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In the title molecule, C23H20Cl2N4O3S, the thiazole ring is planar while the pyrimidine unit fused to it adopts a screw-boat conformation. In the crystal, thick sheets parallel to the bc plane are formed by N—H...N, C—H...N and C—H...O hydrogen bonds together with π–π interactions between the formamido carbonyl groups and the thiazole rings. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from H...H (30.9%), Cl...H/H...Cl (20.7%), C...H/H...C (16.8%) and O...H/H...O (11.4%) interactions.

In the title mol-ecule, C

Pharmacologic inhibition of the oncogenic protein kinases using small molecules is a promising strategy to combat several human malignancies. CDK1 is an example of such a valuable target for the management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC); its overexpression in PDAC positively correlates with the size, histological grade and tumor aggressiveness. Here we report the identification of novel series of 1-piperazinyl-4-benzylphthalazine derivatives (8a-g, 10a-i and 12a-d) as promising anticancer agents with CDK1 inhibitory activity. The anti-proliferative activity of these agents was first screened on a panel of 11 cell lines representing 5 cancers (pancreas, melanoma, leukemia, colon and breast), and then confirmed on two CDK1-overexpressing PDAC cell lines (MDA-PATC53 and PL45 cells). Phthalazines 8g, 10d and 10h displayed potent activity against MDA-PATC53 (IC

Background:Sulphonylureas are the oldest and commonly used to treat diabetic patients, but its efficacy declines by time. It was reported that quinazoline nucleus exhibits a potent hypoglycemic effect in diabetic animal models.Objective:The current study aimed to synthesize new quinazoline-sulfonylurea conjugates and evaluate their hypoglycemic effects in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.Methods:The conjugates were synthesized by bioisosteric replacement of 5-chloro-2-methoxybenzamide moiety in glibenclamide or 1,3-dioxo-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline moiety in gliquidone with 6,7-dimethoxy-4-oxoquinazoline moiety (compounds 4a-4d, 9b-9c and 10b-10d). Diabetes was induced in rats by a single i.p. administration of alloxan, followed by treatment with the synthesized conjugates (5mg/kg Body weight).Results:All conjugates showed hypoglycemic effects with different efficacy indicated by the reduction in blood glucose and elevation of insulin levels. Moreover, these conjugates up-regulated the expression of pancreatic glucose transporter 2, muscle glucose transporter 4, and insulin receptor substrate-1 genes, compared to the diabetic group. A normal pancreatic tissue pattern was noticed in diabetic rats treated with compounds 9b, 9c, and 10c.Conclusion:Conjugation of sulfonylurea with quinazoline (especially 9b, 9c, 10c) possessed a significant hypoglycemic effect through improving blood insulin level and insulin action and consequently increased the glucose uptake by the skeletal muscles.

In the presented work, we report the design and synthesis of novel SLC-0111 thiazole and thiadiazole analogues (11a–d, 12a–d, 16a–c and 17a–d). A bioisosteric replacement approach was adopted to replace the 4-fluorophenyl tail of SLC-0111 with thiazole and thiadiazole ones, which were thereafter extended with lipophilic un/substituted phenyl moieties. All the newly synthesized SLC-0111 analogues were evaluated in vitro for their inhibitory activity towards a panel of the metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) isoforms (hCA I, II, IX and XII), using a stopped-flow CO2 hydrase assay. All the examined isoforms were inhibited by the primary sulfonamide derivatives (11a–d and 12a–d) in variable degrees with the following KI ranges: 162.6–7136 nM for hCA I, 9.0–833.6 nM for hCA II, 7.9–153.0 nM for hCA IX, and 9.4–94.0 nM for hCA XII. In particular, compounds 12b and 12d displayed 5.5-fold more potent inhibitory activity (KIs = 8.3 and 7.9 nM, respectively) than SLC-0111 (KI = 45 nM) towards hCA IX. Molecular docking study was carried out for 12d within the hCA IX (PDB 3IAI ) active site, to justify its inhibitory activity.

Recently, different mechanisms for inhibition of carbonic anhydrases (CAs) have been reported, such as the classical zinc-binding (exerted by sulfonamides and carboxylic acids) as well as occluding the entrance of the CA active site (exerted by coumarins). In this manuscript, we studied the effect of combining the pharmacopheric parts responsible for these two mechanisms on CA inhibitory potency and selectivity through the design and synthesis of novel coumarins tethered with the zinc-binding sulfonamide (5a-f, 11a-b and 13a-b) or carboxylic acid (7a-f) groups. In addition, another set of coumarin derivatives (9a-b) with no zinc-binding group (ZBG) was designed to act as non-classical CA inhibitors. The synthesized coumarins were examined for their inhibitory activities towards four hCA isoforms I, II, IX and XII. Coumarin sulfonamides (5a-f, 11a-b and 13a-b) effectively inhibited both tumor-associated hCA IX (K

