Design, synthesis and anti-HIV activity of novel quinoxaline derivatives

Green and sustainable synthesis of chiral alcohols: the role of Daucus carota as a biocatalyst in organic chemistry

Chiral alcohols are essential intermediates in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and advanced materials. Conventional asymmetric reduction of ketones relies on costly metal catalysts with significant environmental impact. Biocatalysis, particularly whole-cell systems, offers a sustainable alternative, providing high regio- and stereoselectivity under mild conditions. Daucus carota (carrot) roots serve as a promising biocatalyst due to their broad substrate compatibility and natural cofactor recycling ability, reducing reliance on toxic reagents and energy-intensive processes, making them both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. This review highlights the potential of D. carota for chiral alcohol synthesis while addressing challenges such as long reaction times, high biocatalyst requirements, and substrate limitations. Ongoing research focuses on optimizing reaction conditions, testing different carrot varieties, and incorporating additives to enhance efficiency and expand applicability.

Drug Discovery and Exploration of Heterocycles for the Development of Anti-HIV Agents

It is a known fact that HIV infection remains a serious public health problem throughout the world, and the need to constantly develop new antiretroviral drugs to combat HIV emerges from the fact that repetitive mutations occurring in viral enzymes make this virus resistant to antiretroviral drugs. This resistance causes failure of treatment, and hence, for many years, extensive research has been to discover newer possibilities for fighting this disease at a molecular level, along with many long-standing and expensive clinical trials. Many scientific research programs have either been discarded or unsuccessful. However, the research has not stopped, and in the process, many heterocyclic scaffolds have been used to build up novel drug molecules to combat this disease. A literature survey reveals that many heterocycles have been explored and were found to be very useful in treating different types of viral infections. This concise and rigorous literature explains the journey and highlights the various strategies to develop new anti-HIV drug candidates.

Structural aspects of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors: SAR studies and synthetic strategies

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) poses a significant threat to life. Antiretroviral therapy is employed to diminish the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), extending life expectancy and improving the quality of patients' lives. These HIV-1 integrase inhibitors form robust covalent interactions with Mg2+ ions, contributing to their tight binding, thereby inhibiting the integration of viral DNA into the CD4 cell DNA. The second-generation INSTIs, the most recently approved, exhibit a higher genetic barrier compared to first-generation drugs. Hence, there is a need to develop novel and safe compounds as inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase. This article presents an overview of the current landscape of anti-HIV-1 integrase inhibitors, emphasizing the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of small molecules. The molecules discussed include monocyclic rings consisting of triazoles moiety, and pyrimidine analog along with bicyclic rings with nitrogen-containing moieties. Researchers are exploring anti-HIV-1 integrase inhibitors from natural sources like marine environments, plant extracts, and microbial products, emphasizing the importance of diverse bioactive compounds in combating the virus, which have also been included in the manuscript. The current manuscript will be helpful to the scientific community engaged in the manipulation of small molecules as anti-HIV integrase inhibitors for designing newer leads.

Recent synthetic strategies for the functionalization of fused bicyclic heteroaromatics using organo-Li, -Mg and -Zn reagents

This review highlights the use of functionalized organo-Li, -Mg and -Zn reagents for the construction and selective functionalization of 5- and 6-membered fused bicyclic heteroaromatics. Special attention is given to the discussion of advanced syntheses for the preparation of highly functionalized heteroaromatic scaffolds, including quinolines, naphthyridines, indoles, benzofurans, benzothiophenes, benzoxazoles, benzothiazoles, benzopyrimidines, anthranils, thienothiophenes, purine coumarins, chromones, quinolones and phthalazines and their fused heterocyclic derivatives. The organometallic reagents used for the desired functionalizations of these scaffolds are generally prepared in situ using the following methods: (i) through directed selective metalation reactions (DoM), (ii) by means of halogen/metal exchange reactions, (iii) through oxidative metal insertions (Li, Mg, Zn), and (iv) by transmetalation reactions (organo-Li and Mg transmetalations with ZnCl2 or ZnO(Piv)2). The resulting reactive organometallic reagents allow a wide range of C-C, C-N and C-X cross-coupling reactions with different electrophiles, employing in particular Kumada or Negishi protocols among other transition metal (Pd, Ni, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, etc.)-catalyzed processes. In addition, key developments concerning selective metalation techniques will be presented, which rely on the use of RLi, LDA and TMP metal bases. These methods are now widely employed in organic synthetic chemistry and have proven to be particularly valuable for drug development programs in the pharmaceutical industry. New and improved protocols have resulted in many Li, Mg and Zn organyls now being compatible with functionalized aryl, heteroaryl, alkenyl, alkynyl and alkyl compounds even in the presence of labile functional groups, making these reagents well-suited for C(sp2)-C(sp2), C(sp2)-C(sp) and C(sp2)-C(sp3) cross-coupling reactions with fused heteroaryl halides. In addition, the use of some transition metal-catalyzed processes occasionally allows a reversed role of the reactants in cross-coupling reactions, providing alternative synthetic routes for the preparation of fused heteroaromatic-based bioactive drugs and natural products. In line with this, this article points to novel methods for the functionalization of bicyclic heteroaromatic scaffolds by organometallic reagents that have been published in the period 2010-2023.

