Recent advances bioactive 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones

Design and synthesis of thiosemicarbazides and 1,2,4-triazoles derived from ibuprofen as potential MetAP (type II) inhibitors

In the present study, a range of novel thiosemicarbazides 4a-i and 1,2,4-triazoles 5a-i derived from ibuprofen, were synthesized. Structural elucidation of these synthesized compounds was performed utilizing a variety of spectroscopic methods, including FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HR-MS. The synthesized compounds were tested for cytotoxicity in five different cancer cell lines (cervical cancer (HeLa), human breast cancer (MCF-7), human gastric adenocarcinoma (MKN-45), human metastatic prostate cancer (PC3) and human glioblastoma (U87)). The compounds were compared with healthy cells (NIH-3T3) and the most effective compounds were determined by means of the selectivity index. Thiosemicarbazides derived form ibuprofen 4i and 4d showed anticancer activity, while 1,2,4-triazoles derived form ibuprofen 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5h, 5g showed anticancer activity in HeLa, MCF-7, MKN-45, PC3 and U87 cells. To test the stability of the protein-drug complexes all 18 compounds 4a-i and 5a-i were docked into the active site of the MetAP2 enzyme In general, computational inhibition constants values were correlated with the experimental values. The dynamic behavior of MetAP2-inhibitor complexes was analyzed using all atoms Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations for 200 ns duration. MD revealed that the drugs bind in the active center of MetAP2 with stable RMSD and RMSF. In conclusion, in-silico results and in-vitro studies suggests that thiosemicarbazides and 1,2,4-triazoles derived from ibuprofen may be novel anticancer drug candidates for treating cervical, breast, prostate, gastric and glioblastoma. Compounds provided induction of apoptotic proteins in the cell by inhibiting MetAP2 enzyme. Furthermore, the potential antioxidant activities of the compounds were evaluated using the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity assay. Among the compounds tested, 4a, 4b, 4e, 4f, 4h, and 4i exhibited values closely resembling the DPPH activity of the standards.

Comprehensive metabolite profiling and evaluation of anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory potencies of Nypa fruticans (Wurmb.) leaves: Experimental and in-silico approaches

Globally, inflammation and pain are among the most prevalent health issues. The use of medicinal plants to alleviate these conditions is growing. This study comprehensively investigated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of the ethyl-acetate extract of Nypa fruticans (EENF) leaves, traditionally used in folk Medicine. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) were employed to identify the phytochemicals in EENF. In vitro antioxidant studies were conducted to determine the antioxidative properties of EENF. Formalin-induced paw edema assay was employed to assess the in-vivo anti-inflammatory activity whereas; acetic acid-induced writhing test, hot plate test, and tail immersion test were performed to evaluate the in vivo anti-nociceptive effects. The identified compounds were subsequently evaluated by computational studies against the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme. EENF demonstrated significant antioxidant activity in both the DPPH scavenging assay (IC50: 105.18 μg/mL) and the reducing power assay (RC50:1752.76 μg/mL). In the in-vivo anti-inflammatory assay, EENF exhibited the highest (50.39 % and 67.72 %) inhibition of edema at the fourth hour at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, accordingly. Moreover, all the pain modulation studies demonstrated significant (p < 0.001) analgesic properties of EENF in a dose-dependent manner. Among, the 23 identified phytocompounds, the most promising ones were determined to be potential anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory agents through molecular docking studies and ADME/T analysis. Molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) confirmed the stability of the protein-ligand complexes. Two phytochemicals, (-) Epicatechin (CID 72276) and Quercetin (CID 5280343), outperformed the standard anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac sodium, in MDS studies. Both experimental and in-silico studies have scientifically verified the traditional use of Nypa fruticans in treating pain and inflammatory disease. Overall, (-) Epicatechin and Quercetin possess excellent potential as natural lead compounds for COX-2 inhibition. Further research, including pure compound isolation and biomolecular studies, is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of these activities.

Molecular Mechanism of Unexpected Metal-Independent Hydroxyl Radical Production by Mercaptotriazole and H2O2

It is well known that hydroxyl radical (·OH) can be largely produced either through the classic iron-mediated inorganic-Fenton system or our recently discovered haloquinones/H2O2 organic-Fenton-like system, but rarely produced via thiol compounds. Here, unexpectedly, we found that ·OH can be unequivocally generated by incubation of H2O2 and mercaptotriazole (MTZ), a typical heterocyclic thiol which has been used as an environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor for mild steel. By the complementary applications of HPLC-MS and oxygen-18 isotope-labeling method, MTZ-derived sulfenic (MTZ-SOH) and sulfinic acids were detected and identified as transient intermediates, and sulfonic acid as final products. More interestingly, among all the products, MTZ-SOH was found to be the critical one directly responsible for the ·OH formation. Not only MTZ, but also its derivatives can activate H2O2 to produce ·OH. Taken together, we found an unexpected sulfenic acid-dependent ·OH production from activation of H2O2 by heterocyclic thiol compounds, which may provide a new free radical perspective to further explore the environmental and biological behaviors of these widely used thiol compounds.

Synthesis, crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis, and DFT calculation of 4-(5-(((1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)thio)-4-phenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)pyridine

Triazole is considered as a privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry by virtue of it is diverse biological activity. several drugs currently in the market possess triazole moiety. In this study click chemistry was performed on the pyridine based 1,2,4-triazole-tethered propargyl moiety to afford 4-(5-(((1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)thio)-4-phenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)pyridine. The new compound was fully characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HRMS and X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD data indicated that, the structure shows: triclinic, space group P -1, a = 6.4427(3) A, ° b = 11.4352(4) A, ° c = 15.4510(5) A, ° α = 97.980(2)°, β = 96.043(2)°, γ = 92.772(2)°, V = 1118.75(7) Å 3, Z = 2, T = 152(2) K, μ(MoKα) = 0.094 mm-1, Dcalc = 1.364 g/cm3. Density functional theory (DFT) method along with Hirshfeld analysis of the optimized X-ray structure of the final product were used to confirm the molecular and the electronic structure of the reported compound.