Joining the global fight against Tuberculosis, the world's most deadly infectious disease, herein we present the design and synthesis of novel isatin-nicotinohydrazide hybrids (5a–m and 9a–c) as promising anti-tubercular and antibacterial agents. The anti-tubercular activity of the target hybrids was evaluated against drug-susceptible M. tuberculosis strain (ATCC 27294) where hybrids 5d, 5g and 5h were found to be as potent as INH with MIC = 0.24 µg/mL, also the activity was evaluated against Isoniazid/Streptomycin resistant M. tuberculosis (ATCC 35823) where compounds 5g and 5h showed excellent activity (MIC = 3.9 µg/mL). Moreover, the target hybrids were examined against six bronchitis causing-bacteria. Most derivatives exhibited excellent antibacterial activity. K. pneumonia emerged as the most sensitive strain with MIC range: 0.49–7.81 µg/mL. Furthermore, a molecular docking study has proposed DprE1 as a probable enzymatic target for herein reported isatin-nicotinohydrazide hybrids, and explored the binding interactions within the vicinity of DprE1 active site., GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Two new series of 1,3,4-oxadiazole and coumarin derivatives based on pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile scaffold have been synthesized and evaluated for their COX-1/COX-2 inhibitory activity. Compounds 10c, 10e, 10h-j, 14e-f, 14i and 16 were found to be the most potent and selective inhibitors of COX-2 (IC50 0.041–0.081 μM, SI 139.74–321.95). Eight compounds were further investigated for their in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. The most active derivatives 10c, 10j and 14e displayed superior in vivo anti-inflammatory activity (% edema inhibition 39.3–48.3, 1 h; 58.4–60.5, 2 h; 70.8–83.2, 3 h; 78.9–89.5, 4 h) to the reference drug celecoxib (% edema inhibition 38.0, 1 h; 48.8, 2 h; 58.4, 3 h; 65.4, 4 h). These derivatives were also tested for their ulcerogenic liability, compound 10j showed better safety profile with reference to celecoxib while 10c and 14e exhibited mild lesions. Molecular docking studies of 10c, 10j, and 14e in the COX-2 active site revealed similar orientation and binding interactions as selective COX-2 inhibitors with a higher liability to access the selectivity side pocket.

Aim: Design and synthesis of novel morpholinopyrimidine-5-carbonitriles as antitumor agents. Materials & methods: New series of morpholinopyrimidine-5-carbonitriles have been synthesized. 19 derivatives (3b, 4a, 5–6, 9–12, 13a–e, 14a–c and 15–17) were evaluated for their in vitro antitumor activity by the National Cancer Institute (NCI; MD, USA). Moreover, compound 13e was evaluated against PI3K (α, β and δ) and the mechanism of its cytotoxic activity on leukemia SR was studied. Results: Compound 13e possessed remarkable broad spectrum antitumor activity with GI50 (median growth inhibition) and TGI (total growth inhibition) values of 6.15 and 28.66 μM, respectively, caused cell cycle arrest at G2-M phase and significant increase in the percentage of annexin V-FITC – positive apoptotic cells, also increased the level of active caspase-3. Moreover, 13e revealed good safety profile against transformed human liver epithelial-2 (THLE2).

As a part of our ongoing efforts towards developing novel carbonic anhydrase inhibitors based on the isatin moiety, herein we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel sulfonamides (5a-h, 10a-g and 11a-c) incorporating substituted 2-indolinone moiety (as tail) linked to benzenesulfonamide (as zinc anchoring moiety) through a hydrazide linker. The synthesized sulfonamides were evaluated in vitro for their inhibitory activity against the following human (h) carbonic anhydrase (hCA, EC 4.2.1.1) isoforms, hCA I, II, IX and XII. All these isoforms were inhibited by the sulfonamides reported here in variable degrees. hCA I was inhibited with KIs in the range of 671.8: 3549.5 nM, hCA II in the range of 36.8: 892.4 nM; hCA IX in the range of 8.9: 264.5 nM, whereas hCA XII in the range of 9.0: 78.1 nM. In particular, compound 10b emerged as a single-digit nanomolar hCA IX and XII inhibitor (8.9 and 9.2 nM, respectively). Molecular docking studies carried out for compound 10b within the hCA II, IX and XII active sites allowed us to rationalize the obtained inhibition results.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway has been previously investigated for its significant role in the progression of different types of malignant tumors, where development of small molecules targeting EGFR is well known strategy for design of antitumor agents. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of two series of 6-(2-substitutedacetamido)-4-anilinoquinazolines (6a-x and 13a-d) as EGFR inhibitors. All the newly synthesized quinazoline derivatives were in vitro evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity towards MCF-7 (Breast Cancer) and HepG2 (Hepatocellular carcinoma) cell lines. In particular, compound 6n showed significant inhibitory activity against MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines (IC50 = 3 and 16 μM, respectively), compared to that of Erlotinib (IC50 = 20 and 25 μM, respectively). Western blotting of 6n at MCF-7 cell line revealed the dual inhibitory activity of 6n towards diminishing the phosphorylated levels for EGFR and ERK. Also, ELISA assay confirmed the anti-EGFR activity of compound 6n (IC50 = 0.037 μM). Finally, a molecular docking study showed the potential binding mode of 6n within the ATP catalytic binding site of EGFR, exhibiting similar binding mode to EGFR inhibitor Erlotinib.