Mft1, identified from a genome-wide screen of the yeast haploid mutants, mediates cell cycle arrest to counteract quinoxaline-induced toxicity

Quinoxaline is a heterocyclic compound with a two-membered ring structure that undergoes redox cycling to produce toxic free radicals. It has antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor activities. However, the biological functions that are involved in mounting a response against the toxic effects of quinoxaline have not been investigated. Herein, we performed a genome-wide screen using the yeast haploid mutant collection and reported the identification of 12 mutants that displayed varying sensitivity towards quinoxaline. No mutant was recovered that showed resistance to quinoxaline. The quinoxaline-sensitive mutants were deleted for genes that encode cell cycle function, as well as genes that belong to other physiological pathways such as the vacuolar detoxification process. Three of the highly sensitive gene-deletion mutants lack the DDC1, DUN1, and MFT1 genes. While Ddc1 and Dun1 are known to perform roles in the cell cycle arrest pathway, the role of Mft1 remains unclear. We show that the mft1Δ mutant is as sensitive to quinoxaline as the ddc1Δ mutant. However, the double mutant ddc1Δ mft1Δ lacking the DDC1 and MFT1 genes, is extremely sensitive to quinoxaline, as compared to the ddc1Δ and mft1Δ single mutants. We further show that the mft1Δ mutant is unable to arrest in the G2/M phase in response to the drug. We conclude that Mft1 performs a unique function independent of Ddc1 in the cell cycle arrest pathway in response to quinoxaline exposure. This is the first demonstration that quinoxaline exerts its toxic effect likely by inducing oxidative DNA damage causing cell cycle arrest. We suggest that clinical applications of quinoxaline and its derivatives should entail targeting cancer cells with defective cell cycle arrest.

Recent Methods for the Synthesis of Quinoxaline Derivatives and their Biological Activities

Quinoxaline derivatives have been incorporated into numerous marketed drugs used for the treatment of various diseases. Examples include glecaprevir (Mavyret), voxilaprevir (Vosevi), Balversa (L01EX16) (erdafitinib), carbadox, XK469R (NSC698215), and becampanel (AMP397). These quinoxaline derivatives exhibit a diverse range of pharmacological activities, including antibacterial, antitubercular, antiviral, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, anticancer, antiproliferative, antitumor, kinase inhibition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and analgesic effects. Recognizing the significance of these bioactive quinoxaline derivatives, researchers have dedicated their efforts to developing various synthetic methods for their production. This review aimed to compile the most recent findings on the synthesis and biological properties of quinoxaline derivatives from 2015 to 2023.

Synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives via aromatic nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen

The electrophilic nature of quinoxaline has been explored in the vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS) of hydrogen with various carbanions as nucleophiles in an attempt to develop a general method for functionalizing the heterocyclic ring. Only poorly stabilized nitrile carbanions were found to give the VNS products. 2-Chloroquinoxaline gave products of S_NAr of chlorine preferentially. A variety of quinoxaline derivatives containing cyanoalkyl, sulfonylalkyl, benzyl or ester substituents, including fluorinated ones, have been prepared in the VNS reactions with quinoxaline N-oxide.