Novel Antimicrobial and Antitumor Agents Bearing Pyridine-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione-hydrazone Scaffold: Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Molecular Docking Investigation

A series of target 4-substituted-5-(2-(pyridine-2-ylamino)ethyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones and their chloro analogs 7-21 were synthesized in a reaction of the selected aldehydes with the corresponding 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones 5 and 6, which were obtained from 3-(pyridin-2-ylamino)propanoic acid (3) or 3-((5-chloropyridin-2-yl)amino)propanoic acid (4), respectively, with thioacetohydrazide. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the synthesized hydrazones were screened against the bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Mycobacterium luteum and the fungi Candida tenuis and Aspergillus niger by agar diffusion and serial dilution methods. 4-Amino-5-(2-((5-chloropyridin-2-yl)amino)ethyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione (6) and 4-(benzylideneamino)-5-(2-(pyridin-2-ylamino)ethyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione (7) were identified as exceptionally active (MIC 0.9 µg/mL) against the fungus C. tenuis. 5-Chloropyridine derivatives bearing 4-benzylidene 8, 2-nitrobenzylidene 10, pyridinylmethylene 16, and 4-methylthiobenzylidene 21 moieties showed very high antibacterial activity (MIC 3.9 µg/mL) against the M. luteum strain. The cell viability screening of the synthesized compounds using triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and glioblastoma U-87 cell lines by MTT assay identified three active hydrazones, of which 5-(2-(pyridin-2-ylamino)ethyl)-4-((pyridin-3-ylmethylene)amino)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione (15) had the highest effect on the viability of cells (IC50 value 39.2 ± 1.7 μM against MDA-MD-231). The in silico molecular modeling results suggested that these three most active hydrazones might have influenced the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway through the inhibition of BRAF and MEK serine-threonine protein kinases. 5-(2-((5-Chloropyridin-2-yl)amino)ethyl)-4-((4-(methylthio)benzylidene)amino)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione (21) demonstrated the highest affinity among them.

Discovery of 1,2,4-Triazole-3-thione Derivatives as Potent and Selective DCN1 Inhibitors for Pathological Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling

DCN1, a critical co-E3 ligase during the neddylation process, is overactivated in many diseases, such as cancers, heart failure as well as fibrotic diseases, and has been regarded as a new target for drug development. Herein, we designed and synthesized a new class of 1,2,4-triazole-3-thione-based DCN1 inhibitors based the hit HD1 identified from high-throughput screening and optimized through numerous structure-activity-relationship (SAR) explorations. HD2 (IC50= 2.96 nM) was finally identified and represented a highly potent and selective DCN1 inhibitor with favorable PK properties and low toxicity. Amazingly, HD2 effectively relieved Ang II/TGFβ-induced cardiac fibroblast activation in vitro, and reduced ISO-induced cardiac fibrosis as well as remodeling in vivo, which was linked to the inhibition of cullin 3 neddylation and its substrate Nrf2 accumulation. Our findings unveil a novel 1,2,4-triazole-3-thione-based derivative HD2, which can be recognized as a promising lead compound targeting DCN1 for cardiac fibrosis and remodeling.

Novel 3,5‐Dimethylpyrazole‐Linked 1,2,4‐Triazole‐3‐thiols as Potent Antihyperglycemic Agents: Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and In Silico Molecular Modelling Investigations

In this work, a series of pyrazole‐linked 1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐thiol derivatives (3a–i) were prepared and identified by 13C NMR, 1H NMR, and mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) data. The newly synthesized molecules were also evaluated in vitro for their α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase inhibitory potential. All newly synthesized compounds exhibited potent α‐glucosidase inhibition activity with IC50 in the range of 1.016 ± 0.70 to 24.40 ± 0.02 µM and good α‐amylase inhibitory with IC50 in the range of 49.91 ± 0.32 to 500 µM, as compared to acarbose. The most potent compound among this series is derivative 3e, with IC50 value of 1.016 ± 0.70 µM, which is many folds more than that of acarbose. In addition, in docking studies, both compounds exhibited good interactions at the active region of target proteins. Therefore, this study may lead via structural modifications to the discovery of new potent α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase inhibitors useful in the diabetes treatment.

Thiophene-Linked 1,2,4-Triazoles: Synthesis, Structural Insights and Antimicrobial and Chemotherapeutic Profiles

The reaction of thiophene-2-carbohydrazide 1 or 5-bromothiophene-2-carbohydrazide 2 with various haloaryl isothiocyanates and subsequent cyclization by heating in aqueous sodium hydroxide yielded the corresponding 4-haloaryl-5-(thiophen-2-yl or 5-bromothiophen-2-yl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione 5a-e. The triazole derivatives 5a and 5b were reacted with different secondary amines and formaldehyde solution to yield the corresponding 2-aminomethyl-4-haloaryl-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones 6a-e, 7a-e, 8, 9, 10a and 10b in good yields. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of compounds 5a-e, 6a-e, 7a-d, 8, 9, 10a and 10b was evaluated against a panel of standard pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. Compounds 5a, 5b, 5e, 5f, 6a-e, 7a-d, 8, 9, 10a and 10b showed marked activity, particularly against the tested Gram-positive bacteria and the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, and all the tested compounds were almost inactive against all the tested fungal strains. In addition, compounds 5e, 6a-e, 7a-d and 10a exhibited potent anti-proliferative activity, particularly against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines (IC50 < 25 μM). A detailed structural insight study based on the single crystals of compounds 5a, 5b, 6a, 6d and 10a is also reported. Molecular docking studies of the highly active antibacterial compounds 5e, 6b, 6d, 7a and 7d showed a high affinity for DNA gyrase. Meanwhile, the potent anti-proliferative activity of compounds 6d, 6e and 7d may be attributed to their high affinity for cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2).

