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A new series of multifunctional amides has been synthesized having moderate enzyme inhibitory potentials and mild cytotoxicity. 2-Furyl(1-piperazinyl)methanone (1) was coupled with 3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzenesulfonyl chloride (2) to form {4-[(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)sulfonyl]-1-piperazinyl}(2-furyl)methanone (3). Different elecrophiles were synthesized by the reaction of various un/substituted anilines (4a-o) with 2-bromoacetylbromide (5), 2‑bromo‑N-(un/substituted-phenyl)acetamides (6a-o). Further, equimolar ratios of 3 and 6a-o were allowed to react in the presence of K 2 CO 3 in acetonitrile to form desired multifunctional amides (7a-o). The structural confirmation of all the synthesized compounds was carried out by their EI-MS, IR, 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR spectral data. Enzyme inhibition activity was performed against acetyl and butyrylcholinestrase enzymes, whereby 7e showed very good activity having IC 50 value of 5.54 ± 0.03 and 9.15 ± 0.01 μM, respectively, relative to eserine, a reference standard. Hemolytic activity of the molecules was checked to asertain their cytotoxicity towards red blood cell membrance and it was observed that most of the compounds were not toxic up to certain range. Moreover, chemoinformatic protepties and docking simulation results also showed the significance of 7e as compared to other compounds. Based on in vitro and in silico analysis 7e could be used as a template for the development of new drugs against Alzheimer's disease., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Anoctamin 1 (ANO1), a calcium-activated chloride channel, is highly expressed and amplified in a number of carcinomas including breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. Downregulation of ANO1 expression and function significantly inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of various cancer cell lines. Development of potent and selective ANO1 inhibitors is currently desirable, which may provide a new strategy for cancer treatment. Our previous study revealed a new class of ANO1 inhibitor, (E)-2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)-N'-(2-methoxybenzylidene)acetohydrazide (Ani9) and structural optimization via chemical modification of Ani9 basic skeleton was undertaken for the development of more potent and specific inhibitors of ANO1. Structure-activity relationship studies with newly synthesized derivatives revealed a number of potent ANO1 inhibitors, among which 5f is the most potent inhibitor with an IC 50 value of 22 nM. The selectivity analyses showed that 5f has excellent selectivity to ANO1 (>1000-fold over ANO2). In cellular assays, 5f significantly inhibited cell proliferation of PC3, MCF7, and BxPC3 cells expressing high levels of ANO1. In addition, 5f strongly reduced the protein levels of ANO1 in PC3 cells. This study will be useful in the development of ANO1 inhibitors for treatment of cancer and other ANO1-related diseases., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Current study is based on the sequential conversion of indolyl butanoic acid (1) into ethyl indolyl butanoate (2), indolyl butanohydrazide (3), and 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol analogs (4) by adopting chemical transformations. In a parallel series of reactions, 2-bromo-N-phenyl/arylacetamides (7a-l) were synthesized by reacting different amines derivatives (5a-l) with 2-bromoacetyl bromide (6) to serve as electrophile. Then, the synthesized electrophiles (7a-l) were treated with nucleophilic 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol analog (4) to afford a range of N-substituted derivatives (8a-l). The structural confirmation of all the synthetic compounds was carried out by IR, 1 H-, 13 C NMR, EI-MS, and CHN analysis data. All synthesized molecules (8a-l) were tested for their antidiabetic potential via inhibition of the α-glucosidase enzyme followed by their in silico study. Their cytotoxicity profile was also ascertained via hemolytic activity and all of them possessed very low cytotoxicity. Compounds 8h and 8l were found most active having IC 50 values 9.46 ± 0.03 µM and 9.37 ± 0.03 µM, respectively. However, all other molecules also exhibited good to moderate inhibition potential with IC 50 values between 12.68 ± 0.04-37.82 ± 0.07, compared to standard acarbose (IC 50  = 37.38 ± 0.12 µM), hence can be used as lead molecules for further research in order to get better antidiabetic agents., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) is indispensable for precise control of centriole duplication. Abnormal expression of PLK4 has been reported in many human cancers, and inhibition of PLK4 activity results in their mitotic arrest and apoptosis. Therefore, PLK4 may be a valid therapeutic target for antitumor therapy. However, clinically available small-molecule inhibitors targeting PLK4 are deficient and their underlying mechanisms still remain not fully clear. Herein, the effects of YLT-11 on breast cancer cells and the associated mechanism were investigated. In vitro, YLT-11 exhibited significant antiproliferation activities against breast cancer cells. Meanwhile, cells treated with YLT-11 exhibited effects consistent with PLK4 kinase inhibition, including dysregulated centriole duplication and mitotic defects, sequentially making tumor cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy. Furthermore, YLT-11 could strongly regulate downstream factors of PLK4, which was involved in cell cycle regulation, ultimately inducing apoptosis of breast cancer cell. In vivo, oral administration of YLT-11 significantly suppressed the tumor growth in human breast cancer xenograft models at doses that are well tolerated. In summary, the preclinical data show that YLT-11 could be a promising candidate drug for breast tumor therapy.

The objective of this study was to develop agomelatine (AGM) intramuscular sustained release PLA microparticles by using solvent evaporation combined with wet milling technology. The final preparation had a regular and homogeneous particle size of approximately 35 µm, as measured by laser diffraction particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The drug was confirmed to be within the carrier in an amorphous state through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and power X-ray diffraction (PXRD) experiments. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis was applied to confirm that there was hydrogen bonding between the drug and polymer at the molecular level. In vitro release experiments indicated that the drug could achieve long-term sustained release over the period of one month, with only a 3.07% burst release, due to the involvement of the polymer and removal of drug adsorbed on the surface during the wet grinding process. The dominant release mechanism was considered to be diffusion of the drugs in the initial period. Following this, with the hydrolysis of PLA to form a colloidal viscous layer, drug release is due to the combined effect of diffusion and erosion of the polymer matrix. Additionally, drug release behavior is closely related to the degradation mechanism of the polymer carrier. The results suggest that AGM could be developed as a potential delivery system for long-acting intramuscular administration with extensive application prospects.

