Search

Isochromans are well recognized heterocyclic compounds in drug discovery which produce diverse therapeutically related applications in pharmacological practices. Medicinal chemistry investigators have synthesized drug-like isochroman candidates with multiple medicinal features including central nervous system (CNS), antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antitumor and anti-inflammatory agents. Simultaneously, SAR (Structure-Activity Relationship) analysis has drawn attentions among medicinal chemists, along with a great deal of derivatives have been derived for potential targets. In this article, we thoroughly summarize the biological activities and part of typical SAR for isochroman derivatives reported on existing literatures and patents, wishing to provide an overall retrospect and prospect on the isochroman analogues., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

A series of Flexible Heteroarotinoid (Flex-Het) analogs was synthesized and their biological activities were evaluated against the A2780 ovarian cancer cell line. The objective of this study was to establish structure-activity relationships (SARs) for new Flex-Het derivatives, which were previously inaccessible due to the limited availability of aryl isothiocyanate precursors. The current work developed a synthesis of isothiocyanate 13 and used it to prepare 14 diverse thiourea analogs of the lead compound SHetA2 (1, NSC-721689) from a range of commercial amines. Additionally, five new ureas were prepared along with nine N-benzylthioureas, five derivatives incorporating hydrazine or hydrazide linkers and four desmethyl compounds. Potencies and efficacies were determined for each derivative. Some of the new Flex-Hets displayed high activity with IC 50 values ranging from 1.86 to 4.70 μM and 85.6-95.9% efficacies, which are comparable to or better than the lead compound (IC 50 3.17 μM, 84.3% efficacy). Although SHetA2 is scheduled to enter clinical trials in the near future, alternative backup drug candidates have been identified in this work. The new agents possess similar pharmacological properties and retain selective activity against A2780 ovarian cancer cells. Although a mixed SAR was obtained for these analogs, diversified, highly potent molecules were identified for further investigation. In particular, agents 2c-d and 3e-f, which incorporated CF 3 and OCF 3 groups in place of NO 2 on the pendent aryl ring, displayed high activity and excellent differentiation between normal and cancerous cells., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

We describe the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a series of novel HIV-1 protease inhibitors with carboxamide derivatives as the P2 ligands. We have specifically designed aminothiochromane and aminotetrahydronaphthalene-based carboxamide ligands to promote hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions in the active site of HIV-1 protease. Inhibitors 4e and 4j have shown potent enzyme inhibitory and antiviral activity. High resolution X-ray crystal structures of 4d- and 4k-bound HIV-1 protease revealed molecular insights into the ligand-binding site interactions., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Five series of chromans with urea and thiourea linkers connecting a chroman unit (ring A) and a 4-substituted benzene unit (ring B) have been prepared and evaluated relative to SHetA2 (NSC 721689) for activity against the human A2780 ovarian cancer cell line. The lead compound SHetA2 had a sulfur in place of the oxygen in ring A and a thiourea linker to ring B. The 2-Me-4-Me series (two sets of geminal dimethyl groups at C2 and at C4 on the ring A unit) permitted direct comparison with SHetA2. Ring B in this series was evaluated with specific functional groups at C4 on the ring, including NO 2 , CO 2 Et, CF 3 , OCF 3 , CN and SO 2 NH 2 . The 2-H-4-Me series (only one geminal dimethyl group at the C4 position on ring A) permitted structure-activity relationship analysis to assess the importance of the hydrophobic geminal dimethyl groups on ring A to the activity of SHetA2. The remaining three series 2-Et-4-Me, 2-Me-4-Et and 2-Et-4-Et (ring A methyl groups replaced with ethyls at C2, at C4 and at both C2 and C4, respectively) offered the opportunity to modulate the hydrophobicity of the chroman moiety. Additionally, in all these series, the influence of a urea versus a thiourea linker was also investigated. The results of these modifications are summarized below. The exact analog of SHetA2 with oxygen substituted for sulfur in ring A (2a) showed comparable efficacy but a significantly lower IC 50 against the ovarian cancer cell line. The urea linked analogs bearing CN, CF 3 and OCF 3 at C4 of ring B (3c,d and f) showed greater efficacy than SHetA2, but also had lower IC 50 values. Removing the geminal dimethyl group at C2 (4a-c, 5a-c) caused a significant lowering of the efficacy and percent growth inhibition, indicating that the hydrophobic geminal dimethyl group at C2 in ring A is crucial for activity. Finally, replacing the geminal dimethyl groups with geminal diethyls on ring A in the urea