Design, Synthesis and Antibacterial Assessment of Active (4-Arylazo-3-Methyl-2-Thienyl) 4-Antipyrine Ketones

The chemicals formed from antipyrines are flexible organic building blocks that are employed in the development of pharmaceuticals. By diazotizing (4-arylazo-3-hydroxy-2-thienyl) 4-antipyrine ketones 1a, 1b and 1c and (4-arylazo-3-methyl-2-thienyl) 4-antipyrine ketones (2a, 2b and 2c) further replaced with six other coupling components, a broad spectrum of hybrid molecules have been created. Mass spectra, NMR, FTIR, and elemental analyses have all been used to confirm the structures of the synthesised compounds. The antimicrobial screening was investigated by agar well diffusion and diluting the broth technique against both Gram-negative and positive-tested bacterial strains. (3-methyl-5-(phenylamino)-4-(4-tolylazo)-2-thienyl) 4-antipyrine ketone (2a) was found to be superior to Ciprofloxacin against test strains: Acinetobacter sp (34.33±1.15 mm), Listeria monocytogenes (29.33±1.15 mm) and Streptococcus sp. (19.33±1.15 mm). Also, good to moderate activities were expressed as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bacterial concentration (MBC) which were recorded at 9±1 to 59.67±4.51 μg/mL and 16±4 to >512 μg/mL, respectively, using compounds 2a, 2b, and 2c. MBC/MIC ratio showed, that only, 2a and 2b have a bactericidal effect but other antipyrines with bacteriostatic strength. To conclude, it was suggested that the use of these novel synthesized (4-arylazo-3-methyl-2-thienyl) 4-antipyrine ketone derivatives molecules as a new chemical class of antimicrobial agents to perform new drug discovery in pharmaceutical preparations and medicinal research.

An engineered POSS drug delivery system for copper(II) anticancer metallodrugs in a selective application toward melanoma cells

In this work, a polyhedral silsesquioxane (POSS) was used as an engineered drug delivery system for two oxindolimine-copper(II) anticancer complexes, [Cu(isaepy)]+ and [Cu(isapn)]+. The interest in hybrid POSS comes from the necessity of developing materials that can act as adjuvants to improve the cytotoxicity of non-soluble metallodrugs. Functionalization of POSS with a triazole ligand (POSS-atzac) permitted the anchorage of such copper complexes, producing hybrid materials with efficient cytotoxic effects. Structural and morphological characterizations of these copper-POSS systems were performed by using different techniques (IR, NMR, thermogravimetric analysis). A combination of continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed EPR (HYSCORE) spectroscopies conducted at the X-band have enabled the complete characterization of the coordination environment of the copper ion in the POSS-atzac matrix. Additionally, the cytotoxic effects of the loaded materials, [Cu(isapn)]@POSS-atzac and [Cu(isaepy)]@POSS-atzac, were assessed toward melanomas (SK-MEL), in comparison to non-tumorigenic cells (fibroblast P4). Evaluation of their nuclease activity or ability to facilitate cleavage of DNA indicated concentrations as low as 0.6 μg mL-1, while complete DNA fragmentation was observed at 25 μg mL-1. By using adequate scavengers, investigations on active intermediates responsible for their cytotoxicity were performed, both in the absence and in the presence of ascorbate as a reducing agent. Based on the observed selective cytotoxicity of these materials toward melanomas, investigations on the reactivity of these complexes and corresponding POSS-materials with melanin, a molecule that contributes to melanoma resistance to chemotherapy, were carried out. Results indicated the main role of the binuclear copper species, formed at the surface of the silica matrix, in the observed reactivity and selectivity of these copper-POSS systems.

1,2,4-Triazolo-quinazolinones as Effective Antifoulants: Molecular Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation

A series of 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinones and 1,2-benzisothiazolone derivatives (S1-S12) were successfully synthesized as environmentally friendly alternatives to copper-based antifouling paints using N-alkylation, cyclocondensation, and one-pot three-component and amide coupling reactions. The monoclinic structure of single-crystal 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolin-acetic acid (S8) was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All the synthesized molecules were studied for their in silico molecular docking interactions with three target proteins, namely, RbmA, ToxR, and Bap. Following that, the antialgal activity was assessed against two types of marine algae: Chlorella sp. and Chaetoceros curvisetus. The minimal inhibitory concentration and zone of inhibition have been used to evaluate the antibacterial activities of S1-S12 against both marine Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Vibrio parahemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus) bacteria. Additionally, antifouling studies have been done on all the compounds, and among them, 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinyl-acetate (S7), 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinyl-acetic acid (S8), 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinyl-oxobutanoate (S9), benzo[d]isothiazolyl butanoate (S10), benzo[d]isothiazolyl-acetic acid (S11), and 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinyl-acetyl-benzo[d]isothiazolone (S12) exhibited good antialgal, antibacterial, and antifouling activities.

Synthesis of Substituted 1,2,4-Triazole-3-Thione Nucleosides Using E. coli Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase

1,2,4-Triazole derivatives have a wide range of biological activities. The most well-known drug that contains 1,2,4-triazole as part of its structure is the nucleoside analogue ribavirin, an antiviral drug. Finding new nucleosides based on 1,2,4-triazole is a topical task. The aim of this study was to synthesize ribosides and deoxyribosides of 1,2,4-triazole-3-thione derivatives and test their antiviral activity against herpes simplex viruses. Three compounds from a series of synthesized mono- and disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole-3-thione derivatives were found to be substrates for E. coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Of six prepared nucleosides, the riboside and deoxyriboside of 3-phenacylthio-1,2,4-triazole were obtained at good yields. The yields of the disubstituted 1,2,4-triazol-3-thiones were low due to the effect of bulky substituents at the C3 and C5 positions on the selectivity of enzymatic glycosylation for one particular nitrogen atom in the triazole ring. The results of cytotoxic and antiviral studies on acyclovir-sensitive wild-type strain HSV-1/L2(TK+) and acyclovir-resistant strain (HSV-1/L2/RACV) in Vero E6 cell culture showed that the incorporation of a thiobutyl substituent into the C5 position of 3-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole results in a significant increase in the cytotoxicity of the base and antiviral activity. The highest antiviral activity was observed in the 3-phenacylthio-1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2,4-triazole and 5-butylthio-1-(2-deoxy-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-3-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole nucleosides, with their selectivity indexes being significantly higher than that of ribavirin. It was also found that with the increasing lipophilicity of the nucleosides, the activity and toxicity of the tested compounds increased.

