Synthesis and antiproliferative evaluation of 3-phenylquinolinylchalcone derivatives against non-small cell lung cancers and breast cancers

Halogencarbene-free Ciamician-Dennstedt single-atom skeletal editing

Single-atom skeletal editing is an increasingly powerful tool for scaffold hopping-based drug discovery. However, the insertion of a functionalized carbon atom into heteroarenes remains rare, especially when performed in complex chemical settings. Despite more than a century of research, Ciamician-Dennstedt (C-D) rearrangement remains limited to halocarbene precursors. Herein, we report a general methodology for the Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction using α-halogen-free carbenes generated in situ from N-triftosylhydrazones. This one-pot, two-step protocol enables the insertion of various carbenes, including those previously unexplored in C-D skeletal editing chemistry, into indoles/pyrroles scaffolds to access 3-functionalized quinolines/pyridines. Mechanistic studies reveal a pathway involving the intermediacy of a 1,4-dihydroquinoline intermediate, which could undergo oxidative aromatization or defluorinative aromatization to form different carbon-atom insertion products.

PTSA-induced synthesis, in silico and nano study of novel ethylquinolin-thiazolo-triazole in cervical cancer

Aim: p-Toluenesulfonic acid-(PTSA) and grinding-induced novel synthesis of ethylquinolin-thiazolo-triazole derivatives was performed using green chemistry. Materials & methods: Development of a nanoconjugate drug-delivery system of ethylquinolin-thiazolo-triazole was carried out with D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) and the formulation was further characterized by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering and in vitro drug release assay. The effect of 3a nanoparticles was assessed against a cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) through the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and the effect on apoptosis was determined. Results & discussion: The 3a nanoparticles triggered the apoptotic mode of cell death after increasing the intracellular reactive oxygen level by enhancing cellular uptake of micelles. Furthermore, in silico studies revealed higher absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity properties and bioavailability of the enzyme tyrosine protein kinase. Conclusion: The 3a nanoparticles enhanced the therapeutic potential and have higher potential for targeted drug delivery against cervical cancer.

The effect of novel nitrogen-based chalcone analogs on colorectal cancer cells: Insight into the molecular pathways

In colorectal cancer (CRC), aberrations in KRAS are associated with aggressive tumorigenesis and an overall low survival rate because of chemoresistance and adverse effects. Ergo, complementary, and integrative medicines are being considered for CRC treatment. Among which is the use of natural chalcones that are known to exhibit anti-tumor activities in KRAS mutant CRC subtypes treatment regimens. Consequently, we examine the effect of two novel compounds (DK13 and DK14) having chalcones with nitrogen mustard moiety on CRC cell lines (HCT-116 and LoVo) with KRAS mutation. These compounds were synthesized in our lab and previously reported to exhibit potent activity against breast cancer cells. Our data revealed that DK13 and DK14 treatment suppress cell growth, disturb the progression of cell cycle, and trigger apoptosis in CRC cell lines. Besides, treatment with both compounds impedes cell invasion and colony formation in both cell lines as compared to 5-FU; this is accompanied by up and down regulations of E-cadherin and Vimentin, respectively. At the molecular level, both compounds deregulate the expression and phosphorylation of β-catenin, Akt and mTOR, which are the main likely molecular mechanisms underlying these biological occurrences. Our findings present DK13 and DK14 as novel chemotherapies against CRC, through β-catenin/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways.

Quinoline as a Privileged Structure: A Recent Update on Synthesis and Biological Activities

Among heterocyclic compounds, quinoline is one of the best ubiquitous heterocyclic rings for medicinal chemistry purposes. Quinoline appears to be a powerful chemical structure to develop new drug entities. The quinoline derivatives own a wide array of biological activities such as anticancer, antimalarial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-leishmanial, etc. Because of the wide spectrum of bioactivities, the scientific communities are still looking for more efficient synthetic routes to form quinoline derivatives. Therefore, the primary focus of this review is to provide a thorough and inclusive, updated report on quinoline analogs that may pave the way for more efficient drug development.

