New nicotinic acid-based 3,5-diphenylpyrazoles: design, synthesis and antihyperlipidemic activity with potential NPC1L1 inhibitory activity

Guanidine dicycloamine-based analogs: green chemistry synthesis, biological investigation, and molecular docking studies as promising antibacterial and antiglycation leads

Dicyandiamide (DCD) reacted with amino acids 1a-f to produce biguanides 2 and 4 and guanidine pyrazolones 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8, according to the reaction. DCD exhibited the following reactions: imidodicarbonimidicdiamide 9, diazocan-2-ylguanidine 10, methyl biguanidylthion 11, N-carbamothioylimidodicarbonimidicdiamide 12, 2-guanidinebenzoimidazole 13a, 2-guanidinylbenzoxazole 13b, and 2-guanidinylbenzothiazol 13c. These reactions were triggered by 6-amino caproic acid, thioacetamide, thiourea, o-aminophenol, o-aminothiophenol, and anthranilic acid, respectively. Compound 2 had the least antimicrobial activity, while compound 13c demonstrated the most antibacterial impact against all bacterial strains. Furthermore, in terms of antiglycation efficacy (AGEs), 12, 11, and 7 were the most effective AGE cross-linking inhibitors. Eight and ten, which showed a considerable inhibition on cross-linking AGEs, come next. Compounds 4 and 6 on the other hand have shown the least suppression of AGE production. The most promising antiglycation scaffolds 8, 11, and 12 in the Human serum albumin (HAS) active site were shown to be able to adopt crucial binding interactions with important amino acids based on the results of in silico molecular docking. The most promising antiglycation compounds 8, 11, and 12 were also shown to have better hydrophilicity, acceptable lipophilicity, gastrointestinal tract absorption (GIT), and blood-brain barrier penetration qualities when their physicochemical properties were examined using the egg-boiled method.

Anticancer Activities of Tetrasubstituted Imidazole-Pyrimidine-Sulfonamide Hybrids as Inhibitors of EGFR Mutants

A new series of tetrasubstituted imidazole derivatives carrying pyrimidine sulfonamide pharmacophores has been synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activities. In-vitro screening of these hybrids against a full 60-cell-line panel at a single dose of 10 μM showed significant growth inhibition of up to 95 %. The most active compound showed in-vitro anticancer activities against (i) abnormal HER2 and (ii) two mutants for EGFR. Apoptotic gene expression revealed that lead compounds induced MCF-7 cell line apoptosis together with considerable change in the Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio. One lead compound led to a significant cell-cycle S-phase arrest, while another blocked the cell cycle at G1/S-phase causing the accumulation of cells. Docking analysis of these two hybrids adopted the orientation and binding interactions with a higher liability to enter the active side pocket of HER2, L858R, and T790 M, preferable to that of co-crystallized ligands. Modelling simulation was consistent with the acquired biological evaluation.

Thieno[2,3-b]thiophene Derivatives as Potential EGFRWT and EGFRT790M Inhibitors with Antioxidant Activities: Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Quantitative In Vitro and In Silico Studies

Microwave-assisted synthesis and spectral analysis of certain novel derivatives of 3,4-diaminothieno[2,3-b]thiophene-2,5-dicarbonitrile 1-7 were carried out. Compounds 1-7 were examined for cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and A549 cell lines using the quantitative MTT method, and gefitinib and erlotinib were used as reference standards. Compounds 1-7 were shown to be more active than erlotinib against the two cell lines tested. Compound 2 outperformed regular erlotinib by 4.42- and 4.12-fold in MCF-7 and A549 cells, respectively. The most cytotoxic compounds were subsequently studied for their suppression of kinase activity using the homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence assay versus epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR^WT) and EGFR^790M. With IC₅₀ values of 0.28 ± 0.03 and 5.02 ± 0.19, compound 2 was demonstrated to be the most effective against both forms of EGFR. Furthermore, compound 2 also had the best antioxidant property, decreasing the radical scavenging activity by 78%. Molecular docking research, on the other hand, was carried out for the analyzed candidates (1-7) to study their mechanism of action as EGFR inhibitors. In silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity tests were also performed to explain the physicochemical features of the examined derivatives.