A Literature Review Focusing on the Antiviral Activity of [1,2,4] and [1,2,3]-triazoles

Out of a variety of heterocycles, triazole scaffolds have been shown to play a significant part in a wide array of biological functions. Many drug compounds containing a triazole moiety with important antimicrobial, anticancer and antidepressant properties have been commercialized. In addition, the triazole scaffold exhibits remarkable antiviral activity either incorporated into nucleoside analogs or non-nucleosides. Many synthetic techniques have been produced by scientists around the world as a result of their wide-ranging biological function. In this review, we have tried to summarize new synthetic methods produced by diverse research groups as well as provide a comprehensive description of the function of [1,2,4] and [1,2,3]-triazole derivatives as antiviral agents. Antiviral triazole compounds have been shown to target a wide variety of molecular proteins. In addition, several strains of viruses, including the human immunodeficiency virus, SARS virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, influenza virus, Hantavirus, and herpes virus, were discovered to be susceptible to triazole derivatives. This review article covered the reports for antiviral activity of both 1,2,3- and 1,2,4-triazole moieties up to 2022.

Solvent- and functional-group-assisted tautomerism of 3-alkyl substituted 5-(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazoles in DMSO-water

The tautomerism of a series of 5-alkyl substituted 3-(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazoles in DMSO-d6-containing water has been investigated by 1H, 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy. The populations of the three possible regioisomers in the tautomeric equilibrium (A [3-alkyl-5-(2-pyridyl)-1H], B [5-alkyl-3-(2-pyridyl)-1H] and C [5-alkyl-3-(2-pyridyl)-4H]) were determined. Isomers A (17-40%) and B (54-79%) are the major components and their ratio is insensitive to the substitution pattern, except for the unsubstituted and the methoxymethyl substituted derivatives. The isomer C (3-5%) has been fully characterised for the first time by NMR spectroscopy. Activation energies of tautomerisation (14.74-16.78 kcal mol-1) were determined by EXSY experiments, which also supported the involvement of water in the tautomerisation. Substituent effects on the 15N chemical shifts are relatively small. The DFT study of the tautomerism in DMSO-water showed that both A/B and B/C interconversions are assisted by the pyridine substituent and catalysed by solvent molecules. The NH-A/NH-B tautomerisation takes place via a relayed quadruple proton transfer mediated by three water molecules in the hydrogen-bonded cyclic substructure of a triazole·4H2O complex. The equilibrium B ⇄ C involves three steps: NH-B transfer to the pyridyl nitrogen mediated by a water molecule in a 1 : 1 cyclic complex, rotamerisation to bring the pyridinium NH close to N4 of the triazole catalysed by complexation to a DMSO molecule and transfer of the NH from the pyridinium donor to the N4 acceptor via a 1 : 1 complex with a bridging water molecule. This mechanism of 1,3-prototropic shift in triazoles is unprecedented in the literature.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and docking study of new triazole-phenylacetamide derivatives as α-glucosidase inhibitors

To discover potent α-glucosidase inhibitors, a class of novel triazole-phenylacetamide derivatives (5a-5p) were designed, prepared, and tested for their α-glucosidase inhibitory effects. All tested compounds (5a-5p) displayed a strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 6.69 ± 0.18-113.65 ± 2.94 μM) in comparison with the positive control acarbose (IC50 = 723.06 ± 11.26 μM). Thereinto, 5g (IC50 = 6.69 ± 0.18 μM) showed the best anti-α-glucosidase activity and behaved as a mixed-type inhibitor with the value of Ki and Kis to be 1.65 μM and 4.54 μM, respectively. Besides, fluorescence quenching experiment, three-dimensional fluorescence spectra assay, circular dichroism analysis, and molecular docking studies indicated that 5g may inhibit α-glucosidase activity by binding with its active site as well as changing the secondary structure of α-glucosidase. Combined with the inhibition effect on the rise of postprandial blood glucose level and low cytotoxicity of 5g, it could be concluded that these title compounds may play a role as lead compounds to develop novel α-glucosidase inhibitors.

Unveiling the anticancer mechanism of 1,2,3-triazole-incorporated thiazole-pyrimidine-isoxazoles: insights from docking and molecular dynamics simulations

Cancer is a major global health concern, and the constant search for novel, selective anticancer compounds with low toxicity is never ending. Nitrogen heterocyclic compounds such as pyrimidine and triazole have been identified as potential candidates for cancer treatment. A novel series of 1,2,3-triazole incorporated thiazole-pyrimidine-isoxazole derivatives 10 (a-j) were designed, synthesized and evaluated for antitumorigenic activities against human breast cancer (MCF-7), human lung cancer (A549) and human prostate (PC3 & DU-145) various cell-lines by employing MTT assay using etoposide as the positive control. The synthesized hybrids yielded decent efficacy, which was further compared with the standard drug. Among all the molecules, 10h revealed the more potent anticancerous activities, having IC50 values ranging from 0.011 ± 0.0017 µM; 0.063 ± 0.0012 µM; 0.017 ± 0.0094 µM and 0.66 ± 0.072 µM with DU145, PC3, A549, and MCF7 cell-lines, respectively. Tubulin, being a major protein involved with diverse biological actions, also serves, as a crucial target for several clinically practiced anticancer drugs, was utilized for docking analyses to evaluate the binding affinity of ligands. Docking results demonstrates that the selected hybrids 10 (g-j) exhibited good binding affinities with protein. Subsequently, drug likeness studies were carried out on the synthesized compounds to evaluate and analyze their drug like properties such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) for toxicity prediction. Based on these analyses, the selected complexes were further employed for molecular dynamic simulations to analyze stability via an exhaustive cumulative 200 nanoseconds simulation. These results suggest that the selected compounds are stable and might serve as potential inhibitors to tubulin complex. In conclusion, we propose these synthesized compounds 10 (g-j) might provide new insights into cancer treatment and have potential for future development.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Novel 1,2,4-triazoles derived from Ibuprofen: synthesis and in vitro evaluation of their mPGES-1 inhibitory and antiproliferative activity

Some novel triazole-bearing ketone and oxime derivatives were synthesized from Ibuprofen. In vitro cytotoxic activities of all synthesized molecules against five cancer lines (human breast cancer MCF-7, human lung cancer A549, human prostate cancer PC-3, human cervix cancer HeLa, and human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cell lines) were evaluated by MTT assay. In addition, mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (NIH/3T3) were also evaluated to determine the selectivity. Compounds 18, 36, and 45 were found to be the most cytotoxic, and their IC50 values were in the range of 17.46-68.76 µM, against the tested cancer cells. According to the results, compounds 7 and 13 demonstrated good anti-inflammatory activity against the microsomal enzyme prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) enzyme at IC50 values of 13.6 and 4.95 µM. The low cytotoxicity and non-mutagenity of these compounds were found interesting. Also, these compounds significantly prevented tube formation in angiogenesis studies. In conclusion, the anti-inflammatory and angiogenesis inhibitory activities of these compounds without toxicity suggested that they may be promising agents in anti-inflammatory treatment and they may be supportive agents for the cancer treatment.

