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The Yamaguchi reagent, based on 2,4,6-trichlorobenzoyl chloride (TCBC) and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP), is an efficient tool for conducting the intermolecular (esterification) reaction between an acid and an alcohol in the presence of a suitable base (Et3N or iPr2NEt) and solvent (THF, DCM, or toluene). The Yamaguchi protocol is renowned for its ability to efficiently produce a diverse array of functionalized esters, promoting high yields, regioselectivity, and easy handling under mild conditions with short reaction times. Here, the recent utilization of the Yamaguchi reagent was reviewed in the synthesis of various natural products such as macrolides, terpenoids, polyketides, peptides, and metabolites.

Pomegranate, celebrated for its rich cultural heritage in the Middle East and its abundant polyphenols, holds promise as a potent dietary supplement. Beyond its traditional use, pomegranate supplementation has gained attention for its potential to alleviate physiological stressors and enhance overall health. However, its impact on exercise performance and recovery remains a subject of debate, marked by conflicting study outcomes. This comprehensive study investigates the effects of pomegranate supplementation on various physiological parameters in sportsmen, athletes, and healthy individuals. Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a meticulous literature review encompassed multiple databases, yielding 4401 articles. From these, 23 studies involving 507 participants met stringent inclusion criteria, showcasing a broad spectrum of pomegranate dosages and methodologies. Findings suggest that pomegranate supplementation may significantly benefit health markers and exercise performance. Meta-analysis underscored notable improvements in markers such as aspartate transaminase (AST), high density lipoprotein (HDL), malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between pomegranate and placebo groups. Most of the studies suggested using 250 ml of pomegranate juice daily for at least one week to get its beneficial effects. Notably, enhancements in antioxidant status and cardiovascular health hint at potential advantages for exercise-related outcomes, including accelerated muscle recovery, reduced soreness, and enhanced endurance during prolonged sessions. In conclusion, pomegranate emerges as a compelling natural alternative to synthetic supplements for athletes and sports enthusiasts aiming to optimize physical performance and overall well-being. Nonetheless, further exploration is essential to unravel its mechanisms fully, urging standardized protocols and larger-scale studies to validate and refine these promising findings.

Carbonic anhydrases IX and CAXII (CAIX/CAXII) are transmembrane zinc metalloproteins that catalyze a very basic but crucial physiological reaction: the conversion of carbon dioxide into bicarbonate with a release of the proton. CA, especially CAIX and CAXII isoforms gained the attention of many researchers interested in anticancer drug design due to pivotal functions of enzymes in the cancer cell metastasis and response to hypoxia, and their expression restricted to malignant cells. This offers an opportunity to develop new targeted therapies with fewer side effects. Continuous efforts led to the discovery of a series of diverse compounds with the most abundant sulphonamide derivatives. Here we review current knowledge considering small molecule and antibody-based targeting of CAIX/CAXII in cancer.

The Petasis reaction, also called the Petasis Borono–Mannich reaction, is a multicomponent reaction that couples a carbonyl derivative, an amine and boronic acids to yield substituted amines. The reaction proceeds efficiently in the presence or absence of a specific catalyst and solvent. By employing this reaction, a diverse range of chiral derivatives can easily be obtained, including α-amino acids. A broad substrate scope, high yields, distinct functional group tolerance and the availability of diverse catalytic systems constitute key features of this reaction. In this review article, attention has been drawn toward the recently reported methodologies for executing the Petasis reaction to produce structurally simple to complex aryl/allyl amino scaffolds.

Simmons–Smith cyclopropanation is a widely used reaction in organic synthesis for stereospecific conversion of alkenes into cyclopropane. The utility of this reaction can be realized by the fact that the cyclopropane motif is a privileged synthetic intermediate and a core structural unit of many biologically active natural compounds such as terpenoids, alkaloids, nucleosides, amino acids, fatty acids, polyketides and drugs. The modified form of Simmons–Smith cyclopropanation involves the employment of Et2Zn and CH2I2 (Furukawa reagent) toward the total synthesis of a variety of structurally complex natural products that possess broad range of biological activities including anticancer, antimicrobial and antiviral activities. This review aims to provide an intriguing glimpse of the Furukawa-modified Simmons–Smith cyclopropanation, within the year range of 2005 to 2022.

Pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides (MM-compounds) are a relatively new class of heterocyclic compounds that exhibit a wide variety of biological actions, including anticancer properties. Here, we used caspase enzyme activity assays, flow cytometry analysis of propidium iodide (PI)-stained cells, and a DNA laddering assay to investigate the mechanisms of cell death triggered by the MM-compounds (MM134, -6, -7, and -9). Due to inconsistent results in caspase activity assays, we have performed a bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay, colony formation assay, and gene expression profiling. The compounds’ cytotoxic and pro-oxidative properties were also assessed. Additionally, computational studies were performed to demonstrate the potential of the scaffold for future drug discovery endeavors. MM-compounds exhibited strong micromolar (0.06–0.35 µM) anti-proliferative and pro-oxidative activity in two cancer cell lines (BxPC-3 and PC-3). Activation of caspase 3/7 was observed following a 24-h treatment of BxPC-3 cells with IC50 concentrations of MM134, -6, and -9 compounds. However, no DNA fragmentation characteristics for apoptosis were observed in the flow cytometry and DNA laddering analysis. Gene expression data indicated up-regulation of BCL10, GADD45A, RIPK2, TNF, TNFRSF10B, and TNFRSF1A (TNF-R1) following treatment of cells with the MM134 compound. Moreover, in silico studies indicated AKT2 kinase as the primary target of compounds. MM-compounds exhibit strong cytotoxic activity with pro-oxidative, pro-apoptotic, and possibly pro-necroptotic properties that could be employed for further drug discovery approaches.

The Corey-Seebach reagent plays an important role in organic synthesis because of its broad synthetic applications. The Corey-Seebach reagent is formed by the reaction of an aldehyde or a ketone with 1,3-propane-dithiol under acidic conditions, followed by deprotonation with n-butyllithium. A large variety of natural products (alkaloids, terpenoids, and polyketides) can be accessed successfully by utilizing this reagent. This review article focuses on the recent contributions (post-2006) of the Corey-Seebach reagent towards the total synthesis of natural products such as alkaloids (lycoplanine A, diterpenoid alkaloids, etc.), terpenoids (bisnorditerpene, totarol, etc.), polyketide (ambruticin J, biakamides, etc.), and heterocycles such as rodocaine and substituted pyridines, as well and their applications towards important organic synthesis.

The current study continues the evaluation of the anticancer potential of three de novo synthesized pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides—MM129, MM130, and MM131—against human cancer cells of HeLa, HCT 116, PC-3, and BxPC-3 lines. The pro-apoptotic activity of the investigated sulfonamides was shown by observations of changes in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential of the tested cells, externalization of phosphatidylserine on the cellular membrane surface, and cell morphology in microscopic imaging. The computational studies have shown that MM129 exhibited the lowest binding energy values when docked against CDK enzymes. In addition, the highest stability was shown for complexes formed between MM129 and CDK5/8 enzymes. All examined compounds induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase in the BxPC-3 and PC-3 cells and simultaneously caused the accumulation of cells in the S phase in the HCT 116 cells. In addition, the increase in the subG1 fraction was observed in PC-3 and HeLa cells. The application of a fluorescent H2DCFDA probe revealed the high pro-oxidative properties of the tested triazine derivatives, especially MM131. In conclusion, the obtained results suggest that MM129, MM130, and MM131 exhibited strong pro-apoptotic properties towards investigated cells, mainly against the HeLa and HCT 116 cell lines, and high pro-oxidative potential as well. Moreover, it is suggested that the anticancer activity of the tested compounds may be associated with their ability to inhibit CDK enzymes activities.

Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation is an important reaction in the enantioselective synthesis of chiral vicinal diols that involves the treatment of alkene with osmium tetroxide along with optically active quinine ligand. Sharpless introduced this methodology after considering the importance of enantioselectivity in the total synthesis of medicinally important compounds. Vicinal diols, produced as a result of this reaction, act as intermediates in the synthesis of different naturally occurring compounds. Hence, Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation plays an important role in synthetic organic chemistry due to its undeniable contribution to the synthesis of biologically active organic compounds. This review emphasizes the significance of Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation in the total synthesis of various natural products, published since 2020.

Pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides constitute a novel group of heterocyclic compounds with broad biological activities including anticancer properties. The compounds investigated in this study (MM134, -6, -7, and 9) were found to have antiproliferative activity against BxPC-3 and PC-3 cancer cell lines in micromolar concentrations (IC50 0.11–0.33 µM). Here, we studied the genotoxic potential of the tested compounds with alkaline and neutral comet assays, accompanied by immunocytochemical detection of phosphorylated γH2AX. We found that pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides induce significant levels of DNA damage in BxPC-3 and PC-3 cells without causing genotoxic effects in normal human lung fibroblasts (WI-38) when used in their respective IC50 concentrations (except for MM134) and showed a dose-dependent increase in DNA damage following 24 h incubation of tested cancer cells with these agents. Furthermore, the influence of MM compounds on DNA damage response (DDR) factors was assessed using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and in women. The impact of the new pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine sulphonamide (MM-129) was evaluated against human colon cancer in vitro and in zebrafish xenografts. Our results show that this new synthesised compound effectively inhibits cell survival in BTK-dependent mechanism. Its effectiveness is much higher at a relatively low concentration as compared with the standard chemotherapy used for CRC, i.e. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Flow cytometry analysis after annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide staining revealed that apoptosis was the main response of CRC cells to MM-129 treatment. We also found that MM-129 effectively inhibits tumour development in zebrafish embryo xenograft model, where it showed a markedly synergistic anticancer effect when used in combination with 5-FU. The above results suggest that this novel heterofused 1,2,4-triazine derivative may be a promising candidate for further evaluation as chemotherapeutic agent against CRC.

In the present study, a series of azo derivatives (TR-1 to TR-9) have been synthesised via the diazo-coupling approach between substituted aromatic amines with phenol or naphthol derivatives. The compounds were evaluated for their therapeutic applications against alpha-glucosidase (anti-diabetic) and pathogenic bacterial strains E. coli (gram-negative), S. aureus (gram-positive), S. aureus (gram-positive) drug-resistant strain, P. aeruginosa (gram-negative), P. aeruginosa (gram-negative) drug-resistant strain and P. vulgaris (gram-negative). The IC50 (µg/mL) of TR-1 was found to be most effective (15.70 ± 1.3 µg/mL) compared to the reference drug acarbose (21.59 ± 1.5 µg/mL), hence, it was further selected for the kinetic studies in order to illustrate the mechanism of inhibition. The enzyme inhibitory kinetics and mode of binding for the most active inhibitor (TR-1) was performed which showed that the compound is a non-competitive inhibitor and effectively inhibits the target enzyme by binding to its binuclear active site reversibly.

Novel azomethines derived from acefylline tethered triazole hybrids (7a-k) have been synthesized and evaluated against human liver cancer cell line (Hep G2) using MTT assay. The synthesized series of azomethines exhibited promising efficacy against liver cancer cell line. Screening of the synthesized series identified compound 7d with the least cell viability value (11.71 ± 0.39%) as the most potent anticancer agent in contrast to the reference drug acefylline (cell viability = 80 ± 3.87%). In this study, the potentials of the novel agents (7a-k) to inhibit liver cancer proteins were assessed. Subsequently, the structure-activity relationship of the potential drug candidates was assessed via ADME/T molecular screening. The cytotoxic potential of these derivatives was also investigated by hemolysis and thrombolysis. Their hemolytic and thrombolytic studies showed that all of these drugs had very low cytotoxicity and moderate clot lysis activity. Compound 7g (0.26% hemolysis) and 7k (52.1% clot lysis) were the least toxic and moderate thrombolytic agents respectively.

Allenes with two carbon–carbon double bonds belong to a unique class of unsaturated hydrocarbons. The central carbon atom of allene is sp hybridized and forms two σ-bonds and two π-bonds with two terminal sp2 hybridized carbon atoms. The chemistry of allenes has been well documented over the last decades. They are more reactive than alkenes due to higher strain and exhibit significant axial chirality, thus playing a vital role in asymmetric synthesis. Over a variety of organic transformations, allenes specifically undergo classical metal catalyzed cycloaddition reactions to obtain chemo-, regio- and stereoselective cycloadducts. This review briefly describes different types of annulations including [2+2], [2+2+1], [3+2], [2+2+2], [4+2], [5+2], [6+2] cycloadditions using titanium, cobalt, rhodium, nickel, palladium, platinum, gold and phosphine catalyzed reactions along with a mechanistic study of some highlighted protocols. The synthetic applications of these reactions towards the synthesis of natural products such as aristeromycin, ent-[3]-ladderanol, waihoensene(−)-vindoline and (+)-4-epi-vindoline have also been described.

