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A series of novel 2-substituted quinoline-4-carboxylic acids was synthesized by Doebner reaction starting from freely available protocatechuic aldehyde and vanillin precursors. Human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH) was recognised as a clear molecular target for these heterocycles. All compounds were also tested for their antiproliferative potential against three cancer cells (MCF-7, A549, A375) and one normal cell line (HaCaT) to evaluate the selective cytotoxicity. Quinoline derivatives 3f and 3g were identified as potent hDHODH inhibitors while 3k and 3l demonstrated high cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and A375 cells and good selectivity. In addition, the logD7.4 values obtained by the experimental method were found to be in the range from -1.15 to 1.69. The chemical structures of all compounds were confirmed by IR, NMR and elemental analysis. The compounds pharmacology on the molecular level was revealed by means of molecular docking, highlighting the structural differences that distinguish highly active from medium and low active hDHODH inhibitors.

A series of 18 novel N-Mannich bases derived from 5-adamantyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-th ione was synthesized and characterized using NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction technique. All derivatives were evaluated for their anticancer potential against four human cancer cell lines. Several tested compounds exerted good cytotoxic activities on K562 and HL-60 cell lines, along with pronounced selectivity, showing lower cytotoxicity against normal fibroblasts MRC-5 compared to cancer cells. The effects of compounds 5b,5e, and 5j on the cell cycle were investigated by flow cytometric analysis. It was found that these compounds cause the accumulation of cells in the subG1 and G1 phases of the cell cycle and induce caspase-dependent apoptosis, while the anti-angiogenic effects of 5b, 5e, and 5j have been confirmed in EA. hy926 cells using a tube formation assay. Further, the interaction of Bax protein with compound 5b was investigated by means of molecular modeling, applying the combined molecular docking/molecular dynamics approach. This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Milošev, M. Z.; Jakovljević, K.; Joksović, M. D.; Stanojković, T.; Matić, I. Z.; Perović, M.; Tešić, V.; Kanazir, S.; Mladenović, M.; Rodić, M. V.; et al. Mannich Bases of 1,2,4-Triazole3-Thione Containing Adamantane Moiety: Synthesis, Preliminary Anticancer Evaluation, and Molecular Modeling Studies. Chemical Biology and Drug Design 2017, 89 (6), 943–952. [https://doi.org/10.1111/cbdd.12920] Supplementary material: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3222]

Hybrid compounds that combine the 1,3,4-thiadiazole-containing catechol moiety with a chalcone motif were synthesized and examined for their antioxidant activity, cytotoxicity, and DNA-binding activity. A series of thirteen compounds showed strong antioxidant and cytotoxic effects on human acute promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells. Several compounds exerted good cytotoxic activities on cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells. The treatment of HeLa cells with IC50 and double IC50 concentrations of the compounds 5a, 5c, 5f, and 5m induced a statistically significant increase in the percentage of cells within a subG1 cell cycle phase. The examined compounds caused G2/M cell cycle arrest in HeLa cells. Each of these compounds triggered apoptosis in HeLa cells through activation of caspase-3, the main effector caspase, caspase-8, which is involved in the extrinsic apoptotic pathway, and caspase-9, which is involved in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. All of the examined compounds decreased the expression levels of MMP2 in HeLa cells and levels of protumorigenic miR-133b. Compounds 5a and 5m lowered the expression level of oncogenic miR-21 in HeLa cells. In addition, compounds 5a, 5f, and 5m decreased the expression levels of oncogenic miR-155 while the treatment of HeLa cells with compounds 5a, 5c, and 5f increased expression of tumor-suppressive miR-206. Observed effects of these compounds on expression levels of four examined miRNAs suggest their prominent cancer-suppressive activity. An investigation by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy showed more efficient calf thymus DNA binding activity of the compound 5m in comparison to other tested compounds. Results of a pUC19 plasmid cleavage study and comet assay showed DNA damaging activities of compounds 5a and 5c. This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Jakovljević, K.; Joksović, M. D.; Matić, I. Z.; Petrović, N.; Stanojković, T.; Sladić, D.; Vujčić, M.; Janović, B.; Joksović, L.; Trifunović, S.; et al. Novel 1,3,4-Thiadiazole-Chalcone Hybrids Containing Catechol Moiety: Synthesis, Antioxidant Activity, Cytotoxicity and DNA Interaction Studies. MedChemComm 2018, 9 (10), 1679–1697. [https://doi.org/10.1039/c8md00316e] Published version: [http://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2379] Supplementary information: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4534]

Two 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazoles containing phenolic hydroxyl groups were combined with different carboxylic acid chlorides giving sixteen amide derivatives with good antioxidant and antiproliferative potential. The compound 30c with an adamantane ring displayed excellent DPPH radical scavenging activity and good cytotoxic activity against human acute promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells, while 1,3,4- thiadiazole 30h with 4-chlorophenyl moiety was found to be the most effective in inhibition of survival of lung carcinoma A549 cells. All examined thiadiazoles except 3a and 30a exerted higher cytotoxic activities on A549 and HL-60 cancer cells when compared with normal fibroblasts MRC-5, pointing to selectivity in their antiproliferative action. Some of the most active novel compounds 3c, 30c, 30g and 30h induced significant increase in the percentage of HL-60 cells in the subG1 cell cycle phase in comparison with the control cells. The induction of cell death in HL-60 cells by these compounds was at least partially dependent on activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8. The compounds 3c and 30c exerted strong antiangiogenic activity. Furthermore, compounds 3c, 30c, 30g and 30h showed the ability to down-regulate the MMP2 and VEGFA expression levels in the treated HL-60 cells when compared with the control cell samples.