This study evaluated the effects of 2-amino-thiophene derivatives on the promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis and their possible mechanisms of action. Initially, ...we evaluated the antileishmanial activity of ten 2-amino-thiophene derivatives on promastigote and axenic amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis and their cytotoxicity against murine macrophages and human red blood cells. Three promising compounds were selected for studies of the cell death process using flow cytometry analysis and a DNA fragmentation assay. The effects of the compounds were assessed on intramacrophagic amastigotes, and the modulation of cytokine and NO production was investigated. All thiophene derivatives showed antileishmanial activity against promastigotes and axenic amastigotes with less toxicity for murine macrophages and human red blood cells. The best values were obtained for compounds containing a lateral indole ring. Docking studies suggested that these compounds played an important role in inhibiting trypanothione reductase (TryR) activity. The selected compounds SB-200, SB-44, and SB-83 induced apoptosis in promastigotes involving phosphatidylserine externalization and DNA fragmentation in a pattern similar to that observed for the positive control. Additionally, SB-200, SB-44, and SB-83 significantly reduced the infection index of macrophages by the parasites; for compounds SB-200 and SB-83 this reduction was associated with increased TNF-α, IL-12, and NO levels. This study demonstrated the effective and selective action of 2-amino-thiophene derivatives against L. amazonensis, resulting in apoptosis-like cell death and immunomodulation in vitro. The results suggest that they are promising compounds for the development of new leishmanicidal drugs.
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•10 thiophene derivatives showed antileishmanial activity in vitro to Leishmania amazonensis.•All thiophenes exhibited selectivity indexes (SI) greater than reference drugs.•Selected compounds (SB-200, SB-44, and SB-83) induce apoptosis in promastigotes forms.•SB-200, SB-44, and SB-83 reduced the infection index of macrophages by L. amazonensis.•SB-200, and SB-83 stimulated TNF-α, IL-12, and NO production in macrophages infected.
In this study, we report the synthesis of eight novel indole-thiazole and indole-thiazolidinone derivatives, as well as their ability to interact with DNA, analysed through the UV–vis absorption, ...fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), viscosity techniques and molecular docking. The ctDNA interaction analysis demonstrated different spectroscopic effects and the affinity constants (Kb) calculated by the UV–vis absorption method were between 2.08 × 105 and 6.99 × 106 M−1, whereas in the fluorescence suppression constants (Ksv) ranged between 0.38 and 0.77 × 104 M−1 and 0.60–7.59 × 104 M−1 using Ethidium Bromide (EB) and 4′,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) as fluorescent probes, respectively. Most derivatives did not alter significantly the secondary structure of the ctDNA according to the CD results. None of the compounds was able to change the relative viscosity of the ctDNA. These results prove that compounds interact with ctDNA via groove binding, which was confirmed by A-T rich oligonucleotide sequence assay with compound JF-252, suggesting the importance of both the phenyl ring coupled to C-4 thiazole ring and the bromo-unsubstituted indole nucleus.
•Unsubstituted and 5-bromo-indole with thiazole and thiazolidinone were synthetized.•Thiazole and thiazolidinone rings bear a naphthalene and lateral substituents.•DNA interaction was performed by different techniques with the eight derivatives.•Bromo-unsubstituted indole and phenyl linked to C4 thiazole ring favor DNA bond.•The mode of interaction for all derivative was proven to be by DNA groove.
Cellulose acetate (ACT) is one of the most important cellulose derivatives due to its biodegradability and low toxicity, presenting itself as one of the main substitutes for synthetic materials in ...the development of wound dressing films. The incorporation of a N-acylhydrazonic derivative (JR19), with its promising anti-inflammatory activity, may represent an alternative for the treatment of skin wounds. This work aims to develop and to physicochemically and mechanically characterize ACT films containing JR19. The films were prepared using the ‘casting’ method and further characterized by thermoanalytical and spectroscopic techniques. In addition, mechanical tests and morphological analysis were performed. Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses showed that the thermal events attributed to excipients and films were similar, indicating the absence of physical incompatibilities between ACT and JR19. Infrared spectroscopy showed that JR19 was incorporated into ACT films. The characteristic band attributed to C≡N (2279 to 2264 cm−1) was observed in the spectra of JR19, in that of the physical mixture of JR19/ACT, and, to a lesser extent, in the spectra of JR19 incorporated into the ACT film, suggesting some interaction between JR19 and ACT. X-ray diffraction (XRD) evidenced the suppression of the crystallinity of JR19 (diffraction peaks at 8.54°, 12.80°, 14.09°, 16.08°, 18.19°, 22.65°, 23.59°, 24.53°, 25.70°, 28.16° and 30.27°2θ) after incorporation into ACT films. The mechanical tests indicated the adequate integrity of the films and their resistance to bending. The morphological characterization showed JR19 crystals along with a homogeneously distributed porous structure throughout the surface of the films with an average diameter of 21.34 µm and 22.65 µm of the films alone and of those incorporating JR19F, respectively. This study was able to characterize the ACT films incorporating JR19, showing their potential to be further developed as wound healing dressings.