Review of triazole scaffolds for treatment and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Triazole scaffolds, a series of 5-membered heterocycles, are well known for their high efficacy, low toxicity, and superior pharmacokinetics. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the first neurodegenerative disorder with complex pathological mechanisms. Triazole, as an aromatic group with three nitrogen atoms, forms polar and non-polar interactions with diverse key residues in the receptor-ligand binding procedure, and has been widely used in the molecular design in the development of anti-AD agents. Moreover, considering the simple synthesis approaches, triazole scaffolds are commonly used to link two pharmacodynamic groups in one chemical molecule, forming multi-target directed ligands (MTDLs). Furthermore, the click reaction between azide- and cyano-modified enzyme and ligand provides feasibility for the new modulator discovery, compound tissue distribution evaluation, enzyme localization, and pharmacological mechanism study, promoting the diagnosis of AD course.

An overview of the privileged synthetic heterocycles as urease enzyme inhibitors: Structure-activity relationship

Urease is a metalloenzyme including two Ni2+ ions, found in some plants, bacteria, fungi, microorganisms, invertebrate animals, and animal tissues. Urease acts as a significant virulence factor, mainly in catheter blockage and infective urolithiasis as well as in the pathogenesis of gastric infection. Therefore, studies on urease lead to novel synthetic inhibitors. In this review, the synthesis and antiurease activities of a collection of privileged synthetic heterocycles such as (thio)barbiturate, (thio)urea, dihydropyrimidine, and triazol derivatives were described and discussed according to structure-activity relationship findings in search of the best moieties and substituents that are answerable for encouraging the desired activity even more potent than the standard. It was found that linking substituted phenyl and benzyl rings to the heterocycles led to potent urease inhibitors.

Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking Studies of Novel Series of Bis-1,2,4-Triazoles as Thymidine Phosphorylase Inhibitor

INTRODUCTION

Heterocyclic compounds have diverse biological activities and potential in drug development. This study aims to synthesize novel compounds with two 1,2,4-triazole cores and evaluate their biological properties, particularly their inhibitory activity against thymidine phosphorylase (TP), an enzyme involved in various physiological processes.

METHODS

The compounds were synthesized by reacting 5,5'-butane-bis-1,2,4-triazole derivatives with prenyl bromide. Characterization involved various techniques, including spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Antimicrobial potential was evaluated against bacteria and fungi, with comparative antibiotics as references. Inhibitory activity against TP was assessed, and molecular docking studies were conducted.

RESULTS

Six compounds were successfully synthesized and their structures confirmed. The synthesized triazole derivatives exhibited high biological activity, with compounds 2 and 6 showing the most promising TP inhibition. Molecular docking studies revealed interactions between compound 2 and TP, involving nine amino acids.

DISCUSSION

The synthesis of novel compounds with two 1,2,4-triazole cores contributes significantly to bis-triazole research. These compounds have potential as anti-tumor agents due to their inhibitory activity against TP, a crucial enzyme in tumor growth and metastasis. Comparative evaluation against antibiotics highlights their potency. Docking results provide insights into their interactions with TP, supporting their potential as potent TP inhibitors. Further research should focus on evaluating their efficacy in biological models, understanding their mechanisms of action, and optimizing their activities.

CONCLUSION

The synthesized compounds with two 1,2,4-triazole cores exhibit significant biological activity, including strong TP inhibition and broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects. These findings emphasize their potential as anti-tumor agents and the need for further exploration and optimization. Future research should focus on evaluating their efficacy in biological models, understanding their mechanisms of action, and developing more potent bis-triazole derivatives for drug discovery efforts. The combined results from assays and docking studies support the therapeutic potential of these compounds as anti-tumor agents.

4-(4-Ethoxyphenyl)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one

A new triazol-3-one resulted unexpectedly from the reduction reaction of a heterocyclic thioketone using sodium borohydride in pyridine containing a small amount of water. The structure of the new compound was characterised using FT-IR, 1D and 2D NMR, and HRMS spectroscopic methods.

Step-Economical Mechanosynthesis of Hybrid Azoles: Deciphering Their π-Orbital and Pharmacological Characteristics

A hybrid pharmacophore strategy for unifying 1,2,3-triazole with 1,2,4-triazole cores to prepare mixed triazoles was accomplished by a ball-milling approach. The developed chemistry works under the catalysis of cupric oxide nanoparticles with salient features like one-jar operation, lower number of synthetic steps, catalyst recyclability, time-dependent product control, and good overall yields. π-Orbital properties based on theoretical calculations supported the suitability of these molecules for pharmacological screening. Therefore, the biological potency of the synthesized molecules was evaluated for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic activities. By virtue of their proton-donating tendency, all compounds showed promising radical-scavenging activity with the inhibition level reaching up to 90 %. These molecular hybrids also exhibited anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic potencies similar to those of standard compounds, owing to their electron-rich nature. Finally, α-amylase inhibitory potential was demonstrated in silico; significant regions necessary for enzyme inhibition were identified by hydrogen bonding interactions.

Chemodivergent Photocatalyzed Heterocyclization of Hydrazones and Isothiocyanates for the Selectivity Synthesis of 2-Amino-1,3,4-thiadiazoles and 1,2,4-Triazole-3-thiones

A photocatalytic chemodivergent reaction for the selectivity formation of C-S and C-N bonds in a controlled manner was proposed. The reaction medium, either neutral or acidic, is critical to dictate the formation of 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazoles and 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones from isothiocyanates and hydrazones. This is a practical protocol to achieve the chemoselectivity under mild and metal-free conditions.

