Synthesis, antibacterial and antioxidant activity of novel 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives of dehydroabietylamine diterpene

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach and in vitro assays revealed promising role of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives against colorectal cancer cell lines

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most frequent form of gastrointestinal cancer and one of the major causes of human mortality worldwide. Many of the current CRC therapies have limitations due to multidrug resistance and/or severe side effects. Quinazoline derivatives are promising lead compounds with a wide range of pharmacological actions. In this study, the effect of seven synthesized 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one analogues as potential anticancer agents against two CRC cell lines (HCT116 and SW480) was investigated using cell viability proliferation, migration, adhesion and invasion assays. A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) metabolomics approach was used to identify the underlying biochemical pathways disturbed in treated-HCT116 cells. Cell viability proliferation assay revealed that four compounds (C2, C3, C5, and C7) had IC₅₀ < 10 µM with C5 displaying the most potent cytotoxic effect (IC₅₀ 1.4 and 0.3 µM against HCT116 and SW480, respectively). Additionally, the compounds showed suppression of wound closure after 72 h, and both C2 and C5 significantly decreased the number of adherent cells and suppressed HCT116 cells invasion. Metabolomics study revealed that C5 induced significant perturbations in the level of several metabolites including spermine, polyamines, glutamine, creatine and carnitine, and altered biochemical processes essential for cell proliferation and progression such as amino acids biosynthesis and metabolism, redox homeostasis, energy related processes (e.g., fatty acid oxidation, second Warburg like effect) and one-carbon metabolism. Our findings indicate that 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one analogues, particularly C5, have promising anticancer properties, and shed light on the role of metabolomics in identifying new therapeutic targets and providing better understanding of the pathways altered in treated cancer cells.

Antitubercular, Cytotoxicity, and Computational Target Validation of Dihydroquinazolinone Derivatives

A series of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives (3a–3m) was screened for in vitro whole-cell antitubercular activity against the tubercular strain H37Rv and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains. Compounds 3l and 3m with di-substituted aryl moiety (halogens) attached to the 2-position of the scaffold showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2 µg/mL against the MTB strain H37Rv. Compound 3k with an imidazole ring at the 2-position of the dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one also showed significant inhibitory action against both the susceptible strain H37Rv and MDR strains with MIC values of 4 and 16 µg/mL, respectively. The computational results revealed the mycobacterial pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent aminotransferase (BioA) enzyme as the potential target for the tested compounds. In vitro, ADMET calculations and cytotoxicity studies against the normal human dermal fibroblast cells indicated the safety and tolerability of the test compounds 3k–3m. Thus, compounds 3k–3m warrant further optimization to develop novel BioA inhibitors for the treatment of drug-sensitive H37Rv and drug-resistant MTB.

Isolation and characterization of plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria Bacillus stratosphericus LW-03 from Lilium wardii

In the present study, a new strain of Bacillus stratosphericus LW-03 was isolated from the bulbs of Lilium wardii. The isolated endophytic strain LW-03 exhibited excellent antifungal activity against common plant pathogens, such as Fusarium oxysporum, Botryosphaeria dothidea, Botrytis cinerea, and Fusarium fujikuroi. The growth inhibition percentage of Botryosphaeria dothidea was 74.56 ± 2.35%, which was the highest, followed by Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium fujikuroi, and Fusarium oxysporum were 71.91 ± 2.87%, 69.54 ± 2.73%, and 65.13 ± 1.91%, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction revealed a number of bioactive compounds and several of which were putatively identified as antimicrobial agents, such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenylquinoline N-oxide, sphingosine ceramides like cer(d18:0/16:0(2OH)), cer(d18:0/16:0), and cer(d18:1/0:0), di-peptides, tri-peptide, cyclopeptides [cyclo(D-Trp-L-Pro)], [cyclo (Pro-Phe)], dehydroabietylamine, oxazepam, 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine like compound (PC(0:0/20:4), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE(18:1/0:0)), 3-Hydroxyoctadecanoic acid, 7.alpha.,27-Dihydroxycholesterol, N-Acetyl-d-mannosamine, p-Hydroxyphenyllactic acid, Phytomonic acid, and 2-undecenyl-quinoloin-4 (1H). The LW-03 strain exhibits multiple plant growth-promoting traits, including the production of organic acids, ACC deaminase, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, and nitrogen fixation activity. The beneficial effects of the endophytic strain LW-03 on the growth of two lily varieties were further evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Our results revealed plant growth-promoting activity in inoculated plants relative to non-inoculated control plants. The broad-spectrum antifungal activity and multiple plant growth-promoting properties of Bacillus stratosphericus LW-03 make it an important player in the development of biological fertilizers and sustainable agricultural biological control strategies.

Larvicidal Activities of 2-Aryl-2,3-Dihydroquinazolin -4-ones against Malaria Vector Anopheles arabiensis, In Silico ADMET Prediction and Molecular Target Investigation

Malaria, affecting all continents, remains one of the life-threatening diseases introduced by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Although insecticides are currently used to reduce malaria transmission, their safety concern for living systems, as well as the environment, is a growing problem. Therefore, the discovery of novel, less toxic, and environmentally safe molecules to effectively combat the control of these vectors is in high demand. In order to identify new potential larvicidal agents, a series of 2-aryl-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-4-one derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their larvicidal activity against Anopheles arabiensis. The in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties of the compounds were also investigated and most of the derivatives possessed a favorable ADMET profile. Computational modeling studies of the title compounds demonstrated a favorable binding interaction against the acetylcholinesterase enzyme molecular target. Thus, 2-aryl-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-4-ones were identified as a novel class of Anopheles arabiensis insecticides which can be used as lead molecules for the further development of more potent and safer larvicidal agents for treating malaria.

Antioxidant, anticancer and electrochemical redox properties of new bis(2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one) derivatives

In this paper, a series of bis(2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one) derivatives (4a-i, 10a-k) were synthesized by the one-pot pseudo-five-component reaction of isatoic anhydride with aromatic aldehydes and aromatic amines under reflux in glacial acetic acid. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antioxidant properties using the DPPH radical scavenging method. Compounds 4i and 10h showed potent radical scavenging activities at 20 [Formula: see text] compared to BHA and ascorbic acid. The anticancer activity of compound 4f was evaluated against human breast cancer cell line (MCF 7), and the observed [Formula: see text] was found to be 11.4 [Formula: see text]. The redox behaviour of some analogues was evaluated by cyclic voltammetric methods, and it is found that compound 7d possesses the maximum redox potential.

A Highly Efficient Method for the Synthesis of Novel 1′H-spiro[indene-2,2′-quinazoline]-1,3,4′(3′H)-trione Derivatives

A Series of Novel Ninhydrin-derived Spiro-quinazolinone Derivatives in Moderate to Good Yields Have Been Synthesised Through a Ferric Chloride Catalysed Reaction in 1,2-dichloroethane.