Synthesis and evaluation of antitumor activity of novel 1,4-Naphthoquinone derivatives (IV)

1,4-Naphthoquinones are widely distributed in nature and many clinically important antitumor drugs containing a quinone moiety, such as anthracyclines, mitoxantrones and saintopin, show excellent anticancer activity. In this study, 2- or 6-substituted 5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (DMNQ) and 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (DHNQ) derivatives were synthesized, and their cytotoxic activity against L1210 and P388 cancer cells was examined. Their antitumor activity was also assessed in mice bearing S-180 cells in the peritoneal cavity. In comparison with the DMNQ derivatives, the DHNQ derivatives exhibited more potent bioactivities than the DMNQ derivatives against both L1210 and P388 cells in vitro and S-180 cells in vivo. The ED50 values of the DHNQ derivatives against P388 cells were in the range of 0.18-1.81 microg/mL whereas those of the DMNQ derivatives were in the range of 0.26-40.41 microg/mL. The T/C (%) values of the DHNQ derivatives, 8, 17, 18, 19, and 20, were found to be comparable to or even better than that of adriamycin. It was also observed that the 2-substituted derivatives (8, 19, 20) showed better antitumor activity than the 6-substituted derivatives (7, 17, 18) in the mice bearing S-180 cells in the peritoneal cavity.     

Design and synthesis of isoindoloquinoline derivatives as potential antitumor agents

A series of isoindoloquinoline derivatives was synthesized and evaluated in vitro cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines (HCT15, SK-OV-3, MDA-MB-468 and T-47D).     

Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel rhodanine-containing sorafenib analogs as potential antitumor agents

A series of rhodanine-containing sorafenib analogs was designed, synthesized and evaluated for their in-vitro antitumor activity against three cancer cell lines (A549, H460 and HT29). Pharmacological data indicated that some of the target compounds possessed marked antiproliferative activity superior to the reference drug sorafenib, especially the most promising compound 7r (with the IC(50) value of 0.8, 1.3 and 2.8 μM against A549, H460 and HT29 cell lines, respectively). The activity was found to strongly depend on the substitution pattern of the rhodanine motif at C-5″ position. Results suggested that this series of compounds could serve as the bases for the development of novel antitumor agents.     

Synthesis and evaluation as potential antitumor agents of novel ursolic acid derivatives

Novel ursolic acid derivatives were synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by MS, IR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectral analysis. In vitro antitumor activities of these compounds against MGC-803 (gastric cancer cell) and Bcap-37 (breast cancer cell) human cancer cell lines were evaluated by MTT assay. The pharmacological screening results revealed that many derivatives exhibited moderate to high activities against the tested cell lines, and that most demonstrated more potent inhibitory activities than that of ursolic acid. Preliminarily mechanism study of representative compound 3h were carried out by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, Hoechst 33258 staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labeling assay, and flow cytometry which indicated that compound 3h can induce cell apoptosis of MGC-803 cells, and the apoptosis ratio reached 34.59?% after 36?h treatment at 10?μM.     

Synthesis of sesquiterpene derivatives as potential antitumor agents; Elemane derivatives

Derivatives of elema-1,3-diene were synthesized in several steps as polar analogs of beta-elemene, antitumor agent under clinical phase. The lactone ring of compound 1 was opened by LiAlH4 to give diol 2 which was selectively protected by TBDPSCl. After acetylation of the secondary alcohol, the acetylated product was ozonolyzed and reduced to give elemane derivative 4 which was converted to diolefin 8 via selenides subsequent deprotection by tetrabutylammonium fluoride gave two compounds 9, 10.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel flavanone derivatives as potential antipsychotic agents

In this study, a series of novel flavanone derivatives were designed and synthesized, and the antipsychotic activities of the target compounds were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that synthesized compounds 7a – 7g decreased the activity of dopamine D₂ receptors in HEK293 cells co‐transfected with D₂ receptor/G protein α16a, with IC₅₀ values of 0.051–0.35 μm . Compounds 7a – 7g inhibited the over‐production of nitric oxide stimulated by lipopolysaccharide/interferon‐γ in BV‐2 microglial cells. In mice, intragastric administration of 7d , 7e , and 7g reversed the increase in locomotor activity induced by MK‐801 (an antagonist of NMDA receptors) and decreased the hyperactivity of climbing behavior induced by apomorphine (a dopamine receptor agonist). These results suggest that some of the novel flavanone derivatives have potential antipsychotic effects and may be useful in the treatment of schizophrenia.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of pseudolaric acid B derivatives as potential immunosuppressive agents