The present investigation deals with the synthesis, characterization and pharmacological evaluation of four cadmium complexes (1–4) with Schiff bases (1L-4L) derived from the substituted amines and aryl aldehydes. Amantadine is reacted with different aryl aldehydes (salicylaldehyde, 3-ethoxysalicylaldehyde and 4-(diethylamino) salicylaldehyde) to prepare Schiff base ligands 1L-3L, while 4L was prepared using 4-methylaniline. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopic techniques and thermal analysis, and the structure of one of the ligands, 3L was determined by X-ray crystallography. The spectroscopic data indicate that the ligands coordinate with Cd(II) in a bidentate fashion to give octahedral geometry. Single crystal XRD analysis shows that 3L is orthorhombic with the space group P212121. The ligands and their Cd(II) complexes were evaluated for antimicrobial activities, while the complexes were also investigated for inhibition effects towards an enzyme, alkaline phosphatase. The anti-microbial screening results showed that cadmium complex 1 exhibited significant antibacterial potential, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus with respect to the corresponding ligand suggesting that the complexes are more effective than their ligands for antimicrobial activity. In case of alkaline phosphatase inhibition screening, the synthesized cadmium complex 1 was found to maximally inhibit the activity of alkaline phosphatase in comparison to rest of three complexes.

The Mitsunobu reaction plays a vital part in organic chemistry due to its wide synthetic applications. It is considered as a significant reaction for the interconversion of one functional group (alcohol) to another (ester) in the presence of oxidizing agents (azodicarboxylates) and reducing agents (phosphines). It is a renowned stereoselective reaction which inverts the stereochemical configuration of end products. One of the most important applications of the Mitsunobu reaction is its role in the synthesis of natural products. This review article will focus on the contribution of the Mitsunobu reaction towards the total synthesis of natural products, highlighting their biological potential during recent years.

Hiyama cross-coupling is a versatile reaction in synthetic organic chemistry for the construction of carbon–carbon bonds. It involves the coupling of organosilicons with organic halides using transition metal catalysts in good yields and high enantioselectivities. In recent years, hectic progress has been made by researchers toward the synthesis of diversified natural products and pharmaceutical drugs using the Hiyama coupling reaction. This review emphasizes the recent synthetic developments and applications of Hiyama cross-coupling.

The plant Caralluma edulis is traditionally used against diabetes and inflammatory conditions in Pakistan. This study was designed to provide scientific validation of the traditional use of Caralluma edulis. Phytochemicals were extracted from the plant by different solvents (distilled water, methanol, ethanol, and acetone) using the Soxhlet’s extraction method. Bioactive compounds were detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The in vitro anti-inflammatory activities (albumin denaturation, membrane stabilization, and proteinase inhibition) and antioxidant capacity (DPPH scavenging activity, FRAP reducing activity) of different extracts from Caralluma edulis were assessed. The antidiabetic potential of Caralluma edulis plant extracts was determined in acute and subacute diabetic rabbit models. Oxidative stress and enzymatic antioxidant status were also estimated in MDA, CAT, and SOD levels. Results showed that the methanol extract yielded the highest contents of phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity and antioxidant potential of the methanol extract were the highest among the tested solvents. The tested extracts did not show any remarkable antidiabetic activity in the acute diabetic model. However, all tested extracts demonstrated antidiabetic potential in the subacute diabetic model. No adverse effect was observed at the tested dose (200 mg/kg) of Caralluma edulis extracts in experimental animals. It is concluded that methanol is the key solvent for extracting bioactive compounds from Caralluma edulis. The plant can be used against inflammatory disorders and may prove a potential candidate for drug development. Long-term use of Caralluma edulis at the tested dose (200 mg/kg) showed antidiabetic properties in the animal model.

The over expression of melanogenic enzymes like tyrosinase caused many hyperpigmentaion disorders. The present work describes the synthesis of hydroxy substituted 2-[(4-acetylphenyl)amino]-2-oxoethyl derivatives 3a–e and 5a–e as antimelanogenic agents. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity of synthesized derivatives 3a–e and 5a–e was determined and it was found that derivative 5c possesses excellent activity with IC50 = 0.0089 µM compared to standard kojic acid (IC50 = 16.69 µM). The presence of hydroxyl groups at the ortho and the para position of cinnamic acid phenyl ring in compound 5c plays a vital role in tyrosinase inhibitory activity. The compound 5d also exhibited good activity (IC50 = 8.26 µM) compared to standard kojic acid. The enzyme inhibitory kinetics results showed that compound 5c is a competitive inhibitor while 5d is a mixed-type inhibitor. The mode of binding for compounds 5c and 5d with tyrosinase enzyme was also assessed and it was found that both derivatives irreversibly bind with target enzyme. The molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation studies were also performed to find the position of attachment of synthesized compounds at tyrosinase enzyme (PDB ID 2Y9X). The results showed that all of the synthesized compounds bind well with the active binding sites and most potent derivative 5c formed stable complex with target protein. The cytotoxicity results showed that compound 5c is safe at a dose of 12 µg/mL against murine melanoma (B16F10) cells. The same dose of 5c was selected to determine antimelanogenic activity; the results showed that it produced antimelenogenic effects in murine melanoma (B16F10) cells. Based on our investigations, it was proposed that compound 5c may serve as a lead structure to design more potent antimelanogenic agents.

