The antimalarial activity of indole alkaloids and hybrids

Malaria, caused by the genus Plasmodium, remains a global public health concern. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that over 40% of the world's population lives in areas at risk for malarial transmission, and around half a million people succumb to this infectious disease annually, which is related to the rapid spread of drug-resistant parasite strains. Indole derivatives, which possess broad-spectrum pharmacological properties, play a crucial role in the discovery of new drugs. Many indole derivatives exhibited potential in vitro and in vivo activity against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant malaria, suggesting that the indole moiety is a useful template for the development of novel antimalarial agents. This review outlines the advances in indole alkaloids and hybrids with antimalarial potential in the recent decade.     

Coumarin-containing hybrids and their antibacterial activities

Infections caused by Gram-positive and -negative bacteria are one of the foremost causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Antibiotics are the mainstay of therapy for bacterial infections, but the emergence and wide spread of drug-resistant pathogens have already become a huge issue for public healthcare systems. The coumarin moiety, which is ubiquitous in nature, could bind to the B subunit of DNA gyrase in bacteria and inhibit DNA supercoiling by blocking the ATPase activity; hence, coumarin derivatives possess potential antibacterial activity. Several coumarin-containing hybrids such as coumermycin A1, clorobiocin, and novobiocin have already been used in clinical practice for the treatment of various bacterial infections; thus, it is conceivable that hybridization of the coumarin moiety with other antibacterial pharmacophores may provide opportunities for the development of novel antibiotics. This review outlines the advances in coumarin-containing hybrids with antibacterial potential in the recent 5 years and the structure–activity relationships are also discussed.     

Secochiliolide ester derivatives: Preparation and evaluation of their antitrypanosomal and antimalarial efficacy

In the present study, a series of new esters of secochiliolide acid (SA), a diterpene isolated from Nardophyllum bryoides, were synthesized in good yield. All compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antiparasitic properties (on Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma brucei brucei) and cytotoxicity (on WI38, normal mammalian cells). They displayed moderate antitrypanosomal activity with IC₅₀ values between 2.55 and 18.14 μm , with selectivity indices >10, and low antiplasmodial effects with IC₅₀ > 29 μm . The only exception was the n‐hexyl ester of SA, which showed a strong and selective antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ = 1.99 μm and selectivity index = 117.0). The in vivo antimalarial efficacy of this compound was then assessed according to the 4‐day suppressive test of Peters in mice. An intraperitoneal treatment at 50 mg kg^?1 day^?1 induced a slight parasitaemia reduction by 56% which was statistically significant on day 4 post‐infection and an increase in the survival time.     

Indole/isatin-containing hybrids as potential antibacterial agents

The emergence and worldwide spread of drug-resistant bacteria have already posed a serious threat to human life, creating the urgent need to develop potent and novel antibacterial drug candidates with high efficacy. Indole and isatin (indole-2,3-dione) present a wide structural and mechanistic diversity, so their derivatives possess various pharmacological properties and occupy a salient place in the development of new drugs. Indole/isatin-containing hybrids, which demonstrate a promising activity against a panel of clinically important Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, are privileged scaffolds for the discovery of novel antibacterial candidates. This review, covering articles published between January 2015 and May 2020, focuses on the development and structure–activity relationship (SAR) of indole/isatin-containing hybrids with potential application for fighting bacterial infections, to facilitate further rational design of novel drug candidates.     

吡唑杂合体的抗疟疾活性

疟疾是由按蚊叮咬或输入携带疟原虫血液引起的一类高传染性疾病,其临床症状包括发热、头痛、呕吐等,如不及时治疗可能危及生命。尽管临床上使用的抗疟疾药物对疟疾的防控不可或缺,但随着长期广泛使用甚至滥用,恶性疟原虫对抗疟药物产生了不同程度的耐药性。为克服耐药性,研发新型抗疟疾药物势在必行。吡唑类化合物具有包括抗疟疾在内的多种生物活性,且某些吡唑类药物已广泛用于临床,故这类化合物引起了药物化学家的持续关注。本文将归纳吡唑杂合体在抗疟疾领域的最新研究进展,并讨论此类化合物的构-效关系。     