Pseudolaric acid B (PB) derivatives with immunosuppressive activity were found by our group. In order to find potential immunosuppressive agents with high efficacy and low toxicity, a series of novel PB derivatives were synthesized and evaluated on their immunosuppressive activities. Most of the synthesized compounds were tested in vitro on murine T and B proliferation. In particular, compound 11 exhibited excellent inhibitory activity toward murine T cells (up to 19-fold enhancement compared to that of mycophenolatemofetil) and little cytotoxicity toward normal murine spleen cells. These experimental data demonstrated that some of these PB derivatives have great potential for future immunosuppressive studies.     

Design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel 4‐phenoxypyridine derivatives as potential antitumor agents

A series of novel 4‐phenoxypyridine derivatives containing the 4‐oxo‐1,4‐dihydropyridazine‐3‐carboxamide moiety were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against the A549 cancer cell line, and some compounds were further examined for their cytotoxic activity against the H460, BGC823, MKN45, and HT‐29 cancer cell lines. Most of the compounds exhibited moderate to significant cytotoxicity. The most promising compound 15b (with VEGFR2 inhibitory concentration [IC₅₀] value of 0.23 μM) showed remarkable cytotoxicity against A549, BGC‐823, MKN45, H460, and HT‐29 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 0.75, 1.68, 2.63, 5.08 and 7.22 μM, respectively. Their preliminary structure‐activity relationship studies indicate that electron‐withdrawing groups on the terminal phenyl rings are beneficial for improving the antitumor activity. Moreover, treatment of A549 cells with compound 15b resulted in cell cycle arrest in the G₀/G₁ phase in a dose‐dependent manner. Further apoptotic studies and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining were also performed on A549 cells, which showed that compound 15b could induce apoptosis. Wound‐healing assay results indicated that compound 15b strongly inhibited A549 cell motility.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of oleanolic acid derivatives as antitumor agents

Derivatives of oleanolic acid were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their growth inhibition against human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2) and colon cancer cell line (Col-02). Several derivatives exhibited moderate-to-good inhibitory activity, with 3 displaying the most promising inhibition [GI?? = 1.75 μM (HepG2), 0.71 μM (Col-02)]. Structure-activity relationship analyses of these derivatives demonstrated that a 1-en-2-cyano-3-oxo in ring A and a nitro at C-17 were important in retention of the inhibition against HepG2 and Col-02 cells.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of antitumor-active arglabin derivatives

Arglabin derivatives varied at the endo- or exo-cyclic double bond were synthesized and studied in a colorimetric sulforhodamine B assay for their cytotoxicity. Variations on the endocyclic double bond led to compounds of reduced cytotoxicity whereas derivatives from the reaction of the α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone moiety led to compounds of similar or only slightly reduced cytotoxicity but different, cell line-dependent selectivity. In addition, arglabin is an excellent starting material for the synthesis of the guaianolide arborescin.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel podophyllotoxin analogs as antitumor agents

A series of 4β N-indole-substituted podophyllotoxin derivatives were synthesized. Nine target compounds were evaluated against human cancer cell lines (HeLa, K562, and K562/A02) using MTT assay including three imine derivatives 8, 9, and 10in vitro. The result showed that the three compounds had higher antitumor activity than their reduced forms. Among them, compounds 8, 9, 11, and 16 were superior to the positive control VP-16.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of some novel 1,4-dihydropyridines as potential antitubercular agents

Recent studies showed that 1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbamoyl derivatives with lipophilic groups have significant antitubercular activity. In this study, we have synthesized new derivatives of 1,4-dihydropyridines bearing carbmethoxy and carbethoxy group at C-3 and C-5 of the 1,4-dihydropyridine ring. In addition, 1H-pyrazole ring is substituted at C-4 position. These analogues were synthesized by multi-component Hantzsch reaction. The in vitro antitubercular activity of compounds against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37) Rv was evaluated. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration value, 0.02 μg/mL and SI > 500, was found for dimethyl 1,4-dihydro-4-(3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2,6-dimethylpyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate 3f, diethyl 1,4-dihydro-4-(3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2,6-dimethylpyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate 4c and diethyl 1,4-dihydro-4-(3-(4-bromophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2,6-dimethyl pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate 4e, making them more potent than first-line antitubercular drug isoniazid. In addition, these compounds exhibited relatively low cytotoxicity.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel quinolin-2(1H)-one derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents

A series of novel quinolin-2(1H)-one derivatives were synthesized and characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and MS spectral data. All the new compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activities against six trains of bacteria and five fungi in vitro by twofold serial dilution technique. The bioactive assay showed that most of the compounds exhibited moderate to good antimicrobial activities in comparison with the streptomycin, especially, compound 6a, the fluoro-substituted aromatic amide derivative, showed good antibacterial activities against B.proteus and P.aeruginosa with minimal inhibitory concentration value of 32 and 16 μg/ml, respectively.     