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.

Design and synthesis of new heterocyclic compounds containing 5-[(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione structure as potent hEGFR inhibitors

EGFR is one of the important mediators of the signaling cascade that determines key roles in various biological processes such as growth, differentiation, metabolism and apoptosis in the cell in response to external and internal stimuli. In recent years, it has been proven that although this enzyme activity is tightly regulated in normal cells, if the enzyme activity cannot be controlled, it can lead to malignancy. EGFR is also considered a prominent macromolecule in targeted cancer chemotherapy. For this purpose, a comprehensive modeling studies were conducted against EGFR protein and novel molecules containing 5-[(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione structure were suggested to be synthesized. Among the synthesized molecules, compounds 7c, 8c, 8f and 8g were determined to have significant IC50 values. Compound 8g was found to have the IC50 value closest to the very well-known EGFR inhibitor Gefitinib with its noncompetitive inhibition form. Ki value of compound 8g was calculated as 0.00232 µM.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Structural and Energetic Properties of Weak Noncovalent Interactions in Two Closely Related 3,6-Disubstituted-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole Derivatives: In Vitro Cyclooxygenase Activity, Crystallography, and Computational Investigations

Two 3,6-disubstituted-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole derivatives, namely, 3-(adamantan-1-yl)-6-(2-chloro-6-fluorophenyl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole 1 and 6-(2-chloro-6-fluorophenyl)-3-phenyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole 2, were prepared, and the detailed analysis of the weak intermolecular interactions responsible for the supramolecular self-assembly was performed using X-ray diffraction and theoretical tools. Analyses of Hirshfeld surface and 2D fingerprint plot demonstrated the effect of adamant-1-yl/phenyl moieties on intermolecular interactions in solid-state structures. The effect of these substituents on H···H/Cl/N contacts was more specific. The CLP-PIXEL and density functional theory methods provide information on the energetics of molecular dimers observed in these compounds. The crystal structure of compound 1 stabilizes with a variety of weak intermolecular interactions, including C-H···N, C-H···π, and C-H···Cl hydrogen bonds, a directional C-S···π chalcogen bond, and unconventional short F···C/N contacts. The crystal structure of compound 2 is stabilized by π-stacking interactions, C-H···N, C-H···π, and C-H···Cl hydrogen bonds, and highly directional attractive σ-hole interactions such as the C-Cl···N halogen bond and the C-S···N chalcogen bond. In addition, S(lp)···C(π) and short N···N contacts play a supportive role in the stabilization of certain molecular dimers. The final supramolecular architectures resulting from the combination of different intermolecular interactions are observed in both the crystal packing. The molecular electrostatic potential map reveals complementary electrostatic potentials of the interacting atoms. The quantum theory of atoms in molecules approach was used to delineate the nature and strength of different intermolecular interactions present in different dimers of compounds 1 and 2. The in vitro experiments suggest that both compounds showed selectivity against COX-2 targets rather than COX-1. Molecular docking analysis showed the binding pose of the compounds at the active sites of COX-1/2 enzymes.

Synthesis methods of 1,2,3-/1,2,4-triazoles: A review

Triazole, comprising three nitrogen atoms and two carbon atoms, is divided into two isomers 1,2,3-triazole and 1,2,4-triazole. Compounds containing a triazole are one of the significant heterocycles that exhibit broad biological activities, such as antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antineoplastic, antimalarial, antiviral, antiproliferative, and anticancer activities. A great quantity of drugs with a triazole structure has been developed and proved, for example, ketoconazole and fluconazole. Given the importance of the triazole scaffold, its synthesis has attracted much attention. This review summarizes the synthetic methods of triazole compounds from various nitrogen sources in the past 20 years.

The Effect of 1,2,4-Triazole-3-thiol Derivatives Bearing Hydrazone Moiety on Cancer Cell Migration and Growth of Melanoma, Breast, and Pancreatic Cancer Spheroids

4-Phenyl-3-[2-(phenylamino)ethyl]-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thione was used as a starting compound for the synthesis of the corresponding 1,2,4-triazol-3-ylthioacetohydrazide, which reacts with isatins and various aldehydes bearing aromatic and heterocyclic moieties provided target hydrazones. Their cytotoxicity was tested by the MTT assay against human melanoma IGR39, human triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231), and pancreatic carcinoma (Panc-1) cell lines. The selectivity of compounds towards cancer cells was also studied. In general, the synthesized compounds were more cytotoxic against the melanoma cell line. N′-(2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-2-((4-phenyl-5-(2-(phenylamino)ethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)acetohydrazide, N′-((1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methylene)-2-((4-phenyl-5-(2-(phenylamino)ethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)acetohydrazide and N′-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzylidene)-2-((4-phenyl-5-(2-(phenylamino)ethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)acetohydrazide were identified as the most active among all synthesized compounds in 3D cell cultures. N′-(4-(dimethylamino)benzylidene)-2-((4-phenyl-5-(2-(phenylamino)ethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)acetohydrazide inhibited all cancer cell migration, was characterized as relatively more selective towards cancer cells, and could be further tested as an antimetastatic candidate.

Azole inhibitors of mushroom and human tyrosinases: Current advances and prospects of drug development for melanogenic dermatological disorders

Azoles are a famous and promising class of drugs for treatment of a range of ailments especially fungal infections. A wide variety of azole derivatives are also known to exhibit tyrosinase inhibition, some of which possess promising activity with potential for treatment of dermatological disorders such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, nevus, flecks, melasma, and melanoma. Recently, thiazolyl-resorcinol derivatives have demonstrated potent human tyrosinase inhibition with a safe and effective therapeutic profile for treatment of skin hyperpigmentation in humans, which are currently under clinical trials. If approved these derivatives would be the first azole drugs to be used for treatment of skin hyperpigmentation. Although the scientific literature has been witnessing general reviews on tyrosinase inhibitors to date, there is none that specifically and comprehensively discusses azole inhibitors of tyrosinase. Appreciating such potential of azoles, this focused review highlights a wide range of their derivatives with promising mushroom and human tyrosinase inhibitory activities and clinical potential for treatment of melanogenic dermatological disorders. Presently, these disorders have been treated with kojic acid, hydroquinone and other drugs, the design and development of which are based on their ability to inhibit mushroom tyrosinase. The active sites of mushroom and human tyrosinases carry structural differences which affect substrate or inhibitor binding. For this reason, kojic acid and other drugs pose efficacy and safety issues since they were originally developed using mushroom tyrosinase and have been clinically used on human tyrosinase. Design and development of tyrosinase inhibitors should be based on human tyrosinase, however, there are challenges in obtaining the human enzyme and understanding its structure and function. The review discusses these challenges that encompass structural and functional differences between mushroom and human tyrosinases and the manner in which they are inhibited. The review also gauges promising azole derivatives with potential for development of drugs against skin hyperpigmentation by analyzing and comparing their tyrosinase inhibitory activities against mushroom and human tyrosinases, computational data, and clinical profile where available. It aims to lay groundwork for development of new azole drugs for treatment of skin hyperpigmentation, melanoma, and related dermatological disorders.

