Synthesis and anticancer activities of some new coumarin derivatives including the triazole ring and their in silico molecular docking studies

In silico and in vitro evaluation of newly synthesized pyrazolo-pyridine fused tetrazolo-pyrimidines derivatives as potential anticancer and antimicrobial agents

Diversely functionalized pyrazolo-pyridine fused tetrazolo-pyrimidines 10aa-am and 10ba-bn were successfully synthesized via a catalyst-free synthetic protocol with moderate to very good yields. The compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and HEK-293 cells using MTT assay. Among the tested compounds, 10ab (IC50- 23.83 µM) and 10ah (IC50- 23.30 µM) demonstrated the highest potency against MCF-7 cells, while 10bc (IC50- 14.46 µM) and 10bh (IC50- 2.53 µM) exhibited excellent cytotoxicity against HEK-293 cells. Additionally, antibacterial screening was performed against three Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and S. enterica) and three Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus, B. megaterium, and B. subtilis) using broth dilution method, while antifungal activity was assessed against three fungal strains (A. niger, Penicillium, and S. cerevisiae) using agar well diffusion method. In antimicrobial screening, the majority of the compounds demonstrated significant antibacterial efficacy compared to antifungal activity. We also conducted comprehensive computational studies, including DFT calculations, molecular docking and dynamics, and drug-likeness assessments. In the DFT study, compounds 10ac and 10bc displayed stable conformations, indicating their potential for higher therapeutic activity. Molecular docking analyses revealed compelling interactions, with compound 10ah demonstrating docking score -7.42 kcal/mol against catalytical domain PARP1 (PDB ID: 7KK4) and 10bh exhibiting a best docking score -10.77 kcal/mol against human corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (PDB ID: 4Z9G). A 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study of compounds 10ah and 10bh revealed the stable conformation and binding energy in a stimulating environment. In drug-likeness assessments, both the compounds 10ah and 10bh adhere all the established guidelines.

The current landscape of coumarin hybrids with antibreast cancer therapeutic applications: An updated review

Globally, breast cancer (BC) has the highest prevalence among malignant diseases. BC is also the primary cause of death among women. Notably, BC morbidity has been increasing continuously at an approximate growth rate of 2.2% per year. Persistent BC is a major public health issue worldwide. Consequently, novel chemotherapeutic agents to combat this lethal disease should be developed urgently. Coumarins with interesting structural and mechanistic variations exhibit promising activity in several forms of BC, including BCs with multidrug resistance. In particular, coumarin hybrids composed of coumarin and one or more anti-BC pharmacophores can target different biological components in BC cells simultaneously. Thus, coumarin hybrids are useful scaffolds that can help improve the anti-BC efficacy of coumarins, reduce side effects, improve pharmacokinetics, minimize drug-drug interactions, and circumvent drug resistance. This review, in which articles published from 2020 to the present day have been evaluated, highlights the landscape of coumarin hybrids that exhibit therapeutic effects against breast cancer. These findings can aid further investigations on novel antibreast-cancer therapeutics.

Development of novel 1,2,4-triazole containing compounds with anticancer and potent anti-CB1 activity

There is still an unmet need for novel and improved anti-cancer compounds. Nitrogen atoms have heterocyclic ring moieties, which have been shown to have powerful anticancer properties in both natural and synthetic derivatives. Due to their dipole character, hydrogen bonding capacity, rigidity and solubility, 1,2,4-triazoles are particularly effective pharmacophores, interacting with biological receptors with high affinity. Thus, novel 1,2,4-triazole-containing molecular derivatives were synthesized using green chemistry methods, microwave irradiation and ultrasonication, and these methods' operational simplicity and maximum greener synthetic efficiency with green chemistry metrics calculations will be attractive for academic and industrial research and tested against three distinct human cancer cell lines including PANC1 (pancreatic cancer), DU145 (prostate cancer), MCF7 (breast cancer) and one fibroblast cell line (HDF). Here, we showed that compounds 5e and 5f were similar to CB1 antagonists in structure, binding affinity and poses. In addition, compounds 5e-g decreased the viability of pancreatic and prostate cancer cells, albeit with cytotoxicity to HDF cells. The IC50 values for PANC1 cells were between 5.9 and 7.3 µM for compounds 5e-g. Cell cycle analysis showed that the effect of compounds 5e-g in cancer cell growth was largely due to cell cycle arrest at S-phase. In sum, novel 1,2,4-triazole-containing compounds with anticancer and potent anti-CB1 activity have been developed.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Benzoxazole-appended piperidine derivatives as novel anticancer candidates against breast cancer

Novel series of benzoxazole-appended piperidine derivatives were planned, synthesized and screened against two breast cancer cell lines. Considerable antiproliferative activity was observed for screened compounds (IC₅₀ = 33.32 ± 0.2 µM to 7.31 ± 0.43 µM and 1.66 ± 0.08 µM to 12.10 ± 0.57 µM) against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines respectively being more potent than doxorubicin (IC₅₀ = 8.20 ± 0.39 µM and 13.34 ± 0.63 µM respectively). Active compounds were submitted for enzyme inhibition assays when 4d and 7h demonstrated potent EGFR inhibition (0.08 ± 0.002 µM and 0.09 ± 0.002 µM respectively) compared to erlotinib (0.11 ± 0.003 µM). However, no one compound displayed effective ARO inhibition activity as tested compounds were less active than letrozole. Apoptosis inducing ability results implied that apoptosis was provoked by significant stimulation of caspase-9 protein levels (4.25-7.04-fold) upon treatment of MCF-7 cells with 4a, 7h, 9, 12e and 12f. Alternatively, MDA-MB-231 cells treated with 4d, 7a, 12b and 12c considerably increased caspase-9 levels (2.32-4.06-fold). Cell cycle arrest and annexin-V/Propidium iodide assays further confirmed apoptosis when tested compounds arrested cell cycle at various phases and demonstrated high annexin V binding affinity. Docking outcomes proved valuable binding affinities for compounds 4d and 7h to EGFR enzyme while compounds 4a and 12e, upon docking into the active site of ARO, failed to interact with heme, suggesting their inabilities to act as AIs. Therefore, these benzoxazoles can act as promising candidates exhibiting EGFR inhibition and apoptosis-promoting properties.