DAA1106 (N-(2,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-N-(5-fluoro-2-phenoxyphenyl)acetamide), is a potent and selective ligand for the translocator protein (18 kDa, TSPO) in brain mitochondrial fractions of rats and monkey (K i  = 0.043 and 0.188 nM, respectively). In this study, to translate [ 18 F]DAA1106 for clinical studies, we performed automated syntheses of [ 18 F]DAA1106 using the spirocyclic iodonium ylide (1) as a radiolabelling precursor and conducted preclinical studies including positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of TSPO in ischemic rat brains. Radiofluorination of the ylide precursor 1 with [ 18 F]F - , followed by HPLC separation and formulation, produced the [ 18 F]DAA1106 solution for injection in 6% average (n = 10) radiochemical yield (based on [ 18 F]F - ) with >98% radiochemical purity and molar activity of 60-100 GBq/μmol at the end of synthesis. The synthesis time was 87 min from the end of bombardment. The automated synthesis achieved [ 18 F]DAA1106 with sufficient radioactivity available for preclinical and clinical use. Biodistribution study of [ 18 F]DAA1106 showed a low uptake of radioactivity in the mouse bones. Metabolite analysis showed that >96% of total radioactivity in the mouse brain at 60 min after the radiotracer injection was unmetabolized [ 18 F]DAA1106. PET study of ischemic rat brains visualized ischemic areas with a high uptake ratio (1.9 ± 0.3) compared with the contralateral side. We have provided evidence that [ 18 F]DAA1106 could be routinely produced for clinical studies., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We designed and synthesized deuterium-substituted [ 18 F]fluoromethyl-PBR28 ([ 18 F]1-d 2 ) as a novel translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO)-targeted radioligand with enhanced in vivo stability. The comparison studies between [ 18 F]fluoromethyl-PBR28 ([ 18 F]1) and its deuterate analog ([ 18 F]1-d 2 ) were investigated in terms of in vitro binding affinity, lipophilicity and in vivo stability. In addition, the accuracies of both radioligands were determined by comparing the PET imaging data in the same LPS-induced neuroinflammation rat model. Both aryloxyanilide analogs showed similar lipophilicity and in vitro affinity for TSPO. However, [ 18 F]1-d 2 provided significantly lower femur uptake than [ 18 F]1 (1.5 ± 1.2 vs. 4.1 ± 1.7%ID/g at 2 h post-injection) in an ex vivo biodistribution study. [ 18 F]1-d 2 was also selectively accumulated in the inflammatory lesion with the binding potential of the specifically bound radioligand relative to the non-displaceable radioligand in tissue (BP ND  = 3.17 ± 0.48), in a LPS-induced acute neuroinflammation rat model, comparable to that of [ 18 F]1 (BP ND  = 2.13 ± 0.51). These results indicate that [ 18 F]1-d 2 had higher in vivo stability, which resulted in an enhanced target-to-background ratio compared to that induced by [ 18 F]1., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) catalyzes the N-methylation of nicotinamide using S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) as a methyl donor and, through doing so, can modulate cellular methylation potential to impact diverse epigenetic processes. NNMT has been implicated in a range of diseases, including cancer and metabolic disorders. Potent, selective, and cell-active inhibitors would constitute valuable probes to study the biological functions and therapeutic potential of NNMT. We previously reported the discovery of electrophilic small molecules that inhibit NNMT by reacting with an active-site cysteine residue in the SAM-binding pocket. Here, we have used activity-based protein profiling (ABPP)-guided medicinal chemistry to optimize the potency and selectivity of NNMT inhibitors, culminating in the discovery of multiple alpha-chloroacetamide (αCA) compounds with sub-µM IC 50 values in vitro and excellent proteomic selectivity in cell lysates. However, these compounds showed much weaker inhibition of NNMT in cells, a feature that was not shared by off-targets of the αCAs. Our results show the potential for developing potent and selective covalent inhibitors of NNMT, but also highlight challenges that may be faced in targeting this enzyme in cellular systems., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

We describe our molecular design of aortic-selective acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol O-acyltransferase (ACAT, also abbreviated as SOAT) inhibitors, their structure-activity relationships (SARs) and their pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacological profiles. The connection of two weak ligands-N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)acetamide (50% inhibitory concentration [IC 50 ] = 8.6 μM) and 2-(methylthio)benzo[d]oxazole (IC 50  = 31 μM)-via a linker comprising a 6 methylene group chains yielded a highly potent molecule, 9-(benzo[d]oxazol-2-ylthio)-N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)nonanamide (3h) that exhibited high potency (IC 50  = 0.004 μM) toward aortic ACAT. This head-to-tail design made it possible to markedly enhance the activity to 2150- to 7750-fold and to discriminate the isoform-selectivity based on the double-induced fit mechanism. At doses of 1 and 3 mg/kg, 3h significantly decreased the lipid-accumulation areas in the aortic arch to 74 and 69%, respectively without reducing the plasma total cholesterol level in high fat- and cholesterol-fed F 1 B hamsters. Here, we demonstrate the antiatherosclerotic effect of 3hin vivo via its direct action on aortic ACAT and its powerful modulator of cholesterol level. This molecule is a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of diseases involving ACAT-1 overexpression., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a member of the genus Flavivirus, is the leading cause of arboviral neuroinfections in Europe. Only a few classes of the nucleoside and non-nucleoside inhibitors were investigated against TBEV reproduction. Paving the way to previously unexplored areas of anti-TBEV chemical space, we assessed the inhibition of TBEV reproduction in the plaque reduction assay by various compounds derived from cyanothioacetamide and cyanoselenoacetamide. Compounds from seven classes, including 4-(alkylthio)-2-aryl-3-azaspiro[5.5]undec-4-ene-1,1,5-tricarbonitriles, 3-arylamino-2-(selenazol-2-yl)acrylonitriles, ethyl 6-(alkylseleno)-5-cyano-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carboxylates, 6-(alkylseleno)-2-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-3-carbonitriles, 2-(alkylseleno)-5-oxo-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydroquinoline-3-carbonitriles, 8-selenoxo-3,5,7,11-tetraazatricyclo[7.3.1.0 2,7 ]tridec-2-ene-1,9-dicarbonitriles, and selenolo[2,3-b]quinolines, inhibited TBEV reproduction with EC 50 values in the micromolar range while showing moderate cytotoxicity and no inhibition of enterovirus reproduction. Thus, new scaffolds with promising anti-TBEV activity were found., (© 2018 Deutsche Pharmazeutische Gesellschaft.)

In this work, a new series of 2-[4-(2-furoyl)-1-piperazinyl]-N-aryl/aralkyl acetamides has been synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial potential. The synthesis was initiated by the reaction of different aryl/aralkyl amines (1a-u) with 2-bromoacetylbromide (2) to obtain N-aryl/aralkyl-2-bromoacetamides (3a-u). Equimolar quantities of different N-aryl/aralkyl-2-bromoacetamides (3a-u) and 2-furoyl-1-piperazine (4) was allowed to react in acetonitrile and in the presence of K 2 CO 3 , to form 2-[4-(2-furoyl)-1-piperazinyl]-N-aryl/aralkyl acetamides (5a-u). The structural elucidation was done by EI-MS, IR and 1H-NMR techniques of all the synthesized compounds. All of the synthesized molecules were active against various Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains. Among them 5o and 5c showed very excellent MIC values. The cytotoxicity of the molecules was also checked to find their utility as possible therapeutic agents, where 5c (0.51%) and 5g (1.32%) are found to be least toxic in the series.