Synthesis of Novel Heterocyclic Ferrocenyl Chalcones and Their Biological Evaluation

Breast cancer is currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with 287,850 new cases estimated for 2022 as reported by the American Cancer Society. Therefore, finding an effective treatment for this disease is imperative. Chalcones are α,β-unsaturated systems found in nature. These compounds have shown a wide array of biological activities, making them popular synthetic targets. Chalcones consist of two aromatic substituents connected by an enone bridge; this arrangement allows for a large number of derivatives. Given the biological relevance of these compounds, novel ferrocene-heterocycle-containing chalcones were synthesized and characterized based on a hybrid drug design approach. These heterocycles included thiophene, pyrimidine, thiazolyl, and indole groups. Fourteen novel heterocyclic ferrocenyl chalcones were synthesized and characterized. Herein, we also report their cytotoxicity against triple-negative breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 and the noncancer lung cell line MRC-5. System 3 ferrocenyl chalcones displayed superior anticancer properties compared to their system 1 analogues. System 3 chalcones bearing five-membered heterocyclic substituents (thiophene, pyrazole, pyrrole, and pyrimidine) were the most active toward the MDA-MB-231 cancer cell line with IC50 values from 6.59 to 12.51 μM. Cytotoxicity of the evaluated compounds in the 4T1 cell line exhibited IC50 values from 13.23 to 213.7 μM. System 3 pyrazole chalcone had consistent toxicity toward both cell lines (IC50 ∼ 13 μM) as well as promising selectivity relative to the noncancer MRC-5 control. Antioxidant activity was also evaluated, where, contrary to anticancer capabilities, system 1 ferrocenyl chalcones were superior to their system 3 analogues. Antioxidant activity comparable to that of ascorbic acid was observed for thiophene-bearing ferrocenyl chalcone with EC50 = 31 μM.

Synthesis and Anticancer Evaluation of 4-Anilinoquinolinylchalcone Derivatives

A series of 4-anilinoquinolinylchalcone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activities against the growth of human cancer cell lines (Huh-7 and MDA-MB-231) and normal lung cells (MRC-5). The results exhibited low cytotoxicity against human lung cells (MRC-5). Among them, (E)-3-{4-{[4-(benzyloxy)phenyl]amino}quinolin-2-yl}-1-(4-methoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one (4a) was found to have the highest cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells and low cytotoxicity in normal cells. Compound 4a causes ATP depletion and apoptosis of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and triggers reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent caspase 3/7 activation. In conclusion, it is worth studying 4-anilinoquinolinylchalcone derivatives further as new potential anticancer agents for the treatment of human cancers.

Synthesis and Antiproliferative Activity of Novel Dehydroabietic Acid-Chalcone Hybrids

Dehydroabietic Acid (DHA, 1) derivatives are known for their antiproliferative properties, among others. In the context of this work, DHA was initially modified to two key intermediates bearing a C18 methyl ester, a phenol moiety at C12, and an acetyl or formyl group at C13 position. These derivatives allowed us to synthesize a series of DHA-chalcone hybrids, suitable for structure-activity relationship studies (SARS), following their condensation with a variety of aryl-aldehydes and methyl ketones. The antiproliferative evaluation of the synthesized DHA-chalcone hybrids against three breast cancer cell lines (the estrogen-dependent MCF-7 and the estrogen-independent MDA-MB-231 and Hs578T) showed that eight derivatives (33, 35, 37, 38, 39, 41, 43, 44) exhibit low micromolar activity levels (IC50 2.21-11.5 μΜ/MCF-7). For instance, some of them showed better activity compared to the commercial anticancer drug 5-FU against MCF-7 cells (33, 41, 43, 44) and against MDA-MB231 (33 and 41). Hybrid 38 is a promising lead compound for the treatment of MCF-7 breast cancer, exhibiting comparable activity to 5-FU and being 12.9 times less toxic (SI = 22.7). Thus, our findings suggest that DHA-chalcone hybrids are drug candidates worth pursuing for further development in the search for novel breast cancer therapies.

Design and synthesis of novel quinazolinone–chalcone hybrids as potential apoptotic candidates targeting caspase-3 and PARP-1: in vitro, molecular docking, and SAR studies

Novel quinazolinone–chalcone hybrids as potential apoptotic candidates targeting caspase-3 and PARP-1.