The ensuing research presents the results of in vitro anticancer activity of novel 28 compounds of isoxazole–based carboxamides 3(a-d); ureates 4(a-g), 5, 6, 7a,b, 8; and hydrazones 9(a-f), 10(a-d), 11a,b as potential inhibitors of VEGFR2. The carboxamides and ureates were synthesized by converting 5-(aryl)-isoxzaole-3-carbohydrazides 1a,b to the corresponding carbonylazides 2a,b followed by treatment with the appropriate amines. The hydrazones were directly obtained through condensation of the carbohydrazide 1a,b with aldehydes and/or ketones. The structures of the target compounds were confirmed by elemental and spectral analyses. A preliminary in vitro anticancer screening of solutions (10-5 M) on 60 cancer cell lines (NCI, USA) revealed that the carboxamide 3c is the most promising growth inhibitor. Explicitly, 3c showed potent anticancer activity at 10µ M against leukemia (HL-60(TB), K-562 and MOLT-4), colon cancer (KM12) and melanoma (LOX IMVI) cell lines with %GI range = 70.79–92.21. Evaluation of growth inhibitory activity of the synthesized compounds against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), that overexpresses VEGFR2, showed superior activity of compounds 8, 10a and 10c with IC50 in sub micromolar concentrations of 0.84, 0.79 and 0.69 μM, respectively, which is better than that of the reference drug, Sorafenib (IC50 = 3.99 µM). Moreover, these compounds displayed high selective cytotoxicity for HepG2 cancer cells over the nontumorigenic THLE2 liver cells (SI range = 26.37–38.60) which reflect their safety. The results of VEGFR2 kinase inhibition assay demonstrate that, compounds 8 and 10a are the most active inhibitors with IC50 = 25.7 and 28.2 nM, respectively, (Sorafenib IC50 = 28.1 nM). Molecular docking of the synthesized derivatives to VEGFR2 (PDB: 3WZE) showed similar binding modes to that of the co-crystallized ligand, sorafenib. Moreover, the results of computational assessment of ADME and drug-likeness characteristics inspire further investigations of the new isoxazole-based derivatives to afford more potent, safe and orally active VEGFR2 inhibitors as potential anticancer drug candidates.

New series of pyrimidinone-5-carbonitriles 3a–i, 4a–e, 5a–c, 6 and 7 have been synthesized and explored for their activities as anticancer, antibacterial and antifungal agents. Investigation of the anticancer activity revealed that several newly synthesized derivatives displayed potent cytotoxic activity against different cancer cells. Among them, compound 3g was the most potent on the MCF-7, A549 and Caco-2 cell lines (IC50 = 1.42, 1.98 and 9.50 μM, respectively), as compared with 5-fluorouracil (IC50 = 1.71, 10.32 and 20.22 μM, respectively), while compound 3f was found especially effective against MCF-7 and Caco-2 cell lines (IC50 = 1.48 and 16.15 μM, respectively). Furthermore, the antimicrobial evaluation showed that compounds 3f and 3g have potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 4 and 8 μg/mL, respectively) and promising activity against Escherichia coli (IZ. = 19 and 17 mm, respectively). Meanwhile, compound 4b displayed the highest activity toward Bacillus subtilis (MIC = 8 μg/mL). In particular, the results suggested that hydrazone derivatives bearing heterocyclic rings 3f and 3g are good lead compounds for the future design of more potent anticancer or antimicrobial agents.

A series of dihydropyrimidine (DHPM) derivatives bearing 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety was designed and synthesized as monastrol analogues. The new compounds were screened for their cytotoxic activity toward 60 cancer cell lines according to NCI (USA) protocol. Seven compounds were further examined against the most sensitive cell lines, leukemia HL-60(TB) and MOLT-4. The most active compounds were 9m against HL-60(TB) (IC50 = 56 nM) and 9n against MOLT-4 (IC50 = 80 nM), more potent than monastrol (IC50 = 147 and 215 nM, respectively). Cell cycle analysis of HL-60(TB) cells treated with 9m and MOLT-4 cells treated with 9n showed cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and pro-apoptotic activity as indicated by annexin V-FITC staining.

Pursuing on our efforts toward searching for efficient hCA IX and hCA XII inhibitors, herein we report the design and synthesis of new sets of benzofuran-based sulphonamides (4a,b, 5a,b, 9a–c, and 10a–d), featuring the zinc anchoring benzenesulfonamide moiety linked to a benzofuran tail via a hydrazine or hydrazide linker. All the target benzofurans were examined for their inhibitory activities toward isoforms hCA I, II, IX, and XII. The target tumour-associated hCA IX and XII isoforms were efficiently inhibited with KIs spanning in ranges 10.0–97.5 and 10.1–71.8 nM, respectively. Interestingly, arylsulfonehydrazones 9 displayed the best selectivity toward hCA IX and XII over hCA I (SIs: 39.4–250.3 and 26.0–149.9, respectively), and over hCA II (SIs: 19.6–57.1 and 13.0–34.2, respectively). Furthermore, the target benzofurans were assessed for their anti-proliferative activity, according to US-NCI protocol, toward a panel of sixty cancer cell lines. Only benzofurans 5b and 10b possessed selective and moderate growth inhibitory activity toward certain cancer cell lines.