吡唑杂合体的抗疟疾活性

疟疾是由按蚊叮咬或输入携带疟原虫血液引起的一类高传染性疾病,其临床症状包括发热、头痛、呕吐等,如不及时治疗可能危及生命。尽管临床上使用的抗疟疾药物对疟疾的防控不可或缺,但随着长期广泛使用甚至滥用,恶性疟原虫对抗疟药物产生了不同程度的耐药性。为克服耐药性,研发新型抗疟疾药物势在必行。吡唑类化合物具有包括抗疟疾在内的多种生物活性,且某些吡唑类药物已广泛用于临床,故这类化合物引起了药物化学家的持续关注。本文将归纳吡唑杂合体在抗疟疾领域的最新研究进展,并讨论此类化合物的构-效关系。     

Arylidene and amino spacer-linked rhodanine-quinoline hybrids as upgraded antimicrobial agents

Antibiotic resistance associated with various microorganisms such as Gram-positive, Gram-negative, fungal strains, and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis increases the risk of healthcare survival. Preliminary therapeutics becoming ineffective that might lead to noteworthy mortality presents a crucial challenge for the scientific community. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop hybrid compounds as antimicrobial agents by combining two or more bioactive heterocyclic moieties into a single molecular framework with fewer side effects and a unique mode of action. This review highlights the recent advances (2013–2023) in the pharmacology of rhodanine-linked quinoline hybrids as more effective antimicrobial agents. In the drug development process, linker hybrids acquire the top position due to their excellent π-stacking and Van der Waals interaction with the DNA active sites of pathogens. A molecular hybridization strategy has been optimized, indicating that combining these two bioactive moieties with an arylidene and an amino spacer linker increases the antimicrobial potential and reduces drug resistance. Moreover, the structure–activity relationship study is discussed to express the role of various functional groups in improving and decrementing antimicrobial activities for rational drug design. Also, a linker approach may accelerate the development of dynamic antimicrobial agents through molecular hybridization.     

Recent advances in isatin hybrids as potential anticancer agents

The isatin framework is a useful template for the development of novel anticancer agents. This is exemplified by the fact that several isatin-based anticancer agents, such as semaxanib, sunitinib, nintedanib, and hesperadin, are already in use or under clinical trials for the treatment of diverse kinds of cancers. Isatin-based hybrids could be obtained by incorporating other anticancer pharmacophores into the isatin skeleton and they have the potential to overcome drug resistance with reduced side effects. Thus, isatin-based hybrids may provide attractive scaffolds for the development of novel anticancer agents. This review covers the recent advances of isatin-based hybrids with anticancer activity, covering articles published between 2001 and 2019. The anticancer activities of these molecules and the structure–activity relationships are also discussed. The purpose of this review article is to set up the direction for the design and development of isatin-based hybrids with high efficacy and low toxicity.     

Piperazine‐linked 4‐aminoquinoline‐chalcone/ferrocenyl‐chalcone conjugates: Synthesis and antiplasmodial evaluation

A series of piperazine‐linked 4‐aminoquinoline‐chalcone/ferrocenyl‐chalcone conjugates were prepared with a view to evaluate their activities against Plasmodium falciparum. The synthesized conjugates had in vitro IC₅₀ values from 0.41 to 2.38 μm against chloroquine‐resistant and mefloquine‐sensitive W2 strain of P. falciparum. The submicromolar activities of most of the synthesized conjugates suggest that such molecular frameworks can act as therapeutic templates for the design and synthesis of new antimalarials.     

Cycloartane triterpenes from Beesia calthaefolia and their anticomplement structure–activity relationship study

Fifteen cycloartane triterpenes were isolated from Beesia calthaefolia and among them one was new cycloartane triterpenoid. The structure of new compound was determined by the application of spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods. The fifteen compounds were evaluated for their anticomplement activity by classic pathway. The structure–activity relationship analysis indicated that the configurations of 12-OH is preferable to be α than β, and 18-OH can decrease while 15-OH can increase the anticomplement activity, but saponin with both 15-OH and 18-OH lost most of its activity. The glycosyl moiety of most isolated cycloartane triterpenes is xylosyl. When xylosyl was substituted by glucosyl or galactosyl, their anticomplement activities were decreased or increased, respectively. Further structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies must be carried out to achieve general conclusions regarding the effect of further functionalizations on the anticomplement saponins.     