2-((4-Phenyl-5-(2-(p-tolylamino)ethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)-N′-(1-phenylethylidene)acetohydrazide

A synthesis of 2-((4-phenyl-5-(2-(p-tolylamino)ethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)-N’-(1-phenylethylidene)acetohydrazide from 2-[(3-{2-[(4-methylphenyl)amino]ethyl}-4-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-yl)sulfanyl]acetohydrazide and acetophenone is reported. The title compound has been tested to possess 1.5-fold higher antioxidant ability than the control, butylated hydroxytoluene, as determined by a Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay.

Exploring ibuprofen derivatives as α-glucosidase and lipoxygenase inhibitors: Cytotoxicity and in silico studies

This study reports the synthesis of a series of ibuprofen derivatives, including thiosemicarbazides 4a-f, 1,3,4-oxadiazoles 5a-f, 1,3,4-thiadiazoles 6a-f, 1,2,4-triazoles 7a-f, and their S-alkylated derivatives 8a-d. All of the newly synthesized derivatives were analyzed using ¹ H NMR, ¹³ C NMR spectroscopy, and high-resolution mass spectra (electron ionization) spectrometry. These synthetic molecules were examined for their in vitro baking yeast α-glucosidase and soybean 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) inhibition and cell viability studies. The results revealed that the compounds N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-[1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethyl]-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-amine 5f (IC₅₀ 3.05 ± 1.23 µM) and N-(3-fluorophenyl)-5-[1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethyl]-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-amine 5b (IC₅₀ 3.12 ± 1.21 µM) were the most potent with respect to the α-glucosidase enzyme while in case of 15-LOX, the compound 4-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-[2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propanoyl]thiosemicarbazide 4e showed potent inhibition with an IC₅₀ value of 55.41 ± 0.41 µM. All these compounds were found least toxic by displaying a blood mononuclear cell viability value of 69.2%-97.8% by the MTT assay compared to the standards when assayed at 0.25 mM concentration. Molecular docking analyses were conducted to evaluate the inhibition profiles of these derivatives against the said enzymes and the data supported the in vitro profiles.

The Synthesis of Triazolium Salts as Antifungal Agents: A Biological and In Silico Evaluation

The control of fungal pathogens is increasingly difficult due to the limited number of effective drugs available for antifungal therapy. In addition, both humans and fungi are eukaryotic organisms; antifungal drugs may have significant toxicity due to the inhibition of related human targets. Furthermore, another problem is increased incidents of fungal resistance to azoles, such as fluconazole, ketoconazole, voriconazole, etc. Thus, the interest in developing new azoles with an extended spectrum of activity still attracts the interest of the scientific community. Herein, we report the synthesis of a series of triazolium salts, an evaluation of their antifungal activity, and docking studies. Ketoconazole and bifonazole were used as reference drugs. All compounds showed good antifungal activity with MIC/MFC in the range of 0.0003 to 0.2/0.0006–0.4 mg/mL. Compound 19 exhibited the best activity among all tested with MIC/MFC in the range of 0.009 to 0.037 mg/mL and 0.0125–0.05 mg/mL, respectively. All compounds appeared to be more potent than both reference drugs. The docking studies are in accordance with experimental results.

An Insight into All Tested Small Molecules against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Albedinis: A Comparative Review

Bayoud disease affects date palms in North Africa and the Middle East, and many researchers have used various methods to fight it. One of those methods is the chemical use of synthetic compounds, which raises questions centred around the compounds and common features used to prepare targeted molecules. In this review, 100 compounds of tested small molecules, collected from 2002 to 2022 in Web of Sciences, were divided into ten different classes against the main cause of Bayoud disease pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (F.o.a.) with structure-activity relationship (SAR) interpretations for pharmacophore site predictions as (δ^-···δ^-), where 12 compounds are the most efficient (one compound from each group). The compounds, i.e., (Z)-1-(1.5-Dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-3-yl)-3-hydroxy but-2-en-1-one 7, (Z)-3-(phenyl)-1-(1,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-3-yl)-3-hydroxyprop-2-en-1-one 23, (Z)-1-(1,5-Dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-3-yl)-3-hydroxy-3-(pyridine-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one 29, and 2,3-bis-[(2-hydroxy-2-phenyl)ethenyl]-6-nitro-quinoxaline 61, have antifungal pharmacophore sites (δ^-···δ^-) in common in N1---O4, whereas other compounds have only one δ^- pharmacophore site pushed by the donor effect of the substituents on the phenyl rings. This specificity interferes in the biological activity against F.o.a. Further understanding of mechanistic drug-target interactions on this subject is currently underway.

Expanding the chemical space of 3(5)-functionalized 1,2,4-triazoles

An efficient approach to the gram-scale synthesis of 3(5)-substituted, 1,3- and 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole-derived building blocks is described. The key synthetic precursors - 1,2,4-triazole-3(5)-carboxylates (20 examples, 35-89% yield) were prepared from readily available acyl hydrazides and ethyl 2-ethoxy-2-iminoacetate hydrochloride. Further transformations were performed following the convergent synthetic strategy and allowed the preparation of 1,3- and 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole-derived esters (16 examples, 25-75% yield), 3(5)-substituted, 1,3- and 1,5-disubstituted carboxylate salts (18 examples, 78-93% yield), amides (5 examples, 82-93% yield), nitriles (5 examples, 30-85% yield), hydrazides (6 examples, 84-89% yield), and hydroxamic acids (3 examples, 73-78% yield). Considering wide applications of the 1,2,4-triazole motif in medicinal chemistry, these compounds are valuable building blocks for lead-oriented synthesis; they have also great potential for coordination chemistry.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10593-022-03064-z.