In the present study, we report the design and synthesis of novel CAN508 sulfonamide-based analogues (4, 8a-e, 9a-h and 10a-e) as novel carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors with potential CDK inhibitory activity. A bioisosteric replacement approach was adopted to replace the phenolic OH of CAN508 with a sulfamoyl group to afford compound 4. Thereafter, a ring-fusion approach was utilized to furnish the 5/5 fused imidazopyrazoles 8a-e which were subsequently expanded to 6/5 pyrazolopyrimidines 9a-h and 10a-e. All the synthesized analogues were evaluated for their inhibitory activity toward isoforms hCA I, II, IX and XII. The target tumor-associated isoforms hCA IX and XII were effectively inhibited with KIs ranges 6–67.6 and 10.1–88.6 nM, respectively. Furthermore, all compounds were evaluated for their potential CDK2 and 9 inhibitory activities. Pyrazolopyrimidines 9d, 9e and 10b displayed weak CDK2 inhibitory activity (IC50 = 6.4, 8.0 and 11.6 μM, respectively), along with abolished CDK9 inhibitory activity. This trend suggested that pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives merit further optimization to furnish more effective CDK2 inhibitor lead. On account of their excellent activity and selectivity toward s hCA IX and XII, pyrazolopyrimidines 10 were evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity toward breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 cell lines under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The most potent anti-proliferative agents 10a, 10c and 10d significantly increased cell percentage at sub-G1 and G2-M phases with concomitant decrease in the S phase population in MCF-7 treated cells. Finally, a docking study was undertaken to investigate the binding mode for the most selective hCA IX and XII inhibitors 10a-e, within hCA II, IX and XII active sites.

In the presented work, we report the design and synthesis of different new sets of triazolopyrimidine-based (9a-d) and triazole-based (11a-h, 13a-c, 15a,b, 17a,b and 21a-g) benzenesulfonamides. The newly synthesized sulfonamides were assessed for their inhibitory activities toward four human (h) metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) isoforms; hCA I, II, IX and XII. The four examined isoforms were inhibited by the prepared sulfonamides (9a-d, 11a-h, 13a-c, 15a,b, 17a,b and 21a-g) in variable degrees with KIs ranges: 94.4–4953.5 nM for hCA I, 6.9–837.6 nM for hCA II, 3.3–85.0 nM for hCA XI, and 4.4–105.0 nM for hCA XII. In particular, sulfonamides 11e, 21a and 21e emerged as single-digit nanomolar hCA IX and hCA XII inhibitors. Interestingly, triazolopyrimidine-based sulfonamide 9d and triazole-based sulfonamide 21e were found to be the most selective hCA IX inhibitors over hCA I (SI = 100.85 and 210.58, respectively) and hCA II (SI = 18.54 and 38.36, respectively). Thereafter, sulfonamides 9d and 21e were docked into the active site of CAs II, IX and XII, then poses showing the best scoring values and favorable binding interactions were subjected to a MM-GBSA based refinement and, limited to CA IX and XII, to a cycle of 100 ns molecular dynamics.

Herein we describe the design and synthesis of two series of sulfonamides featuring N-unsubstituted (4a-c) or N-substituted (7a-o) isatin moieties (as tails) connected to benzenesulfonamide moiety via a hydrazine linker. All the prepared sulfonamides (4a-c and 7a-o) showed potent inhibitory activities toward transmembrane tumor-associated human (h) carbonic anhydrase (hCA, EC 4.2.1.1) isoforms, IX and XII with KI range (8.3–65.4 nM) and (11.9–72.9 nM), respectively. Furthermore, six sulfonamides (7e, 7i, 7j, 7m, 7n and 7o) were assessed for their anti-proliferative activity, according to US-NCI protocol, toward a panel of sixty cancer cell lines. Compounds 7j and 7n were the most promising counterparts in this assay displaying broad spectrum anti-proliferative activity toward diverse cell lines. Also, sulfonamide 7n significantly inhibited clonogenicity of HCT-116 cells in a concentration dependent manner in the colony forming assay. Moreover, molecular modeling studies were performed to gain insights for the plausible binding interactions and affinities for the target isatin-based sulfonamides (4a-c and 7a-o) within hCA isoforms II and IX active sites.