Tailoring of Rosuvastatin Calcium and Atenolol Bilayer Tablets for the Management of Hyperlipidemia Associated with Hypertension: A Preclinical Study

Hyperlipidemia is still the leading cause of heart disease in patients with hypertension. The purpose of this study is to make rosuvastatin calcium (ROS) and atenolol (AT) bilayer tablets to treat coexisting dyslipidemia and hypertension with a single product. ROS was chosen for the immediate-release layer of the constructed tablets, whereas AT was chosen for the sustained-release layer. The solid dispersion of ROS with sorbitol (1:3 w/w) was utilized in the immediate-release layer while hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), ethylcellulose (EC), and sodium bicarbonate were incorporated into the floating sustained-release layer. The concentrations of HPMC and EC were optimized by employing 3² full factorial designs to sustain AT release. The bilayer tablets were prepared by the direct compression method. The immediate-release layer revealed that 92.34 ± 2.27% of ROS was released within 60 min at a pH of 1.2. The second sustained-release layer of the bilayer tablets exhibited delayed release of AT (96.65 ± 3.36% within 12 h) under the same conditions. The release of ROS and AT from the prepared tablets was found to obey the non-Fickian diffusion and mixed models (zero-order, Higuchi and Korsmeyer–Peppas), respectively. Preclinical studies using rabbit models investigated the impact of ROS/AT tablets on lipid profiles and blood pressure. A high-fat diet was used to induce obesity in rabbits. Bilayer ROS/AT tablets had a remarkable effect on decreasing the lipid profiles, slowing weight gain, and lowering blood pressure to normal levels when compared to the control group.

Microwave-assisted synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and biological evaluation of fused thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines as potential anti-cancer agents targeting EGFRWT and EGFRT790M

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a transmembrane protein tyrosine kinase that is usually overexpressed in many types of cancers. In the present study, an effort was done in synthesis of new 3,4-diaminothieno[2,3-b] thiophene-2,5-dicarbonitrile derivatives 2-8, assisted by a microwave device. Different spectroscopic instruments were used for their analysis and confirmed their chemical structures. The antimicrobial properties of the produced compounds were investigated and found to be promising. Next, they were tested for cytotoxicity against MCF-7, HepG-2, HCT-116, and A549 cell lines. Moreover, in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation against well-known standards, namely, gefitinib and erlotinib was achieved using MTT method. The obtained compounds (2-8) were found to be more effective against the two tested cancer cell lines than erlotinib. In MCF-7 and A549 cells, compound 3 was found to be 4.42 and 4.12 times more active than erlotinib, respectively. The activity of radical scavenging was inhibited by 78%. The most cytotoxic compounds were subsequently studied for their kinase inhibitory effect against EGFR^WT and EGFR^T790M using the HTRF assay. Compound 3 was shown to be the most powerful against both kinds of EGFR, with IC₅₀ values of 0.28 and 5.02. Furthermore, compound 2 demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity as it has a radical scavenging activity of 78%. Compounds 2,6,7 and 8 revealed to be the most safe compounds, none hepatotoxic, none carcinogenic, none immunotoxic, none mutagenic and none cytotoxic.

