Synthesis and anticancer activity of some new pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4-one derivatives

Pyrazolo - Pyrimidines as Targeted Anticancer Scaffolds - A Comprehensive Review

BACKGROUND

Globally, cancer is the leading cause of death, which causes 10 million deaths yearly. Clinically, several drugs are used in treatment but due to drug resistance and multidrug resistance, there occurs a failure in the cancer treatment.

OBJECTIVES

The present review article is a comprehensive review of pyrazole and pyrimidine hybrids as potential anticancer agents.

METHODS

The review comprises more than 60 research works done in this field. The efficiency of the reported pyrazolopyrimidine fused heterocyclic with their biological data and the influence of the structural aspects of the molecule have been discussed.

RESULTS

This review highlighted pyrazolo-pyrimidines as targeted anticancer agents with effect on multiple targets.

CONCLUSION

The review will be helpful for the researchers involved in targeted drugs for cancer therapy for designing new scaffolds with pyrazolo-pyrimidine moieties.

Design, synthesis, and docking studies of novel pyrazole-based scaffolds and their evaluation as VEGFR2 inhibitors in the treatment of prostate cancer

Since VEGFR-2 plays a crucial role in tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis, it is a prospective target for cancer treatment. In this work, a series of 3-phenyl-4-(2-substituted phenylhydrazono)-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-ones (3a-l) were synthesized and investigated for their cytotoxicity against the PC-3 human cancer cell line compared to Doxorubicin and Sorafenib as reference drugs. Two compounds 3a and 3i showed comparable cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values of 1.22 and 1.24 μM compared to the reference drugs (IC₅₀ = 0.932, 1.13 μM). Compound 3i was found to be the most effective VEGFR-2 inhibitor using in vitro testing of the synthesized compounds, with nearly 3-fold higher activity than Sorafenib (30 nM), with IC₅₀ 8.93 nM. Compound 3i significantly stimulated total apoptotic prostate cancer cell death 55.2-fold (34.26% compared to 0.62% for the control) arresting the cell cycle at the S-phase. The genes involved in apoptosis were also impacted, with proapoptotic genes being upregulated and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 being downregulated. These results were supported by docking studies of these two compounds within the active site of the VEGFR2 enzyme. Finally, in vivo, the study revealed the potentiality of compound 3i to inhibit tumor proliferation by 49.8% reducing the tumor weight from 234.6 mg in untreated mice to 83.2 mg. Therefore, 3i could be a promising anti-prostate cancer agent.

Benzochromenopyrimidines: Synthesis, Antiproliferative Activity against Colorectal Cancer and Physicochemical Properties

Ten new differently substituted 3-benzyl-5-aryl-3,5-dihydro-4H-benzo[6,7]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4,6,11-triones 3 were synthesized by a simple and cost-efficient procedure in a one-pot, three-component reaction from readily available ethyl 2-amino-4-aryl-5,10-dioxo-5,10-dihydro-4H-benzo[g]chromene-3-carboxylates, benzylamine and triethyl orthoformate under solvent- and catalyst-free conditions. All the new compounds were screened for their antiproliferative activity against two colorectal-cancer-cell lines. The results showed that the compounds 3-benzyl-5-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-benzo[6,7]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,6,11-trione (3a) and 3-benzyl-5-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3,5-dihydro-4H-benzo[6,7]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,6,11-trione (3g) exhibited the most potent balanced inhibitory activity against human LoVo and HCT-116 cancer cells.

Synthesis of Chalcones Derivatives and Their Biological Activities: A Review

Chalcone derivatives are considered valuable species because they possess a ketoethylenic moiety, CO-CH=CH-. Due to the presence of a reactive α,β-unsaturated carbonyl group, chalcones and their derivatives possess a wide spectrum of antiproliferative, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antileishmanial, and antimalarial pharmacological properties. Recent developments in heterocyclic chemistry have led to the synthesis of chalcone derivatives, which had been biologically investigated toward certain disease targets. The major aspect of this review is to present the most recent synthesis of chalcones bearing N, O, and/or S heterocycles, revealing their biological potential during the past decade (2010-2021). Based on a review of the literature, many chalcone-heterocycle hybrids appear to exhibit promise as future drug candidates owing to their similar or superior activities compared to those of the standards. Thus, this review may prove to be beneficial for the development and design of new potent therapeutic drugs based on previously developed strategies.

