Design, synthesis, and biological properties of new bis(acridine-4-carboxamides) as anticancer agents

Synthesis of acridones via Ir(III)-catalyzed amination annulation of oxazoles with anthranils

An unprecedented Ir(III)-catalyzed C-H activation/amination/annulation of 2-phenyloxazoles with anthranils for the highly selective preparation of acridone derivatives in one-pot under controlled conditions is reported. This protocol is characterized by atom economy and high regioselectivity. A wide range of anthranils with 2-phenyloxazoles were well tolerated and afforded the desired products in moderate to good yields, in which the anthranil serves as a convenient amination reagent.

A comprehensive review on acridone based derivatives as future anti-cancer agents and their structure activity relationships

The development of drug resistance and severe side-effects has reduced the clinical efficacy of the existing anti-cancer drugs available in the market. Thus, there is always a constant need to develop newer anti-cancer drugs with minimal adverse effects. Researchers all over the world have been focusing on various alternative strategies to discover novel, potent, and target specific molecules for cancer therapy. In this direction, several heterocyclic compounds are being explored but amongst them one promising heterocycle is acridone which has attracted the attention of medicinal chemists and gained huge biological importance as acridones are found to act on different therapeutically proven molecular targets, overcome ABC transporters mediated drug resistance and DNA intercalation in cancer cells. Some of these acridone derivatives have reached clinical studies as these heterocycles have shown huge potential in cancer therapeutics and imaging. Here, the authors have attempted to compile and make some recommendations of acridone based derivatives concerning their cancer biological targets and in vitro-cytotoxicity based on drug design and novelty to increase their therapeutic potential. This review also provides some important insights on the design, receptor targeting and future directions for the development of acridones as possible clinically effective anti-cancer agents.

Dimeric Drugs

This review intends to summarize the structures of an extensive number of symmetrical-dimeric drugs, having two monomers linked via a bridging entity while emphasizing the large versatility of biologically active substances reported to possess dimeric structures. The largest number of classes of these compounds consist of anticancer agents, antibiotics/antimicrobials, and anti-AIDS drugs. Other symmetrical-dimeric drugs include antidiabetics, antidepressants, analgesics, anti-inflammatories, drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, anticholesterolemics, estrogenics, antioxidants, enzyme inhibitors, anti-Parkisonians, laxatives, antiallergy compounds, cannabinoids, etc. Most of the articles reviewed do not compare the activity/potency of the dimers to that of their corresponding monomers. Only in limited cases, various suggestions have been made to justify unexpected higher activity of the dimers vs. the corresponding monomers. These suggestions include statistical effects, the presence of dimeric receptors, binding of a dimer to two receptors simultaneously, and others. It is virtually impossible to predict which dimers will be preferable to their respective monomers, or which linking bridges will lead to the most active compounds. It is expected that the extensive number of articles summarized, and the large variety of substances mentioned, which display various biological activities, should be of interest to many academic and industrial medicinal chemists.

What Can Electrochemical Methods Offer in Determining DNA-Drug Interactions?

The interactions of compounds with DNA have been studied since the recognition of the role of nucleic acid in organisms. The design of molecules which specifically interact with DNA sequences allows for the control of the gene expression. Determining the type and strength of such interaction is an indispensable element of pharmaceutical studies. Cognition of the therapeutic action mechanisms is particularly important for designing new drugs. Owing to their sensitivity, simplicity, and low costs, electrochemical methods are increasingly used for this type of research. Compared to other techniques, they require a small number of samples and are characterized by a high reliability. These methods can provide information about the type of interaction and the binding strength, as well as the damage caused by biologically active molecules targeting the cellular DNA. This review paper summarizes the various electrochemical approaches used for the study of the interactions between pharmaceuticals and DNA. The main focus is on the papers from the last decade, with particular attention on the voltammetric techniques. The most preferred experimental approaches, the electrode materials and the new methods of modification are presented. The data on the detection ranges, the binding modes and the binding constant values of pharmaceuticals are summarized. Both the importance of the presented research and the importance of future prospects are discussed.

