3‐ylmethyl moiety would serve as an excellent pharmacophore for the development of novel CDK2 inhibitors for targeted anti‐cancer therapy.

     

Synthesis and Anticholinergic Activity of 4‐hydroxycoumarin Derivatives Containing Substituted Benzyl‐1,2,3‐triazole Moiety

A series of 4‐hydroxycoumarin‐derived compounds 8a‐p containing N‐benzyl‐1,2,3‐triazole motif were designed as AChE inhibitors. The title compounds were obtained conveniently using multicomponent click reaction. The in vitro anticholinesterase evaluation of synthesized compounds against AChE and BuChE showed that some of them are potent and selective inhibitors of AChE. Among them, 2‐chlorobenzyl derivative 8k showed the most potent activity against AChE (IC₅₀ = 0.18 μm ). Its activity was also superior to that of standard drug tacrine. The kinetic study and molecular docking simulation of the most potent compound 8k were also described.     

Novel Oxazolidinone Antibacterial Analogues with a Substituted Ligustrazine C‐ring Unit

A series of novel oxazolidinone compounds with a substituted ligustrazine C‐ring unit and different substituted groups at the C‐5 side chain were designed and synthesized using linezolid as a lead and based on a scaffold hopping strategy. Their antibacterial and anti‐inflammatory activities were evaluated. The results of in vitro antibacterial assays showed that all fourteen target compounds displayed potent activity against Gram‐positive pathogens, particularly 8b , 13b , 14a , 14b , 15a, and 15b . Moreover, 14a and 14b exhibited significant inhibitory activities on the production of inflammatory mediators, including nitric oxide, interleukin‐6, and tumor necrosis factor‐alpha. Thus, these derivatives could serve as valuable candidates to develop anti‐infective agents for the treatment of chronic wounds.     

Design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of quinazoline derivatives as dual HDAC1 and HDAC6 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer

Fifty‐eight quinazoline‐based compounds were designed and synthesized based on the structural optimizations from the lead compound 23bb in an attempt to search for more potent dual HDAC1 and HDAC6 inhibitors. Among them, 32c (HDAC1, IC₅₀ = 31.10 ± 0.37 nM; HDAC6, IC₅₀ = 16.15 ± 0.62 nM) and 32d (HDAC1, IC₅₀ = 37.00 ± 0.24 nM; HDAC6, IC₅₀ = 35.00 ± 0.71 nM) were not only identified as potent dual‐acting HDAC1 and HDAC6 inhibitors with over 10‐fold selectivity to the other HDACs, but also displayed activities in tubulin acetylation and histone H₃ acetylation induction. Importantly, both of them displayed strong antiproliferative activities against various tumor cell lines in vitro with IC₅₀ values less than 40 nM, especially for hematologic tumors cells (U266 and RPMI8226, IC₅₀ < 1 nM), which were even better than 23bb and SAHA. Furthermore, 32c showed a significant tumor growth inhibition (antitumor rate = 63.98%, p < 0.05) in the resistant MCF‐7/ADR xenograft model without any obvious body weight changes and abnormal behaviors. Our findings validate that 32c is a potent dual inhibitor of HDAC1/6 that can be an efficacious treatment for breast cancer with Adriamycin resistance.     

Fragment‐Based Design of Novel Quinazolinon Derivatives as Human Acrosin Inhibitors

Human acrosin is a promising target for the male contraceptives. On the basis of the active site of human acrosin, a series of novel quinazolinon compounds were designed by a fragment docking and growing strategy. In vitro anti‐acrosin assay revealed that all the compounds showed potent human acrosin inhibitory activities. In particular, compounds 5c and 5g are more active than the known inhibitors. Molecular docking studies revealed that the quinazolinon inhibitors interacted with human acrosin mainly through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The binding mode was also consistent with the structure–activity relationships. The quinazolinon derivatives in this study can serve as new lead structure for the development of novel male contraceptives.     

Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Pyrazole Derivatives

In this in vitro study, a series of novel pyrazole derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated against five human cancer cell lines (PC3, A549, HL60, HCT116, and SW620) for their antiproliferative and p53‐MDM2 binding inhibitory activities. Although biological evaluations showed that this series of compounds possessed weak p53‐MDM2 inhibitory activities, most of them displayed moderate to potent antiproliferative activities against the tested cells lines. Compound 11c exhibited the best potency for MDM2 (FP‐IC₅₀ = 29.22 μm ) and demonstrated antiproliferative activities in response to the five tested cell lines (IC₅₀ = 4.09–16.82 μm ). Compared with the positive control Nutlin‐1, there was enhanced antiproliferative activity to p53‐mutated or p53‐deficient cell lines (SW620, HL60, and PC3).     