Scope of tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalines in CuAAC reactions for the synthesis of triazoloquinoxalines, imidazoloquinoxalines, and rhenium complexes thereof

The conversion of tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalines to 1,2,3-triazoloquinoxalines and triazoloimidazoquinoxalines under typical conditions of a CuAAC reaction has been investigated. Derivatives of the novel compound class of triazoloimidazoquinoxalines (TIQ) and rhenium(I) triazoloquinoxaline complexes as well as a new TIQ rhenium complex were synthesized. As a result, a small 1,2,3-triazoloquinoxaline library was obtained and the method could be expanded towards 4-substituted tetrazoloquinoxalines. The compatibility of various aliphatic and aromatic alkynes towards the reaction was investigated and the denitrogenative annulation towards imidazoloquinoxalines could be observed as a competing reaction depending on the alkyne concentration and the substitutions at the quinoxaline.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of quinoxaline bearing tetrahydropyridine derivatives as anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-tubercular agents

BACKGROUND

Quinoxaline and Tetrahydropyridine derivatives showed various biological properties. The combination of these two scaffolds may contribute to good biological activity and may give novel and efficacious bioactive candidates.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to identify bioactive agents with quinoxaline bearing tetrahydropyridine derivatives possessing anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-tubercular agents.

METHOD

A series of novel quinoxaline bearing tetrahydropyridine derivatives have been designed and synthesized in good yields. The synthetic protocol involves three-component Povarov reactions of 6-amino quinoxaline, propenyl guaethol, and substituted aldehydes using BF3•OEt2 as catalyst. The newly synthesized molecules were evaluated for their anticancer activity against four cell lines, i.e. A-549, MCF-7, PC-3, and HepG2.

RESULTS

The results from in vitro assay indicated that compound 4a proved to be as potent as the standard drug adriamycin against all cell lines with GI50 values <10 μg/ml. Compounds 4b, 4f, and 4i exhibited good cytotoxicity against A-549 cell line. All synthesized molecules were evaluated for their antioxidant activity and the results revealed that the compounds 4a, 4b, and 4i showed promising antioxidant activities against DPPH and H2O2 scavenging. In addition, the anti-mycobacterial activity of the synthesized compounds against MTB H37Rv strain was determined using MABA method. The results indicate that the compounds 4a, 4b, 4g, and 4i showed better anti-mycobacterial activity than the standard drugs pyrazinamide, ciprofloxacin and streptomycin with MIC value 1.6 μg/ml. Furthermore, molecular docking studies and ADME properties showed good pharmacokinetic profile and drug-likeness properties.

CONCLUSION

These studies showed that a series of novel quinoxaline bearing tetrahydropyridine derivatives exhibit anticancer, anti-mycobacterial, and antioxidant activities.

A possible potential COVID-19 drug candidate: Diethyl 2-(2-(2-(3-methyl-2-oxoquinoxalin-1(2H)-yl)acetyl)hydrazono)malonate: Docking of disordered independent molecules of a novel crystal structure, HSA/DFT/XRD and cytotoxicity

This study reports the synthesis, characterization and importance of a novel diethyl 2-(2-(2-(3-methyl-2-oxoquinoxalin-1(2H)-yl)acetyl)hydrazono)malonate (MQOAHM). Two independent molecular structures of the disordered MQOAHM have been established by XRD‑single‑crystal analysis in a ratio of 0.596(3)/0.404(3), MQOAHM (a) and MQOAHM (b), respectively. MQOAHM was characterized by means of various spectroscopic tools ESI-MS, IR, ¹H &¹³C NMR analyses. Density Functional Theory (DFT) method, B3LYP, 6-311++G(d,p) basis set was used to optimize MQOAHM molecule. The obtained theoretical structure and experimental structure were superimposed on each other, and the correlation between them was calculated. The Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) and Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) were created, and the energy gap between these orbitals was calculated. For analyzing intermolecular interactions, Molecular Electrostatic Potential (MEP) and Hirshfeld Surface Analysis were studied. For a fair comparative study, the two forms of the title compound were docked together with 18 approved drugs and N3 under precisely the same conditions. The disordered molecule structure's binding scores against 7BQY were -7.0 and -6.9 kcal/mol^-1 for MQOAHM (a) and MQOAHM (b), respectively. Both the forms show almost identical superimposed structures and scores indicating that the disorder of the molecule, in this study, has no obvious effect. The high binding score of the molecule was attributed to the multi-hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions between the ligand and the receptor's active amino acid residues. Worth pointing out here that the aim of using the free energy in Silico molecular docking approach is to rank the title molecule compared to the wide range of approved drugs and a well-established ligand N3. The binding scores of all the molecules used in this study are ranged from -9.9 to -4.5 kcal/mol^-1. These results and the supporting statistical analyses suggest that this malonate-based ligand merits further research in the context of possible therapeutic agents for COVID-19. Cheap computational techniques, PASS, Way2drug and ADMET, online software tools, were used in this study to uncover the title compound's potential biological activities and cytotoxicity.