Novel Nitrogen-Based Chalcone Analogs Provoke Substantial Apoptosis in HER2-Positive Human Breast Cancer Cells via JNK and ERK1/ERK2 Signaling Pathways

Natural chalcones possess antitumor properties and play a role as inducers of apoptosis, antioxidants and cytotoxic compounds. We recently reported that novel nitrogen chalcone-based compounds, which were generated in our lab, have specific effects on triple-negative breast cancer cells. However, the outcome of these two new compounds on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer remains nascent. Thus, we herein investigated the effects of these compounds (DK-13 and DK-14) on two HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines, SKBR3 and ZR75. Our data revealed that these compounds inhibit cell proliferation, deregulate cell-cycle progression and significantly induce cell apoptosis in both cell lines. Furthermore, the two chalcone compounds cause a significant reduction in the cell invasion ability of SKBR3 and ZR75 cancer cells. In parallel, we found that DK-13 and DK-14 inhibit colony formation of both cell lines in comparison to their matched controls. On the other hand, we noticed that these two compounds can inhibit angiogenesis in the chorioallantoic membrane model. The molecular pathway analysis of chalcone compounds exposed cells revealed that these compounds inhibit the expression of both JNK1/2/3 and ERK1/2, the major plausible molecular pathways behind these events. Our findings implicate that DK-13 and DK-14 possess effective chemotherapeutic outcomes against HER2-positive breast cancer via the ERK1/2 and JNK1/2/3 signaling pathways.

Enhancement of Anticancer Potential of Pterostilbene Derivative by Chalcone Hybridization

Pterostilbene, a natural metabolite of resveratrol, has been indicated as a potent anticancer molecule. Recently, several pterostilbene derivatives have been reported to exhibit better anticancer activities than that of the parent pterostilbene molecule. In the present study, a series of pterostilbene derivatives were designed and synthesized by the hybridization of pterostilbene, chalcone, and cinnamic acid. The cytotoxic effect of these hybrid molecules was determined using two oral cancer cell lines, HSC-3 and OECM-1. (E)-3-(2-((E)-4-Hydroxystyryl)-4,6-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-(2-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (4d), with IC₅₀ of 16.38 and 18.06 μM against OECM-1 and HSC-3, respectively, was selected for further anticancer mechanism studies. Results indicated that compound 4d effectively inhibited cell proliferation and induced G2/M cell cycle arrest via modulating p21, cyclin B1, and cyclin A2. Compound 4d ultimately induced cell apoptosis by reducing the expression of Bcl-2 and surviving. In addition, cleavage of PARP and caspase-3 were enhanced following the treatment of compound 4d with increased dose. To conclude, a number of pterostilbene derivatives were discovered to possess potent anticancer potentials. Among them, compound 4d was the most active, more active than the parent pterostilbene.

A New Chalcone Derivative C49 Reverses Doxorubicin Resistance in MCF-7/DOX Cells by Inhibiting P-Glycoprotein Expression

Objective: C49 is a chalcone derivative. The aim of the current study is to illuminate the efficacy of C49 in reversing multidrug resistance (MDR) in MCF-7/DOX cells and its underlying molecular mechanism. Methods: The cytotoxic effects of C49 on MCF-7/DOX cells were evaluated by MTT assay using different concentration (0-250 μmol/L) of C49. Cell proliferation was evaluated by colony formation assay. Cell death was examined by morphological analysis using Hoechst 33,258 staining. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were utilized to evaluate the intracellular accumulation of doxorubicin (DOX) and cell apoptosis. The differentially expressed genns between MCF-7 and MCF-7/DOX cells were analyzed by GEO database. The expression of PI3K/Akt pathway proteins were assessed by Western blot The activities of C49 combined with DOX was evaluated via xenograft tumor model in female BALB/c nude mice. Results: C49 inhibited the growth of MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 59.82 ± 2.10 μmol/L) and MCF-7/DOX cells (IC50 = 65.69 ± 8.11 μmol/L) with dosage-dependent and enhanced the cellular accumulation of DOX in MCF-7/DOX cells. The combination of C49 and DOX inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. MCF-7/DOX cells regained drug sensibility with the combination treatment through inhibiting the expression of P-gp, p-PI3K and p-Akt proteins. Meanwhile, C49 significantly increased the anticancer efficacy of DOX in vivo. Conclusion: C49 combined with DOX restored DOX sensitivity in MCF-7/DOX cells through inhibiting P-gp protein.