derivatives gave 6b-c, 7c-d and 8b, all of which outperformed SHetA2 with respect to efficacy and IC 50 . The results for compounds 4-8 are in concurrence with modeling studies, which predicted that greater hydrophobicity in ring A would be beneficial. Binding energies were determined for compounds docked in silico to mortalin, the protein identified as a receptor of SHetA2. The urea linker promoted activity comparable to or, in some cases, greater than compounds with a thiourea linker. Several compounds achieved 94% efficacy and an IC 50 of 2 μM, which were better than SHetA2 (84%, 3 μM)., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Because of the complex biological networks, many pathologic disorders fail to be treated with a molecule directed towards a single target. Thus, combination therapies are often necessary, but they have many drawbacks. An alternative consists in building molecules intended to interact with multiple targets, called designed multiple ligands. We followed such a strategy in order to treat metabolic syndrome, by setting up molecules directed towards both type 1 angiotensin II (AT 1 ) receptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ). For this purpose, many molecules were prepared by merging both pharmacophores following three different strategies. Their ability to activate PPAR-γ and to block AT 1 receptors were evaluated in vitro. This strategy led to the preparation of many new PPAR-γ activating and AT 1 blocking molecules. Among them, some exhibited both activities, highlighting the convenience of this approach., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Our previous research found the ethyl acetate extract of Peperomia tetraphylla (EAEPT) inhibited the growth of U937 cells by blocking the cell cycle and prompted apoptosis via the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-medicated mitochondria pathway. While the compounds in EAEPT which possessed the anti-tumor activity were unclear. Peperobtusin A is a phenolic compound, which was isolated from the whole plant of Peperomia tetraphylla. In this work, we found that peperobtusin A had the anti-proliferative effects against human lymphoma U937 cells and induced apoptosis in a dose dependent manner. Peperobtusin A significantly enhanced the formation of intracellular ROS and induced the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm). And peperobtusin A could increase the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, induce the cleavage of Bid, Caspase-3, Caspase-8 and Caspase-9 and enhance the level of P-P38. Moreover, peperobtusin A induced the accumulation of cells at S phase. Through using of inhibitors such as antioxidant NAC, pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK, p38 MAPK specific inhibitor SB203580, we found that intracellular ROS generation, activation of Caspases and p38 MAPK played very important roles in the apoptosis induced by peperobtusin A in U937 cells. Our results indicated that intracellular ROS generation, the Caspase-dependent and p38 MAPK signaling pathways involved in apoptosis induced by peperobtusin A in U937 cells., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A possible ability of twelve new derivatives of known antioxidants trolox (TroH), trolox succinate (TroS), α-tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) containing nitroxyl radicals (1-12) to protect bacterial cells from spontaneous and peroxide-induced mutagenesis and their cytotoxicity against six different tumor cells as well as two normal cells were investigated and compared with that for TroH, TroS, α-TOH, and α-TOS for the first time. In contrast to TroH and TroS, all nitroxide derivatives 1-12 demonstrated not only antioxidant properties, but also suppress the growth of human tumor cells: myeloma, mammary adenocarcinoma, hepatocarcinoma, T cells leukemia, histiocytic lymphoma, and T-cellular leucosis. The IC50 values (24 - ≥ 300 μM) depend significantly on the compounds and type of tumor cells. Some compounds were capable to inhibit the growth of normal mouse (LMTK) and hamster (AG17) fibroblast cells and demonstrate very different ratios in inhibition of various tumor and normal cell lines. Some nitroxide conjugates showed pronounced selectivity in suppressing the growth of several cancer cells. Overall, several compounds may be promising in parallel as antioxidants and as specific inhibitors of some tumor cells growth. Among considered spin labeled conjugates the most perspective derivatives as antioxidants and as antitumor agents are the compounds containing pyrrolidine nitroxides. In contrast to spin labeled TroH, TroS and α-TOS conjugates 1-12 succinyl derivatives 13-15 were inactive in inhibiting the growth of any tumor cells. It means that for suppressing the cancer cells the compounds should contain in their structures fragments of TroH, TroS or α-TOS., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A series of (E)-3-heteroarylidenechroman-4-ones (1a-r) was designed, synthesized and investigated in vitro for their ability to inhibit the enzymatic activity of both human monoamine oxidase (hMAO) isoforms, hMAO-A and hMAO-B. All