An electrophile, N-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl)-2-bromoacetamide (3), was synthesized by the reaction of 1,3-thiazole-2-amine (1) and 2-bromoethanoyl bromide (2) in an aqueous medium. A series of carboxylic acids, 7a-j, were converted into 1,3,4-oxadiazole heterocyclic core, through a series of three steps. The final compounds, 8a-j, were synthesized by stirring 7a-j and 3 in an aprotic polar solvent. The structural elucidation of the synthesized compounds was supported by IR, EI-MS, 1H-NMR, and 13 C-NMR spectral data. Title compounds were evaluated for enzyme inhibition against cholinesterases and α-glucosidase enzymes and their cytotoxic behavior was monitored using brine shrimp assay. The enzyme inhibitor potential of compounds was supported by molecular docking studies.

N -(2-{[2-(1 H -Indol-2-ylcarbonyl)hydrazinyl](oxo)acetyl}phenyl)acetamides ( 5a⁻h ) and N -[2-(2-{[2-(acetylamino)phenyl](oxo)acetyl}hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl]-1 H -indole-2-carboxamides ( 5i⁻l ) were synthesized and characterized with different analytical tools. N -Acetylisatines 4a⁻d were subjected to ring opening at their C2 carbons with the aid of different indole-bearing hydrazides 3a,b and 7 to afford the respective glyoxylamides 5a⁻l . The antimicrobial activity of the target compounds 5a⁻l was assessed with the aid of Diameter of the Inhibition Zone (DIZ) and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) assays against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and certain fungal strains. The antimicrobial screening revealed that Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans are the most sensitive microorganisms towards the synthesized compounds 5a⁻l . In addition, compounds 5c and 5h emerged as the most active congeners towards Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans , respectively. Molecular docking studies revealed the possible binding mode of compounds 5c and 5h to their target proteins.

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CXCR7) is involved in cardiac and immune pathophysiology. We report the discovery of a novel 1,4-diazepine CXCR7 modulator, demonstrating for the first time the role of pharmacological CXCR7 intervention in cardiac repair. Structure-activity-relationship (SAR) studies demonstrated that a net reduction in lipophilicity (log D) and an incorporation of saturated ring systems yielded compounds with good CXCR7 potencies and improvements in oxidative metabolic stability in human-liver microsomes (HLM). Tethering an ethylene amide further improved the selectivity profile (e.g., for compound 18, CXCR7 K i = 13 nM, adrenergic α 1a K b > 10 000 nM, and adrenergic β 2 K b > 10 000 nM). The subcutaneous administration of 18 in mice led to a statistically significant increase in circulating concentrations of plasma stromal-cell-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α) of approximately 2-fold. Chronic dosing of compound 18 in a mouse model of isoproterenol-induced cardiac injury further resulted in a statistically significant reduction of cardiac fibrosis.

To obtain novel structural antioxidants that have different antioxidant mechanisms, four 2-(alkylthio)- N -(4-(phenylamino)phenyl)acetamides 2a - d as dual functional antioxidants are designed, synthesized, and confirmed by ¹H-NMR, FTIR, MS, and elemental analysis. The antioxidant behavior of compounds 2a - d as additives of base oil triisodecyl trimellitate (TIDTM) is evaluated by non-isothermal and isothermal DSC analyses. The results showed all compounds can greatly increase the incipient oxidation temperature (IOT) and oxidation induction time (OIT) of TIDTM, especially, compound 2c exhibited an OIT value of 72.5 min at 230 °C, which is almost 28 times the length of TIDTM. Moreover, compounds 2a - d do not affect the tribological performance of TIDTM. The mechanism of antioxidants involved an intramolecular synergism are proposed. This work demonstrates compound 2c can be used as a novel potential antioxidant additive of TIDTM; in addition, it would inspire the emergence of highly potent antioxidants with different antioxidant mechanisms., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

α-Aminomethyl tetrazoles, recently made accessible by an Ugi multicomponent reaction (MCR), were shown to be excellent starting materials for a further Ugi MCR, yielding substituted N-methyl-2-(((1-methyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl)methyl)amino)acetamides having four points of diversity in a library-to-library approach. The scope and limitations of the two-step sequence was explored by conducting more than 50 reactions. Irrespective of electron-rich and electron-deficient oxo-components and the nature of the isocyanide component, the reactions give excellent yields. Sterically less hindered α-aminomethyl tetrazoles give better yields of in further Ugi MCR. The target scaffold has four points of diversity and is finding applications to fill screening decks for high-throughput screening (HTS) in the European Lead Factory and in structure-based drug design.

