A phase I and pharmacologic study of pyrazoloacridine and cisplatin in patients with advanced cancer

Pyrazoloacridine (PZA, NSC366140, PD115934) is an acridine derivative currently undergoing clinical evaluation. In preclinical testing, PZA has shown selectivity for solid tumor cell lines, activity in hypoxic, noncycling, and multidrug-resistant cell lines, and synergy with cisplatin in a variety of lung cancer cell lines. In early phase I clinical studies PZA has shown modest activity in ovarian, cervical, and colon cancer. The purpose of the present study was threefold: to determine the maximally tolerated doses of the combination of PZA (3-h infusion) and cisplatin administered with and without Filgrastim (G-CSF) (Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA) every 3 weeks in untreated or minimally pretreated patients, to describe and quantify the clinical toxicities of combination chemotherapy with PZA and cisplatin, and to evaluate the effects of drug sequencing on the toxicity profile and pharmacologic behavior of PZA. The starting doses in this dose-escalation trial were PZA 400 mg/m² as a 3-h intravenous infusion and cisplatin 50 mg/m² as a 1 mg/min intravenous infusion. The sequence of drugs was alternated with each successive course in each patient treated. Twenty-one patients with refractory solid tumors received 43 courses of therapy through four dose levels. Neutropenia was dose-limiting and defined the maximum tolerated dose of PZA 400 mg/m² and cisplatin 50 mg/m² without G-CSF support. With G-CSF support, nausea and vomiting were dose-limiting. The maximum tolerated and recommended doses for further study of this combination are PZA 600 mg/m² over 3 h and cisplatin 50 mg/m² followed by G-CSF support. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed that sequence does not impact on the pharmacokinetics of PZA when given in combination with cisplatin.     

2-Imidazole as a Substitute for the Electrophilic Group Gives Highly Potent Prolyl Oligopeptidase Inhibitors

Different five-membered nitrogen-containing heteroaromatics in the position of the typical electrophilic group in prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) inhibitors were investigated and compared to tetrazole. The 2-imidazoles were highly potent inhibitors of the proteolytic activity. The binding mode for the basic imidazole was studied by molecular docking as it was expected to differ from the acidic tetrazole. A new putative noncovalent binding mode with an interaction to His680 was found for the 2-imidazoles. Inhibition of the proteolytic activity did not correlate with the modulating effect on protein–protein-interaction-derived functions of PREP (i.e., dimerization of alpha-synuclein and autophagy). Among the highly potent PREP inhibiting 2-imidazoles, only one was also a potent modulator of PREP-catalyzed alpha-synuclein dimerization, indicating that the linker length on the opposite side of the molecule from the five-membered heteroaromatic is critical for the disconnected structure–activity relationships.     

Novel benzenesulfonamide-bearing pyrazoles and 1,2,4-thiadiazoles as selective carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

Two series comprising 20 novel benzenesulfonamides bearing thioureido-linked pyrazole 8 and amino-1,2,4-thiadiazole 10 were synthesized and assayed as human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) inhibitors against isoforms I and II as well as the tumor-associated isoforms IX and XII. Molecular modeling studies of some potent derivatives ( 8a , 8c , 10a , and 10c ) were also performed against isoforms hCA I, II, and XII. Both the promising series of compounds were synthesized by using commercially available mtethyl ketones and sulfanilamide as the starting materials. Interestingly, this paper also reports a novel methodology for the synthesis of amino-1,2,4-thiadiazoles 10 using 3-amino isoxazoles and 4-isothiocyanatobenzenesulfonamide as reactants. The activity profile of all the newly synthesized compounds reveals that amino-linked 1,2,4-thiadiazoles 10 were better inhibitors of the cytosolic isoform, hCA I, as compared to thioureido-linked pyrazoles 8 . Further, hCA II was strongly inhibited by nearly all the newly synthesized sulfonamides, while all the compounds were less effective as hCA IX and XII inhibitors compared to the standard drug acetazolamide. However, in terms of selectivity, compound 8e was found to be the most selective inhibitor of hCA II, which is the isoform associated with glaucoma, edema, altitude sickness, and epilepsy.     

Pyrazole trk kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer

Two related applications from AstraZeneca claim novel pyrazole derivatives and their process for preparation as trk kinase inhibitors for use in oncology. The compounds are claimed for stand-alone or combination therapy. The two series, which differ by position of attachment of the pyrazole group, are prepared from a common intermediate by reversing the order of the aminopyrazole step. TrkA kinase data are provided for three examples in each application.     

Discovery of a Highly Selective and Potent TRPC3 Inhibitor with High Metabolic Stability and Low Toxicity

The overactivation of transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3) is associated with neurodegenerative diseases and hypertension. Pyrazole 3 (Pyr3) is reported as the most selective TRPC3 inhibitor, but it has two inherent structural limitations: (1) the labile ester moiety leads to its rapid hydrolysis to the inactive Pyr8 in vivo, and (2) the alkylating trichloroacrylic amide moiety is known to be toxic. To circumvent these limitations, we designed a series of conformationally restricted Pyr3 analogues and reported that compound 20 maintains high potency and selectivity for human TRPC3 over its closely related TRP channels. It has significantly improved metabolic stability compared with Pyr3 and has a good safety profile. Preliminary evaluation of 20 demonstrated its ability to rescue Aβ-induced neuron damage with similar potency to that of Pyr3 in vitro. Collectively, these results suggest that 20 represents a promising scaffold to potentially ameliorate the symptoms associated with TRPC3-mediated neurological and cardiovascular disorders.     