Design and synthesis of novel quinoline/chalcone/1,2,4-triazole hybrids as potent antiproliferative agent targeting EGFR and BRAFV600E kinases

New quinoline / chalcone hybrids containing 1,2,4-triazole moiety have been designed, synthesized and their structures elucidated and confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques. The designed compounds showed moderate to good activity on different NCI 60 cell lines in a single-dose assay with a growth inhibition rate ranging from 50% to 94%. Compounds 7b, 7d, 9b, and 9d were the most active compounds in most cancer cell lines with a growth inhibition percent between 77% and 94%. Newly synthesized hybrids were evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity against a panel of four human cancer cell lines. Compounds 7a, 7b, 9a, 9b, and 9d showed promising antiproliferative activities. These compounds were further tested for their inhibitory potency against EGFR and BRAF^V600E kinases with erlotinib as a reference drug. The molecular docking study of compounds 7a, 7b, 9a, 9b, and 9d revealed nice fitting into the active site of EGFR and BRAF^V600E kinases. Compounds 7b, 9b, and 9d displayed the highest binding affinities and similar binding pattern to those of erlotinib.

Identification of quinoline-chalcones and heterocyclic chalcone-appended quinolines as broad-spectrum pharmacological agents

Quinoline derivatives have been reported to possess enticing pharmacological properties. In particular, quinoline-chalcones are identified as promising scaffolds for drug discovery. For a long, the quinoline analogs have been in clinical use for various medical conditions such as cancer inhibitory activity, antibacterial and antifungal, anti-plasmodial, DNA damage inhibitory activity, etc. The number of causalities recorded because of the above-mentioned clinical states is significantly large. Though drug design and discovery is a continuous process all over the world, issues like drug-resistance, low metabolic stability, and long-range side effects are potential hindrances for the continuous use of present pharmacological drugs. In this review work, we focused on the recent drug discovery based on quinoline-chalcones. The work emphasizes the potency of a wide range of quinoline chalcone analogs towards the inhibition of infections caused by the various pathogenic microbes such as bacteria, fungi, plasmodium. Alongside, the quinoline chalcones possessing DNA cleavage properties and cancer cell growth inhibitory properties are also discussed. More importantly, the strongest pharmacological molecules are identified based on the inhibitory properties, cytotoxic values, and pharmacokinetics of synthesized derivatives. Additionally, a structure-activity relationship is established amongst the evaluated molecules. Supplemented by the mechanism of action in few pharmacological activities, the potent activity is also proved by the favorable binding interactions in molecular simulation studies.

Molecular targets and anticancer activity of quinoline-chalcone hybrids: literature review

α,β-Unsaturated chalcone moieties and quinoline scaffolds play an important role in medicinal chemistry, especially in the identification and development of potential anticancer agents. The multi-target approach or hybridization is considered as a promising strategy in drug design and discovery. Hybridization may improve the affinity and potency while simultaneously decreasing the resistance and/or side effects. The conjugation of quinolines with chalcones has been a promising approach to the identification of potential anticancer agents. Most of these hybrids showed anticancer activities through the inhibition of tubulin polymerization, different kinases, topoisomerases, or by affecting DNA cleavage activity. Accordingly, this class of compounds can be classified based on their molecular modes of action. In this article, the quinolone-chalcone hybrids with potential anticancer activity have been reviewed. This class of compounds might be helpful for the design, discovery and development of new and potential multi-target anticancer agents or drugs.

Chalcone hybrids as potential anticancer agents: Current development, mechanism of action, and structure-activity relationship

The continuous emergency of drug-resistant cancers and the low specificity of anticancer agents have been the major challenges in the control and treatment of cancer, making an urgent need to develop novel anticancer agents with high efficacy. Chalcones, precursors of flavonoids and isoflavonoids, exhibit structural heterogeneity and can act on various drug targets. Chalcones which demonstrated potential in vitro and in vivo activity against both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant cancers, are useful templates for the development of novel anticancer agents. Hybridization of chalcone moiety with other anticancer pharmacophores could provide the hybrids which have the potential to overcome drug resistance and improve the specificity, so it represents a promising strategy to develop novel anticancer agents. This review emphasizes the development, the mechanisms of action as well as structure-activity relationships of chalcone hybrids with potential therapeutic application for many cancers in recent 10 years.