A series of LX2343 derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as neuroprotective agents for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in vitro. Most of the compounds displayed potent neuroprotective activities. Especially for compound A6, exhibited a remarkable EC 50 value of 0.22 μM. Further investigation demonstrated that compound A6 can significantly reduce Aβ production and increase Aβ clearance, and alleviate Tau hyperphosphorylation. Most importantly, compound A6 could ameliorate learning and memory impairments in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. The present study evidently showed that compound A6 is a potent neuroprotective agent and might serve as a promising lead candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Polymer-based paclitaxel (PTX) conjugates have demonstrated application potentials to improve the water solubility and enhance the efficiency of drug delivery. In this study, a novel HA-based drug conjugate, HA-6-PTX, was designed and successfully synthesized by chemically grafting PTX to the C-6 position of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc) of hyaluronic acid (HA) using hexanediamine as the linker. Leaving the carboxylate of HA chain unaffected, the conjugate with drug loading as high as 21.8% showed an excellent water solubility of 168mg/mL and exhibited increased drug release in the presence of hyaluronidase. Compared to free PTX, HA-6-PTX demonstrated increased cytotoxicity and enhanced apoptosis-inducing effect against HepG2 and A549 cells due to the increased cellular uptake of drug via HA-receptor mediated endocytosis. It was concluded that the HA-6-PTX conjugate could be potentially utilized for further exploration as targeted drug delivery to enhance antitumor efficacy., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Fifteen new substituted N-2-(2-oxo-3-phenylquinoxalin-1(2H)-yl) acetamides 5a-f, 6a-f, and 8a-c were synthesized by reacting ethyl 2-(2-oxo-3-phenylquinoxalin-1(2H)-yl)acetate with various primary amines including benzylamines, sulfonamides, and amino acids. The in vitro antimicrobial screening of the target compounds was screened to assess their antibacterial and antifungal activity. As a result, seven compounds namely; 5a, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6c, 8b and 8c showed a promising broad spectrum antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Among these, the analogs 5c and 6d were nearly as equiactive as ciprofloxacin drug. Meanwhile, four compounds namely; 5c, 6a, 6f and 8c exhibited appreciable antifungal activity with MIC values range 33-40 mg/mL comparable with clotrimazole (MIC 25 mg/mL). In addition, the anticancer effects of the synthesized compounds were evaluated against three cancer lines. The data obtained revealed the benzylamines and sulpha derivatives were the most active compounds especially 5f and 6f ones. Further EGFR enzymatic investigation was carried out for these most active compounds 5f and 6f resulting in inhibitory activity by 1.89 and 2.05 µM respectively. Docking simulation was performed as a trial to study the mechanisms and binding modes of these compounds toward the enzyme target, EGFR protein kinase enzyme. The results revealed good compounds placement in the active sites and stable interactions similar to the co-crystallized reference ligand. Collectively, the analogs 5f and 6f could be further utilized and optimized as good cytotoxic agents., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Tumor microenvironment is a complex multistep event which involves several hallmarks that transform the normal cell into cancerous cell. Designing the novel antagonistic molecule to reverse the tumor microenvironment with specific target is essential in modern biological studies. The novel 4-phenyl-2-phenoxyacetamide thiazole analogues 8 a-ab were synthesized in multistep process, then screened and assessed for cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects in vitro against multiple cancer cells of different origin such as MCF-7, A549, EAC and DLA cells which revealed that compound 8f with fluoro and methyl substitute has potential cytotoxic efficacy with an average IC 50 value of ˜ 13 μM. The mechanism of cytotoxicity assessed for anti-tumor studies both in ascites and solid tumor models in-vivo inferred the regressed tumor activity. This is due to changes in the cause of tumor microenvironment with crackdown of neovascularization and evoking apoptosis process as assessed by CAM, corneal vascularization and apoptotic hallmarks in 8f treated cells. The molecular gene studies inferred involvement of HIF-1upregulation and stabilization of p53 which are interlinked in signaling as conferred by immunoblot analysis., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A novel series of 2-substituted mercapto-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)-4(3H)-quinazolinones 1-20 was synthesised and evaluated for in vitro antitumour activity. N-(4-Chlorophenyl)-2-[(3-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)-4(3H)-quinazolinon-2-yl)thio)acetamide (7) and N-(3,4,5 trimethoxybenzyl)-2-[(3-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)-4(3H)-quinazolinon-2-yl)thio]propanamide (19) exhibited excellent antitumour properties, with mean growth inhibitory concentration (GI 50 ) of 17.90 and 6.33 µΜ, respectively, compared with those of 5-fluorouracil 5-FU, gefitinib, and erlotinib (mean GI 50 : 18.60, 3.24, and 7.29 µΜ, respectively). Comparison of the GI 50 (µM) values of compounds 7 and 19 versus those of 5-FU, gefitinib, and erlotinib against an in vitro subpanel of tumour cells lines showed that compounds 7 and 19 have activities almost equal to or higher than that of those standard drugs, especially against lung, CNS, and breast cancer cells. However, compounds 5, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 20 exhibited effective antitumour activity against the different cell lines tested, with growth inhibition percentage (MGI%) of 19, 24, 19, 17, 16, 15, and 16, respectively. A modelling study was performed for compounds 7 and 19 by docking them into the EGFR kinase enzyme to study their mode of binding with the putative binding site.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is a promising target for the development of drugs to treat neurological diseases. In search of new FAAH inhibitors, we identified 2-(4-cyclohexylphenoxy)-N-(3-(oxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-yl)phenyl)acetamide, 4g, with an IC 50 of 2.6 µM as a chemical starting point for the development of potent FAAH inhibitors. Preliminary hit-to-lead optimisation resulted in 2-(4-phenylphenoxy)-N-(3-(oxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-yl)phenyl)acetamide, 4i, with an IC 50 of 0.35 µM.

Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a driver oncogene and specific blockade of EGFR has been shown to be an effective therapeutic approach against multiple human cancers., Aims: Here we employed the homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) technology to screen new EGFR mediators., Method: 4 hits (NDS-41107, NDS-41119, NDS-41111 and NDS-41126) were confirmed in a compound library of 8000 compounds, and the IC50 values were determined to be 15.45±2.25µM (NDS-41107), 6.16±0.88 µM (NDS-41119), 11.33±3.31 µM (NDS-41111) and 11.19±1.67µM (NDS-41126), respectively. We then showed that NDS-41119 (N-cyclohexyl-2-(1-(phenylsulfonyl) piperidin-4-yl) acetamide) significantly inhibited EGFR signaling in human lung cancer cells, as evidenced by decreased phosphorylation of EGFR、ERK and Akt. NDS-41119 also attenuated EGF-induced cell proliferation and migration in a dose-dependent manner. We finally demonstrated that NDS-41119 inhibited the T790M mutation in NCI-H1975 cells and potentiated the effect of gefitinib against resistant cells., Result: Our results will contribute to the development of novel EGFR-targeted anti-cancer drugs., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

In this work, a series of 2-substituted-thio-N-(4-substituted-thiazol/1H-imidazol-2-yl)acetamide derivatives were developed as β-secretase (BACE-1) inhibitors. Supported by docking study, a small library of derivatives were designed, synthesized and biologically evaluated in vitro. In addition, the selected compounds were tested with affinity (K D ) towards BACE-1, blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability and cytotoxicity. The studies revealed that the most potent analog 41 (IC 50  = 4.6 μM) with high predicted BBB permeability and low cellular cytotoxicity, could serve as a good lead structure for further optimization., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The synthetic methodology is carried out in multistep which was initiated as phase I by utilizing Fischer esterification methodology of 2-phenylacetic acid (1) to ethyl-2-phenylacetate (2). The ester was reacted with hydrazine hydrate form 2-phenylacetohydrazide (3) which underwent ring closure with carbon disulfide in alcoholic base to achieve 5-benzyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (4). Phase II, involved the reaction of electrophiles with 2-bromoacetylbromide (5) with arylated/arenylated amines (6a-e) in aqueous alkaline medium under vigorous shaking to generate N-substituted-2-bromoacetamides (7a-e). Finally in phase III, the parent oxadiazole reacted with N-substituted-2-bromoacetamides and in DMF/LiH to yield 2-[(5-benzyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2yl)sulfanyl]-N-(arylated/arenylated) acetamides (8a-e). All the derivatives were screened for their anti-enzymatic potential against acetyl/butyrylcholinesterase and lipoxygenase and for the antibacterial activity. They were found to be weak enzyme inhibitors and also possessed weak antibacterial action with the exception of 8e, which demonstrated prominent anti-enzymatic and antibacterial activity, which may be attributed to the presence of 3,4-dimethoxyphenylacetamide moiety. The LD50 data revealed that most of the N-substituted derivatives were found to be less cytotoxic.