Twelve 2-(quinolin-4-ylmethylene) hydrazinecarbothioamide derivatives were synthetized and their biological properties were investigated, among which, the ability to interact with DNA and BSA through ...UV–Vis absorption, fluorescence, Circular Dichroism, molecular docking and relative viscosity, antiproliferative activity against MCF-7 and T-47D mammary tumor cells and RAW-264.7 macrophages and inhibitory capacity of the enzyme topoisomerase IIα. In the binding study with DNA and BSA, all the compounds displayed affinity for interaction with both biomolecules, especially JF-92 (p-ethyl-substituted), with binding constant of 1.62 × 106 and 1.43 × 105, respectively, and DNA binding mode by intercalation. The IC50 values were obtained between 0.81 and 1.48 μM and topoisomerase inhibition results in 10 μM. Thus, we conclude that the reduction of the acridine to quinoline ring did not disrupt the antitumor action and that substitution patterns are important for biomolecule interaction affinity as they demonstrate the potential of these compounds for anticancer therapy.
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•Twelve new 4-quinoline-thiosemicarbazone derivatives were synthetized.•All compounds interact with albumin and DNA.•JF-92 (p-ethyl-substituted) binding to DNA by intercalation.•Derivatives inhibited cancer breast cell growth and inhibited topoisomerase enzyme.
Thiazacridine and imidazacridine derivatives have shown promising results as tumors suppressors in some cancer cell lines. For a better understanding of the mechanism of action of these compounds, ...binding studies of 5-acridin-9-ylmethylidene-3-amino-2-thioxo-thiazolidin-4-one, 5-acridin-9-ylmethylidene-2-thioxo-thiazolidin-4-one, 5-acridin-9-ylmethylidene-2-thioxo-imidazolidin-4-one and 3-acridin-9-ylmethyl-thiazolidin-2,4-dione with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) by electronic absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy were performed. The binding constants ranged from 1.46 × 10(4) to 6.01 × 10(4) M(-1). UV-Vis, fluorescence and circular dichroism measurements indicated that the compounds interact effectively with ctDNA, both by intercalation or external binding. They demonstrated inhibitory activities to human topoisomerase I, except for 5-acridin-9-ylmethylidene-2-thioxo-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one. These results provide insight into the DNA binding mechanism of imidazacridines and thiazacridines.
A series of coumarin derivatives and isosteres were synthesized from the reaction of triflic intermediates with phenylboronic acids, terminal alkynes, and organozinc compounds through
-catalyzed ...cross-coupling reactions. The in vitro cytotoxic effect of the compounds was evaluated against two non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines (A-549 and H2170) and a normal cell line (NIH-3T3) using cisplatin as a reference drug. Additionally, the effects of the most promising coumarin derivative (
) in reversing the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in IL-1β-stimulated A549 cells and in inhibiting the EMT-associated migratory ability in A549 cells were also evaluated.
had the greatest cytotoxic effect (CC
= 7.1 ± 0.8 and 3.3 ± 0.5 μM, respectively against A549 and H2170 cells) and CC
value of 25.8 µM for NIH-3T3 cells.
inhibited the IL-1β-induced EMT in epithelial cells by inhibiting the F-actin reorganization, attenuating changes in the actin cytoskeleton reorganization, and downregulating vimentin in A549 cells stimulated by IL-1β. Treatment of A549 cells with
at 7 µM for 24 h significantly reduced the migration of IL-1β-stimulated cells, which is a phenomenon confirmed by qualitative assessment of the wound closure. Taken together, our findings suggest that coumarin derivatives, especially compound
, may become a promising candidate for lung cancer therapy, especially in lung cancer promoted by NSCLC cell lines.
Fifty 2-(arylidene)amino-4,5-cycloalkylbthiophene-3-carbonitrile derivatives were screened for their in vitro antifungal activities against Candida krusei and Cryptococcus neoformans. Based on ...experimentally determined minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, we conducted computer-aided drug design studies molecular modelling, chemometric tools (CPCA, PCA, PLS) and QSAR-3D that enable the prediction of three-dimensional structural characteristics that influence the antifungal activities of these derivatives. These predictions provide direction with regard to the syntheses of new derivatives with improved biological activities, which can be used as therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of fungal infections.