Recent advances in the transition-metal-free synthesis of quinoxalines

Quinoxalines, also known as benzo[a]pyrazines, constitute an important class of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds as a result of their widespread prevalence in natural products, biologically active synthetic drug candidates, and optoelectronic materials. Owing to their importance and chemists' ever-increasing imagination of new transformations of these products, tremendous efforts have been dedicated to finding more efficient approaches toward the synthesis of quinoxaline rings. The last decades have witnessed a marvellous outburst in modifying organic synthetic methods to create them sustainable for the betterment of our environment. The exploitation of transition-metal-free catalysis in organic synthesis leads to a new frontier to access biologically active heterocycles and provides an alternative method from the perspective of green and sustainable chemistry. Despite notable developments achieved in transition-metal catalyzed synthesis, the high cost involved in the preparation of the catalyst, toxicity, and difficulty in removing it from the final products constitute disadvantageous effects on the atom economy and eco-friendly nature of the transformation. In this review article, we have summarized the recent progress achieved in the synthesis of quinoxalines under transition-metal-free conditions and cover the reports from 2015 to date. This aspect is presented alongside the mechanistic rationalization and limitations of the reaction methodologies. The scopes of future developments are also highlighted.

Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Biological Evaluation of 2,3-Diphenylquinoxaline Derivatives as a Tubulin's Colchicine Binding Site Inhibitor Based on Primary Virtual Screening

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Tubulin inhibitors have proved to be a promising treatment against cancer. Tubulin inhibitors target different areas in microtubule structure to exert their effects. The colchicine binding site (CBS) is one of them for which there is no FDA-approved drug yet. This makes CBS a desirable target for drug design.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Primary virtual screening is done by developing a possible pharmacophore model of colchicine binding site inhibitors of tubulins, and 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline is chosen as a lead compound to synthesis. In this study, 28 derivatives of 2,3-diphenylquinoxalines are synthesized, and their cytotoxicity is evaluated by the MTT assay in different human cancer cell lines, including AGS (Adenocarcinoma gastric cell line), HT-29 (Human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line), NIH3T3 (Fibroblast cell line), and MCF-7 (Human breast cancer cell).

RESULTS

Furthermore, the activity of the studied compounds was investigated using computational methods involving molecular docking of the 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline derivatives to β-tubulin. The results showed that the compounds with electron donor functionalities in positions 2 and 3 and electron-withdrawing groups in position 6 are the most active tubulin inhibitors.

CONCLUSION

Apart from the high activity of the synthesized compounds, the advantage of this report is the ease of the synthesis, work-up, and isolation of the products in safe, effective, and high-quality isolated yields.

Recent Advances in Computer-aided Antiviral Drug Design Targeting HIV-1 Integrase and Reverse Transcriptase Associated Ribonuclease H

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been a chronic, life-threatening disease for a long time. However, a broad range of antiretroviral drug regimens are applicable for the successful suppression of virus replication in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected people. The mutation-induced drug resistance problems during the treatment of AIDS forced people to continuously look for new antiviral agents. HIV-1 integrase (IN) and reverse transcriptase associated ribonuclease (RT-RNase H), two pivotal enzymes in HIV-1 replication progress, has gain popularity as drug-able targets for designing novel HIV-1 antiviral drugs. During the development of HIV-1 IN and/or RT-RNase H inhibitors, computer-aided drug design (CADD), including homology modeling, pharmacophore, docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and binding free energy calculation, represents a significant tool to accelerate the discovery of new drug candidates and reduce costs in antiviral drug development. In this review, we summarized the recent advances in the design of single-and dual-target inhibitors against HIV-1 IN or/and RT-RNase H as well as the prediction of mutation-induced drug resistance based on computational methods. We highlighted the results of the reported literature and proposed some perspectives on the design of novel and more effective antiviral drugs in the future.