Since nimesulide, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is known to be a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 and shows activity against cancer cells, there has been much interest in developing related molecules with enhanced anticancer properties. Taking in consideration structural features of nimesulide analogues ten new ortho-(akylthio)-N-alkylacetanilides were synthesized and fully characterized. The antiproliferative effect of these acetanilides was evaluated against human breast (MCF-7) and prostate (LNCaP) cancer cell lines as well as normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF). In particular, acetoacetanilides with methylcyclohexyl and/or 2,4-dimethylbenzyl groups linked to amide group and/or to sulfur atom had interesting cytotoxicities against human breast cancer cells. Moreover, these groups caused an increase in the antiproliferative effect against both cancer cells. Docking studies revealed the possibility of these acetoacetanilides to be potential ligands of the androgen receptor, though hormone-independent mechanisms may be involved in antiproliferative effects shown by these acetoacetanilides. In addition, 3D-QSAR studies demonstrated that the cytotoxic activity against the human breast cancer cell line was dependent on both bulkiness and electrostatic nature of the N- and S-alkyl groups of acetoacetanilides., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In previous studies, we have isolated several marine indole alkaloids and evaluated them in the forced swim test (FST) and locomotor activity test, revealing their potential as antidepressant and sedative drug leads. Amongst the reported metabolites to display such activities was 5-bromo- N , N -dimethyltryptamine. Owing to the importance of the judicious introduction of halogens into drug candidates, we synthesized two series built on a 2-(1 H -indol-3-yl)- N , N -dimethylethanamine scaffold with different halogen substitutions. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro and in vivo antidepressant and sedative activities using the mouse forced swim and locomotor activity tests. Receptor binding studies of these compounds to serotonin (5-HT) receptors were conducted. Amongst the prepared compounds, 2-(1 H -indol-3-yl)- N , N -dimethyl-2-oxoacetamide ( 1a ), 2-(5-bromo-1 H -indol-3-yl)- N , N -dimethyl-2-oxoacetamide ( 1d ), 2-(1 H -indol-3-yl)- N , N -dimethylethanamine ( 2a ), 2-(5-chloro-1 H -indol-3-yl)- N , N -dimethylethanamine ( 2c ), 2-(5-bromo-1 H -indol-3-yl)- N , N -dimethylethanamine ( 2d ), and 2-(5-iodo-1 H -indol-3-yl)- N , N -dimethylethanamine ( 2e ) have been shown to possess significant antidepressant-like action, while compounds 2c , 2d , and 2e exhibited potent sedative activity. Compounds 2a , 2c , 2d , and 2e showed nanomolar affinities to serotonin receptors 5-HT 1A and 5-HT₇. The in vitro data indicates that the antidepressant action exerted by these compounds in vivo is mediated, at least in part, via interaction with serotonin receptors. The data presented here shows the valuable role that bromine plays in providing novel chemical space and electrostatic interactions. Bromine is ubiquitous in the marine environment and a common element of marine natural products., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are important drug targets for treatment of dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and great efforts have been made to develop novel PPAR ligands. However, most existing PPAR ligands contain a carboxylic acid (CA) or thiazolidinedione (TZD) structure (acidic head group) that is essential for activity. We recently discovered non-CA/TZD class PPARα/δ partial agonists, which contain an acetamide moiety and adjacent methyl group, linked to a 1,2,4-oxadiazole ring ("fragment a"). We hypothesized that the acetamide structure might interact with the CA/TZD-binding pocket. To test this idea, we firstly replaced fragment a in one of our compounds with the α-alkoxy-CA structure often found in PPAR agonists. Secondly, we replaced the α-alkoxy-CA head group of several reported PPAR agonists with our acetamide-based fragment a. The agonistic activities of the synthesized hybrid compounds toward PPARs (PPARα, PPARγ and PPARδ) were evaluated by means of cell-based reporter gene assays. All the hybrid molecules showed PPAR-agonistic activities, but replacement of the α-alkoxy-CA head group altered the maximum efficacy and the subtype-specificity. The acetamide-based hybrid molecules showed partial agonism toward PPARα and PPARδ, whereas the α-alkoxy-CA-based molecules were generally selective for PPARα and PPARγ, with relatively high activation efficacies. Thus, the fragment replacement strategy appears promising for the development of novel acetamide-based PPARα/δ dual agonists., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel N -((2,5-diaryl-3-trifluoroacetyl)-1 H -indol-7-yl)acetamides has been prepared via a successive and one-pot reaction sequence involving initial trifluoroacetic acid-mediated Beckmann rearrangement of the oximes derived from the 1-(2,5-diaryl-1 H -indol-7-yl)ethanones, followed by trifluoroacetylation of the incipient N -(2,5-diaryl-1 H -indol-7-yl)-acetamides with trifluoroacetic anhydride. The prepared compounds were evaluated for potential in vitro antiplasmodial properties. Preliminary results from antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum revealed that a combination of 2-(4-flurophenyl)- and 5-(4-fluorophenyl) or 2-(4-flurophenyl)- and 4-fluorostyryl groups in compounds 3 ( a , f ) and 4 ( a , g ), for example, is required for biological activity for both series of compounds. Their possible mode of action against the plasmodial parasite is explained theoretically through molecular docking of the most active compounds against the parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH). These compounds were docked at the entrance of NAD+ in pLDH presumably hindering entry of lactate to cause the observed inhibition effect of pLDH. The four compounds were found to exhibit low toxicity against monkey kidney Vero cells at the highest concentrations tested., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The identification of heterozygous mutations in the metabolic enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) in subsets of cancers, including secondary glioblastoma, acute myeloid leukemia, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and chondrosarcomas, led to intense discovery efforts to delineate the mutations' involvement in carcinogenesis and to develop therapeutics, which we review here. The three IDH isoforms (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent IDH1 and IDH2, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent IDH3) contribute to regulating the circuitry of central metabolism. Several biochemical and genetic observations led to the discovery of the neomorphic production of the oncometabolite (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) by mutant IDH1 and IDH2 (mIDH). Heterozygous mutation of IDH1/2 and accumulation of 2-HG cause profound metabolic and epigenetic dysregulation, including inhibition of normal cellular differentiation, leading to disease. Crystallographic structural studies during the development of compounds targeting mIDH demonstrated common allosteric inhibition by distinct chemotypes. Ongoing clinical trials in patients with mIDH advanced hematologic malignancies have demonstrated compelling clinical proof-of-concept, validating the biology and drug discovery approach.