The effect of novel synthetic semicarbazone- and thiosemicarbazone-linked 1,2,3-triazoles on the apoptotic markers, VEGFR-2, and cell cycle of myeloid leukemia

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor II (VEGFR-2) has been proved as a rational target in cancer therapy. Although currently prescribed VEGFR-2 inhibitors are showing potent antitumor activity, they are often causing serious unwanted effects, restricting their extensive use as chemotherapeutics. Herein, after analyzing the structures of the effective VEGFR-2 inhibitor molecules, we report the synthesis of a new set of semicarbazone- and thiosemicarbazone-linked 1,2,3-triazoles with expected potency of inhibiting the VEGFR-2 signaling. The design of new compounds considered maintaining the essential pharmacophoric features of sorafenib for effective binding with the receptor target. All compounds have been evaluated for their growth inhibition effect against a panel of sixty cancer cells at the National Cancer Institute. Leukemia cancer cells, especially HL-60 and SR, were shown to be the most sensitive to the cytotoxic effect of new compounds. Thiosemicarbazones 21, 26, and 30 exhibited the best activity against almost all tested cancer cells. Therefore, a set of subsequent in vitro biological evaluations has been performed to understand the mechanistic effect of these compounds further. They inhibited the VEGFR-2 with IC₅₀ values of 0.128, 0.413, and 0.067 µM respectively compared with 0.048 µM of Sorafenib. The probable mechanistic effect of 30 has been further evaluated on a number of apoptotic and antiapoptotic markers including BAX, BCL2, caspase-3, and caspase-9. Results revealed the potential of the thiosemicarbazone-linked triazole 30 to induce both the early and the late apoptosis, elevate BAX/BCL2 ratio, induce caspase-3 & caspase-9, and arrest the HL-60 cell cycle at the G2/M and G0-G1 phases. Molecular docking of new semicarbazones and thiosemicarbazones into the proposed biological target receptor has also been performed. Results of docking studies proved the potential of new semicarbazone- and thiosemicarbazone-linked 1,2,3-triazoles to effectively bind with crucial residues of the VEGFR-2 binding pocket.

Synthesis of Pyrimidine Hybrids Based on 4H-Pyran and 4H-Chromene Privileged Structures

Abstract:

A combinatorial library of pyrimidine hybrids based on 4H-chromene and 4H-pyran privileged structures have been developed by reaction of phenyl isothiocyanate with chromene derivatives 1a-j and pyranopyrazoles 2a-f in refluxing dry pyridine, respectively. Thus, the target pyrimidine hybrids 3a-j and 4a-f were obtained in good yields with a simple reaction strategy.

Pyrimidine-fused Dinitrogenous Penta-heterocycles as a Privileged Scaffold for Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery

Pyrimidine-fused derivatives that are the inextricable part of DNA and RNA play a key role in the normal life cycle of cells. Pyrimidine-fused dinitrogenous penta-heterocycles including pyrazolopyrimidines and imidazopyrimidines is a special class of pyrimidine-fused compounds contributing to an important portion in anti-cancer drug discovery, which have been discovered as core structure for promising anti-cancer agents used in clinic or clinical evaluations. Pyrimidine-fused dinitrogenous penta-heterocycles have become one privileged scaffold for anti-cancer drug discovery. This review consists of the recent progress of pyrimidine-fused dinitrogenous penta-heterocycles as anti-cancer agents and their synthetic strategies. In addition, this review also summarizes some key structure-activity relationships (SARs) of pyrimidine-fused dinitrogenous penta-heterocycle derivatives as anti-cancer agents.