Anticancer activity of bisindole alkaloids derived from natural sources and synthetic bisindole hybrids

The bisindole moiety, as a versatile pharmacophore, is one of the widespread heterocycles in naturally occurring and synthetic bioactive compounds. The bisindole alkaloids derived from natural sources possess structural and mechanistic diversity, and they were found to be generally more active than monoindole alkaloids against various cancer cell lines. Moreover, some bisindole alkaloids such as the tubulin inhibitors, vinorelbine and vinblastine, have already been approved for cancer therapy, suggesting that bisindole alkaloids are a significant source of anticancer agents and lead hits. Bisindole hybrids have the potential to overcome drug resistance, enhance efficiency, and reduce severe side effects. The bisindole–lactam hybrid midostaurin has already been approved for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia who are FLT3 mutation-positive, highlighting the importance of bisindole hybrids in the development of novel anticancer agents. In this review, we present a brief account of the bisindole alkaloids derived from nature and of synthetic hybrids with potential anticancer activity developed in the recent 10 years.     

查耳酮类化合物合成及抗乳腺癌活性研究

目的 设计、合成并筛选具有抗乳腺癌活性的查耳酮类化合物。方法 利用Claisen-Schmidt 羟醛缩合反应,合成了一系列的查耳酮类化合物,并通过MTT法测试化合物抗乳腺癌活性。结果 合成了36个查耳酮类化合物,其结构均通过¹H-NMR和¹³C-NMR进行了表征。初步生物活性结果表明大部分目标分子查耳酮对MCF-7有较强的抑制活性,对MDA-MB-231也展现出了中等的抑制活性,其中化合物27(IC₅₀=11.3 μmol·L^-1)对MCF-7的抑制活性是他莫昔芬的1.5倍,同时这些查尔酮类化合物对正常细胞均没有毒性。结论 本研究为开发具有抗乳腺癌活性的查耳酮类化合物提供了参考和依据。     

Synthesis and antioxidant activity of curcumin analogs

Numerous biological activities including antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammation, and antivirus of the natural product curcumin were reported. However, the clinical application of it was significantly limited by its instability, poor solubility, less body absorbing, and low bioavailability. This review focuses on the structure modification and antioxidant activity evaluation of curcumin. To study the structure–activity relationship (SAR), five series of curcumin analogs were synthesized and their antioxidant activity were evaluated in vitro. The results showed that electron-donating groups, especially the phenolic hydroxyl group are an essential component to improve the antioxidant activity.     

Synthesis of aminoquinoline-based aminoalcohols and oxazolidinones and their antiplasmodial activity

Novel aminoquinoline β-aminoalcohol and oxazolidinone derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for in vitro antiplasmodial activity against a chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and chloroquine-resistant (K1) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. A few β-aminoalcohol derivatives were more potent than chloroquine against chloroquine-sensetive Plasmodiums. The potency of these derivatives decreased against chloroquine-resistant species in all cases (higher resistance indices), suggesting a possible cross-resistance between this group of compounds and chloroquine which could be due to their structural similarity. Although changing β-aminoalcohols to their oxazolidinone counterparts decreased the potency in all the cases, the compounds were still active and the resistance indices for these compounds improved significantly in comparison with those of β-aminoalcohols. This may indicate the absence of cross-resistance between these new derivatives and chloroquine.     

查耳酮衍生物的结构修饰及生物活性研究进展

查耳酮类化合物广泛存在于天然植物中,具有抗癌、抗炎、抗氧化等多种药理活性。近年来,通过对大量具有查耳酮骨架的新型化合物的合成,查耳酮衍生物的生物活性也得到了深入研究。综述查耳酮衍生物的生物活性、结构修饰及构效关系的最新研究进展。     

In vivo antimalarial activities of glycoalkaloids isolated from Solanaceae plants

Context: Malaria is one of the most common and serious protozoan tropical diseases. Multi-drug resistance remains pervasive, necessitating the continuous development of new antimalarial agents.

Objective: Many glycosides, such as triterpenoid saponins, were shown to have antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. This study was to elucidate the ability of five glycoalkaloids against Plasmodium yoelii and develop new antimalarial lead compounds.

Materials and methods: Glycoalkaloids were isolated from three kinds of Solanaceae plants: chaconine and solanine were isolated from Solanum tuberosum L. sprouts, solamargine and solasonine from Solanum nigrum L. fruit, tomatine from Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. fruit. The five isolated glycoalkaloids were evaluated against Plasmodium yoelii 17XL in mice with 4-day parasitemia suppression test in different concentrations.