Synthesis of 4-Hydroxycoumarin-Based Triazoles/Oxadiazoles as Novel Anticancer Agents

A series of novel 3-substituted-4-hydroxycoumarins 7 and 8 containing (5-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)thio or (4-amino-5-aryl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio moieties have been synthesized and evaluated as anticancer agents. The in vitro MTT assay of compounds against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), breast cancer (MCF7) cells, and a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line with epithelial morphology (HT29) indicated that the HepG2 cells had more susceptibility to the tested compounds. Indeed, all compounds (with the exception of 7b, 7c, 7g, and 8g) were more potent than the standard drug doxorubicin against HepG2 cells (IC₅₀ values=1.65-3.83 μM). Although, the better result was obtained with the oxadiazole analog 7h against HepG2 (IC₅₀ =1.65 μM), the N-amino-triazole derivatives 8c, 8e, 8f and, 8h with IC₅₀ values of 1.78-6.34 μM showed potent activity against all tested cell lines. The good drug-like properties and in vitro potency and selectivity of 4-hydroxycoumarins 8 make them as good leads for the development of new anticancer agents.

Novel coumarin derivatives containing a triazole moiety: A study on synthesis, cytotoxicity, membrane dysfunction, apoptosis, cell cycle, and antiangiogenic studies

BACKGROUND

Coumarin is a functional compound with a pronounced wide range of biological activities and has recently been shown to have anticancer effects on various human cancer cells. Cisplatin is widely used in treating many cancers, but its effectiveness is limited due to acquired resistance and dose-related side effects.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to reveal the chemosensitizing ability of novel synthesized coumarin-triazole hybrid compounds (3a-f) compared to the cisplatin in A549, MCF-7, and HeLa cancer cells.

METHODS

Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), antioxidant/oxidant status, DNA fragmentation were determined spectrophotometrically using commercial kits. Muse™ Cell Analyzer was used to assess cell cycle progression. Pro/anti-apoptotic gene expressions were determined by Real-Time qPCR. The antiangiogenic activity was determined by VEGF expression and Hen's chorioallantoic membrane model.

RESULTS

Compounds 3c, -d, -e, and -f potentiated the cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity through the increased LDH release and DNA fragmentation, induced G2/M cell cycle arrest, overproduction of oxidative stress, and decrease of cellular antioxidant levels. These compounds combined with cisplatin caused upregulation in the pro-apoptotic Bax, Bıd, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, Fas, and p53 gene expressions while downregulating anti-apoptotic DFFA, NFkB1, and Bcl2 gene expressions. These combinations caused vascular loss and a reduction in VEGF expression.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that a combinational regimen of coumarin compounds with cisplatin could be enhancing the effect of cisplatin in A549 cells. Besides, considering compounds have relatively low toxicity in normal cells, they decrease the dose requirement of cisplatin in cancer treatments.

Preparation and antitumor activity of triphenylphosphine-based mitochondrial targeting polylactic acid nanoparticles loaded with 7-hydroxyl coumarin

Due to the low bioavailability and severe toxic side effects caused by the lack of selectivity of traditional chemotherapy drugs, the targeted delivery of chemotherapy drugs has become the key to tumor treatment. The activity and transmembrane potential of mitochondria in cancer cells were significantly higher than that of normal cells, making them a potential target for chemotherapeutic drug delivery. In this study, triphenylphosphine (TPP) based mitochondria targeting polylactic acid (PLLA) nanoparticles (TPP-PLLA NPs) were synthesized to improve the delivery efficiency of anticancer drugs. The carrier material was characterized by ¹H NMR and FT-IR and 7-hydroxyl coumarin (7-HC) was successfully loaded into TPP-PLLA to form 7-HC/TPP-PLLA NPs. Further studies showed that TPP-PLLA NPs were primarily accumulated in the mitochondrial and 7-HC/TPP-PLLA NPs had higher antitumor activity. Taken together, our results indicated that TPP-PLLA NPs could be a promising mitochondria-targeted drug delivery system for cancer therapy.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new coumarin derivatives as cytotoxic agents

New coumarin derivatives 9a-f, 10a-e, and 11a-f were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). All compounds exhibited good activity in the nanomolar range, using doxorubicin and erlotinib as positive controls. The most active compound 9d with IC₅₀ of 21 nM was tested against the HCT-116, HepG-2, A549, and SGC-7901 cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 0.021, 0.170, 0.028, and 0.11 µM, respectively. Compound 9d was further investigated for its ability to suppress the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Compound 9d decreased the concentration of EGFR by 87%, using erlotinib as a positive control. A docking study revealed similar or higher scores than for erlotinib and similar binding poses providing interactions with the hinge region of the tyrosine kinase (TK). Besides the effect on expression, this in silico investigation predicts the possibility of direct binding between the new coumarin derivatives and the EGFR TK. Moreover, computational calculation for ADME properties for the most active compounds 9d, 9e, 10c, and 11c revealed the expected high gastrointestinal tract absorption, moderate water solubility with no central nervous system toxicity, and druglikeness.