A novel heterocyclic compound inhibits human breast tumor cells via ROS mediated apoptosis

The new heterocyclic compound 2-((6-chloro-2-methylpyrimidin-4-yl)amino)-N-(2-chloro-6-methylphenyl) thiazole-5-carboxamide (1), designed using 2-chloro-N-(2-chloro-6-methylphenyl)thiazole-5-carboxamide (2) as start material, was successfully obtained via multistep synthesis route and finally characterized by IR (infrared radiation), 1H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The inhibitory effect of compound 1 on human breast tumor cell line BS524 was further explored. The MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) values suggested that compound 1 has significant anti-proliferation activity on BS524 cells and with low side effect. Then, serial experiments, such as the Annexin V-FITC/PI assay, TUNEL staining and autophagy detection revealed that compound 1 could inhibit cell proliferation via induce cells apoptosis, and the apoptosis is induced by (reactive oxygen species) ROS generation in BS524 cells.

Novel piperazine-chalcone hybrids and related pyrazoline analogues targeting VEGFR-2 kinase; design, synthesis, molecular docking studies, and anticancer evaluation

New piperazine–chalcone hybrids and related pyrazoline derivatives have been designed and synthesised as potential vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) inhibitors. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has selected six compounds to evaluate their antiproliferative activity in vitro against 60 human cancer cells lines. Preliminary screening of the examined compounds indicated promising anticancer activity against number of cell lines. The enzyme inhibitory activity against VEGFR-2 was evaluated and IC₅₀ of the tested compounds ranged from 0.57 µM to 1.48 µM. The most potent derivatives Vd and Ve were subjected to further investigations. A cell cycle analysis showed that both compounds mainly arrest HCT-116 cell cycle in the G2/M phase. Annexin V-FITC apoptosis assay showed that Vd and Ve induced an approximately 18.7-fold and 21.2-fold total increase in apoptosis compared to the control. Additionally, molecular docking study was performed against VEGFR (PDB ID: 4ASD) using MOE 2015.10 software and Sorafenib as a reference ligand.

Overview of recent developments of pyrazole derivatives as an anticancer agent in different cell line

Pyrazole is a five-membered aromatic heterocyclic ring with two adjacent nitrogen atoms C₃H₃N₂H.The presence of this nucleus in pharmacological agents of various therapeutic categories gifts a broad spectrum of biological activities and pharmaceuticals that contain pyrazole like celecoxib (anti-inflammatory), CDPPB (antipsychotic), Rimonabant (anti-obesity), Difenamizole, (Analgesic), Betazole (H2 receptor agonist), Fezolamide (Antidepressant), etc… The pharmacological potential of the pyrazole fraction is proved in many publication where they synthesized and evaluated pyrazoles against several biological agents. The aim of this article review is to survey recent works linking pyrazole structures to anticancer activities corresponding to 9 different type of cancer.

Design, Synthesis and Therapeutic Potential of Some 6, 6'-(1,4- phenylene)bis(4-(4-bromophenyl)pyrimidin-2-amine)analogues

Conclusion:

Anticancer screening of the synthesized compounds using Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay demonstrated that compounds 2y (IC50 = 0.01 µmol/mL) and 4y (IC50= 0.02 µmol/mL) have high antiproliferative potential against human colorectal carcinoma cancer cell line than the reference drug (5- fluorouracil) and these compounds also showed best dock score with better potency within the ATP binding pocket and may also be used lead for rational drug designing.</P>

Synthesis, Molecular Docking and Anticancer Activity of Diflunisal Derivatives as Cyclooxygenase Enzyme Inhibitors