Screening a Panel of Topical Ophthalmic Medications against MMP-2 and MMP-9 to Investigate Their Potential in Keratoconus Management

Keratoconus (KC) is a serious disease that can affect people of any race or nationality, although the exact etiology and pathogenic mechanism are still unknown. In this study, thirty-two FDA-approved ophthalmic drugs were exposed to virtual screening using docking studies against both the MMP-2 and MMP-9 proteins to find the most promising inhibitors as a proposed computational mechanism to treat keratoconus. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent proteases, and MMP inhibitors (MMPIs) are usually designed to interact with zinc ion in the catalytic (CAT) domain, thus interfering with enzymatic activity. In our research work, the FDA-approved ophthalmic medications will be investigated as MMPIs, to explore if they can be repurposed for KC treatment. The obtained findings of the docking study suggest that atenolol and ampicillin are able to accommodate into the active sites of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Additionally, both exhibited binding modes similar to inhibitors used as references, with an ability to bind to the zinc of the CAT. Molecular dynamic simulations and the MM-GBSA binding free-energy calculations revealed their stable binding over the course of 50 ns. An additional pharmacophoric study was carried out on MMP-9 (PDB ID: 1GKC) using the co-crystallized ligand as a reference for the future design and screening of the MMP-9 inhibitors. These promising results open the door to further biological research to confirm such theoretical results.

Design, synthesis, and molecular docking studies of novel pomalidomide-based PROTACs as potential anti-cancer agents targeting EGFRWT and EGFRT790M

A new class of EGFR PROTACs based on pomalidomide was developed, synthesised, and tested for their cytotoxic activity against a panel of human cancer cells. Compounds 15–21 were showed to be more effective against the four tested cell lines than erlotinib. In particular, compound 16 was found to be the most potent counterpart as it was 5.55, 4.34, 5.04, and 7.18 times more active than erlotinib against MCF-7, HepG-2, HCT-116, and A549 cells, respectively. Compound 15 was revealed to be more active than doxorubicin against the four tested cell lines. Furthermore, the most potent cytotoxic compounds were studied further for their kinase inhibitory effects against EGFR^WT and EGFR^T790M using HTRF test. Compound 16 showed to be the most effective against both kinds of EGFR, with IC₅₀ values of 0.10 and 4.02 µM, respectively. Compound 16 could effectively degrade EGFR protein through ubiquitination (D_max = 96%) at 72 h in the tested cells.

Tolmetin Sodium Fast Dissolving Tablets for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment: Preparation and Optimization Using Box-Behnken Design and Response Surface Methodology

Tolmetin sodium (TLM) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs). TLM is used to treat inflammation, skeletal muscle injuries, and discomfort associated with bone disorders. Because of the delayed absorption from the gastro intestinal tract (GIT), the currently available TLM dosage forms have a rather protracted start to the effect, according to pharmacokinetic studies. The aim of this study was to create a combination for TLM fast dissolving tablets (TLM-FDT) that would boost the drug's bioavailability by increasing pre-gastric absorption. The TLM-FDTs were developed using a Box-Behnken experimental design with varied doses of crospovidone (CP), croscarmellose sodium (CCS) as super-disintegrants, and camphor as a sublimating agent. In addition, the current study used response surface approach to explore the influence of various formulation and process factors on tablet qualities in order to verify an optimized TLM-FDTs formulation. The optimized TLM-FDTs formula was subsequently evaluated for its in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. TLM-FDTs have good friability, disintegration time, drug release, and wetting time, as well as fast disintegration and dissolution behavior. Significant increase in drug bioavailability and reliable anti-inflammatory efficacy were also observed, as evidenced by considerable reductions in paw thickness in rats following carrageenan-induced rat paw edema. For optimizing and analyzing the effect of super-disintegrants and sublimating agents in the TLM-FDTs formula, the three-factor, three-level full factorial design is a suitable tool. TLM-FDTs are a possible drug delivery system for enhancing TLM bioavailability and could be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis, Biological Activity Evaluation, Molecular Docking, and ADMET Studies of Some Novel Pyrrolo [2,3-b] Pyrrole Derivatives