Intercalating Electron Dyes for TEM Visualization of DNA at the Single-Molecule Level

Staining compounds containing heavy elements (electron dyes) can facilitate the visualization of DNA and related biomolecules by using TEM. However, research into the synthesis and utilization of alternative electron dyes has been limited. Here, we report the synthesis of a novel DNA intercalator molecule, bis‐acridine uranyl (BAU). NMR spectroscopy and MS confirmed the validity of the synthetic strategy and gel electrophoresis verified the binding of BAU to DNA. For TEM imaging of DNA, two‐dimensional DNA origami nanostructures were used as a robust microscopy test object. By using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging, which is favored over conventional wide‐field TEM for improved contrast, and therefore, quantitative image analysis, it is found that the synthesized BAU intercalator can render DNA visible, even at the single‐molecule scale. For comparison, other staining compounds with a purported affinity towards DNA, such as dichloroplatinum, cisplatin, osmium tetroxide, and uranyl acetate, have been evaluated. The STEM contrast is discussed in terms of the DNA–dye association constants, number of dye molecules bound per base pair, and the electron‐scattering capacity of the metal‐containing ligands. These findings pave the way for the future development of electron dyes with specific DNA‐binding motifs for high‐resolution TEM imaging.

Boron Trifluoride Etherate Promoted Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Antimalarial Acridones

A microwave-assisted, rapid and efficient method using boron trifluoride etherate (BF₃.Et₂O) for the synthesis of acridones, via an intramolecular acylation of N-phenylanthranilic acid derivatives, has been developed. The reaction proceeds under solvent-free conditions, tolerates a wide range of functional groups, and provides rapid access to a range of acridones in good to excellent yields. Several of the synthesized acridones exhibited potent antimalarial activities against CQ sensitive and multi-drug resistant (MDR) parasites.

Medicinal chemistry of acridine and its analogues

'Acridine' along with its functional analogue 'Acridone' is the most privileged pharmacophore in medicinal chemistry with diverse applications ranging from DNA intercalators, endonuclease mimics, ratiometric selective ion sensors, and P-glycoprotein inhibitors in countering the multi-drug resistance, enzyme inhibitors, and reversals of neurodegenerative disorders. Their interaction with DNA and ability of selectively identifying numerous biologically useful ions has cemented exploitability of the acridone nucleus in modern day therapeutics. Additionally, most derivatives and salts of acridine are planar, crystalline, and stable displaying a strong fluorescence which, when coupled with their marked bio selectivity and low cytotoxicity, enables the studying and monitoring of several biochemical, metabolic, and pharmacological processes. In this review, a detailed picture covering the important therapeutic aspects of the acridone nucleus and its functional analogues is discussed.

A review on acridinylthioureas and its derivatives: biological and cytotoxic activity

Acridines possess two characteristics that have led many researchers to consider the agents interesting targets for future development as potential farmacophores: the planar acridine skeleton, which is able to intercalate into DNA, and the intense fluorescence of the agents. This review offers a study of the multifunctional character of acridines and the synthesis of novel acridine derivatives, with particular focus being placed on isothiocyanates and their congeners, e.g. thioureas, isothioureas, quaternary ammonium salts and platinum/gold conjugates. The review provides an overview of the structure, spectral properties, DNA binding and biological activity of acridinylthiourea congeners. These acridinylthiourea derivatives display significant cytotoxic activities against different types of cancer cell lines at micromolar concentrations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Synthesis and evaluation of the antitumor activity of polyhalo acridone derivatives

A series of polyhalo acridone heterocyclic compounds were synthesized and evaluated for theirin vitroantitumor activity. Compounds4d,4o,5jand5kshowed good antineoplastic selectivity.

Developing bivalent ligands to target CUG triplet repeats, the causative agent of myotonic dystrophy type 1

An expanded CUG repeat transcript (CUG(exp)) is the causative agent of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) by sequestering muscleblind-like 1 protein (MBNL1), a regulator of alternative splicing. On the basis of a ligand (1) that was previously reported to be active in an in vitro assay, we present the synthesis of a small library containing 10 dimeric ligands (4-13) that differ in length, composition, and attachment point of the linking chain. The oligoamino linkers gave a greater gain in affinity for CUG RNA and were more effective when compared to oligoether linkers. The most potent in vitro ligand (9) was shown to be aqueous-soluble and both cell- and nucleus-permeable, displaying almost complete dispersion of MBNL1 ribonuclear foci in a DM1 cell model. Direct evidence for the bioactivity of 9 was observed in its ability to disperse ribonuclear foci in individual live DM1 model cells using time-lapse confocal fluorescence microscopy.