In this paper, we present for the first time the evaluation of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of de novo synthesized pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides MM129, MM130, and MM131 in human tumor cell lines: HeLa, HCT 116, PC-3, and BxPC-3. Cytotoxic and genotoxic properties of the tested compounds were estimated using the MTT assay, comet assay (alkaline and neutral version), and γ-H2AX immuno-staining. Examined sulfonamides exhibited strong anticancer properties towards tested cells in a very low concentration range (IC50 = 0.17–1.15 μM) after 72 h exposure time. The results of the alkaline and neutral version of the comet assay following 24 h incubation of the cells with tested compounds demonstrated the capability of heterocycles to induce significant DNA damage in exposed cells. HCT 116 cells were the most sensitive to the genotoxic activity of novel tricyclic pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides in the neutral version of the comet assay. Immunocytochemical detection of γ-H2AX showed an increase in DNA DSBs level in the HCT 116 cell line, after 24 h incubation with all tested compounds, confirming the results obtained in the neutral comet assay. Among all investigated compounds, MM131 showed the strongest cytotoxic and genotoxic activity toward all tested cell types. In conclusion, our results suggest that MM129, MM130, and MM131 exhibit high cytotoxic and genotoxic potential in vitro, especially towards the colorectal cancer cell line HCT 116. However, further investigations and analyses are required for their future implementation in the field of medicine.

The binding of fluoroquinolones, the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, with melanin is well explored. However, their binding patterns and exact mechanism of interaction with tyrosinase, a key enzyme in melanogenesis, are not explored yet. Thus, in the present study, seven fluoroquinolone drugs were selected to characterize their interactions with the tyrosinase enzyme: ciprofloxacin, enoxacin sesquihydrate, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, sparfloxacin, moxifloxacin and gemifloxacin. The results confirmed that all the drugs execute excellent enzyme activity, with an inhibition range from IC50 = 28 ± 4 to 50 ± 1.9 μM, outperforming the standard hydroquinone (IC50 = 170 μM). Later, kinetic studies revealed that all the drugs showed irreversible, but mixed-type, tyrosinase inhibition, with a preferentially competitive mode of action. Further, 2D and 3D docked complexes and binding analyses confirmed their significant interactions in the active region of the target enzyme, sufficient for the downstream signaling responsible for the observed tyrosinase inhibition. Thus, this is the first report demonstrating their mechanism of tyrosinase inhibition, critical for melanin-dependent responses, including toxicity.

Pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides constitute a novel class of heterocyclic compounds with broad biological activity, including anticancer properties. Investigated in this study, MM-compounds (MM134, MM136, MM137, and MM139) exhibited cytotoxic and proapoptotic activity against cancer cell lines (BxPC-3, PC-3, and HCT-116) in nanomolar concentrations without causing cytotoxicity in normal cells (L929 and WI38). In silico predictions indicate that tested compounds exhibit favorable pharmacokinetic profiles and may exert anticancer activity through the inhibition of BTK kinase, the AKT-mTOR pathway and PD1-PD-L1 interaction. Our findings point out that these sulfonamide derivatives may constitute a source of new anticancer drugs after optimization.

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are pivotal mediators and effectors of the DNA damage response (DDR) that regulate both the pathway components and proteins involved in repair processes. Synthetic lethality (SL) describes a situation in which two genes are linked in such a way that the lack of functioning of just one maintains cell viability, while depletion of both triggers cell death. Synthetic lethal interactions involving CDKs are now emerging, and this can be used to selectively target tumor cells with DNA repair defects. In this review, SL interactions of CDKs with protooncogene products MYC, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP-1), and cellular tumor antigen p53 (TP53) are discussed. The individual roles of each of the SL partners in DDR are described.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. In many cases, the treatment of the disease is limited due to the metastasis of cells to distant locations of the body through the blood and lymphatic drainage. Most of the anticancer therapeutic options focus mainly on the inhibition of tumor cell growth or the induction of cell death, and do not consider the molecular basis of metastasis. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive review focusing on cancer metastasis and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway (ERK/JNK/P38 signaling) as a crucial modulator of this process.