Design, synthesis, and validation of novel nitrogen-based chalcone analogs against triple negative breast cancer

Great strides have been made in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment, which represents 20% of total predicted annual US breast cancer (BC) cases. Despite the development of several therapeutics, TNBC patients have poor overall survival rate, compared to other BC patients, justifying the urgent need to discover new entities for use to control TNBC. Chalcones are important natural products with diverse bioactivities including anticancer effects. This study aimed to design, synthesize and validate novel chalcone leads as potential therapies for TNBC. Fourteen novel chalcone analogs were designed and synthesized comprising alicyclic amines (pyrrolidine, morpholine and piperidine) or nitrogen mustard (Bis-(2-chloroethyl) amine) substituents. Among them, compound 14((E)-3-(4-(Bis(2-chloroethyl) amino) phenyl)-1-(3-methoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one) was identified as the most effective against TNBC and other BC phenotypes, with anti-proliferative IC₅₀ values ranging between 3.94 and 9.22 μM against the TNBC cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468, as well as against the estrogen positive MCF-7 cell line. Chalcone 14 effectively suppressed the colony formation capacity of MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and MCF-7 cell lines at 5 and 10 μM treatment concentrations. Furthermore, compound 14 has significantly inhibited cell invasion and migration of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 BC cell lines. Additionally, compound 14 had significantly promoted apoptosis by upregulating BAX and downregulating Bcl-2 proteins. Compound 14 induced significant cell cycle arrest of TNBC cells at the G2/M phase. It also induced a reversal of Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) by upregulating the epithelial markers E-cadherin and Pan-cadherin and downregulating FAK. Furthermore, it had dramatically diminished new vessel formation (vasculogenesis) in chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model by 60.20 ± 8.47%. Chalcone 14 inhibited 46.41 ± 0.71% of the TNBC MAD-MB-231 cells growth in a nude mouse orthotopic xenograft model in comparison with vehicle control treated animals. Collectively, this study results propose chalcone 14 as a promising lead molecule for the control of TNBC as well as other breast cancer phenotypes.

Discovery of 2-Substituted 3-Arylquinoline Derivatives as Potential Anti-Inflammatory Agents Through Inhibition of LPS-Induced Inflammatory Responses in Macrophages

We describe herein the preparation of certain 2-substituted 3-arylquinoline derivatives and the evaluation of their anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-activated murine J774A.1 macrophage cells. Among these newly synthesized 2-substituted 3-arylquinoline derivatives, 2-(4-methoxy- benzoyl)-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)quinoline (18a) and 2-(4-fluorobenzoyl)-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxy- phenyl)quinoline (18b) are two of the most active compounds which can inhibit the production of NO at non-cytotoxic concentrations. Our results have also indicated that compounds 18a and 18b significantly decrease the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-á and IL-6), inhibit the expression of iNOS, suppress the phosphorylation of MAPKs, and attenuate the activity of NF-êB by LPS-activated macrophages. Through molecular docking analysis, we found that 18b could fit into the middle of the TNF-á dimer and form hydrophobic interactions with Leu55, Leu57 chain A and B, Tyr59, Val123 chain B and D, Ile 155. These results suggest that both 18a and 18b are potential lead compounds in inhibiting LPS-induced inflammatory responses. Further structural optimization to discover novel anti-inflammatory agents is ongoing.