Drugs of cancer based upon ionizing radiation or chemotherapeutic treatment may affect breaking of DNA double strand in cell. DNA-PK enzyme has emerged as an attractive target for drug discovery efforts toward DNA repair pathways. Hence, the search for potent and selective DNA-PK inhibitors has particularly considered state-of-the art and several series of inhibitors have been designed. In this article, a novel benchmark DNA-PK database of 43 compounds was built and described. Ligand-based approaches including pharmacophore and QSAR modeling were applied and novel models were introduced and analyzed for predicting activity test for DNA-PK drug candidates. Based upon the modeling results, we gave a report of synthesis of fifteen novel 2-((8-methyl-2-morpholino-4-oxo-4H-benzo[e][1,3]oxazin-7-yl)oxy)acetamide derivatives and in vitro evaluation for DNA-PK inhibitory and antiproliferative activities. These fifteen compounds overall are satisfied with Lipinski's rule of five. The biological testing of target compounds showed five promising active compounds 7c, 7d, 7f, 9e and 9f with micromolar DNA-PK activity range from 0.25 to 5µM. In addition, SAR of the compounds activity was investigated and confirmed that the terminal aryl moiety was found to be quite crucial for DNA-PK activity. Moreover flexible docking simulation was done for the potent compounds into the putative binding site of the 3D homology model of DNA-PK enzyme and the probable interaction model between DNA-PK and the ligands was investigated and interpreted., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: VEGFR-2 inhibitors have been widely used in the treatment of cancer. In our continued efforts to search for potent and novel VEGFR-2 inhibitors as antitumor agents, we have identified a series of ureas and amides bearing a oxazolopyrimidine scaffold., Aim of the Study: To discover more potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors with stronger binding affinity and better physical and chemical properties., Methods: 23 pyrimidinylacetamide-based ureas were designed and synthesized. Replacement of oxazolopyrimidine with a pyrimidinylacetamide generated a series of novel VEGFR-2 inhibitors., Results and Conclusions: In HUVEC inhibition assay, the most potent compound (compound 16) possessed an IC 50 value of 0.43 μM. Compound 16 also inhibited the migration and capillary like tube formation of HUVECs with inhibition rate at 22% (1 μM) and 17.5% (0.8 μM) respectively. These results support the further investigation of compound 16 as a potential anti-cancer agent., (Copyright © 2017 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The focused library of new amides derived from 3,3-diphenyl-2,5-dioxo-pyrrolidin-1-yl-acetic acid (2a-t) and 3,3-diphenyl-propionic acid (3a-t) as potential anticonvulsant agents was synthesized. The final products were obtained in the amidation reaction of the given carboxylic acid (2, 3) with appropriate secondary amines in the presence of carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) as a coupling reagent. The initial anticonvulsant screening was performed in mice intraperitoneally (i.p.) using the "classical" maximal electroshock (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) seizure models, whereas the acute neurological toxicity was determined applying the rotarod test. Additionally, several compounds were studied also in the 6-Hz seizures recognized as the animal model of human pharmacoresistant epilepsy. In this series, compound 3q displayed a broad spectrum of activity across the preclinical seizure models (ED 50 MES = 31.64 mg/kg; ED 50 scPTZ = 75.41 mg/kg, ED 50 6-Hz (32 mA) = 38.15 mg/kg). Consequently, compound 3q revealed a wider spectrum of protection, higher activity or/and a better safety profile than the commonly used antiepileptic drugs such as phenytoin, ethosuximide, valproic acid, or/and levetiracetam. Notably, the in vitro studies showed that the most possible mechanism of action of 3q may be connected to the interaction with neuronal voltage-sensitive sodium channels (site 2). Other substances were active predominantly in the chemically induced seizures. The results of the current studies indicate that the presence of the pyrrolidine-2,5-dione ring is important but not indispensable for anticonvulsant activity., (© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In this study, several sulfonamide derivatives, 4-(2-methylacetylamino)benzenesulfonamides were synthesized. Chemical structures of the derivatives were characterized by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, LC-MS-MS, UV-Vis, FTIR, photoluminescence and elemental analysis. Sulfanilamide was reacted with 2-bromopropionyl bromide, in the presence of pyridine, to form bromo-substituted sulfonamide key intermediates, which were subsequently treated with secondary amines to obtain novel sulfonamide derivatives. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activities and cytotoxicity. Increases in ring size, and rings bearing a nitrogen heteroatom led to improvements in antimicrobial activities. As the presence of CA IX and CA XII enzymes have been implicated in some cancerous tumors, the studies presented herein focuses on targeting these enzymes. It was found that the synthesized derivatives had in vitro anti-cancer properties, where compounds (3-6) were found to be active against all cancerous cells, and no cytotoxic effects on normal cells were observed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

2-(Quinolin-4-yloxy)acetamides have been described as potent and selective in vitro inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) growth. Herein, a new series of optimized compounds were found to demonstrate highly potent antitubercular activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against drug-susceptible and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in the submicromolar range. Furthermore, the most active compounds had no apparent toxicity to mammalian cells, and they showed intracellular activities similar to those of isoniazid and rifampin in a macrophage model of Mtb infection. Use of the checkerboard method to investigate the association profiles of lead compounds with first- and second-line antituberculosis drugs showed that 2-(quinolin-4-yloxy)acetamides have a synergistic effect with rifampin. Ultimately, the good permeability, moderate rates of metabolism and low risk of drug-drug interactions displayed by some of the synthesized compounds indicate that 2-(quinolin-4-yloxy)acetamides may yield candidates to use in the development of novel alternative therapeutics for tuberculosis treatment., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A series of twenty four 2-(carbazol-3-yl)-2-oxoacetamide analogues were synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibitory activity. Porcine PL was used against 4-nitrophenyl butyrate (method A) and tributyrin (methods B and C) as substrates during the PL inhibition assay. Compounds 7e, 7f and 7p exhibited potential PL inhibitory activity (IC 50 values of 6.31, 8.72 and 9.58μM, respectively in method A; and X i50 of 21.85, 21.94 and 26.2, respectively in method B). Further, inhibition kinetics of 7e, 7f and 7p against PL, using method A, revealed their competitive nature of inhibition. A comparison of the inhibition profiles of the top three compounds in methods B and C, provided a preliminary idea of covalent bonding of the compounds with Ser 152 of PL. Molecular docking studies of the compounds 7a-x into the active site of human PL (PDB ID: 1LPB) was in agreement with the in vitro results, and highlighted probable covalent bond formation with Ser 152 apart from hydrophobic interactions with the lid domain. Molecular dynamics simulation of 7e complexed with PL, further confirmed the role of aromatic groups in stabilising the ligand (RMSD ⩽4Å). The present study led to the identification of 2-(carbazol-3-yl)-2-oxoacetamide analogues 7a-x as a new class of potential PL inhibitors., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A small series of indol-3-yl-oxoacetamides was synthesized starting from the literature known N -(adamantan-1-yl)-2-(5-(furan-2-yl)-1-pentyl-1 H -indol-3-yl)-2-oxoacetamide ( 5 ) by substituting the 1-pentyl-1 H -indole subunit. Our preliminary biological evaluation showed that the fluorinated derivative 8 is a potent and selective CB₂ ligand with K i = 6.2 nM.