Design, synthesis, docking, and biological evaluation of novel diazide-containing isoxazole- and pyrazole-based histone deacetylase probes

The design, synthesis, docking, and biological evaluation of novel potent HDAC3 and HDAC8 isoxazole- and pyrazole-based diazide probes suitable for binding ensemble profiling with photoaffinity labeling (BEProFL) experiments in cells is described. Both the isoxazole- and pyrazole-based probes exhibit low nanomolar inhibitory activity against HDAC3 and HDAC8, respectively. The pyrazole-based probe 3f appears to be one of the most active HDAC8 inhibitors reported in the literature with an IC(50) of 17 nM. Our docking studies suggest that unlike the isoxazole-based ligands the pyrazole-based ligands are flexible enough to occupy the second binding site of HDAC8. Probes/inhibitors 2b, 3a, 3c, and 3f exerted the antiproliferative and neuroprotective activities at micromolar concentrations through inhibition of nuclear HDACs, indicating that they are cell permeable and the presence of an azide or a diazide group does not interfere with the neuroprotection properties, or enhance cellular cytotoxicity, or affect cell permeability.     

Discovering Novel α‐aminoacyl‐Containing Proline Derivatives with Potent and Selective Inhibitory Activity Against Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV: Design,Synthesis, Biological Evaluation,and Molecular Modeling

On the basis of the enzyme‐binding features of known potent inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase IV, novel α‐aminoacyl‐containing proline analogs ( 8Aa–8Ak , 8Ba–8Bj , 8Ca–8Ck , and 8Da–8Di ) with the S configuration were designed, synthesized, and their activity profiled. Their structural features were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, low‐ and high‐resolution mass spectroscopy. Five compounds ( 8Aa , 8Aj , 8Ch , 8Ck , and 8Dc ) were shown to have promising inhibitory activities against dipeptidyl peptidase IV. Two of them, compounds 8Aa and 8Aj inhibited dipeptidyl peptidase IV with IC₅₀ values of 4.56 and 8.4 μm , respectively, and displayed no inhibition at other dipeptidyl peptidase IV. The possible binding modes of compounds 6 , 7 , 8Aa , and 8Aj with dipeptidyl peptidase IV were also explored by molecular docking simulation. This study provides promising new templates for the further development of antidiabetic agents.     

Development of tetrahydroisoquinoline-based hydroxamic acid derivatives: potent histone deacetylase inhibitors with marked in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities

Inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) results in growth arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis in nearly all tumor cell lines, promoting HDACs as promising targets for antitumor therapy. In our previous study we developed a novel series of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid derivatives as HDAC inhibitors (HDACi), among which compound 7d exhibited promising HDAC8 inhibitory and antiproliferative activities. Herein, we report the design and development of a new class of tetrahydroisoquinoline-bearing hydroxamic acid analogues as potential HDACi and anticancer agents. In vitro biological evaluation of these compounds showed improved HDAC8 inhibition (compounds 31a and 31b exhibited mid-nM IC(50) values against HDAC8) and potent growth inhibition in multiple tumor cell lines. Most importantly, compounds 25e, 34a, and 34b exhibited excellent in vivo anticancer activities in a human breast carcinoma (MDA-MB-231) xenograft model compared with suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), an approved HDACi. Collectively, our results indicate that tetrahydroisoquinoline bearing a hydroxamic acid is an excellent template to develop novel HDACi as potential anticancer agents.     

Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of 1,5‐Diaryl‐1,2,4‐triazole Derivatives as Selective Cyclooxygenase‐2 Inhibitors

A series of 1,5‐diaryl‐1,2,4‐triazole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibitors. The results of the preliminary biological assays in vivo showed that eight compounds 5b , 6b , 6c , 7c , 8b , 8d , 9c , and 9d have potent anti‐inflammatory activity (P < 0.01), while compounds 6b , 6c , and 9c exhibit marked potency. Compound 6c was then selected for further investigation. In the COX inhibition assay in vitro, compound 6c was identified as a potent and selective inhibitor of COX‐2 (COX‐2 IC₅₀ = 0.37 µM; SI = 0.018), being equipotent to celecoxib (COX‐2 IC₅₀ = 0.26 µM; SI = 0.015). In a rat carrageenan‐induced paw edema assay, 6c exhibited moderate anti‐inflammatory activity (35% inhibition of inflammation) at 2 h after administration of 15 mg/kg as an oral dose. A docking study also revealed that compound 6c binds in the active site of COX‐2 in a similar mode to that of the known selective COX‐2 inhibitor SC‐558.