Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating neurodegenerative disease, representing a major cause of neurological disability in young adults. Resveratrol is a stilbenoid polyphenol, known to pass blood brain barrier and exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects in several brain injuries. Cuprizone model of MS is particularly beneficial in studying demyelination/remyelination. Our study examined the potential neuroprotective and pro-remyelination effects of resveratrol in cuprizone-intoxicated C57Bl/6 mice. Mice were fed with chow containing 0.7 % cuprizone for 7 days, followed by 3 weeks on 0.2 % cuprizone diet. Resveratrol (250 mg/kg/day, p.o.) was given for 3 weeks starting from the second week. At the end of the experiment, animals were tested on rotarod to evaluate changes in balance and motor coordination. Mice were then sacrificed to measure the brain content of glutathione, lipid peroxidation products, adenosine triphosphate, and phospho-inhibitory subunit of nuclear factor κB-α. The activities of cytochrome oxidase and superoxide dismutase were also assessed. The gene expression of myelin basic protein, 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3' phosphodiesterase, oligodendrocyte transcription factor-1 (Olig1), NF-κB p65 subunit, and tumor necrosis factor-α was also estimated. Luxol fast blue/periodic acid-Schiff stained brain sections were blindly scored to assess the myelin status. Resveratrol effectively enhanced motor coordination and balance, reversed cuprizone-induced demyelination, improved mitochondrial function, alleviated oxidative stress, and inhibited NF-κB signaling. Interestingly, resveratrol increased Olig1 expression that is positively correlated to active remyelination. The present study may be the first to indicate a pro-remyelinative effect for resveratrol which might represent a potential additive benefit in treating MS.

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New 2‐mercapto‐quinazolin‐4‐one analogs were synthesized and tested for their in vitro anticancer activity, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibition, and epidermal growth factor tyrosine kinase (EGFR‐TK) inhibition activities. Compound 24, which is characterized by a 2‐benzyl‐thio function, showed broad‐spectrum anticancer activity with high safety profile and selectivity index. The concentrations of 24 causing 50% growth inhibition (GI50) and total cell growth inhibition (TGI) and its lethal concentration 50 (LC50) were 15.1, 52.5, and 91.2 µM, respectively, using 5‐fluorouracil as a positive control. Also, it showed EGFR‐TK inhibitory activity with IC50 = 13.40 nM compared to gefitinib (IC50 = 18.14 nM) and DHFR inhibitory potency with 0.30 μM compared to methotrexate (MTX; IC50 = 0.08 μM). In addition, compound 24 caused cell cycle arrest and apoptosis on COLO‐205 colon cancer cells. Compounds 37, 21, and 54 showed remarkable DHFR inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 0.03, 0.08, and 0.08 μM, respectively. The inhibitory properties of these compounds are due to an electron‐withdrawing group on the quinazolinone ring, except for compound 54. In a molecular modeling study, compound 24 showed the same binding mode as gefitinib as it interacted with the amino acid Lys745 via π–π interaction. Compound 37 showed a similar binding mode as MTX through the binding interaction with Lys68, Asn64 via hydrogen bond acceptor, and Phe31 via arene–arene interaction. The obtained model and substitution pattern could be used for further development.

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