Background: A series of new N-(2-benzoyl-4-chlorophenyl)-2-(4-(substituted phenyl) piperazin-1-yl) acetamides (3a-j) have been synthesized by the chloroacetylation of 2-amino-5- chlorbenzophenone which was further reacted with substituted phenylpiperazine., Material: The chemical structures of the compounds were confirmed on the basis of their TLC, IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR and by elemental analysis. The physicochemical similarity of the target compounds with respect to standard drug diazepam was assessed by calculating from a set of physicochemical properties using software programs., Conclusion: Molecular docking studies revealed that the target compounds correctly dock into the binding pocket of the GABAA receptor, while their bioavailability/drug-likeness was predicted to be acceptable but requires future optimization. The anxiolytic and skeletal muscle relaxant activity of the target compounds (3a-j) were evaluated in albino mice. Among them, compound 3h showed potent anxiolytic and skeletal muscle relaxant activity., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Vascular Adhesion Protein-1 (VAP-1) is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of several inflammatory-related diseases including diabetic microvascular complication. We identified glycine amide derivative 3 as a novel structure with moderate VAP-1 inhibitory activity. Structure-activity relationship studies of glycine amide derivatives revealed that the tertiary amide moiety is important for stability in rat blood and that the position of substituents on the left phenyl ring plays an important role in VAP-1 inhibitory activity. We also found that low TPSA values and weak basicity are both important for high PAMPA values for glycine amide derivatives. These findings led to the identification of a series of orally active compounds with enhanced VAP-1 inhibitory activity. Of these compounds, 4g exhibited the most potent ex vivo efficacy, with plasma VAP-1 inhibitory activity of 60% after oral administration at 1mg/kg., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Within this study, we designed and synthesized four new oxime compounds of the N-substituted 2-hydroxyiminoacetamide structure and evaluated their interactions with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Our aim was to explore the possibility of extending the dual-binding mode of interaction between the enzyme and the inhibitor to a so-called triple-binding mode of interaction through the introduction of an additional binding moiety. N-substituted 2-hydroxyiminoacetamide 1 was prepared via BOP catalyzed amidation of hydroxyiminoacetic acid with 3-azido-1-phenylpropylamine. An azide group enabled us to prepare more elaborate structures 2-4 by the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. The new compounds 1-4 differed in their presumed AChE peripheral site binding moiety, which ranged from an azide group to functionalized heterocycles. Molecular docking studies revealed that all three binding moieties are involved in the non-covalent interactions with ChEs for all of the four compounds, albeit not always in the complete accordance with the proposed hypothesis. All of the four compounds reversibly inhibited the ChEs with their inhibition potency increasing in the same order for both enzymes (1 < 2 < 4 < 3). A higher preference for binding to BChE (K I from 0.30 μmol/L to 130 μmol/L) over AChE (K I from 50 μmol/L to 1200 μmol/L) was observed for all of the compounds. Compounds were screened for reactivation of cyclosarin-, sarin- and VX-inhibited AChE and BChE., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors that contribute to the regulation of lipid, glucose and cholesterol homeostases. They are considered as therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Various PPAR agonists have been developed, but most of them contain a carboxylic acid (CA) or thiazolidinedione (TZD) moiety, which is essential for the activity. However, we recently discovered non-CA/non-TZD class PPARα/δ dual agonists having an acetamide structure. Here, we describe structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of these novel acetamide-based PPARα/δ dual agonists. The SAR studies revealed that the acetamide functionality and adjacent methyl group contribute greatly to the agonistic activity. Compound (S)-10 was the most potent PPARα/δ dual agonist among the compounds synthesized (PPARα EC 50 =17nM, PPARδ EC 50 =23nM)., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acetyl-CoA carboxylases (ACCs) catalyze a critical step in de novo lipogenesis, and are considered as promising targets for treatment of obesity, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. On the other hand, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are well-established therapeutic targets for these metabolic syndrome-related diseases. Therefore, we considered that dual modulators of ACC and PPARs would be promising candidates as therapeutic agents. Here, we designed a series of acetamides based on the molecular similarity between ACC inhibitors and PPAR agonists. Screening of the synthesized compounds identified N-(1-(3-(4-phenoxyphenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)ethyl)acetamides as novel ACC2 inhibitors with PPARα/PPARδ dual agonistic activity. Structure-activity relationship studies and further structural elaboration afforded compounds with distinct activity profiles. Our findings should be helpful for the discovery of candidate agents with an appropriate balance of ACC-inhibitory and PPAR-activating activities for therapeutic lipid control., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Anticonvulsants effective against multiple seizures are of wide interest as antiepileptic drugs, especially if active against pharmaco-resistant seizures. Herein, we synthesized 16 different, rationally designed 2-((6,7-dimethoxy-4-oxo-2-phenylquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)amino)-N-(substituted phenyl)acetamides and screened for anticonvulsant activities through in vivo experiments. Compound 4d emerged as prototype with excellent anti-seizure action in mice against electroshock, chemically induced and pharmaco-resistant 6-Hz seizure models with no symptoms of neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity (ED 50  = 23.5 mg/kg, MES, mice, i.p.; ED 50  = 32.6 mg/kg, scPTZ, mice, i.p.; ED 50  = 45.2 mg/kg, 6-Hz, mice, i.p.; TD 50  = 325.9 mg/kg, mice, i.p.). In addition, investigation of compound 4l in mice for its pharmacological profile proved it as safer anticonvulsant, devoid of the side effects such as motor dysfunction and hepatotoxicity of classical antiepileptic drugs (ED 50  = 26.1 mg/kg, MES, mice, i.p.; ED 50  = 79.4 mg/kg, scPTZ, mice, i.p.; TD 50  = 361.2 mg/kg, mice, i.p.). We also predicted physiochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of structurally optimized quinazolin-4(3H)-ones by a computational protocol. A combination of in vivo anticonvulsant profile, ex vivo toxicity, and in silico studies suggested that the synthesized compounds may be useful as broad-spectrum anti-seizure drug candidates with favorable pharmacokinetic parameters., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In this study, a series of thiosemicarbazide derivatives 12-14, 1,2,4-triazol-3-thione derivatives 15-17 and compounds bearing 2-(4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-ylthio)acetamide structure 18-32 have been synthesized starting from phenolic compounds such as 2-naphthol, paracetamol and thymol. Structures and purity of the target compounds were confirmed by the use of their chromatographic and spectral data besides microanalysis. All of the synthesized new compounds 12-32 were evaluated for their anti-HIV activity. Among these compounds, three representatives 18, 19 and 25 were selected and evaluated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) against the full panel of 60 human cancer cell lines derived from nine different cancer types. Antiproliferative effects of the selected compounds were demonstrated in human tumor cell lines K-562, A549 and PC-3. These compounds inhibited cell growth assessed by MTT assay. Compound 18, 19 and 25 exhibited anti-cancer activity with IC50 values of 5.96 μM (PC-3 cells), 7.90 μM (A549/ATCC cells) and 7.71 μM (K-562 cells), respectively. After the cell viability assay, caspase activation and Bcl-2 activity of the selected compounds were measured and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was detected. Compounds 18, 19 and 25 showed a significant increase in caspase-3 activity in a dose-dependent manner. This was not observed for caspase-8 activity with compound 18 and 25, while compound 19 was significantly elevated only at the dose of 50 μM. In addition, all three compounds significantly decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential and expression of Bcl-2., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