In this work, novel series of pyran, thiophene and thienopyrimidine derivatives based on 2-acetamide-thiadiazole scaffold were designed and synthesized for evaluation as selective COX-2 inhibitors in-vitro and investigated in-vivo as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents against carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema model in irradiated rats, since its well-known that ionizing radiation plays an important role in exaggerating the inflammatory responses and in enhancing the release of inflammatory mediators in experimental animals. Toxicological studies were carried out to evaluate the ulcerogenic activity, acute toxicity and kidney and liver functions for the most potent compounds. In order to understand the binding mode of the synthesized compounds into the active site of COX-2, docking study was performed. Most of the tested compounds showed high inhibitory ability to COX-2. Among them, thiadiazole derivatives bearing thiophene and thienopyrimidine moieties were the most active derivatives, compound 26 showed extremely high selectivity index (SI) of > 555.5 μM which is nearly two folds better than celecoxib (> 277.7 μM), in addition to compounds 3 , 16 , 17 , 21 and 26 with SI in the range of > 308.6- > 384.6 μM. The 4-chlorothieno[2.3- d ]pyrimidine derivative of thiadiazole 21 showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity in this study having 24.49% of oedema compared to celecoxib (18.61%) in addition to compounds 17 and 26 with 24.70 and 25.40% of oedema, respectively, while the thiadiazol-2-acetamide derivative 2 was the most potent analgesic compound with the highest nociceptive threshold (85.72 g) very close to that of celecoxib (90.23 g). These compounds showed high safety margin on gastric mucosa with no ulceration effect. Also the most active in-vivo anti-inflammatory compounds 17 , 21 and 26 were found to be non-toxic in experimental rats with normal kidney and liver functions. Docking study of the synthesized compounds showed similar orientation as celecoxib within the active site of COX-2 enzyme and similar ability to emerge deeply in the additional pocket and binding with Arg513 and His90 the key amino acids responsible for selectivity.

Isatin is a well acknowledged pharmacophore in many clinically approved drugs used for treatment of cancer. 3-Hydrazinoindolin-2-one, as a derivative of isatin, represents a pharmacophore of an important class of biologically active pharmaceutical agents by virtue of their diverse biological activities. In this review, anticancer activity will be on focus for compounds derived from 3-hydrazinoindolin-2-one. They are classified according to their chemical structure into nine different classes. In each class, different compounds were browsed, showing their anticancer activity and their potential targets. Moreover, crystallographic data or docking studies were highlighted for some compounds, when available, to provide a deep understanding of their mechanisms of action.

A series of anilinophthalazine derivatives 4a-j was initially synthesized and tested for its VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity where it showed promising activity (IC50 = 0.636-5.76 μM). Molecular docking studies guidance was used to improve the binding affinity for series 4a-j towards VEGFR-2 active site. This improvement was achieved by increasing the hydrophobic interaction with the hydrophobic back pocket of the VEGFR-2 active site lined with the hydrophobic side chains of Ile888, Leu889, Ile892, Val898, Val899, Leu1019 and Ile1044. Increasing the hydrophobic interaction was accomplished by extending the anilinophthalazine scaffold with a substituted phenyl moiety through an uriedo linker which should give this extension the flexibility required to accommodate itself deeply into the hydrophobic back pocket. As planned, the designed uriedo-anilinophthalazines 7a-i showed superior binding affinity than their anilinophthalazine parents (IC50 = 0.083-0.473 μM). In particular, compounds 7g-i showed IC50 of 0.086, 0.083 and 0.086 μM, respectively, which are better than that of the reference drug sorafenib (IC50 = 0.09 μM).

By using a molecular hybridization approach, two series of amido/ureidosubstituted benzenesulfonamides incorporating substituted-isatin moieties were synthesized. The prepared derivatives were in vitro evaluated for their inhibitory activity against human carbonic anhydrase (hCA, EC 4.2.1.1) I, II (cytosolic) and IX, XII (transmembrane, tumor-associated) isoforms. All these isoforms were inhibited in variable degrees by the sulfonamides reported here. hCA I was inhibited with KIs in the range of 7.9-894 nM, hCA II in the range of 7.5-1645 nM (with one compound having a KI > 10 μM); hCA IX in the range of 5.0-240 nM, whereas hCA XII in the range of 0.47-2.83 nM. As all these isoforms are involved in various pathologies, in which their inhibition can be exploited therapeutically, the derivatives reported here may represent interesting extensions to the field of CA inhibitors of the sulfonamide type.

Pursuing on our efforts toward searching for efficient hCA IX and hCA XII inhibitors, herein we report the design and synthesis of new sets of benzofuran-based sulphonamides (4a,b, 5a,b, 9a–c, and 10a–d), featuring the zinc anchoring benzenesulfonamide moiety linked to a benzofuran tail via a hydrazine or hydrazide linker. All the target benzofurans were examined for their inhibitory activities toward isoforms hCA I, II, IX, and XII. The target tumour-associated hCA IX and XII isoforms were efficiently inhibited with K Is spanning in ranges 10.0–97.5 and 10.1–71.8 nM, respectively. Interestingly, arylsulfonehydrazones 9 displayed the best selectivity toward hCA IX and XII over hCA I (SIs: 39.4–250.3 and 26.0–149.9, respectively), and over hCA II (SIs: 19.6–57.1 and 13.0–34.2, respectively). Furthermore, the target benzofurans were assessed for their anti-proliferative activity, according to US-NCI protocol, toward a panel of sixty cancer cell lines. Only benzofurans 5b and 10b possessed selective and moderate growth inhibitory activity toward certain cancer cell lines.