Novel 3-(2,6,9-trisubstituted-9H-purine)-8-chalcone derivatives as potent anti-gastric cancer agents: Design, synthesis and structural optimization

To explore anti-gastric cancer agents with high efficacy and selectivity, we report the design, synthesis and optimization of a novel series of 3-(2,6,9-trisubstituted-9H-purine)-8-chalcone derivatives starting from the compound PCA-15 reported by us previously. Most of the target compounds demonstrated significant antiproliferative effects on MGC803 cancer cell line, and more potent than the positive control (PCA-15 and 5-Fu). Among them, compound 6o was identified to be the most active compound against MGC803 cell line with an IC50 value of 0.84 μM. Additionally, high selectivity was also observed between cancer and normal cells (23.35 μM against GES-1). Further mechanism studies confirmed that compound 6o could inhibit colony formation and migration, induce the apoptosis of MGC803 cells through both the mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic pathway and death receptor-mediated extrinsic pathway, which were evidenced by the up-regulation of Bax, cleaved-caspase 9/3/8, cleaved PARP and down-regulation of Bcl-2. Our systematic studies implied a new scaffold targeting gastric cancer cells for further development of small-molecule compounds with improved potency and selectivity.

New quinoline/chalcone hybrids as anti-cancer agents: Design, synthesis, and evaluations of cytotoxicity and PI3K inhibitory activity

A series of quinoline-chalcone hybrids was designed as potential anti-cancer agents, synthesized and evaluated. Different cytotoxic assays revealed that compounds experienced promising activity. Compounds 9i and 9j were the most potent against all the cell lines tested with IC₅₀ = 1.91-5.29 µM against A549 and K-562 cells. Mechanistically, 9i and 9j induced G₂/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in both A549 and K562 cells. Moreover, all PI3K isoforms were inhibited non selectively with IC₅₀s of 52-473 nM when tested against the two mentioned compounds with 9i being most potent against PI3K-γ (IC₅₀ = 52 nM). Docking of 9i and 9j showed a possible formation of H-bonding with essential valine residues in the active site of PI3K-γ isoform. Meanwhile, Western blotting analysis revealed that 9i and 9j inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt, mTOR, as well as GSK-3β in both A549 and K562 cells, suggesting the correlation of blocking PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway with the above antitumor activities. Together, our findings support the antitumor potential of quinoline-chalcone derivatives for NSCLC and CML by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Synthesis, Structure, Chemical Stability, and In Vitro Cytotoxic Properties of Novel Quinoline-3-Carbaldehyde Hydrazones Bearing a 1,2,4-Triazole or Benzotriazole Moiety

A small library of novel quinoline-3-carbaldehyde hydrazones (Series 1), acylhydrazones (Series 2), and arylsulfonylhydrazones (Series 3) bearing either a 1,2,4-triazole or benzotriazole ring at position 2 was prepared, characterized by elemental analyses and IR, NMR, and MS spectra, and then subjected to in vitro cytotoxicity studies on three human tumor cell lines: DAN-G, LCLC-103H, and SISO. In general, compounds 4, 6, and 8 substituted with a 1,2,4-triazole ring proved to be inactive, whereas the benzotriazole-containing quinolines 5, 7, and 9 elicited pronounced cancer cell growth inhibitory effects with IC50 values in the range of 1.23⁻7.39 µM. The most potent 2-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)-3-[2-(pyridin-2-yl)hydrazonomethyl]quinoline (5e) showed a cytostatic effect on the cancer cell lines, whereas N′-[(2-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)quinolin-3-yl)methylene]-benzohydrazide (7a) and N′-[(2-1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)quinolin-3-yl)methylene]-naphthalene-2-sulfonohydrazide (9h) exhibited selective activity against the pancreas cancer DAN-G and cervical cancer SISO cell lines. Based on the determined IC50 values, the compound 5e seems to be leading compound for further development as anticancer agent.

Recent advances (2015-2016) in anticancer hybrids

In spite of the development of a large number of novel anticancer drugs over the years, Cancer remains as a prominent cause of death, worldwide. Numerous drugs that are currently in clinical practice have developed multidrug resistance along with fatal side effects. Therefore, the utilization of single-target therapy is incapable of providing an effective control on the malignant process. Molecular hybridization, involving a combination of two or more pharmacophores of bioactive scaffolds to generate a single molecular architecture with improved affinity and activity, in comparison to their parent molecules, has emerged as a promising strategy in recent drug discovery research. Hybrid anticancer drugs are of great therapeutic interests since they can potentially overcome most of the pharmacokinetic drawbacks encountered with conventional anticancer drugs. Strategically, the design of anticancer drugs involved the blending or linking of an anticancer drug with another anticancer drug or a carrier molecule which can efficiently target cancer cells with improved biological potential. Major advantages of hybrid anticancer drugs involved increased specificity, better patient compliance, and lower side effects along with reduction in chemo-resistance. The successful utilization of this technique in design and synthesis of novel anticancer hybrids has been well illustrated and documented in the literature. The purpose of the present review article will be to provide an emphasis on the recent developments (2015-16) in anticancer hybrids with insights into their structure-activity relationship (SAR) and mechanism of action.