Antiviral Agents - Benzazine Derivatives

The review outlines the results of studies of the antiviral activity of quinoline, quinoxaline, and quinazoline derivatives published over the past 5 years. The supplied data indicate the enormous potential of benzazines for the design of effective antiviral drugs.

Novel Synthetic Routes to Prepare Biologically Active Quinoxalines and Their Derivatives: A Synthetic Review for the Last Two Decades

Quinoxalines, a class of N-heterocyclic compounds, are important biological agents, and a significant amount of research activity has been directed towards this class. They have several prominent pharmacological effects like antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and antimicrobial. Quinoxaline derivatives have diverse therapeutic uses and have become the crucial component in drugs used to treat cancerous cells, AIDS, plant viruses, schizophrenia, certifying them a great future in medicinal chemistry. Due to the current pandemic situation caused by SARS-COVID 19, it has become essential to synthesize drugs to combat deadly pathogens (bacteria, fungi, viruses) for now and near future. Since quinoxalines is an essential moiety to treat infectious diseases, numerous synthetic routes have been developed by researchers, with a prime focus on green chemistry and cost-effective methods. This review paper highlights the various synthetic routes to prepare quinoxaline and its derivatives, covering the literature for the last two decades. A total of 31 schemes have been explained using the green chemistry approach, cost-effective methods, and quinoxaline derivatives' therapeutic uses.

Design and development of Tetrahydro-Quinoline derivatives as dual mTOR-C1/C2 inhibitors for the treatment of lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most prevailed cancer worldwide. Many genes get mutated in lung cancer but the involvement of EGFR, KRAS, PTEN and PIK3CA are more common. Unavailability of potent drugs and resistance to the available drugs are major concern in the treatment of lung cancer. In the present research, mTOR was selected as an important alternative target for the treatment of lung cancer which involves the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. We studied binding interactions of AZD-2014 with the mTOR protein to identify important interactions required to design potent mTOR inhibitors which was supported by QSAR studies. Pharmacophore based virtual screening studies provided core scaffold, THQ. Based on molecular docking interactions, 31 THQ derivatives were synthesized and characterized. All compounds were screened for cellular mTOR enzyme assay along with antiproliferative activity against the panel of cancerous cell lines, from which 6 compounds were further screened for colony forming assay. Two most potent compounds, HB-UC-1 and HB-UC-5, were further screened for flow cytometry analysis, gene expression study and western blot analysis. Gene expression study revealed the efficiency of compound HB-UC-1 against both mTORC1 and mTORC2 by affecting downstream regulators of mTORC1 (E₄BP₄, eIF₄EBP₁) and mTORC2 (PCK1), respectively. In western blot analysis, both compounds, inhibited phosphorylation of AKT S473 which proved the efficiency these compounds against the mTORC2. These two compounds were further screened for in-vivo biological evaluation. Both compounds increased lifespan of cancer-bearing animals with improvement in mean survival time. Further, in bezopyrene induced lung cancer animal model, both compounds showed effectiveness through the biochemical parameters and histopathological evaluation of the lung tissue. In future, potent hit compound from this series could be modified to develop lead mTOR inhibitors for the treatment of lung cancer.

Design, Synthesis, Docking Studies and Biological Activities Novel 2,3- Diaryl-4-Quinazolinone Derivatives as Anti-HIV-1 Agents

BACKGROUND

Although major efforts have been devoted to the effective treatment of HIV-1 infection, it has remained one of the leading causes of deaths around the world. So, development of anti-HIV-1 agents featuring novel structure is essential.

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize novel quinazolinone derivatives and evaluate their anti-HIV-1 activity.

METHOD

In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of novel 2,3-diaryl-4-quinazolinone derivatives using a one-pot multicomponent reaction. Then, the resulting derivatives were evaluated for anti-HIV-1 activity using Hela cell-based single-cycle replication assay.

RESULTS

Most of the compounds showed efficacy against HIV-1 replication and the compound 9c exhibited the highest activity with EC50 value of 37 μM. Docking studies indicated that synthesized compounds can interact with the key residues of the HIV-1 integrase active site. Binding of the most active compound was consistent with the HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.

CONCLUSION

Based on our results, these derivatives represent novel lead compounds for the development of new promising anti-HIV-1 agents.