the compounds were found to be selective hMAO-B inhibitors showing IC50 values in the nanomolar or micromolar range. (E)-5,7-Dichloro-3-{[(2-(dimethylamino)pyrimidin-5-yl]methylene}chroman-4-one (1c) was the most interesting compound identified in this study, endowed with higher hMAO-B potency (IC50 = 10.58 nM) and selectivity (SI > 9452) with respect to the reference selective inhibitor selegiline (IC50 = 19.60 nM, IC50 > 3431). Molecular modelling studies were performed for rationalizing at molecular level the target selective inhibition of our compounds, revealing a remarkable contribution of hydrogen bond network and water solvent., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A scaffold approach has been used to develop somatostatin β-turn mimetics based on chroman-4-one and chromone ring systems. Such derivatives could adopt conformations resembling type II or type II' β-turns. Side chain equivalents of the crucial Trp8 and Lys9 in somatostatin were introduced in the 2- and 8-positions of the scaffolds using efficient reactions. Interestingly, this proof-of-concept study shows that 4 and 9 have Ki-values in the low μM range when evaluated for their affinity for the sst2 and sst4 receptors., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Combining tacrine with trolox in a single molecule, novel multifunctional hybrids have been designed and synthesized. All these hybrids showed ChE inhibitory activity in nanomolar range and strong antioxidant activity close to the parent compound trolox. Among them, compound 6d was the most potent inhibitor against AChE (IC50 value of 9.8 nM for eeAChE and 23.5 nM for hAChE), and it was also a strong inhibitor to BuChE (IC50 value of 22.2 nM for eqBuChE and 20.5 nM for hBuChE). Molecular modeling and kinetic studies suggested that 6d was a mixed-type inhibitor, binding simultaneously to CAS and PAS of AChE. In vivo hepatotoxicity assays indicated that 6d was much less toxic than tacrine. In addition, it showed neuroprotective effect and good ability to penetrate the BBB. Overall, all these results highlighted 6d a promising multifunctional agent for AD treatment., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Flexible Heteroarotinoids (Flex-Hets) are a class of substituted di-aryl compounds that exhibit potent anti-cancer activity without toxicity. They were derived from the more conformationally restricted, 2-atom linker Hets by substitution of the 2-atom linker with a 3-atom urea or thiourea linker, which conferred more potent inhibitory activity against cancer cell lines. The objectives of this structure activity relationship (SAR) study were to determine if a 4-atom acrylamide linker and various substitutions on the terminal aryl ring altered the anti-cancer activity of these second generation Flex-Het compounds compared to the parent Flex-Het compound, SHetA2, which has a thiourea linker and a nitro substituent. Biological activity was measured using a cytotoxicity assay of the human A2780 ovarian cancer cell line treated with a range of compound concentrations. Nitrogen-based substitutions on the terminal aryl group caused similar, but slightly reduced efficacies and potencies. Exceptions were systems that had a nitro group at the para position, the potencies of which were better than that of SHetA2 with efficacies that were only slightly reduced compared to SHetA2. Similarly, the potency of the system with a para dimethylamino group was greater than that of SHetA2. However, a 30% reduction in efficacy compared to SHetA2 was noted. While specific members with the 4-atom acrylamide linker did exhibit excellent potency, the efficacy was slightly below that of SHetA2. Thus, a gradient of activities was observed as the substituent on the aryl ring was altered., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A series of 2-aryl-3-nitro-2H-chromenes 4a-u were designed as hybrid analogs of flavanone, β-nitrostyrene and nitrovinylstilbene scaffolds. They were synthesized from the reaction of appropriate β-nitrostyrenes and salicylaldehydes in good yields. In vitro cytotoxic activities of compounds 4a-u were tested against breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7, T-47D and MDA-MB-231. Most compounds exhibited good cytotoxic activity against selected cell lines, being more potent than standard drug etoposide. Representatively, 8-methoxy-3-nitro-2-(4-chlorophenyl)-2H-chromene (4l) with IC50 = 0.2 μM against MCF-7 cells, was 36-times more potent than etoposide. Apoptosis as a mechanism of cell death for selected compounds 4h and 4l was confirmed morphologically by acridine orange/ethidium bromide double staining and TUNEL analysis, as well as caspase-3 activation assay., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Δ2-Troglitazone derivatives were shown to exhibit anti-proliferative activity in a PPARγ-independent manner. We prepared various compounds in order to increase their potency and decrease their toxicity towards non-malignant primary cultured hepatocytes. Many compounds induced viabilities less than 20% at 10 μM on various cancer cell lines. Furthermore, five of them showed hepatocyte viability