Novel pyrrolo [2,3-b] pyrrole derivatives were synthesized and their hypolipidemic activity was assessed in hyperlipidemic rats. The chemical structures of the new derivatives were confirmed through spectral analysis. Compounds 5 and 6 were revealed to be the most effective hypolipidemic agents, with considerable hypocholesterolemic and hypotriglyceridemic effects. They appear to be promising candidates for creating new powerful derivatives with anti-atherosclerotic and hypolipidemic properties. As for antimicrobial activity, some of the tested compounds showed moderate activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa: compound 2 revealed an MIC value of 50 μg/mL, compared to 25 μg/mL for ciprofloxacin. Compound 3 showed good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, comparable to ciprofloxacin, and roughly half the activity of ampicillin, according to MIC values. Compound 2 has an MIC approximately 25% of that of clotrimazole against Candida albicans. Compound 2 also showed the highest antioxidant activity with 59% inhibition of radical scavenging activity. Additionally, the cytotoxic activity of these new derivatives 1–7 was investigated and most of them showed good anticancer activity against the three tested cell lines.

Enhanced antihyperlipidemic potential of gemfibrozil under co-administration with piperine

Gemfibrozil is a well-known potent antihyperlipidemic drug with the capacity to lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels, which are responsible for most cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In addition, gemfibrozil has a potent activity at elevating the high density lipoprotein levels. However, this drug has a very short half-life of about 2 ​h and toxicity is observed in the liver as the dose increases. The drug piperine has the capacity to enhance the bioavailability of other drugs without altering their basic properties as well as improving their activity. In this study, we aimed to enhance the bioavailability of gemfibrozil as well as making it more potent and less toxic by applying piperine as a bio-enhancer. Thus, piperine was co-administered to rats with gemfibrozil and the antihyperlipidemic activity was tested when fed on a high fat diet. The results showed that co-administration of gemfibrozil with piperine decreased the elevated triglyceride and cholesterol levels to normal, and they performed significantly better than the individual drugs. Weight gain was controlled effectively by drug administration together with piperine compared with other groups. Hepatic function analyses demonstrated that the potentiation of gemfibrozil did not alter the hepatic function but instead it improved significantly by normalizing the elevated serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase levels. The plasma drug concentration of gemfibrozil was studied over time, where the enhanced activity of the drug reached its C_max within 1 ​h of administration and the activated drug level was observed in the blood for 4 ​h.

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Gemfibrozil is a potent antihyperlipidemic drug with a short half-life.

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Piperine is used as a natural bio-enhancer to improve the activities of many drugs.

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Lipid lowering activity of gemfibrozil enhanced by administration with piperine.

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Piperine enhanced the liver function and plasma concentration of gemfibrozil.

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Peak plasma concentration of gemfibrozil improved within 1 ​h.

Effects of New Galantamine Derivatives in a Scopolamine Model of Dementia in Mice

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss and cognitive functions decline, is a leading cause for dementia and currently ranked as the sixth foremost cause of death. As of present, treatment of AD is symptomatic without convincing therapeutic benefits and new, effective, therapeutic agents are pursued. Due to massive loss of cholinergic neurons and decreased acetylcholine levels, cholinesterase inhibitors like galantamine, remain the backbone of pharmacological treatment of the disease. In the present study, using behavioral and biochemical methods, four newly synthesized galantamine derivatives, Gal 34, Gal 43, Gal 44, and Gal 46, were evaluated for a beneficial effect in a scopolamine model of dementia in mice. They were designed to have all the advantages of galantamine and additionally to inhibit β-secretase and exert favorable effects on plasma lipids. Behavioral tests included step-through inhibitory avoidance, T-maze, and the hole-board test, whereas biochemical evaluations involved assessment of acetylcholinesterase activity, brain monoamines levels, lipid peroxidation, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities along with measurement of total glutathione. Results show that Gal 43, Gal 44, and, in particular, Gal 46 are especially effective in improving both short- and long-term memory and in the case of Gal 46 having a significant effect on exploratory activity as well. Although Gal 34 did not show behavioral effects as convincing as those of the other three galantamine derivatives, it demonstrated persuasive antioxidant and restorative capacities, making all four galantamine derivatives promising AD treatment agents and prompting further research, especially that in many of our studies they performed better than galantamine.