Quinoxaline Derivatives as Antiviral Agents: A Systematic Review

Background: In recent decades, several viruses have jumped from animals to humans, triggering sizable outbreaks. The current unprecedent outbreak SARS-COV-2 is prompting a search for new cost-effective therapies to combat this deadly pathogen. Suitably functionalized polysubstituted quinoxalines show very interesting biological properties (antiviral, anticancer, and antileishmanial), ensuring them a bright future in medicinal chemistry. Objectives: Focusing on the promising development of new quinoxaline derivatives as antiviral drugs, this review forms part of our program on the anti-infectious activity of quinoxaline derivatives. Methods: Study compiles and discusses recently published studies concerning the therapeutic potential of the antiviral activity of quinoxaline derivatives, covering the literature between 2010 and 2020. Results: A final total of 20 studies included in this review. Conclusions: This review points to a growing interest in the development of compounds bearing a quinoxaline moiety for antiviral treatment. This promising moiety with different molecular targets warrants further investigation, which may well yield even more encouraging results regarding this scaffold.

An Overview of Antiretroviral Agents for Treating HIV Infection in Paediatric Population

Paediatric Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a life-threatening and infectious disease in which the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is mainly transmitted through Mother-To- Child Transmission (MTCT) during pregnancy, labour and delivery, or breastfeeding. This review provides an overview of the distinct therapeutic alternatives to abolish the systemic viral replication in paediatric HIV-1 infection. Numerous classes of antiretroviral agents have emerged as therapeutic tools for downregulation of different steps in the HIV replication process. These classes encompass Non- Nucleoside Analogue Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs), Nucleoside/Nucleotide Analogue Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs/NtRTIs), INtegrase Inhibitors (INIs), Protease Inhibitors (PIs), and Entry Inhibitors (EIs). Co-administration of certain antiretroviral drugs with Pharmacokinetic Enhancers (PEs) may boost the effectiveness of the primary therapeutic agent. The combination of multiple antiretroviral drug regimens (Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy - HAART) is currently the standard therapeutic approach for HIV infection. So far, the use of HAART offers the best opportunity for prolonged and maximal viral suppression, and preservation of the immune system upon HIV infection. Still, the frequent administration of high doses of multiple drugs, their inefficient ability to reach the viral reservoirs in adequate doses, the development of drug resistance, and the lack of patient compliance compromise the complete HIV elimination. The development of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems may enable targeted delivery of antiretroviral agents to inaccessible viral reservoir sites at therapeutic concentrations. In addition, the application of Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) approaches has provided valuable tools for the development of anti-HIV drug candidates with favourable pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic properties.

Biological activity of esters of quinoxaline-7-carboxylate 1,4-di-N-oxide against E. histolytica and their analysis as potential thioredoxin reductase inhibitors

Amoebiasis is caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica that affects millions of people throughout the world. The standard treatment is metronidazole, however, this drug causes several side effects, and is also mutagenic and carcinogenic. Therefore, the search for therapeutic alternatives is necessary. Quinoxaline 1,4-di-N-oxides (QdNOs) derivatives have been shown to exhibit activity against different protozoan. In the present study, the effects of esters of quinoxaline-7-carboxylate 1,4-di-N-oxide (7-carboxylate QdNOs) derivatives on E. histolytica proliferation, morphology, ultrastructure, and oxidative stress were evaluated, also their potential as E. histolytica thioredoxin reductase (EhTrxR) inhibitors was analyzed. In vitro tests showed that 12 compounds from n-propyl and isopropyl series, were more active (IC₅₀ = 0.331 to 3.56 μM) than metronidazole (IC₅₀ = 4.5 μM). The compounds with better biological activity have a bulky, trifluoromethyl and isopropyl group at R1-, R2-, and R3-position, respectively. The main alterations found in trophozoites treated with some of these compounds included changes in chromatin, cell granularity, redistribution of vacuoles with cellular debris, and an increase in reactive oxygen species. Interestingly, docking studies suggested that 7-carboxylate QdNOs derivatives could interact with amino acid residues of the NADPH-binding domain and/or the redox-active site of EhTrxR. Enzymatic assays demonstrated that selected 7-carboxylate QdNOs inhibits EhTrxR disulfide reductase activity, and diaphorase activity shows that these compounds could act as electron acceptor substrates for the enzyme. Taken together, these data indicate that among the mechanisms involved in the antiamoebic effect of the 7-carboxylate QdNOs derivatives studied, is the induction of oxidative stress and the inhibition of EhTrxR activity.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of quinoxaline compounds as anti-HIV agents targeting reverse transcriptase enzyme