of 80% or more at 200 μM. In addition, compounds 17 and 18 exhibited promising maximum tolerated doses on a murine model, enabling future investigations., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A set of aminoethyl substituted chromenes 3 and chromanes 4, originally developed as antiprotozoal drugs was evaluated as novel types of σ1 receptor ligands. Analysis of SAR showed that chromenes 3 have a higher σ1 affinity than chromanes 4. A distance of four bond lengths between the basic amino moiety and the phenyl ring (3c), an alicyclic N-substituent such as the cyclohexylmethyl moiety (3l), and methylation of the secondary amine to afford a tertiary amine (3n) result in very high σ1 affinity and selectivity over the σ2 subtype. Compounds 3a-n and 4a-e were docked into the putative binding site of the σ1 receptor model and the relevant binding mode was analyzed and scored. Specifically, for the best σ1 ligand 3n, a salt bridge between Asp126 and the protonated amino group, an H-bond between the receptor backbone NH group (Ala122-Glu123) and the methoxy moiety of 3n, a lipophilic protein cavity encasing the chromene ring, and a T-shaped π-π stacking between the indole ring of Trp121 and the phenyl ring of 3n represent the most important ligand/protein stabilizing interactions. The binding pose of 3n was compared with the binding poses of the non-methylated chromene 3c, the saturated chromane 4c, and the N-cyclohexylmethyl derivative 3l. The contribution of the single amino acids to the overall free binding enthalpy was analyzed., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The present study described the synthesis of original R/S-6-alkylsulfonylamino-3,4-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyrans bearing a 3- or 4-substituted phenylthiourea or phenylurea moiety at the 4-position. Their biological effects were evaluated both on insulin-secreting and smooth muscle cells and were compared to those of reference KATP channel activators such as (±)-cromakalim, diazoxide and previously synthesized cromakalim analogues. The study aimed at exploring the influence of the introduction of an alkylsulfonylamino substituent at the 6-position of 2,2-dimethylchromans in order to improve biological activity, tissue selectivity but also hydrophilicity of dihydrobenzopyran derivatives. Several compounds were found to be equipotent or even more potent than (±)-cromakalim and diazoxide at inhibiting the insulin releasing process. Most of the newly synthesized and more hydrophilic dihydrobenzopyrans also exhibited a marked vasorelaxant activity although they were less potent than (±)-cromakalim. Additional pharmacological and radioisotopic investigations suggested that R/S-N-3-chlorophenyl-N'-(3,4-dihydro-6-methylsulfonylamino-2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-4-yl)thiourea (21) did not act as a potassium channel opener but rather as a Ca(2+) entry blocker., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A series of imidazolylchromanone oximes containing phenoxyethyl ether moiety, as found in omoconazole, were synthesized and evaluated against yeasts (Candida albicans and Cryptococcus gattii) and filamentous fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus and Exophiala dermatitidis). Although the title compounds showed marginal activity against filamentous fungi but all of them exhibited potent activity against C. gattii (MIC values ≤4 μg/mL). Among them, (3-chlorophenoxy)ethyl analog 7c with MIC value of 0.5 μg/mL was the most potent compound. Further molecular docking studies provided a better insight into the binding of designed compounds within the homology modeled active site of CnCYP51 (Cryptococcus CYP51-14α-demethylase)., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Efflux pump (EP) induces resistance in mycobacteria and hence could be explored as a new target for the discovery of anti-TB agents. In search for efflux pump inhibitors from natural products, bonducellin, a homoisoflavonoid was isolated from Caesalpinia digyna roots and evaluated for modulation and EP inhibitory activity. Bonducellin showed modulation in the MIC of EtBr by eight fold at a concentration of 62.5 mg/L and also showed significant EP inhibitory activity. A synthetic scheme was designed to prepare analogues of 7-hydroxy-(E)-3-phenylmethylene-chroman-4-one by modification at the phenylmethylene-ring and the synthesized compounds were evaluated in accumulation and efflux assays. Analogues 1, 7-11, 13-15, 17 and 19 were found to be good modulators and decreased the MIC of EtBr by ≥4 fold at sub-inhibitory concentration. The compounds 8, 13 and 17 were the most potent inhibitors of ethidium bromide efflux in Mycobacterium smegmatis mc(2) 155., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) selective compounds may guide the design of drugs that can be used in conjunction with hormonal adjuvant therapy in the treatment of breast cancer. Herein we report a modified synthesis of a known RARα antagonist, 2-fluoro-4-[[[8-bromo-2,2-dimethyl-4-(4-methylphenyl)chroman-6-yl]carbonyl]amino]benzoic acid and a synthesis of its unknown, desfluoro analog, 