Cyclooxygenase enzymes play a vital role in inflammatory pathways in the human body. Apart from their relation with inflammation, the additional involvement of COX-2 enzyme with cancer activity was recently discovered. In some cancer types the level of COX-2 enzyme is increased indicating that this enzyme could be a suitable target for cancer therapy. Based on these findings, we have synthesized some new diflunisal thiosemicarbazides and 1,2,4-triazoles and tested them against androgen-independent prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3), colon carcinoma (HCT-116), human breast cancer (T47D), breast carcinoma (MCF7) and human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell lines. Specifically, the diflunisal and thiosemicarbazide functionality are combined during the synthesis of original compounds anticipating a potency enhancement. Compounds 6, 10, 15 and 16 did not show cytotoxic effects for the HEK293 cell line. Among them, compounds 15 and 16 demonstrated anticancer activity for the breast cancer cell line T47D, whereas compounds 6 and 10 which are thiosemicarbazide derivatives displayed anti-tumourigenic activity against the PC-3 cell line, consistent with the literature. However, no activity was observed for the HCT-116 cancer cell line with the tested thiosemicarbazide derivatives. Only compound 16 displayed activity against the HCT-116 cell line. Therefore, it was speculated that the diflunisal and thiosemicarbazide functionalities potentiate anticancer activity on prostate cancer and the thiosemicarbazide functionality decreases the anticancer activity of diflunisal on colon cancer cell lines. In order to gain insight into the anticancer activity and COX-2 inhibition, molecular docking studies were carried out for COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes utilizing the newly synthesized compounds 15, and 16. Both 15 and 16 showed high selectivity and affinity toward COX-2 isozyme over COX-1, which is in agreement with the experimental results.

Synthesis, molecular docking and biological evaluation of bis-pyrimidine Schiff base derivatives

BACKGROUND

Heterocyclic pyrimidine nucleus, which is an essential base component of the genetic material of deoxyribonucleic acid, demonstrated various biological activities. A series of bis-pyrimidine Schiff bases were synthesized and screened for its antimicrobial and anticancer potentials. The molecular docking study was carried to find the interaction between active molecules with receptor.

RESULTS

The structures of synthesized bis-pyrimidine Schiff bases were confirmed by spectral studies. The synthesized bis-pyrimidine derivatives were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity (MIC = µmol/mL) against selected Gram positive; Gram negative bacterial and fungal strains by tube dilution method. The anticancer activity (IC50 = µmol/mL) of the synthesized compounds was determined against human colorectal carcinoma (HCT116) cancer cell line by Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Molecular docking studies provided information regarding the binding mode of active bis-pyrimidine Schiff bases with the cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) receptor.

CONCLUSIONS

The antimicrobial screening results indicated that compounds, q1 (MICbs = 0.83 µmol/mL), q16 (MICan = 1.54 µmol/mL and MICec = 0.77 µmol/mL), q1 and q19 (MICca = 0.41 µmol/mL) and q20 (MIC = 0.36 µmol/mL) are the most active ones. Compounds q1 (IC50 = 0.18 µmol/mL) have emerged as potent anticancer molecule against human colorectal carcinoma cancer cell line than the reference drug, 5-fluorouracil. Molecular docking studies indicated that compound q1 (the most active molecule) has the maximum hydrogen bond interaction (four) and π-π stacking (three) network among the bis-pyrimidine Schiff bases. Graphical abstract Graphical illustration of predicted binding mode of bis-pyrimidine Schiff bases in the active site of CDK8. a. Compound 1 (magenta color), b. Compound 5 (green color), c. Compound 8 (red color), d. Compound 13 (split pea color).

Design, synthesis and antitumor activity of novel pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as EGFR-TK inhibitors

A novel series of 2-(3,6-dimethyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4-yloxy)-N-(4-substitutedbenzylidene)acetohydrazide (12a-g) was prepared and their structures were confirmed by spectral and elemental analyses. The cytotoxic activity of the newly synthesized compounds was evaluated against breast carcinoma (MCF-7), non-small cell lung cancer (A549) and human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lines using MTT and colony formation assays. The tested compounds showed a marked anticancer activity against all the tested cell lines, especially compound 12g, which was the most potent anticancer agent with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) between 5.36 and 9.09μM. Docking studies into ATP binding site of EGFR protein tyrosine kinase were performed to predict their scores and mode of binding to amino acids, In addition, the inhibitory activity of the target compounds against epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) was evaluated. Results indicated the ability of the target compounds to inhibit EGFR-TK with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) in the range of 4.18-35.88μM. Furthermore, The most active compounds 12g, 12c and 12d were assayed against Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR), Insulin Receptor (IR) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGFR). The activity of the reported compounds warrants further optimization as novel members in cancer treatment protocols.