26 research outputs found
Metal coordinating inhibitors of Rift Valley fever virus replication
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a veterinary and human pathogen and is an agent of bioterrorism concern. Currently, RVFV treatment is limited to supportive care, so new drugs to control RVFV infection are urgently needed. RVFV is a member of the order Bunyavirales, whose replication depends on the enzymatic activity of the viral L protein. Screening for RVFV inhibitors among compounds with divalent cation-coordinating motifs similar to known viral nuclease inhibitors identified 47 novel RVFV inhibitors with selective indexes from 1.1-103 and 50% effective concentrations of 1.2-56 μM in Vero cells, primarily α-Hydroxytropolones and N-Hydroxypyridinediones. Inhibitor activity and selective index was validated in the human cell line A549. To evaluate specificity, select compounds were tested against a second Bunyavirus, La Crosse Virus (LACV), and the flavivirus Zika (ZIKV). These data indicate that the α-Hydroxytropolone and N-Hydroxypyridinedione chemotypes should be investigated in the future to determine their mechanism(s) of action allowing further development as therapeutics for RVFV and LACV, and these chemotypes should be evaluated for activity against related pathogens, including Hantaan virus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus
Design, synthesis, and antitumor activity of novel dispiro[oxindole-cyclohexanone]-pyrrolidines
Synthesis and evaluation of troponoids as a new class of antibiotics
Novel antibiotics
are urgently needed. The troponoids [tropones,
tropolones, and α-hydroxytropolones (α-HT)] can have anti-bacterial
activity. We synthesized or purchased 92 troponoids and evaluated
their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus
aureus, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Preliminary hits were assessed
for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC80) and cytotoxicity
(CC50) against human hepatoma cells. Sixteen troponoids
inhibited S. aureus/E. coli/A. baumannii growth by ≥80% growth at 50 values >50 μM. Two selected tropolones (63 and 285) inhibited 18 methicillin-resistant S.
aureus (MRSA) strains with similar MIC80 values as against a reference strain. Two selected thiotropolones
(284 and 363) inhibited multidrug-resistant
(MDR) E. coli with MIC80 ≤30 μM. One α-HT (261) inhibited
MDR-A. baumannii with MIC80 ≤30 μM. This study opens new avenues for development
of novel troponoid antibiotics to address the critical need to combat
MDR bacterial infections
Ligand-based design, synthesis, computational insights, and in vitro studies of novel N-(5-Nitrothiazol-2-yl)-carboxamido derivatives as potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease
The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic provokes scientists to make a prompt development of new effective therapeutic interventions for the battle against SARS-CoV-2. A new series o
Identification of 4-Isopropyl–Thiotropolone as a Novel Anti-Microbial: Regioselective Synthesis, NMR Characterization, and Biological Evaluation
We have synthesized and separated tosylated thujaplicin isomers for the first time, and elucidated their structures using 1D, 2D-NMR techniques and X-ray crystallography. The tosylated isomers were used to synthesize 4-isopropyl–thiotropolone and 6-isopropyl–thiotropolone in a regioselective manner. 1H and 13C Chemical shifts of synthesized isomers were fully assigned using several NMR experiments, and their isotropic magnetic shielding was calculated using the GIAO (Gauge Including Atomic Orbitals) method and the B3LYP def2-TZVPP level of theory. The calculated chemical shift values were in a good agreement with the experimental results. The biological activity of all synthesized compounds was evaluated against the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans and four different bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), E. coli (ATCC 35218), Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853)). 4-Isopropyl–thiotropolone was found to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus in a low micro molar range and exhibit good therapeutic index and ADME properties. This compound can be used for future lead optimization to design inhibitors against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213)
The use of clomiphene citrates for ovulation induction in women with functional ovarian cysts
Objective: To evaluate the effect of clomiphene citrates (CC) on inducing ovulation and on cyst persistence and size in women with functional ovarian cysts.
Study design: Randomized controlled trial.
Setting: University Maternity Hospital.
Subjects: 60 women in 2 equal groups.
Methods: Clomiphene citrates treatment, follicle scanning, hormonal assay.
Main outcome measures: Ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, cyst persistence, changes in cyst size.