Synthesis and Antiproliferative Activity of Some Quinoline and Oxadiazole Derivatives

In continuance of our search for newer antiproliferative agents we report herein the synthesis and antiproliferative studies of two series (5a–j and 10a–c) of heterocyclic compounds. All the new compounds were characterized by IR, NMR, and mass spectral data. The antiproliferative activity of 10 compounds (5a–j) was carried out on HeLa (cervix cancer cell line) and MDA-MB-435 (melanoma) and LC50, TGI, and GI50 were calculated, while the antiproliferative activity of 3 compounds (10a–c) was carried out against nine different panels of nearly 60 cell lines (NCI-60) according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI US) Protocol at 10 μM. 1-(7-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoquinolin-1(2H)-yl)-3-(4-methoxylphenyl)urea (5j) was found to have antiproliferative activity with GI50 of 35.1 μM against HeLa (cervix cancer cell line) and 60.4 μM against MDA-MB-435 (melanoma), respectively. The compounds 10a, 10b, and 10c showed antiproliferative activity with comparatively higher selectivity towards HOP-92 (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) with percent growth inhibitions (GIs) of 34.14, 35.29, and 31.59, respectively.

Pd-Catalyzed Ligand-Free Synthesis of Arylated Heteroaromatics by Coupling of N-Heteroaromatic Bromides with Iodobenzene Diacetate, Iodosobenzene, or Diphenyliodonium Salts

An efficient method for synthesizing arylated heteroaromatics has been reported via Pd-catalyzed ligand-free cross-coupling of N-heteroaromatic bromides with iodine(III) reagents under mild conditions. Iodobenzene diacetate, iodosobenzene, and diphenyliodonium salts act as ideal arylated sources in this reaction, producing bioactive aromatic-substituted pyridines and quinolines in moderate to high yields.

Synthesis, Characterization and Anti-Cancer Activity of Hydrazide Derivatives Incorporating a Quinoline Moiety

Identification of the novel (E)-N′-((2-chloro-7-methoxyquinolin-3-yl)methylene)-3-(phenylthio)propanehydrazide scaffold 18 has led to the development of a new series of biologically active hydrazide compounds. The parent compound 18 and new quinoline derivatives 19–26 were prepared from the corresponding quinoline hydrazones and substituted carboxylic acids using EDC-mediated peptide coupling reactions. Further modification of the parent compound 18 was achieved by replacement of the quinoline moiety with other aromatic systems. All the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-cancer activity against the SH-SY5Y and Kelly neuroblastoma cell lines, as well as the MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cell lines. Analogues 19 and 22 significantly reduced the cell viability of neuroblastoma cancer cells with micromolar potency and significant selectivity over normal cells. The quinoline hydrazide 22 also induced G₁ cell cycle arrest, as well as upregulation of the p27^kip1 cell cycle regulating protein.

Chalcone Scaffold in Anticancer Armamentarium: A Molecular Insight

Cancer is an inevitable matter of concern in the medicinal chemistry era. Chalcone is the well exploited scaffold in the anticancer domain. The molecular mechanism of chalcone at cellular level was explored in past decades. This mini review provides the most recent updates on anticancer potential of chalcones.

Discovery of 3-phenylquinolinylchalcone derivatives as potent and selective anticancer agents against breast cancers

A number of 3-phenylquinolinylchalcone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their antiproliferative activities against three breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and SKBR-3), and a non-cancer normal epithelial cell line (H184B5F5/M10). Among them, (E)-3-[3-(4-methoxyphenyl)quinolin-2-yl]-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (7) was active against the growth of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and SKBR-3 with IC50 values of 1.05, 0.75, and 0.78 μM respectively without significant cytotoxicity to the normal H184B5F5/M10 cell line and therefore, was selected as a new lead for further mechanism studies. Results indicated that compound 7 inhibited the polymerization of tubulins, induced G2/M cell cycle arrest via modulation of the cyclin B1, cdk1 and CDC25. Compound 7 ultimately induced cell apoptosis by the increase of apoptotic protein Bax and the decrease of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. In addition, PARP was cleaved while caspase-3 and -8 activities were induced after the treatment of compound 7 for 24 h in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, compound 7 induces cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase via cleavage of PARP, induces caspase-3 and -8 activities and consequently to cause the cell death. Further study on the structure optimization of 7 is ongoing.