Ultrasound- and microwave-assisted green synthetic strategies were applied to furnish benzofuran–oxadiazole 5a–g and benzofuran–triazole 7a–h derivatives in good to excellent yields (60–96%), in comparison with conventional methods (36–80% yield). These synthesized derivatives were screened for hemolysis, thrombolysis and anticancer therapeutic potential against an A549 lung cancer cell line using an MTT assay. Derivatives 7b (0.1%) and 5e (0.5%) showed the least toxicity against RBCs. Hybrid 7f showed excellent thrombolysis activity (61.4%) when compared against reference ABTS. The highest anticancer activity was displayed by the 5d structural hybridwith cell viability 27.49 ± 1.90 and IC50 6.3 ± 0.7 μM values, which were considerably lower than the reference drug crizotinib (IC50 8.54 ± 0.84 μM). Conformational analysis revealed the spatial arrangement of compound 5d, which demonstrated its significant potency in comparison with crizotinib; therefore, scaffold 5d would be a promising anticancer agent on the basis of cytotoxicity studies, as well as in silico modeling studies.

Coumarin is an important six-membered aromatic heterocyclic pharmacophore, widely distributed in natural products and synthetic molecules. The versatile and unique features of coumarin nucleus, in combination with privileged sulfonamide moiety, have enhanced the broad spectrum of biological activities. The research and development of coumarin, sulfonamide-based pharmacology, and medicinal chemistry have become active topics, and attracted the attention of medicinal chemists, pharmacists, and synthetic chemists. Coumarin sulfonamide compounds and analogs as clinical drugs have been used to cure various diseases with high therapeutic potency, which have shown their enormous development value. The diversified and wide array of biological activities such as anticancer, antibacterial, anti-fungal, antioxidant and anti-viral, etc. were displayed by diversified coumarin sulfonamides. The present systematic and comprehensive review in the current developments of synthesis and the medicinal chemistry of coumarin sulfonamide-based scaffolds give a whole range of therapeutics, especially in the field of oncology and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. In the present review, various synthetic approaches, strategies, and methodologies involving effect of catalysts, the change of substrates, and the employment of various synthetic reaction conditions to obtain high yields is cited.

A facile method has been developed for the synthesis of Schiff bases derived from substituted and unsubstituted 3-amino- and 4-amino-1,2,4-triazoles. Condensation of the aminotrizoles with a variety of aromatic aldehydes afforded desired Schiff bases in excellent yields in 3-5 minutes of exposure to ultra-sound. The synthesized compounds were characterized by means of IR, 1HNMR and Mass spectrometry. The synthesized compounds were also screened for their antibacterial potential against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi) and two Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) strains.

Cyclic organic compounds with several ether linkages in their structure are of much concern in our daily life applications. Crown ethers (CEs) are generally heterocyclic and extremely versatile compounds exhibiting higher binding affinity. In recent years, due to their unique structure, crown ethers are widely used in drug delivery, solvent extraction, cosmetics manufacturing, material studies, catalysis, separation, and organic synthesis. Beyond their conventional place in chemistry, this review article summarizes the synthesis, biological, and potential pharmacological activities of CEs. We have emphasized the prospects of CEs as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal agents and have explored their amyloid genesis inhibitory activity, electrochemical, and potential metric sensing properties. The central feature of these compounds is their ability to form selective and stable complexes with various organic and inorganic cations. Therefore, CEs can be used in gas chromatography as the stationary phase and are also valuable for cation chromatographic to determine and separate alkali and alkaline-earth cations.

Synthetic heterocyclic compounds have incredible potential against different diseases; pyridines, phenolic compounds and the derivatives of azo moiety have shown excellent antimicrobial, antiviral, antidiabetic, anti-melanogenic, anti-ulcer, anticancer, anti-mycobacterial, anti-inflammatory, DNA binding and chemosensing activities. In the present review, the above-mentioned activities of the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds (pyridines), hydroxyl (phenols) and azo derivatives are discussed with reference to the minimum inhibitory concentration and structure–activity relationship, which clearly indicate that the presence of nitrogen in the phenyl ring; in addition, the hydroxyl substituent and the incorporation of a diazo group is crucial for the improved efficacies of the compounds in probing different diseases. The comparison was made with the reported drugs and new synthetic derivatives that showed recent therapeutic perspectives made in the last five years.