Results: CC increased both ovulation and pregnancy rates in women with functional ovarian cysts (56.7% versus 13.3%, p < 0.000 for ovulation and 23.0% versus 6.7%, p < 0.000 for pregnancy). CC also increased cyst persistence rate especially in cases achieving pregnancy (30% versus 6.7%, p < 0.000) but did not increase the size of the cyst, or cause complications in it.
Conclusion: Clomiphene citrates significantly increased ovulation, pregnancy and cyst persistence rates in women with functional ovarian cysts
Green and catalyst-free synthesis of olsalazine analogs
<p>A greener protocol for the synthesis of olsalazine analogs is reported. Olsalazine analogs are prepared in high yields by a one-pot reaction of two molecules of mesalazine with benzotriazole-activated aspartic acid and glutamic acid in water under microwave irradiation.</p> <p>A greener protocol for the synthesis of olsalazine analogs is reported. Olsalazine analogs are prepared in high yields by a one-pot reaction of two molecules of mesalazine and aspartic/glutamic benzotriazoles in water under microwave irradiation.</p
Development of certain benzylidene coumarin derivatives as anti-prostate cancer agents targeting EGFR and PI3Kβ kinases
AbstractNovel coumarin derivatives were synthesised and tested for their cytotoxicity against human cancer cells (PC-3 and MDA-MB-231). Compounds 5, 4b, and 4a possessed potent cytotoxic activity against PC-3 cells with IC50 3.56, 8.99, and 10.22 µM, respectively. Compound 4c displayed cytotoxicity more than erlotinib in the MDA-MB-231 cells with IC50 8.5 µM. Moreover, compound 5 exhibited potent inhibitory activity on EFGR with IC50 0.1812 µM, as well as PI3Kβ inhibitory activity that was twofold higher than LY294002, suggesting that this compound has a dual EGFR and PI3Kβ inhibiting activity. Docking aligns with the in vitro results and sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying dual targeting. Furthermore, compound 5 decreased AKT and m-TOR expression in PC-3 cells, showing that it specifically targets these cells via the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/m-TOR signalling pathway. Simultaneously, compound 5 caused cell cycle arrest at S phase and induced activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways
Design and statistical optimisation of emulsomal nanoparticles for improved anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of N-(5-nitrothiazol-2-yl)-carboxamido candidates: in vitro and in silico studies
AbstractIn this article, emulsomes (EMLs) were fabricated to encapsulate the N-(5-nitrothiazol-2-yl)-carboxamido derivatives (3a–3g) in an attempt to improve their biological availability and antiviral activity. Next, both cytotoxicity and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities of the examined compounds loaded EMLs (F3a–g) were assessed in Vero E6 cells via MTT assay to calculate the CC50 and inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) values. The most potent 3e-loaded EMLs (F3e) elicited a selectivity index of 18 with an IC50 value of 0.73 μg/mL. Moreover, F3e was selected for further elucidation of a possible mode of action where the results showed that it exhibited a combination of virucidal (>90%), viral adsorption (>80%), and viral replication (>60%) inhibition. Besides, molecular docking and MD simulations towards the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro were performed. Finally, a structure–activity relationship (SAR) study focussed on studying the influence of altering the size, type, and flexibility of the α-substituent to the carboxamide in addition to compound contraction on SARS-CoV-2 activity.HighlightsEmulsomes (EMLs) were fabricated to encapsulate the N-(5-nitrothiazol-2-yl)-carboxamido derivatives (3a–3g).The most potent 3e-loaded EMLs (F3e) showed an IC50 value of 0.73 μg/mL against SARS-CoV-2.F3e exhibited a combination of virucidal (>90%), viral adsorption (>80%), and viral replication (>60%) inhibition.Molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and MM-GBSA calculations were performed.Structure–activity relationship (SAR) study was discussed to study the influence of altering the size, type, and flexibility of the α-substituent to the carboxamide on the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity
An Efficient Greener Approach for N-acylation of Amines in Water Using Benzotriazole Chemistry
A straightforward, mild and cost-efficient synthesis of various arylamides in water was accomplished using versatile benzotriazole chemistry. Acylation of various amines was achieved in water at room temperature as well as under microwave irradiation. The developed protocol unfolds the synthesis of amino acid aryl amides, drug conjugates and benzimidazoles. The environmentally friendly synthesis, short reaction time, simple workup, high yields, mild conditions and free of racemization are the key advantages of this protocol