Infection by human immunodeficiency virus still represents a continuous serious concern and a global threat to human health. Due to appearance of multi-resistant virus strains and the serious adverse side effects of the antiretroviral therapy administered, there is an urgent need for the development of new treatment agents, more active, less toxic and with increased tolerability to mutations. Quinoxaline derivatives are an emergent class of heterocyclic compounds with a wide spectrum of biological activities and therapeutic applications. These types of compounds have also shown high potency in the inhibition of HIV reverse transcriptase and HIV replication in cell culture. For these reasons we propose, in this work, the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of quinoxaline derivatives targeting HIV reverse transcriptase enzyme. For this, we first carried out a structure-based development of target-specific compound virtual chemical library of quinoxaline derivatives. The rational construction of the virtual chemical library was based on previously assigned pharmacophore features. This library was processed by a virtual screening protocol employing molecular docking and 3D-QSAR. Twenty-five quinoxaline compounds were selected for synthesis in the basis of their docking and 3D-QSAR scores and chemical synthetic simplicity. They were evaluated as inhibitors of the recombinant wild-type reverse transcriptase enzyme. Finally, the anti-HIV activity and cytotoxicity of the synthesized quinoxaline compounds with highest reverse transcriptase inhibitory capabilities was evaluated. This simple screening strategy led to the discovery of two selective and potent quinoxaline reverse transcriptase inhibitors with high selectivity index.

Synthetic routes and structure-activity relationships (SAR) of anti-HIV agents: A key review

The worldwide increase of AIDS, an epidemic infection in constant development has an essential and still requires potent antiretroviral chemotherapeutic agents for reducing the integer of deaths caused by HIV. Thus, there is an urgent need for new anti-HIV drug candidates with increased strength, new targets, superior pharmacokinetic properties, and compact side effects. From this viewpoint, we first review present strategies of anti-HIV drug innovation and the synthesis of heterocyclic or natural compound as anti-HIV agents for facilitating the development of more influential and successful anti-HIV agents.

Green synthesis of enantiopure quinoxaline alcohols using Daucus carota

Green chemistry comprises a new approach in the synthesis of biologically active compounds using biocatalysts, thus diminishing the hazards for human health and environmental pollution. Asymmetric bioreduction is one of the most widely employed strategies in chemoenzymatic synthesis to produce enantiomerically pure chiral alcohols. The present study highlights the use biocatalyst Daucus carota for selective bioreduction of quinoxaline ketones 1a-6a to their corresponding optically pure alcohols 1b-6b in high yields (up to 84%) and good enantioselectivity (up to 98%). The absolute configuration of the chiral product (R)-1-(3-methyl 7-nitroquinoxalin-2-yl) ethan-1-ol 2b was confirmed by X-ray crystallography studies. The chiral R-configuration of the products obtained was confirmed by absolute configuration studies and was assigned following anti-Prelogs rule. Quinoxaline pharmacophores form a part of well-known potent drug molecules; hence, the chiral products were studied for determination of their molecular properties using SwissADME property analyser. All the chiral products show no Lipinski rule violations and are expected to have good oral bioavailability. As per the molecular properties prediction studies, the compound 6b (R)-1-(6,7-dichloro-3- methylquinoxalin-2-yl) ethanol is observed to show the best physicochemical properties to be a good lead molecule. Thus, the sustainable methodology was developed, and it confirms the synthesis of novel quinoxaline chiral alcohols in a simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly condition using D carota.

Quinoxaline: An insight into the recent pharmacological advances

Quinoxaline, a fused heterocycle of benzene and pyrazine rings has gained considerable attention in the field of contemporary medicinal chemistry. The moiety is of substantial importance because of its wide array of pharmacological activities viz. anti-cancer, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-HIV etc. Diversely substituted quinoxalines are important therapeutic agents in the pharmaceutical industry. This review focusses on the quinoxaline derivatives developed during the last decennial period and their biomedical applications. A compilation of patents on quinoxaline is also included herein.