4-[[[8-bromo-2,2-dimethyl-4-(4-methylphenyl)chroman-6-yl]carbonyl]amino]benzoic acid. The modified route allows for facile reaction workups, increased yields, lower cost and incorporates a green alternative step. Structure-activity relationship studies determined through functional cell-based assays, demonstrated antagonism to RARα for both compounds. Molecular modeling within the RARα binding pocket was used to compare binding interactions of the desfluoro analog to a known RAR antagonist., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women. The development of resistances to therapeutic agents and the absence of targeted therapy for triple negative breast cancer motivate the search for alternative treatments. With this aim in mind, we synthesised new derivatives of troglitazone, a compound which was formerly used as an anti-diabetic agent and which exhibits anti-proliferative activity on various cancer cell lines. Among the compounds prepared, some displayed micromolar activity against hormone-dependent and hormone-independent breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the influence of the compounds on the viability of primary cultures of human hepatocytes was evaluated. This enabled us to obtain for the first time interesting structure-toxicity relationships in this family of compounds, resulting in 6b and 8b, which show good anti-proliferative activities and poor toxicity towards hepatocytes, compared to troglitazone., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A series of 2,4-diarylchromane[4,3-d]-Delta(1,9b)-1,2,3-thiadiazolines have been synthesized by cyclization of corresponding 2-arylchroman-4-one-arylhydrazones with SOCl(2) then treated with alcohol. All the compounds have been tested for their antiproliferative activity in vitro against six human tumor cell lines, and the highly potent derivative 11a exhibited in vivo inhibitory effect on tumor growth. Mechanism research indicated that it is due to 11a that induces DNA fragmentation.

The synthesis and antimicrobial activity of isochromane-type analogs of the pyranonaphthoquinone antibiotics are reported. Isochromane derivatives with (17a, b) and without (22a, b) a C-4 hydroxyl moiety and their corresponding quinones (19a and 23), were prepared. Both quinones exhibited antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus atrophaeus and Streptococcus agalactiae, while the related isochromanes were inactive. The results suggest that the quinone moiety is important for biological activity while the C-4 hydroxyl may not be essential.

Background: Treatment of oxidative stress-related pathologies is a possible therapeutical strategy for the future. Natural product with antioxidant properties could trigger this goal. The aim of this in vitro study was to assess the antioxidant activity of the natural product ergothioneine (EGT), a compound of plant origin, which is assimilated and conserved by mammals in erythrocytes, kidney, seminal fluid and liver., Methods: We measured the antioxidant activity of EGT as its ability to antagonize the oxidation of alpha-keto-gamma-methiolbutyric acid (KMBA) by hydroxyl radical, peroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite. The results are expressed as total oxyradical scavenging capacity (TOSC) units. Glutathione (GSH), uric acid and 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (trolox), the water-soluble analog of vitamin E, were used as the reference antioxidants., Results: EGT was the most active scavenger of free radicals as compared to classic antioxidants as GSH, uric acid and trolox. In particular, the highest antioxidant capacity exhibited by EGT vs. peroxyl radicals (5.53 +/- 1.27 units) resulted 25% higher than the value obtained with the reference antioxidant trolox (4.4 +/- 0.6 units, P < 0.01). The scavenging capacity of EGT towards hydroxyl radicals (0.34 +/- 0.09 units) was 60% higher, as compared to uric acid (0.21 +/- 0.04 units, P < 0.001), which represent the reference antioxidant vs. hydroxyl radicals. Finally, EGT showed the highest antioxidant activity also towards peroxynitrite (5.2 +/- 1.0 units), with a scavenging capacity 10% higher than that of uric acid (4.7 +/- 0.9 units, P < 0.05)., Conclusions: This study showed that EGT has potent intrinsic anti-hydroxyl, anti-peroxyl and anti-peroxynitrite radicals antioxidant activity, as compared to classic molecules with antioxidant capacity as GSH, trolox and uric acid. This appears of interest, given the increasing use of non-vitamins cocktails for therapeutical approaches to many oxidative-induced pathologies.

Synthesis of some novel 2-(6-fluorochroman-2-yl)-1-alkyl/acyl/aroyl-1H-benzimidazoles by the condensation of o-phenylenediamine with 6-fluoro-3,4-dihydro-2H-chroman-2-carboxylic acid, and subsequent reactions with different types of electrophiles, have been reported. Some compounds exhibited promising anti-bacterial activity against Salmonella typhimurium; however, they showed poor activity against S. aureus. The biological activity against PDE IV for potential anti-asthamatic effect, and against DP-IV and PTP 1B for potential anti-diabetic effects was disappointing.