3,6-bis(3-alkylguanidino)acridines as DNA-intercalating antitumor agents

A series of 3,6-bis(3-alkylguanidino) acridines was prepared and the interaction of these novel compounds with calf thymus DNA was investigated with UV-vis, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy, in addition to DNA melting techniques. The binding constants K were estimated to range from 1.25 to 5.26 × 10(5) M(-1), and the percentage of hypochromism was found to be 17-42% (from spectral titration). UV-vis, fluorescence and circular dichroism measurements indicated that the compounds act as effective DNA-intercalating agents. Electrophoretic separation proved that ligands 6a-e relaxed topoisomerase I at a concentration of 60 μM, although only those with longer alkyl chains were able to penetrate cell membranes and suppress cell proliferation effectively. The biological activity of novel compounds was assessed using different techniques (cell cycle distribution, phosphatidylserine externalization, caspase-3 activation, changes in mitochondrial membrane potential) and demonstrated mostly transient cytostatic action of the ethyl 6c and pentyl 6d derivatives. The hexyl derivative 6e proved to be the most cytotoxic. Different patterns of cell penetration were also observed for individual derivatives. Principles of molecular dynamics were applied to explore DNA-ligand interactions at the molecular level.

Natural and synthetic acridines/acridones as antitumor agents: their biological activities and methods of synthesis

Acridine derivatives constitute a class of compounds that are being intensively studied as potential anticancer drugs. Acridines are well-known for their high cytotoxic activity; however, their clinical application is limited or even excluded because of side effects. Numerous synthetic methods are focused on the preparation of target acridine skeletons or modifications of naturally occurring compounds, such as acridone alkaloids, that exhibit promising anticancer activities. They have been examined in vitro and in vivo to test their importance for cancer treatment and to establish the mechanism of action at both the molecular and cellular level, which is necessary for the optimization of their properties so that they are suitable in chemotherapy. In this article, we review natural and synthetic acridine/acridone analogs, their application as anticancer drugs and methods for their preparation.

Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of a new potential DNA bisintercalator: 1,4-Bis{3-[N-(4-chlorobenzo[g]phthalazin-1-yl)aminopropyl]}piperazine

The synthesis of new 1,4-bisalkylamino (2-4) and 1-alkylamino-4-chloro (5-6) substituted benzo[g]phthalazines is reported. Compounds 2-4 and 6 were prepared both in the free and heteroaromatic ring protonated forms. Bifunctional 6 contains the 1,4-bisaminopropylpiperazine chain as a linker between the two heteroaromatic units, whereas 5 is its monofunctional analogue. The in vitro antitumour activity of the synthesized compounds has been tested against human colon, breast and lung carcinoma cells, and also against human glioblastoma cells. Results obtained show that all of them are active in all cases, but bifunctional 6.2HCl is remarkably effective against the four cell lines tested, exhibiting IC50 values in the range of 10(-7) M, similar to those found for doxorubicin. The bifunctional structure of 6.2HCl enhances activity with respect to the monofunctional related compounds 5 and 7, leading to the highest activity among all the compounds tested. Molecular modelling of 6 suggests that those results could be indicative of DNA bisintercalation, which should be specially favoured in the diprotonated form 6.2HCl, a compound suitable for being studied more in depth in further biological tests. Measure of the DNA thermal melting curves show that the linear rise in Tm for bifunctional 6.2HCl is nearly twice than that one obtained for monofunctional 5, and supports the DNA-binding hypothesis.

Synthesis of acridines by the [4 + 2] annulation of arynes and 2-aminoaryl ketones

The reaction of 2-aminoaryl ketones and arynes generated by the treatment of various o-(trimethylsilyl)aryl triflates with CsF results in [4 + 2] annulation to afford substituted acridines in good yields.