A scaffold-hopping strategy toward Agomelatine based on in silico screening and knowledge analysis was employed to design novel antidepressant agents. A series of 3, 4-dihydroisoquinoline compounds were selected for chemical synthesis and biological assessment. Three compounds (6a-1, 6a-2, 6a-9) demonstrated protective effects on corticosterone-induced lesion of PC12 cells. Compound 6a-1 also displayed low inhibitory effects on the growth of HEK293 and L02 normal cells and it was further evaluated for its potential antidepressant effects in vivo. The forced swim test (FST) results revealed that compound 6a-1 remarkably reduced the immobility time of rats and the open field test (OFT) results indicated a better general locomotor activity of the rats treated with compound 6a-1 than those with Agomelatine or Fluoxetine. Mechanism studies implied that compound 6a-1 can significantly reduce PC12 cell apoptosis by up-regulation of GSH and down-regulation of ROS in corticosterone-induced lesion of PC12 cells. Meanwhile, the down-regulation of calcium ion concentration and up-regulation of BDNF level in PC12 cells may account for the neuroprotective effects. Furthermore, compound 6a-1 can increase cell survival and cell proliferation, promote cell maturation in the rat hippocampus after chronic treatment. The acute toxicity data in vivo indicated compound 6a-1 exhibited less hepatotoxicity than Agomelatine.

Previously (Karade et al., 2014), we have reported the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of bis-pyridinium derivatives of pyridine-3-yl-(2-hydroxyimino acetamide), as reactivators of sarin and VX inhibited hAChE. Few of the molecules showed superior in vivo protection efficacy (mice model) (Kumar et al., 2014; Swami et al., 2016) in comparison to 2-PAM against DFP and sarin poisoning. Encouraged by these results, herein we report the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of isonicotinamide derivatives of pyridine-3-yl-(2-hydroxyimino acetamide) (4a-4d) against sarin and VX inhibited erythrocyte ghost hAChE. Reactivation kinetics of these compounds was studied and the determined kinetic parameters were compared with that of commercial reactivators viz. 2-PAM and obidoxime. In comparison to 2-PAM and obidoxime, oxime 4a and 4b exhibited enhanced reactivation efficacy toward sarin inhibited hAChE while oxime 4c showed far greater reactivation efficacy toward VX inhibited hAChE. The acid dissociation constant and IC50 values of these oximes were determined and correlated with the observed reactivation potential., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is regarded as the main factor responsible for the pathogenesis of allergic disorders such as atopic dermatitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and allergic rhinitis. As part of our continuing search for novel anti-inflammatory compounds, 2-(4-{2-[(phenylthio)acetyl]carbonohydrazonoyl}phenoxy)acetamide (PA) was analyzed. In the present study, we examined how PA regulates the mRNA expression and production of TSLP in the human mast cell line, HMC-1 cells. Computer-aided docking simulation, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, caspase-1 assay, and Western blotting were used to investigate the effects of PA. PA decreased the mRNA expression and production of TSLP in HMC-1 cells. PA (1μM) inhibited the TSLP production up to 87.710±5.201%. PA also improved the activation and phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB as well as the degradation and phosphorylation of IκBα. Caspase-1 activation was up-regulated in activated HMC-1 cells, whereas caspase-1 activation was down-regulated by PA. Finally, PA inhibited ear swelling response induced by phorbol myristate acetate in mice. These results indicate that PA would be effective to treat inflammatory and atopic disorders through the down-regulations of TSLP., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A general method for the synthesis of [(18) F]difluoromethylarenes from [(18) F]fluoride for radiopharmaceutical discovery is reported. The method is practical, operationally simple, tolerates a wide scope of functional groups, and enables the labeling of a variety of arenes and heteroarenes with radiochemical yields (RCYs, not decay-corrected) from 10 to 60 %. The (18) F-fluorination precursors are readily prepared from aryl chlorides, bromides, iodides, and triflates. Seven (18) F-difluoromethylarene drug analogues and radiopharmaceuticals including Claritin, fluoxetine (Prozac), and [(18) F]DAA1106 were synthesized to show the potential of the method for applications in PET radiopharmaceutical design., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) has emerged as an attractive target in the oncology field. In this paper, we present the identification of 2-((3-cyanopyridin-2-yl)thio)acetamide-containing compounds as LDHA inhibitors. The in vitro enzymatic assay suggested that inhibitor 9 had good inhibitory potency against LDHA with IC50 value as 1.24μM. Cytotoxicity assay showed that inhibitor 9 strongly inhibited the proliferation of cancer cell MG-63 (EC50=0.98μM). These findings indicated that inhibitor 9 could be employed as a lead for developing more potent LDHA inhibitor with anti-proliferative potency., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel dibenzofuran tethered thiazolyl-1,2,3-triazolyl acetamides, designed by assembling antitubercular pharmacophoric fragments, dibenzofuran, 2-aminothiazole and substituted triazoles in one molecular architecture, were evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The new analogues 6a-p accomplished in four step synthetic sequence utilizing click chemistry in the penultimate step, was fully characterized by their NMR and mass spectral data. Among the compounds 6a-p screened for in vitro antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, three compounds 6j (MIC: 1.56μg/mL); 6a and 6p (MIC: 3.13μg/mL) was found to be most active and exhibited lower cytotoxicity. Among these three, 6j could be a candidate to consider as a drug like hit analogue for further development., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)