Results: Chaconine showed a dose-dependent suppression of malaria infection, ED50, 4.49?mg/kg; therapeutic index (TI), ≈9. At a dose of 7.50?mg/kg, the parasitemia suppressions of chaconine, tomatine, solamargine, solasonine and solanine were 71.38, 65.25, 64.89, 57.47 and 41.30%, respectively. At 3.75?mg/kg, the parasitemia suppression of chaconine was 42.66%, but the derivative, chaconine-6-O-sulfate, appeared to show no antimalarial activity. Simultaneous administration of chaconine and solanine in 1:1 did not show any synergistic effects.

Discussion and conclusion: The results showed that the glycoalkaloids with chacotriose (chaconine and solamargine) were more active than those with solatriose (solanine and solasonine). Chaconine was the most active among the five glycoalkaloids. We propose that the activity is dependent upon non-specific carbohydrate interactions. The 6-OH of chaconine is important for antimalarial activity.     

Antiplasmodial activity of steroidal chalcones: evaluation of their effect on hemozoin synthesis and the new permeation pathway of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocyte membrane

Chalcone derivatives on an estradiol framework were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth and development of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Out of twelve steroidal chalcones and one indanone derivative studied, three were found to have 50% growth inhibitory concentration less than 5μm and minimum inhibitory concentration for parasite development from ring to schizont stage as ≤20μm with best activity for gallic acid-based chalcone derivative 1 as 2.07 and 10μm, respectively. Two of the active derivatives 1 and 10 did not exhibit cytotoxicity against vero cells as evident by the good selectivity ratio. Study of structure-activity relationship indicated that increasing substitution in the benzoyl ring-enhanced antiplasmodial activity. Hemozoin synthesis of the parasite remained unaffected by these derivatives. These derivatives were also investigated for their effect on parasite-induced new permeation pathway in the erythrocyte membrane by sorbitol-induced hemolysis, and four derivatives 1, 2, 9, and 10 exhibited significant inhibition (>70%) at 20μm concentration. A positive correlation was also observed among the antiplasmodial activity and inhibition of new permeation pathway. These observations suggest that steroidal chalcones with selective activity for the parasite may be considered as antimalarial leads for further optimization and preclinical study.     

In vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity of derivatives of 1,10-phenanthroline framework

A series of trisubstituted 1,10-phenanthrolines was prepared. These compounds exhibited mild to high biological activities in vitro both toward chloroquino-resistant FcB1-Columbia and FcM29-Cameron strains and Nigerian chloroquino-sensitive strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Cytotoxicity of the most active compounds was estimated showing that one compound (10) exhibited a selective activity against malaria parasite (selectivity indexes of 52 and 144). Antiplasmodial activity of this derivative was optimized by N-10 alkylation and the phenanthrolinium salt (15) submitted to an in vivo study using mice infected by P. vinckei petteri showing an ED50 of 7.86 mg/kg/day.     

Synthesis of 4-aminoquinoline-1,2,3-triazole and 4-aminoquinoline-1,2,3-triazole-1,3,5-triazine hybrids as potential antimalarial agents

We report herein synthesis of a series of 4-aminoquinoline-1,2,3-triazole and 4-aminoquinoline-1,2,3-triazole-1,3,5-triazine hybrids and evaluate their antimalarial activity against D6 and W2 strains of Plasmodium falciparum. To study the structure-activity relationship of substituted 4-aminoquinoline-based hybrids, 34 structurally diverse compounds were synthesized and tested against D6 and W2 strains of P. falciparum. Some of the compounds have shown promising antimalarial activity without toxicity against Vero cells.     

2,6-双烷氨基甲基-4-取代芳杂环氧基苯酚的合成及其抗疟活性

目的 合成新型杂环氨酚类抗疟药并对其活性进行研究.方法 以4,7-二氯喹啉和2-甲氧基-7,10-二氯苯并[b]-1,5-萘啶为原料分别与对苯二酚单钾盐缩合得到4-取代芳氧基苯酚,再与多聚甲醛、仲胺在乙醇中发生曼尼希反应得到双曼尼希碱侧链取代的目标化合物.采用Peter's四天抑制实验法进行两类化合物对伯氏疟原虫(Plasmodium berghei)K173株小鼠体内抗疟活性实验.结果与结论 共合成了8个未见文献报道的杂环氨酚类化合物,目标化合物的结构经IR、1H-NMR光谱分析确证.初步抗疟实验表明,化合物Ib,Id具有良好的抗疟活性.