New hopes from old drugs: revisiting DNA-binding small molecules as anticancer agents

Most of the anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs that are broadly and successfully used today are DNA-damaging agents. Targeting of DNA has been proven to cause relatively potent and selective destruction of tumor cells. However, the clinical potential of DNA-damaging agents is limited by the adverse side effects and increased risk of secondary cancers that are consequences of the agents' genotoxicity. In this review, we present evidence that those agents capable of targeting DNA without inducing DNA damage would not be limited in these ways, and may be as potent as DNA-damaging agents in the killing of tumor cells. We use as an example literature data and our own research of the well-known antimalarial drug quinacrine, which binds to DNA without inducing DNA damage, yet modulates a number of cellular pathways that impact tumor cell survival.

Tuning the DNA conformational perturbations induced by cytotoxic platinum-acridine bisintercalators: effect of metal cis/trans isomerism and DNA threading groups

Four highly charged, water soluble platinum-acridine bisintercalating agents have been synthesized. Depending on the cis/trans isomerism of the metal and the nature of the acridine side chains, bisintercalation induces/stabilizes the classical Watson-Crick B-form or a non-B-form. Circular dichroism spectra and chemical footprinting experiments suggest that 4, the most active derivative in HL-60 cells, produces a structurally severely perturbed DNA with features of a Hoogsteen base-paired biopolymer.

Bis-acridines as lead antiparasitic agents: structure-activity analysis of a discrete compound library in vitro

Parasitic diseases are of enormous public health significance in developing countries-a situation compounded by the toxicity of and resistance to many current chemotherapeutics. We investigated a focused library of 18 structurally diverse bis-acridine compounds for in vitro bioactivity against seven protozoan and one helminth parasite species and compared the bioactivities and the cytotoxicities of these compounds toward various mammalian cell lines. Structure-activity relationships demonstrated the influence of both the bis-acridine linker structure and the terminal acridine heterocycle on potency and cytotoxicity. The bioactivity of polyamine-linked acridines required a minimum linker length of approximately 10 A. Increasing linker length resulted in bioactivity against most parasites but also cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells. N alkylation, but less so N acylation, of the polyamine linker ameliorated cytotoxicity while retaining bioactivity with 50% effective concentration (EC(50)) values similar to or better than those measured for standard drugs. Substitution of the polyamine for either an alkyl or a polyether linker maintained bioactivity and further alleviated cytotoxicity. Polyamine-linked compounds in which the terminal acridine heterocycle had been replaced with an aza-acridine also maintained acceptable therapeutic indices. The most potent compounds recorded low- to mid-nanomolar EC(50) values against Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma brucei; otherwise, low-micromolar potencies were measured. Importantly, the bioactivity of the library was independent of P. falciparum resistance to chloroquine. Compound bioactivity was a function of neither the potential to bis-intercalate DNA nor the inhibition of trypanothione reductase, an important drug target in trypanosomatid parasites. Our approach illustrates the usefulness of screening focused compound libraries against multiple parasite targets. Some of the bis-acridines identified here may represent useful starting points for further lead optimization.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new asymmetrical bisintercalators as potential antitumor drugs

The good results obtained in the past decade with various types of potential bisintercalating agents, e.g., LU 79553, DMP 840, BisBFI, MCI3335, WMC-26, BisAC, BisPA, and the asymmetrical derivative WMC-79 (Chart 1), prompted us to investigate a new series of asymmetrical bisintercalators, compounds 1a-t (Chart 2), which can combine the potentiality of bisintercalation with a possible different mechanism of action due to two diverse chromophores. The DNA-binding properties of these compounds have been examined using fluorometric techniques: target compounds are excellent DNA ligands, with a clear preference for binding to AT-rich duplexes. In vitro cytotoxicity of these derivatives toward human hormone-refractory prostate adenocarcinoma cell line (PC-3) is described. Apoptosis assays of four selected compounds are also reported. Very potent cytotoxic compounds, some of them capable of inducing early apoptosis, have been identified.

Linker-modified triamine-linked acridine dimers: synthesis and cytotoxicity properties in vitro and in vivo

The preparation and cytotoxicity properties of a series of N(epsilon)-substituted triamine-linked acridine dimers are described. Most acridine dimer derivatives reveal highly potent in vitro cytotoxicity properties and DNA binding activity. Several acridine dimers were selected to study their action in vivo. These acridine dimers have demonstrated a narrow safe margin, as has adriamycin, but higher maximum tolerate dose (MTD) in comparison with that of adriamycin in ICR mice. The acridine dimers also demonstrated various anit-COLO 205 solid tumor activities in vivo. Compound 1 has shown the most potent solid tumor inhibition.