MM-129 is a novel inhibitor targeting BTK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR and PD-L1, as it possesses antitumor activity against colon cancer. To evaluate the safety profile of MM-129, we conducted a toxicity study using the zebrafish and rodent model. MM-129 was also assessed for pharmacokinetics features through an in vivo study on Wistar rats. The results revealed that MM-129 exhibited favorable pharmacokinetics with quick absorption and 68.6% of bioavailability after intraperitoneal administration. No serious adverse events were reported for the use of MM-129, confirming a favorable safety profile for this compound. It was not fatal and toxic to mice at an anticancer effective dose of 10 μmol/kg. At the end of 14 days of administering hematological and biochemical parameters, liver and renal functions were all at normal levels. No sublethal effects were either detected in zebrafish embryos treated with a concentration of 10 μM. MM-129 has the potential as a safe and well-tolerated anticancer formulation for future treatment of patients with colon cancer.

Quinoxaline is a privileged pharmacophore that has broad-spectrum applications in the fields of medicine, pharmacology and pharmaceutics. Similarly, the sulfonamide moiety is of considerable interest in medicinal chemistry, as it exhibits a wide range of pharmacological activities. Therefore, the therapeutic potential and biomedical applications of quinoxalines have been enhanced by incorporation of the sulfonamide group into their chemical framework. The present review surveyed the literature on the preparation, biological activities and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of quinoxaline sulfonamide derivatives due to their broad range of biomedical activities, such as diuretic, antibacterial, antifungal, neuropharmacological, antileishmanial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anticancer action. The current biological diagnostic findings in this literature review suggest that quinoxaline-linked sulfonamide hybrids are capable of being established as lead compounds; modifications on quinoxaline sulfonamide derivatives may give rise to advanced therapeutic agents against a wide variety of diseases.

The 1,2,3-thiadiazole moiety occupies a significant and prominent position among privileged heterocyclic templates in the field of medicine, pharmacology and pharmaceutics due to its broad spectrum of biological activities. The 1,2,3-thiadiazole hybrid structures showed myriad biomedical activities such as antifungal, antiviral, insecticidal, antiamoebic, anticancer and plant activators, etc. In the present review, various synthetic transformations and approaches are highlighted to furnish 1,2,3-thiadiazole scaffolds along with different pharmaceutical and pharmacological activities by virtue of the presence of the 1,2,3-thiadiazole framework on the basis of structure–activity relationship (SAR). The discussion in this review article will attract the attention of synthetic and medicinal researchers to explore 1,2,3-thiadiazole structural motifs for future therapeutic agents.

A new series of sulfonamide derivatives of pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazine with chiral amino group has been synthesized and characterized. The compounds were tested for their tyrosinase and urease inhibitory activity. Evaluation of prepared derivatives demonstrated that compounds (8b) and (8j) are most potent mushroom tyrosinase inhibitors whereas all of the obtained compounds showed higher urease inhibitory activity than the standard thiourea. The compounds (8a), (8f) and (8i) exhibited excellent enzyme inhibitory activity with IC50 0.037, 0.044 and 0.042 μM, respectively, while IC50 of thiourea is 20.9 μM.

Cancer therapy is one of the most important challenges of modern medical and chemical sciences. Among the many methods of combating cancer, chemotherapy plays a special role. Imperfect modern chemotherapy justifies continuing the search for new, more effective, and safe drugs. Sulfonamides are the classic group of chemotherapeutic drugs with a broad spectrum of pharmacological activity. Recent literature reports show that sulfonamide derivatives have anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. The aim of the study was to synthesize a novel 1,2,4-triazine sulfonamide derivative and check its anticancer potential in DLD-1 and HT-29 colon cancer cells. The biological studies included MTT assay, DNA biosynthesis, cell cycle analysis, Annexin V binding assay, ethidium bromide/acridine orange staining, and caspase-8, -9, and -3/7 activity. The concentrations of important molecules (sICAM-1, mTOR, Beclin-1, cathepsin B) involved in the pathogenesis and poor prognosis of colorectal cancer were also evaluated by ELISA. We demonstrated that the novel compound was able to induce apoptosis through intrinsic and extrinsic pathways and was capable of decreasing sICAM-1, mTOR, cathepsin B concentrations, whereas increased Beclin-1 concentration was detected in both colon cancer cell lines. The novel compound represents promising multi-targeted potential in colorectal cancer, but further in vivo examinations are needed to confirm the claim.