Novel series of pyrrolizine based compounds (4–6 and 9–11) were designed, synthesized and evaluated as potential anti-Alzheimer agents. Most of the tested compounds showed selectivity to hAChE over hBChE and effectively inhibited self–induced amyloid beta aggregation in vitro. Among these derivatives, compound 10 displayed high selectivity towards hAChE (Ki = 1.47 ± 0.63 μM for hAChE and Ki = 40.15 ± 3.31 μM for hBChE). However, compound 11 displayed dual inhibitory effect against hAChE and hBChE at submicromolar range (Ki = 0.40 ± 0.03 and 0.129 ± 0.009 μM, respectively). Kinetic studies of the new ligands showed competitive type inhibition for both hAChE and hBChE. Moreover, compounds 10 and 11 showed lower or comparable cytotoxicity to donepezil against human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) and normal human hepatic (THLE2) cell lines. In vivo studies confirmed that both compounds were able to improve cognitive dysfunction of scopolamine-induced AD mice. Finally, molecular docking simulation of compounds 10 and 11 in hAChE active site showed good agreement with the obtained pharmaco-biological results.

Aim: Inhibition of P53-mdm2 interaction will lead to cancer cell apoptosis. This strategy was achieved by reported spiro-oxindole derivatives. Materials & methods: Spiro(indoline-3,4′-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine)-5′-carbonitrile derivatives (4a–i and 9a, b) were synthesized and screened for their in vitro anticancer activity. The most active compounds were subjected to P53-MDM2 inhibitory activity, apoptotic and molecular docking studies. Results & discussion: Compound 4d exhibited potent and broad spectrum of antiproliferative activity with full panel GI50 (MG-MID) value of 3.97 μM. Compounds 4d and 4i inhibited p53-MDM2 protein–protein interaction with IC50 = 52.1 and 95.2 nM, respectively. Compound 4d inhibits the expression of wild p53 in MCF-7 more than mutant p53 in MDA-MB231 at the molecular level. Molecular docking studies illustrated the possible interaction of the target spiro-oxindoles with the p53 binding site on MDM2.

Aim: Discovery of novel series of colchicine binding site inhibitors (CBSIs). Materials & methods: Isoxazoline 3a–d, pyrazoline 4a–b, 7a–f and 8a–f, cyclohexenone 9a–b and 10a–b or pyridine derivatives 11a–b were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibition of tubulin polymerization and cytotoxicity. Most of the compounds displayed potent to moderate antitumor activity against leukemia SR cell line.7c, 7e and 11a were more potent than colchicine with IC50 of 0.09, 0.05 and 0.06 μM, and percentage inhibition in tubulin polymerization of 95.2, 96.0 and 96.3%, respectively. Compounds 7c and 11a showed cell-cycle arrest at G2/M phase and induced apoptosis and were able to bind the colchicine binding site of tubulin with comparable affinity to colchicine. Docking study showed that these compounds may interact with tubulin exploiting a binding cavity not commonly reported in the binding of CBSI. Conclusion: Compounds 7c and 11a may be considered as promising CBSI based on their excellent activity and favorable drug likeness profile.

Aim: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis, continues to infect millions of the global population, resulting in 1.8 million deaths worldwide in 2015. Methodology: Hybrids of 2-amino-4-methylthiazole bearing 5-acetyl/5-ethyl carboxylate functionality with 5-arylidene thiazolidinone moiety (6a–k and 9a–d) were synthesized and screened for antitubercular and antimicrobial activities. Results & discussion: 5-ethyl carboxylate derivative 6k revealed half antitubercular activity (minimal inhibitory concentration = 1.56 μg/ml) than the acetyl analog 6c (minimal inhibitory concentration = 0.78 μg/ml), however, it exhibited more potent broad spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities in addition to its excellent safety profile with high selectivity toward M. tuberculosis over normal human lung cells. Collectively, these data suggested that compound 6k can be considered as an ideal lead compound for further optimization.

Aim: Novel quinazolinone and triazinoquinazolinone derivatives were designed and synthesized as apoptotic inducers. Methodology/results: Most of the synthesized compounds showed excellent antiproliferative activity against MCF-7 and HCT-116 cell lines, respectively. Compounds 7a, 8a, 8d, 14a and 14d were superior to doxorubicin as activators of caspases 3, 8 and 9 in HCT-116 cell line. The most potent caspase inducers, 8d and 14a showed cell cycle arrest mainly in G1 and S phase, respectively and increased the levels of p53, Bax and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio compared with doxorubicin in HCT-116 cells with excellent selectivity against CCD-18Co human colon normal cell line. Conclusion: The synthesized compounds can be considered as potent apoptotic inducers interfering with extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways.