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of bis-1,3,4-oxadiazoles and bis-pyrazoles derived from 1,4-bis[5-thio-4-substituted-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]-butane and their DNA binding studies

A new series of 1,4-bis[5-(5-mercapto-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl-methyl)-thio-4-substituted-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]-butane 7-12 and 1,4-bis[5-(1-oxo-1-(3,5 dimethyl pyrazol-1-yl)-methyl)-thio-4-substitued-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]-butane 13-18 were prepared from 1,4-bis(5[hydrazinocarbonylmethylthio]-4-substituted-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl) butane based derivativess were synthesized 1-6. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, NMR and Mass spectral studies. The synthesized compounds 7-18 were screened for in-vitro cytotoxicity potential using the standard MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay against a panel of three human cancer cell lines: Lung carcinoma A-549, colon carcinoma HT-29 and breast cancer MDA MB-231. DNA binding studies were conducted for three potent molecules by absorption titration method.     

Novel pyrazole compounds for pharmacological discrimination between receptor-operated and store-operated Ca2+ entry pathways

Background and purpose

Pyrazole derivatives have recently been suggested as selective blockers of transient receptor potential cation (TRPC) channels but their ability to distinguish between the TRPC and Orai pore complexes is ill-defined. This study was designed to characterize a series of pyrazole derivatives in terms of TRPC/Orai selectivity and to delineate consequences of selective suppression of these pathways for mast cell activation.

Experimental approach

Pyrazoles were generated by microwave-assisted synthesis and tested for effects on Ca²⁺ entry by Fura-2 imaging and membrane currents by patch-clamp recording. Experiments were performed in HEK293 cells overexpressing TRPC3 and in RBL-2H3 mast cells, which express classical store-operated Ca²⁺ entry mediated by Orai channels. The consequences of inhibitory effects on Ca²⁺ signalling in RBL-2H3 cells were investigated at the level of both degranulation and nuclear factor of activated T-cells activation.

Key Results

Pyr3, a previously suggested selective inhibitor of TRPC3, inhibited Orai1- and TRPC3-mediated Ca²⁺ entry and currents as well as mast cell activation with similar potency. By contrast, Pyr6 exhibited a 37-fold higher potency to inhibit Orai1-mediated Ca²⁺ entry as compared with TRPC3-mediated Ca²⁺ entry and potently suppressed mast cell activation. The novel pyrazole Pyr10 displayed substantial selectivity for TRPC3-mediated responses (18-fold) and the selective block of TRPC3 channels by Pyr10 barely affected mast cell activation.

Conclusions and Implications

The pyrazole derivatives Pyr6 and Pyr10 are able to distinguish between TRPC and Orai-mediated Ca²⁺ entry and may serve as useful tools for the analysis of cellular functions of the underlying Ca²⁺ channels.     

Carbon‐14 radiolabelling and tissue distribution evaluation of a potential anti‐TB compound

This paper describes a five‐step synthesis of a carbon‐14‐labelled pyrazole compound (11). A total of 2.96 MBq of 11 was obtained with the specific activity of 2242.4 MBq/mmol. The radiochemical purity was >99%, and the overall radiochemical yield was 60% based on the [¹⁴C₆] 4‐bromoaniline starting material. Biodistribution results showed that the radiotracer (administrated orally) has a high accumulation in the small intestine, large intestine and liver of both non‐infected and tuberculosis (TB)‐infected mice. Therefore, this suggests that compound 11 undergoes hepatobiliary clearance. The compound under investigation has been found to be slowly released from the liver between 2 and 8 h. The study revealed that 11 has no affinity for TB cells.     

New library of pyrazole–imidazo[1,2‐α]pyridine molecular conjugates: Synthesis,antibacterial activity and molecular docking studies

A library of novel pyrazole–imidazo[1,2‐α]pyridine scaffolds was designed and synthesized through a one‐pot three‐component tandem reaction. The structures of synthesized conjugates were confirmed by spectroscopic techniques (NMR, IR and HRMS). In vitro antibacterial evaluation of the twelve synthesized molecules ( 7a , 8a–k ) against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus and normal strains of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa established 8b , 8d , 8e , 8h and 8i as potent antibacterial agents with superior minimum bactericidal concentration, compared with standard drug ciprofloxacin. Molecular docking studies of all active compounds into the binding site of glucosamine‐6‐phosphate synthase were further performed in order to have a comprehensive understanding of putative binding modes within the active sites of the receptor.     

Antimycobacterial evaluation of novel [4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazole‐1‐carbonyl]pyridine derivatives synthesized by microwave‐mediated Michael addition

The focus of this study is the synthesis and biological activity evaluation of a series of dibenzalaceton derivatives (3a‐3n) and novel [4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazole‐1‐carbonyl]pyridine derivatives (5a‐5g) against Mycobacterium bovis, Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG). Dibenzalacetone derivatives were synthesized by benzaldehyde derivatives. The [4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazole‐1‐carbonyl]pyridine derivatives were synthesized by Michael addition reaction and using green chemistry microwave‐mediated method. All compounds were evaluated against BCG and the activity expressed as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in μM. The result showed good activity for all the compounds especially compounds (3a), (3n), and (5a) illustrated high activity (7.03, 8.10 and 5.37 μM, respectively). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.