Discovery of 2'-hydroxychalcones as autophagy inducer in A549 lung cancer cells

A series of 2'-hydroxychalcone derivatives was synthesized and the effects of all the compounds on growth of A549 lung cancer cell were investigated. The results showed that all compounds had inhibitory effects on the growth of A549 lung cancer cells and compound possessed the highest growth inhibitory effect and induced autophagy of A549 lung cancer cells.

Investigation of quinoline-4-carboxylic acid as a highly potent scaffold for the development of alkaline phosphatase inhibitors: synthesis, SAR analysis and molecular modelling studies

The present study is directed towards the development of quinoline-4-carboxylic acid derivatives as potential alkaline phosphatase inhibitors.

A new series of diarylamides possessing quinoline nucleus: Synthesis, in vitro anticancer activities, and kinase inhibitory effect

Synthesis of a new series of diarylamides possessing 6,7-dimethoxy(dihydroxy)quinoline scaffold is described. Their in vitro antiproliferative activities against NCI-58 human cancer cell lines of nine different cancer types were tested. Compounds 1a and 1d-g showed the highest mean %inhibition values over the 58 cell line panel at 10 μM, and they were further tested in 5-dose testing mode to determine their IC50 values. The five compounds were more potent than Imatinib against all the cell lines of nine different cancer types. Compound 1g showed the highest potencies. It showed inhibitory effect against C-RAF kinase (76.65% at 10 μM concentration).

Synthesis and biological evaluation of hydroxycinnamic acid hydrazide derivatives as inducer of caspase-3

In order to generate compounds with superior antitumor activity and reduced toxicity, twelve new hydroxycinnamic acid hydrazide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against two cancer cell lines (H1299 lung carcinoma cells and MCF-7 breast cancer cells), and compared to two normal counterparts (NL-20 lung epithelial cells and H184B5F5/M10 breast cells) by MTT method. The results demonstrated that some of these compounds possessed good antiproliferative activity against the two cancer cell lines. Among them, compound 2c was active against the growth of H1299 lung carcinoma cells with IC50 values of 1.50 μM, which was more active than the positive topotecan (IC50 = 4.18 μM). Simultaneously, it showed lower cytotoxic effects on normal NL-20 lung epithelial cells (IC50 > 10 μM). Mechanism studies indicated that it induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase followed by activation of caspase-3, and consequently caused the cell death. Further studies on the structure optimization are ongoing.

Recent developments in biological activities of chalcones: a mini review

Chalcones represent key structural motif in the plethora of biologically active molecules including synthetic and natural products. Synthetic manipulations of chalcones or their isolation from natural sources are being investigated worldwide for the development of more potent and efficient drugs for the treatment of several dreadful diseases such as cancer, diabetes, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria etc. Over the past few years, a large volume of research papers and review articles highlighting the significance of chalcone derivatives has been compiled in the literature. The present review article focuses on the recent developments (2010-2014) on various pharmacological and medicinal aspects of chalcones and their analogues.

A review on anticancer potential of bioactive heterocycle quinoline

The advent of Camptothecin added a new dimension in the field anticancer drug development containing quinoline motif. Quinoline scaffold plays an important role in anticancer drug development as their derivatives have shown excellent results through different mechanism of action such as growth inhibitors by cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, disruption of cell migration, and modulation of nuclear receptor responsiveness. The anti-cancer potential of several of these derivatives have been demonstrated on various cancer cell lines. In this review we have compiled and discussed specifically the anticancer potential of quinoline derivatives, which could provide a low-height flying bird's eye view of the quinoline derived compounds to a medicinal chemist for a comprehensive and target oriented information for development of clinically viable anticancer drugs.