In connection with our research program on the development of novel anti-tubercular candidates, herein we report the design and synthesis of two different sets of indole-thiazolidinone conjugates (8a,b; 11a-d) and (14a-k; 15a-h). The target compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities against selected human pathogens viz. Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positiveve), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli (Gram negative), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Acid-fast bacteria), Aspergillus fumigates and Candida albicans (fungi). Moreover, eukaryotic cell-toxicity was tested via an integrated ex vivo drug screening model in order to evaluate the selective therapeutic index (SI) towards antimicrobial activity when microbes are growing inside primary immune cells. Also, the cytotoxicity towards a panel of cancer cell lines and human lung fibroblast normal cell line, WI-38 cells, was explored to assure their safety. Compound 15b emerged as a hit in this study with potent broad spectrum antibacterial (MIC: 0.39–0.98 μg/mL) and antifungal (MIC: 0.49–0.98 μg/mL) activities, in addition to its ability to kill mycobacteria M. aurum inside an infected macrophage model with good therapeutic window. Moreover, compound 15b displayed promising activity towards resistant bacteria strains MRSA and VRE with MIC values equal 3.90 and 7.81 μg/mL, respectively. These results suggest compound 15b as a new therapeutic lead with good selectivity for further optimization and development.

Many bis-isatins and isatins with hydrazide extension were reported to have a potential anti-proliferative effects against different cancer cell lines and cancer targets. In this study, four series of bis-isatins with hydrazide linkers were synthesized. These compounds were investigated for their antitumor activity by assessing their cytotoxic potency against HepG2, MCF-7 and HCT-116 cancer cell lines. Compound 21c possessed significant cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 (IC50 = 1.84 μM) and HCT-116 (IC50 = 3.31 μM) that surpasses the activity of doxorubicin against both cell lines (MCF-7; IC50 = 2.57 μM and HCT-116; IC50 = 3.70 μM). Cell cycle analysis and annexin V-FITC staining of MCF-7 cells treated with 21c suggested that the cytotoxic effect of the compound could be attributed to its pro-apoptotic activity.

In our endeavor towards the development of effective VEGFR-2 inhibitors, three novel series of phthalazine derivatives based on 1-piperazinyl-4-arylphthalazine scaffold were synthesized. All the newly prepared phthalazines 16a-k, 18a-e and 21a-g were evaluated in vitro for their inhibitory activity against VEGFR-2. In particular, compounds 16k and 21d potently inhibited VEGFR-2 at sub-micromolar IC50 values 0.35 ± 0.03 and 0.40 ± 0.04 μM, respectively. Moreover, seventeen selected compounds 16c-e, 16g, 16h, 16j, 16k, 18c-e and 21a-g were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity according to US-NCI protocol, where compounds 16k and 21d proved to be the most potent anticancer agents. While, compound 16k exhibited potent broad spectrum anticancer activity with full panel GI50 (MG-MID) value of 3.62 μM, compound 21d showed high selectivity toward leukemia and prostate cancer subpanels [subpanel GI50 (MG-MID) 3.51 and 5.15 μM, respectively]. Molecular docking of compounds16k and 21d into VEGFR-2 active site was performed to explore their potential binding mode.

Using a molecular hybridization approach, a new series of isatin-quinazoline hybrids 15a-o was designed and synthesized via two different synthetic routes. The target compounds 15a-o were prepared by the reaction of quinazoline hydrazines 12a-e with indoline-2,3-diones 13a-c or by treating 4-chloroquinazoline derivatives 11a-e with isatin hydrazones 14a-c. The in vitro anticancer activity of the newly synthesized hybrids was evaluated against the liver HepG2, breast MCF-7 and colon HT-29 cancer cell lines. A distinctive selective growth inhibitory effect was observed towards the HepG2 cancer cell line. Compounds 15b, 15g and 15l displayed the highest potency, with IC50 values ranging from 1.0 ± 0.2 to 2.4 ± 0.4 μM, and they were able to induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells, as evidenced by enhanced expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax and reduced expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, in addition to increased caspase-3 levels.

New series of 2-(2-arylidenehydrazinyl)pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines 5a–e and pyrido[2,3-d][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidines 6–15 were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against two cancer cell lines, namely PC-3 prostate cancer and A-549 lung cancer. Some of the tested compounds displayed high growth inhibitory activity against PC-3 cells. Whereas, compounds 5b and 15f showed relatively potent antitumor activity against PC-3 and A-549 cell lines. In particular, 4-(3-acetyl-5-oxo-6-phenyl-8-(thiophen-2-yl)pyrido[2,3-d][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidin-1(5H)-yl)benzenesulfonamide 15f exhibited superior antitumor activity against both cell lines at submicromolar level (IC50 = 0.36, 0.41 μM, respectively). Moreover, the potential mechanisms of the cytotoxic activity of the promising compound 15f on the more sensitive cell line PC-3 were studied. The data indicated that 15f was able to cause cell cycle arrest at least partly through enhancing the expression level of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 and induced cancer cell apoptosis via caspase-3 dependent pathway.