Referring to our previous laboratory results related to the tyrosinase and urease inhibition by pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazine sulfonamides, we examined here in silico the mechanism of action at the molecular level of the investigated pyrazolotriazine sulfonamides by the molecular docking method. The studied compounds being evaluated for their cytotoxic effect against cancer cell lines (MCF-7, K-562) and for recombinant Abl and CDK2/E kinase inhibitory potency turned out to be inactive in these tests. The pyrazolotriazines were also investigated with respect to their lipophilicity and plasma protein binding using HPLC chromatography in isocratic conditions. The observed small affinity for plasma proteins could be advantageous in the potential in vivo studies. Moreover, the compounds were sensitive to metabolic transformations with phase I enzymes, which led to the hydroxylation and dealkylation products, whereas phase II transformations did not occur.

The molecule CD200, described many years ago as a naturally occurring immunomodulatory agent, capable of regulating inflammation and transplant rejection, has attracted additional interest over the past years with the realization that it may also serve as an important marker for progressive malignancy. A large body of evidence also supports the hypothesis that this molecule can contribute to immunoregulation of, among other diseases, infection, autoimmune disease and allergy. New data have also come to light to characterize the receptors for CD200 (CD200R) and their potential mechanism(s) of action at the biochemical level, as well as the description of a novel natural antagonist of CD200, lacking the NH2-terminal region of the full-length molecule. Significant controversies exist concerning the relative importance of CD200 as a ligand for all reported CD200Rs. Nevertheless, some progress has been made in the identification of the structural constraints determining the interaction between CD200 and CD200R, and this information has in turn proved of use in developing novel small molecule agonists/antagonists of the interaction. The review below highlights many of these newer findings, and attempts to place them in the broad context of our understanding of the role of CD200-CD200R interactions in a variety of human diseases.

The protective ozone layer is continually depleting due to the release of deteriorating environmental pollutants. The diminished ozone layer contributes to excessive exposure of cells to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This leads to various cellular responses utilized to restore the homeostasis of exposed cells. DNA is the primary chromophore of the cells that absorbs sunlight energy. Exposure of genomic DNA to UV light leads to the formation of multitude of types of damage (depending on wavelength and exposure time) that are removed by effectively working repair pathways. The aim of this review is to summarize current knowledge considering cellular response to UV radiation with special focus on DNA damage and repair and to give a comprehensive insight for new researchers in this field. We also highlight most important future prospects considering application of the progressing knowledge of UV response for the clinical control of diverse pathologies.

This review focuses on the cytotoxic effect of new synthetic pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazine derivatives against different tumor cell lines. Some annulated pyrazolotriazines i.e., pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4]triazines and pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine demonstrated significant broad cytotoxic activity in micromolar range concentration, which could have excellent potential to be new candidate therapeutic agents in cancer chemotherapy.

The discovery of cytotoxic drugs is focused on designing a compound structure that directly affects cancer cells without an impact on normal cells. The mechanism of anticancer activity is mainly related with activation of apoptosis. However, recent scientific reports show that autophagy also plays a crucial role in cancer cell progression. Thus, the objective of this study was to synthesize 7-methyl-5-phenyl-pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[4,5-b][1,2,4]triazine utilizing nucleophilic substitution reaction at the position N1. The biological activity of tested compounds was assessed in DLD-1 and HT-29 cell lines. The induction of apoptosis was confirmed by Annexin V binding assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. The loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase-8 activity was estimated using cytometer flow analysis. The concentration of p53, LC3A, LC3B and beclin-1 was measured using the ELISA technique. Our study revealed that anticancer activity of 7-methyl-5-phenyl-pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[4,5-b][1,2,4]triazine derivatives is related with initiation of apoptosis occur on the intrinsic pathway with mitochondrial membrane decrease and extrinsic with increase of activity of caspase-8. Moreover, a decrease in beclin-1, LC3A, and LC3B were observed in two cell lines after treatment with novel compounds. This study showed that novel 7-methyl-5-phenyl-pyrazolo[4,3-e]tetrazolo[4,5-b][1,2,4]triazine derivatives might be a potential strategy in colon cancer treatment.

A series of new pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazine acyclonucleosides 2−5 and 8 were prepared and evaluated for their anticancer activity against human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, K-562) and CDK2/E, as well as Abl protein kinases inhibitors. Lipophilicity of the compounds was determined using C-18 and immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) chromatography. In order to confirm the molecular structures and synthesis pathway of new acyclonucleosides, X-ray analysis was performed for model compound 3. Theoretical calculations at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level were used for the characterization of electronic structures of 1−8. The potential antiviral activity of acyclonucleosides 2−8 was tested in silico using molecular docking method.