In this study, we synthesized eight new compounds containing the 2‐amino‐cycloalkylbthiophene and acridine moieties (ACT01 and ACS01‐ACS07). None tested compounds presented human erythrocyte ...cytotoxicity. The new compounds presented antipromastigote activity, where ACS01 and ACS02 derivatives presented significant antileishmanial activity, with better performance than the reference drugs (tri and pentavalent antimonials), with respective IC50 values of 9.60 ± 3.19 and 10.95 ± 3.96 μm. Additionally, these two derivatives were effective against antimony‐resistant Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis strains. In addition, binding and fragmentation DNA assays were performed. It was observed that the antileishmanial activity of ACS01 is not associated with DNA fragmentation of the promastigote forms. However, it interacted with DNA with a binding constant of 104 m−1. In partial least‐squares studies, it was observed that the most active compounds (ACS01 and ACS02) showed lower values of amphiphilic moment descriptor, but there was a correlation between the lipophilicity of the molecules and antileishmanial activity. Furthermore, the docking molecular studies showed interactions between thiophene–acridine derivatives and the active site of pyruvate kinase enzyme with the major contribution of asparagine 152 residue for the interaction with thiophene moiety. Thus, the results suggested that the new thiophene–acridine derivatives are promising molecules as potential drug candidates.
The new compounds presented antileishmanial activity, with better performance than the reference drugs (ACS01 and ACS02), without to present human erythrocyte cytotoxicity. The best compound ACS01 interacted with DNA. However, the antileishmanial activity of ACS01 is not associated with DNA fragmentation of the promastigote forms. Theoretical studies showed lower values of amphiphilic moment descriptor, but there was a correlation between the lipophilicity of the molecules and antileishmanial activity. In addition, the docking molecular studies showed interactions between thiophene–acridine derivatives and the active site of pyruvate kinase enzyme.
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The objective of this work was to obtain and evaluate anti-inflammatory in vitro, in vivo and in silico potential of novel indole-N-acylhydrazone derivatives. In total, 10 new ...compounds (3a–j) were synthesized in satisfactory yields, through a condensation reaction in a single synthesis step. In the lymphoproliferation assay, using mice splenocytes, 3a and 3b showed inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation of 62.7% (±3.5) and 50.7% (±2), respectively, while dexamethasone presented an inhibition of 74.6% (±2.4). Moreover, compound 3b induced higher Th2 cytokines production in mice splenocytes cultures. The results for COX inhibition assays showed that compound 3b is a selective COX-2 inhibitor, but with less potency when compared to celecoxib, and compound 3a not presented selectivity towards COX-2. The molecular docking results suggest compounds 3a and 3b interact with the active site of COX-2 in similar conformations, but not with the active site of COX-1, and this may be the main reason to the COX-2 selectivity of compound 3b. In vivo carrageenan-induced paw edema assays were adopted for the confirmation of the anti-inflammatory activity. Compound 3b showed better results in suppressing edema at all tested concentrations and was able to induce an edema inhibition of 100% after 5 h of carrageenan injection at the 30 mg kg−1 dosage, corroborating with the COX inhibition and lymphoproliferation results. I addition to our experimental results, in silico analysis suggest that compounds 3a and 3b present a well-balanced profile between pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Thus, our preliminary results revealed the potentiality of a new COX-2 selective derivative in the modulation of the inflammatory process.
Here, we evaluate spiroacridines as inhibitors of tyrosinase, a key enzyme to melanogenesis. For this purpose, the spiroacridines 3-(acridin-9-yl)-N-benzylidene-2-cyanoacrylohydrazide (AMTAC-01) and ...3-(acridin-9-yl)-2-cyano-N-(4-metoxybenzylidene)-acrylohydrazide (AMTAC-02) were synthesized and their enzymatic inhibition types and mechanisms were investigated. In addition, the interaction of these compounds with the enzyme were studied by UV–Vis spectroscopy, spectrofluorimetry, 1H NMR titration as well as molecular docking. Spectroscopic results reveals that the acridine derivatives interact strongly (Ka ≅ 104 − 105 M−1) with the mushroom tyrosinase and the enzyme undergoes small structural modifications due to the interaction with AMTAC-01 compound. The interaction studies support the enzymatic inhibition results, which suggests that AMTAC-01 compounds inhibit the enzyme reversibly and follows a noncompetitive type (AMTAC-01) and mixed type (AMTAC-02) of inhibition. Nevertheless, AMTAC-02 (IC50 = 96.29 μM) inhibits the enzyme more effectively than AMTAC-01 (IC50 = 189.40 μM), which suggests a highly relevant role of AMTAC-02's methoxy group to the inhibition activity, which is confirmed by docking studies to mushroom tyrosinase. Docking also indicates this interaction to be absent in human tyrosinase.
Based on previous results which evidenced the relevant activity of two spiroacridinic compounds for cell growth inhibition against melanoma cells, here we improve our understanding about the spiroacridines in the biological media by exploring the molecular mechanism that govern the activities of these two compounds using mushroom tyrosinase (mTYR) enzyme as molecular target. The paper not only will have a major impact upon molecular mechanism that regulates melanin inhibition by spiroacridinic compounds, but also by guiding the search for enzyme inhibitors and the development of new anti-melanoma prophylaxis.