Indolo[2,3-e]benzazocines and indolo[2,3-f]benzazonines and their copper(II) complexes as microtubule destabilizing agents

A series of four indolo[2,3-e]benzazocines HL1–HL4 and two indolo[2,3-f]benzazonines HL5–and HL6, as well as their respective copper(II) complexes 1–6 were synthesized and characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, ESI..

Virtual screening, identification and in vitro validation of small molecule GDP-mannose dehydrogenase inhibitors †

Upon undergoing mucoid conversion within the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa synthesises copious quantities of the virulence factor and exopolysaccharide alginate. The enzyme guanosine diphosphate mannose dehydrogenase (GMD) catalyses the rate-limiting step and irreversible formation of the alginate sugar nucleotide building block, guanosine diphosphate mannuronic acid. Since there is no corresponding enzyme in humans, strategies that could prevent its mechanism of action could open a pathway for new and selective inhibitors to disrupt bacterial alginate production. Using virtual screening, a library of 1447 compounds within the Known Drug Space parameters were evaluated against the GMD active site using the Glide, FRED and GOLD algorithms. Compound hit evaluation with recombinant GMD refined the panel of 40 potential hits to 6 compounds which reduced NADH production in a time-dependent manner; of which, an usnic acid derivative demonstrated inhibition six-fold stronger than a previously established sugar nucleotide inhibitor, with an IC50 value of 17 μM. Further analysis by covalent docking and mass spectrometry confirm a single site of GMD alkylation

Indolo[2,3- e ]benzazocines and indolo[2,3- f ]benzazonines and their copper( ii ) complexes as microtubule destabilizing agents †

A series of four indolo[2,3-e]benzazocines HL1–HL4 and two indolo[2,3-f]benzazonines HL5 and HL6, as well as their respective copper(ii) complexes 1–6, were synthesized and characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, ESI mass spectrometry, single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) and combustion analysis (C, H, N). SC-XRD studies of precursors Vd, VIa·0.5MeOH, of ligands HL4 and HL6·DCM, and complexes 2·2DMF, 5·2DMF, 5′·iPrOH·MeOH provided insights into the energetically favored conformations of eight- and nine-membered heterocycles in the four-ring systems. In addition, proton dissociation constants (pKa) of HL1, HL2 and HL5, complexes 1, 2 and 5, overall stability constants (log β) of 1, 2 and 5 in 30% (v/v) DMSO/H2O at 298 K, as well as thermodynamic solubility of HL1–HL6 and 1–6 in aqueous solution at pH 7.4 were determined by UV–vis spectroscopy. All compounds were tested for antiproliferative activity against Colo320, Colo205 and MCF-7 cell lines and showed IC50 values in the low micromolar to sub-micromolar concentration range, while some of them (HL1, HL5 and HL6, 1, 2 and 6) showed remarkable selectivity towards malignant cell lines. Ethidium bromide displacement studies provided evidence that DNA is not the primary target for these drugs. Rather, inhibition of tubulin assembly is likely the underlying mechanism responsible for their antiproliferative activity. Tubulin disassembly experiments showed that HL1 and 1 are effective microtubule destabilizing agents binding to the colchicine site. This was also confirmed by molecular modelling investigations. To the best of our knowledge, complex 1 is the first reported transition metal complex to effectively bind to the tubulin-colchicine pocket

New Water-Soluble Copper(II) Complexes with Morpholine-Thiosemicarbazone Hybrids: Insights into the Anticancer and Antibacterial Mode of Action

Six morpholine-(iso)thiosemicarbazone hybrids HL1-HL6 and their Cu(II) complexes with good-to-moderate solubility and stability in water were synthesized and characterized. Cu(II) complexes [Cu(L1-6)Cl] (1-6) formed weak dimeric associates in the solid state, which did not remain intact in solution as evidenced by ESI-MS. The lead proligands and Cu(II) complexes displayed higher antiproliferative activity in cancer cells than triapine. In addition, complexes 2-5 were found to specifically inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus with MIC50 values at 2-5 μg/mL. Insights into the processes controlling intracellular accumulation and mechanism of action were investigated for 2 and 5, including the role of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) inhibition, endoplasmic reticulum stress induction, and regulation of other cancer signaling pathways. Their ability to moderately inhibit R2 RNR protein in the presence of dithiothreitol is likely related to Fe chelating properties of the proligands liberated upon reduction

Suppressed basal mitophagy drives cellular aging phenotypes that can be reversed by a p62-targeting small molecule.

Selective degradation of damaged mitochondria by autophagy (mitophagy) is proposed to play an important role in cellular homeostasis. However, the molecular mechanisms and the requirement of mitochondrial quality control by mitophagy for cellular physiology are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that primary human cells maintain highly active basal mitophagy initiated by mitochondrial superoxide signaling. Mitophagy was found to be mediated by PINK1/Parkin-dependent pathway involving p62 as a selective autophagy receptor (SAR). Importantly, this pathway was suppressed upon the induction of cellular senescence and in naturally aged cells, leading to a robust shutdown of mitophagy. Inhibition of mitophagy in proliferating cells was sufficient to trigger the senescence program, while reactivation of mitophagy was necessary for the anti-senescence effects of NAD precursors or rapamycin. Furthermore, reactivation of mitophagy by a p62-targeting small molecule rescued markers of cellular aging, which establishes mitochondrial quality control as a promising target for anti-aging interventions. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Breakthroughs in Medicinal Chemistry: New Targets and Mechanisms, New Drugs, New Hopes-7

Breakthroughs in Medicinal Chemistry: New Targets and Mechanisms, New Drugs, New Hopes is a series of editorials which is published on a biannual basis by the Editorial Board of the Medicinal Chemistry section of the journal Molecules. In these editorials, we highlight in brief reports (of about one hundred words) a number of recently published articles that describe crucial findings, such as the discovery of novel drug targets and mechanisms of action or novel classes of drugs, which may inspire future medicinal chemistry endeavors devoted to addressing prime unmet medical needs

Molecular mechanism of base pairing infidelity during DNA duplication upon one-electron oxidation

The guanine radical cation (G•+) is formed by one-electron oxidation from its parent guanine (G). G•+ is rapidly deprotonated in the aqueous phase resulting in the formation of the neutral guanine radical [G(-H)•]. The loss of proton occurs at the N1 nitrogen, which is involved in the classical Watson-Crick base pairing with cytosine (C). Employing the density functional theory (DFT), it has been observed that a new shifted base pairing configuration is formed between G(-H)• and C constituting only two hydrogen bonds after deprotonation occurs. Using the DFT method, G(-H)• was paired with thymine (T), adenine (A) and G revealing substantial binding energies comparable to those of classical G-C and A-T base pairs. Hence, G(-H)• does not display any particular specificity for C compared to the other bases. Taking into account the long lifetime of the G(-H)• radical in the DNA helix (5 s) and the rapid duplication rate of DNA during mitosis/meiosis (5-500 bases per s), G(-H)• can pair promiscuously leading to errors in the duplication process. This scenario constitutes a new mechanism which explains how one-electron oxidation of the DNA double helix can lead to mutations