Synthesis, molecular modelling and biological evaluation of 4-amino-2(1H)-quinazolinone and 2,4(1H,3H)-quinazolidone derivatives as antitumor agents

A series of 6-benzoyl-, 6-arylthio- and 6-arylsulfonyl-4-amino-2(1H)-quinazolinones and -2,4(1H,3H)-quinazolinediones were prepared. They were evaluated in vitro for their cytotoxicity against the NCI-60 cancer cell lines.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of sophocarpinic acid derivatives as anti-HCV agents

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has become a major public health burden worldwide. Twenty-two sophocarpinic acid or matrine derivatives were synthesized and their anti-HCV activities were evaluated in vitro. The structure-activity analysis revealed that (i) sophocarpinic acids with a D-seco 3-ring structure scaffold were more favorable than matrines with a 4-ring scaffold; (ii) the introduction of an electron-withdrawing group on the phenyl ring in 12-N-benzenesulfonyl Δ^βγ sophocarpinic acids was beneficial for the antiviral activity against HCV. Among them, compounds 9h and 9j exhibited the most potent inhibitory activities on HCV replication with selectivity indies of 70.3 and 30.9, respectively. Therefore, both were selected as antiviral candidates for further investigation.KEY WORDS: Sophocarpinic acid, Matrine, Anti-HCV, Antiviral activity, Structure−activity relationship     

Synthesis,in vitro and in vivo biological evaluation of novel lappaconitine derivatives as potential anti-inflammatory agents

Lappaconitine (LA), a natural compound with a novel C18-diterpenoid alkaloid skeleton, displayed extensive biological profile. Recent research on LA is focused mainly on its anti-tumor and analgesic effects, and therefore we aimed to investigate its anti-inflammatory potential. A series of novel LA derivatives with various substituents on the 20-N position was designed and synthesized. In the initial screening of LA derivatives against NO production, all the target compounds, except compound E2, exhibited excellent inhibitory ability relative to that of LA. Particularly, compound A4 exhibited the most potent inhibition with IC₅₀ of 12.91 μmol/L. The elementary structure–activity relationships (SARs) of NO inhibitory activity indicated that replacement of the benzene ring with an electron donating group could improve the anti-inflammatory efficacy. Furthermore, compound A4 shows an anti-inflammatory mechanism by inhibiting NO, PGE2, and TNF-α generation via the suppression of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Notably, compound A4 could exert a significant therapeutic effect on LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in vivo. Based on the above research, we further investigated the preliminary pharmacokinetic property of A4 in rats. Therefore, compound A4 could be a promising candidate for the development of anti-inflammatory agents in the future.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity of 1,3-benzodioxole derivatives

A series of 1,3-benzodioxoles (5-19) was synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antitumor activity against human tumor cell lines. Some derivatives exhibited tumor growth inhibition activity. In particular, 6-(4-aminobenzoyl)-1,3-benzodioxole-5-acetic acid methyl ester 8, the most active compound of the series, possesses a significant growth inhibitory activity on 52 cell lines at concentrations ranging from 10(-7) to 10(-5) M.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new curcumin derivatives as antioxidant and antitumor agents

Twenty-four new compounds were prepared, taking curcumin as a lead, in order to explore their antioxidant and antitumor properties. The capacities of these derivatives to scavenge the 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation (ABTS^.+), and to protect human red blood cells (RBCs) from oxidative haemolysis were investigated. In addition, the percentage viability of different cell lines (Hep G2, WI38, VERO and MCF-7) was tested. The result of the antitumor testing was generally in accordance with those of the antioxidant assays. Compounds which bear o-methoxy substitution to the 4-hydroxy function in the phenyl ring (7g, 5g and 3g) exhibited significantly higher ABTS^.+-scavenging, antihaemolysis, and antitumor activities than other derivatives. In addition, molecular modelling studies were carried out for biologically active and inactive compounds, to study the structure–activity relationship, with the aim to elucidate which portions of the molecules are critical for the antioxidant and antitumor activity.