Design and synthesis of heterocyclic azole based bioactive compounds: Molecular structures, quantum simulation, and mechanistic studies through docking as multi-target inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 and cytotoxicity

Two heterocyclic azole compounds, 3-(2,3-dihydrobenzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-4H-chromen-4-one (SVS1) and 5-(1H-indol-3-yl)-4-methyl-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione (SVS2) were obtained unexpectedly from 2-aminothiophenol and 4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carbaldehyde (for SVS1), and (E)-2-((1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-N-methylhydrazine-1-carbothioamide in the presence of anhydrous FeCl₃ (for SVS2), respectively. The compounds were well characterized by analytical and spectroscopic tools. The molecular structures of both the compounds were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) study. The results obtained from density functional theory (DFT) study revealed the molecular geometry and electron distribution of the compounds, which were correlated well with the three-dimensional structures obtained from the single crystal XRD. DMol³ was used to calculate quantum chemical parameters [chemical potential (µ), global hardness (η), global softness (σ), absolute electronegativity (χ) and electrophilicity index (ω)] of SVS1 and SVS2. Molecular docking study was performed to elucidate the binding ability of SVS1 and SVS2 with SARS-CoV-2 main protease and human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) molecular targets. Interestingly, the binding efficiency of the compounds with the molecular targets was comparable with that of remdesivir (SARS-CoV-2), chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. SVS1 showed better docking energy than SVS2. The molecular docking study was complemented by molecular dynamics simulation study of SARS-CoV-2 main protease-SVS1 complex, which further exemplified the binding ability of SVS1 with the target. In addition, SVS1, SVS2 and cisplatin were assessed for their cytotoxicity against a panel of three human cancer cells such as HepG-2 (hepatic carcinoma), T24 (bladder) and EA.hy926 (endothelial), as well as Vero (kidney epithelial cells extracted from an African green monkey) normal cells using MTT assay. The results showed that SVS2 has significant cytotoxicity against HepG-2 and EA.hy926 cells with the IC₅₀ values of 33.8 μM (IC₅₀ = 49.9 μM-cisplatin and 8.6 μM-doxorubicin) and 29.2 (IC₅₀ = 26.6 μM-cisplatin and 3.8 μM-doxorubicin), respectively.

Design, synthesis, and in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity studies of new (S)-Naproxen thiosemicarbazide/1,2,4-triazole derivatives

This study includes the synthesis of new Naproxen derivatives and in vitro–in vivo molecular mechanistic studies.

Biological Evaluation of 4-(1H-triazol-1-yl)benzoic Acid Hybrids as Antioxidant Agents: In Vitro Screening and DFT Study

Fourteen triazole benzoic acid hybrids were previously characterized. This work aimed to screen their in vitro antioxidant activity using different assays, i.e., DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), reducing the power capability, FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidants power) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylben zothiazoline-6-sulfonate) radical scavenging. The 14 compounds showed antioxidant properties in relation to standard BHA (butylated hydroxylanisole) and Trolox (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid). Higher antioxidant activity was observed by the parent (1) at a concentration of 100 µg/mL (89.95 ± 0.34 and 88.59 ± 0.13%) when tested by DPPH and ABTS methods in relation to BHA at 100 µg/mL (95.02 ± 0.74 and 96.18 ± 0.33%). The parent (2) demonstrated remarkable scavenging activity when tested by ABTS (62.00 ± 0.24%), however, 3 was less active (29.98 ± 0.13%). Compounds 5, 6, 9, and 11 exhibited good scavenging activity compared to 1. DFT studies were performed using the B3LYP/6-311++g (2d,2p) level of theory to evaluate different antioxidant descriptors for the targets. Three antioxidant mechanisms, i.e., hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), sequential electron transfer proton transfer (SETPT) and sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET) were suggested to describe the antioxidant properties of 1–14. Out of the 14 triazole benzoic acid hybrids, 5, 9, 6, and 11 showed some good theoretical results, which were in agreement with some experimental outcomes. Based on the computed (PA and ETE) and (BDE and IP) values in (SPLET) and (HAT and SETPT) mechanisms, respectively, compound 9 emerged has having good antioxidant activity.

Synthesis, Spectroscopic Analysis, and in Vitro/in Silico Biological Studies of Novel Piperidine Derivatives Heterocyclic Schiff-Mannich Base Compounds

In the present study, 3-substitued-4-(4-hydroxybenzylidenamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (S1-8) were synthesized by treating 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (B) with eight different 3-substitued-4-amino-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5-ones (T1-8) in acetic acid medium, separately. The synthesized Schiff bases (S) were reacted with formaldehyde and secondary amine such as 4-piperidinecarboxyamide to afford novel heterocyclic bases. 3-Substitued-4-(4-hydroxybenzylidenamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (T) were treated with 4-piperidinecarboxyamide in the presence of formaldehyde to synthesize eight new 1-(4-piperidinecarboxyamide-1-yl-methyl)-3-substitued-4-(4-hydroxybenzylidenamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (M1-8). The structure characterization of compounds was carried out using ¹ H-NMR, IR, HR-MS, and ¹³ C-NMR spectroscopic methods. The inhibitory properties of the newly synthesized compounds were calculated against the acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes. Ki values were calculated in the range of 20.06±3.11-36.86±6.17 μM for GST, 17.87±2.91-30.53±4.25 μM for AChE, 9.08±0.69-20.02±2.88 μM for BChE, respectively, Besides, IC₅₀ values were also calculated. Best binding scores of -inhibitors against used enzymes were calculated as -12.095 kcal/mol, -12.775 kcal/mol, and -9.336 kcal/mol, respectively. While 5-oxo-triazole piperidine-4-carboxamide moieties have a critical role in the inhibition of AChE and GST enzymes, hydroxy benzyl moiety is important for BChE enzyme inhibition.