Novel series of celecoxib analogs endowed with benzofuran moiety 3a–e and 9a–d were synthesized and evaluated for COX-1/COX-2 inhibitory activity in vitro. The most potent and selective COX-2 inhibitors – compounds 3c, 3d, 3e, 9c and 9d – were assessed for their anti-inflammatory activity and ulcerogenic liability in vivo. The 3-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazole derivatives 3c and 3e exhibited the highest anti-inflammatory activity, that is equipotent to celecoxib. Furthermore, the tested compounds proved to have better gastric safety profile compared to celecoxib. In particular, compound 3e demonstrated about 40% reduction in ulcerogenic potential relative to the reference drug. Finally, molecular docking simulation of the new compounds in COX-2 active site and drug likeness studies showed good agreement with the obtained pharmaco-biological results.

Two groups of coumarin–pyrazoline hybrids were synthesized. The target compounds were obtained by cyclization of the coumarin chalcones with various substituted hydrazines to produce the corresponding pyrazolines through 1,4-addition on α,β-unsaturated carbonyl system. Selected compounds were investigated for their anticancer activity toward 60 cancer cell lines according to US NCI protocol where breast cancer MCF7 and colon cancer HCT-116 were the most susceptible to the influence of compounds 7d, 8c and 9c. Encouraged by this, all final compounds were screened against colorectal cell line HCT-116. The tested compounds exhibited high potency with IC50 ranging from 0.01 μM to 2.8 μM. Moreover, compound 9c which possessed the highest cytotoxicity proved to have weak enzyme inhibitory activity against PI3K (p110α/p85α).

Isatin is a well acknowledged pharmacophore in many clinically approved drugs used for treatment of cancer. 3-Hydrazinoindolin-2-one, as a derivative of isatin, represents a pharmacophore of an important class of biologically active pharmaceutical agents by virtue of their diverse biological activities. In this review, anticancer activity will be on focus for compounds derived from 3-hydrazinoindolin-2-one. They are classified according to their chemical structure into nine different classes. In each class, different compounds were browsed, showing their anticancer activity and their potential targets. Moreover, crystallographic data or docking studies were highlighted for some compounds, when available, to provide a deep understanding of their mechanisms of action.

Several novel 6-aryl-5-cyano thiouracil derivatives were synthesized and explored for their activities as antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer agents. The antimicrobial evaluation revealed that compounds 7b and 7c possessed superior antibacterial activity against the Gram positive bacteria S. aureus and B. subtilis compared to the reference drug amoxicillin. Moreover, compound 4i was found to be a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent and it also exhibited the highest antifungal activity against C. albicans, even higher than the reference drug amphotericin B (MIC = 2.34, 3.00 μg/mL respectively). Selected compounds were tested for in vitro cytotoxicity at a single 10−5 M concentration in accordance to the NCI (USA) protocol. The preliminary screening results showed that most of the compounds had limited cytotoxic activity against renal cancer UO-31 and/or A498 cell lines. Nevertheless, compounds 6d and 6i displayed potent growth inhibitory effect toward non-small cell lung cancer HOP-92 and leukemia MOLT-4 cell lines, respectively.

New series of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines (7a-e and 13a-d) and pyrazole hydrazones 17a-d were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cell line. Most of the tested compounds exploited potent to moderate growth inhibitory activity, in particular compound 7e exhibited superior potency to the reference drug cisplatin (IC(50)=7.60 and 13.29 μM, respectively). The antitumor activity of the new compounds was accompanied by significant increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase with concomitant decrease in the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase and reduced glutathione level. Accordingly, the overproduction of hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide and other free radicals allowed reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated tumor cells death, as monitored by reduction in the synthesis of protein and nucleic acids.

The main objective of the present work depends on the hybridization of coumarin moiety as a vasorelaxant scaffold and pyrimidine ring with known potential cardiovascular activity in order to prepare some new potent antihypertensive candidates. Hence, two groups of pyrimidinyl coumarin derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their vasorelaxing activity. These compounds were prepared via two routes; either preparation of the guanidinocoumarin 4 followed by a cocktail of cyclization reactions to yield a different array of 6-(substituted pyrimidin-2-yl)aminocoumarins 5 – 17 , or through cyclization of the precursor chalcones 22a – g with guanidine hydrochloride to generate the corresponding final compounds, 8-(6-aryl-2-aminopyrimidin-4-yl)-7-methoxycoumarins 23a – g . The effect of these compounds and the coumarin intermediates 3 , 4 , 21 and 22a – g on nor-epinephrine induced contracture in thoracic rat aortic rings was investigated using prazocin as reference drug. Several derivatives showed promising activities either equal or even better than that of prazocin (IC 50 0.487 mM). The most prospective compounds; the pyrimidinylamino coumarin derivatives 8 , 17 (IC 50 0.411, IC 50 0.421 mM) and the chalcones 22b , 22e (IC 50 0.371, 0.374 mM) that displayed the highest activity can be a base for lead optimization and simple but efficient design of new compounds. 2D-QSAR analysis was applied to find a correlation between the experimental vasorelaxant activities of the newly synthesized coumarin derivatives and their different physicochemical parameters. The result of this study showed that the increase in aqueous solubility while retaining good hydrophobic character of the overall molecule is the key for maintaining high relaxation activity.