Evaluation of Anticancer and Anti-Mitotic Properties of Quinazoline and Quinazolino-Benzothiadiazine Derivatives

In Silico Drug Design of Benzothiadiazine Derivatives Interacting with Phospholipid Cell Membranes

The use of drugs derived from benzothiadiazine, a bicyclic heterocyclic benzene derivative, has become a widespread treatment for diseases such as hypertension, low blood sugar or the human immunodeficiency virus, among others. In this work we have investigated the interactions of benzothiadiazine and four of its derivatives designed in silico with model zwitterionic cell membranes formed by dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine and cholesterol at the liquid–crystal phase inside aqueous potassium chloride solution. We have elucidated the local structure of benzothiadiazine by means of microsecond molecular dynamics simulations of systems including a benzothiadiazine molecule or one of its derivatives. Such derivatives were obtained by the substitution of a single hydrogen site of benzothiadiazine by two different classes of chemical groups, one of them electron-donating groups (methyl and ethyl) and another one by electron-accepting groups (fluorine and trifluoromethyl). Our data have revealed that benzothiadiazine derivatives have a strong affinity to stay at the cell membrane interface although their solvation characteristics can vary significantly—they can be fully solvated by water in short periods of time or continuously attached to specific lipid sites during intervals of 10–70 ns. Furthermore, benzothiadiazines are able to bind lipids and cholesterol chains by means of single and double hydrogen-bonds of characteristic lengths between 1.6 and 2.1 Å.

Bestowal of Quinazoline Scaffold in Anticancer Drug Discovery

BACKGROUND

Cancer is one of the major causes of human mortality worldwide. A number of existing antineoplastic medications and treatment regimens are already working in the field, and several new compounds are in different phases of clinical trials. An extensive series of anticancer drugs exist in the market, and studies suggest that these molecules are associated with different types of adverse side effects. The reduction of the cytotoxicity of drugs to normal cells is a major problem in anticancer therapy. Therefore, researchers around the globe are involved in the development of more efficient and safer anticancer drugs. The output of extensive research is that the quinazoline scaffold and its various derivatives can be explored further as a novel class of cancer chemotherapeutic agents that has already shown promising activities against different tumours. Quinazoline derivatives have already occupied a crucial place in modern medicinal chemistry. Various research has been performed on quinazoline and their derivatives for anticancer activity and pharmacological importance of this scaffold has been well established.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to compile and highlight the developments concerning the anticancer activity of quinazoline derivatives as well as to suggest some new aspects of the expansion of anticancer activity of novel quinazoline derivatives as anticancer agents in the near future.

METHODS

Recent literature related to quinazoline derivatives endowed with encouraging anticancer potential is reviewed. With a special focus on quinazoline moiety, this review offers a detailed account of multiple mechanisms of action of various quinazoline derivatives: inhibition of the DNA repair enzyme system, inhibition of EGFR, thymidylate enzyme inhibition and inhibitory effects for tubulin polymerization by which these derivatives have shown promising anticancer potential.

RESULTS

Exhaustive literature survey indicated that quinazoline derivatives are associated with properties of inhibiting EGFR and thymidylate enzymes. It was also found to be involved in disturbing tubulin assembly. Furthermore, quinazoline derivatives have been found to inhibit critical targets such as DNA repair enzymes. These derivatives have shown significant activity against cancer.

CONCLUSION

In cancer therapy, Quinazoline derivatives seems to be quite promising and act through various mechanisms that are well established. This review has shown that quinazoline derivatives can further be explored for the betterment of chemotherapy. A lot of potentials are still hidden, which demands to be discovered for upgrading quinazoline derivatives efficacy.

Novel Benzenesulfonate Scaffolds with a High Anticancer Activity and G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest

Sulfonates, unlike their derivatives, sulphonamides, have rarely been investigated for their anticancer activity. Unlike the well-known sulphonamides, esters are mainly used as convenient intermediates in a synthesis. Here, we present the first in-depth investigation of quinazoline sulfonates. A small series of derivatives were synthesized and tested for their anticancer activity. Based on their structural similarity, these compounds resemble tyrosine kinase inhibitors and the p53 reactivator CP-31398. Their biological activity profile, however, was more related to sulphonamides because there was a strong cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Further investigation revealed a multitargeted mechanism of the action that corresponded to the p53 protein status in the cell. Although the compounds expressed a high submicromolar activity against leukemia and colon cancers, pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma were also susceptible. Apoptosis and autophagy were confirmed as the cell death modes that corresponded with the inhibition of metabolic activity and the activation of the p53-dependent and p53-independent pathways. Namely, there was a strong activation of the p62 protein and GADD44. Other proteins such as cdc2 were also expressed at a higher level. Moreover, the classical caspase-dependent pathway in leukemia was observed at a lower concentration, which again confirmed a multitargeted mechanism. It can therefore be concluded that the sulfonates of quinazolines can be regarded as promising scaffolds for developing anticancer agents.