Characterization of the bisintercalative DNA binding mode of a bifunctional platinum-acridine agent

The DNA interactions of PT-BIS(ACRAMTU) ([Pt(en)(ACRAMTU)2](NO3)4; ACRAMTU = 1-[2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl]-1,3-dimethylthiourea, en = ethylenediamine), a bifunctional platinum-acridine conjugate, have been studied in native and synthetic double-stranded DNAs and model duplexes using various biophysical techniques. These include ethidium-DNA fluorescence quenching and thermal melting experiments, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and plasmid unwinding assays. In addition, the binding mode was studied in a short octamer by NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with molecular modeling. In alternating copolymers, PT-BIS(ACRAMTU) shows a distinct preference for poly(dA-dT)2, which is approximately 3-fold higher than that of ACRAMTU. In the ligand-oligomer complex, d(GCTATAGC)2.PT-BIS(ACRAMTU) (complex I*), PT-BIS(ACRAMTU) increases the thermal stability of the B-form host duplex by DeltaT(m) > 30 K (CD and UV melting experiments). The agent unwinds pSP73 plasmid DNA by 44(+/-2) degrees per bound molecule, indicating bisintercalative binding. A 2-D NMR study unequivocally demonstrates that PT-BIS(ACRAMTU)'s chromophores deeply bisintercalate into the 5'-TA/TA base pair steps in I*, while the platinum linker lies in the minor groove. An AMBER model reflecting the NMR results shows that bracketing of the central AT base pairs in a classical nearest neighbor excluded fashion is feasible. PT-BIS(ACRAMTU) inhibits DNA hydrolysis by BstZ17 I at the enzyme's restriction site, GTA downward arrowTAC. Possible consequences for other relevant DNA-protein interactions, such as those involved in TATA-box-mediated transcription initiation and the utility of the platinum-intercalator technology for the design of sequence-specific agents are discussed.

Synthesis and anti-cancer activity of dinuclear platinum(ii) complexes containing bis(thioalkyl)dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12) ligands

A series of novel, dinuclear (2,2':6',2''-terpyridine)platinum(ii) complexes containing bis(thioalkyl)-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12)(carborane) ligands were prepared and characterised, and their preliminary anti-cancer characteristics have been determined in vitro; the complexes are the first examples of bis-intercalator complexes containing a boron-rich carborane cage.

Rational Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Bis(pyrimido[5,6,1-de]acridines) and Bis(pyrazolo[3,4,5-kl]acridine-5-carboxamides) as New Anticancer Agents

The good results obtained with pyrimido[5,6,1-de]acridines 7 and with pyrazolo[3,4,5-kl]acridinecarboxamides 8 prompted us to the synthesis of two new series of bis acridine derivatives: the bis(pyrimidoacridines) 5 and the bis(pyrazoloacridinecarboxamides) 6. Compounds 5 can be regarded also as cyclized derivatives of bis(acridine-4-carboxamides) 3 and compounds 6 as cyclized derivatives of bis(acridine-4-carboxamides) 4. The noncovalent DNA-binding properties of these compounds have been examined using fluorometric techniques. The results indicate that (i) the target compounds are excellent DNA ligands; (ii) the bis derivatives 5 and 6 are more DNA-affinic than corresponding monomers 7 and 8; (iii) the new bis 5 and 6 result always less efficient in binding than related bis(acridine-4-carboxamides) 3 and 4; and (iv) in both series 5 and 6 a clear, remarkable in some cases, preference for binding to AT rich duplexes can be noted. In vitro cytotoxic potency of these derivatives toward the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT29) is described and compared to that of reference drugs. Structure-activity relationships are discussed. We could identify six very potent cytotoxic compounds for further in vitro studies: a cytotoxic screening against six human cancer cell lines and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) screening on 60 human tumor cell lines. Finally, compound 6a was selected for evaluation in a NCI in vivo hollow fiber assay.