Targeting the epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) with small inhibitor molecules has been validated as a potential therapeutic strategy in cancer therapy. Pyrazolo[3,4‐d]pyrimidine is a versatile scaffold that has been exploited for developing potential anticancer agents. On the basis of fragment‐based drug discovery, considering the essential pharmacophoric features of potent EGFR tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors, herein, we report the design and synthesis of new hybrid molecules of the pyrazolo[3,4‐d]pyrimidine scaffold linked with diverse pharmacophoric fragments with reported anticancer potential. These fragments include hydrazone, indoline‐2‐one, phthalimide, thiourea, oxadiazole, pyrazole, and dihydropyrazole. The synthesized molecules were evaluated for their anticancer activity against the human breast cancer cell line, MCF‐7. The obtained results revealed comparable antitumor activity with that of the reference drugs doxorubicin and toceranib. Docking studies were performed along with EGFR‐TK and ADMET profiling studies. The results of the docking studies showed the ability of the designed compounds to interact with key residues of the EGFR‐TK through a number of covalent and noncovalent interactions. The obtained activity of compound 25 (IC50 = 2.89 µM) suggested that it may serve as a lead for further optimization and drug development.
Herein, a series of
N'
-benzylidene-3,4-dimethoxybenzohydrazide derivatives were designed and synthesised to target the multidrug efflux pump (MATE). The antibacterial activities were screened against
S. aureus
,
Acinetobacter
,
S. typhi
,
E. coli
, and
P. aeruginosa
, whereas their antifungal activities were screened against
C. albicans
. Compounds
4a
,
4h
, and
4i
showed the most promising antibacterial and antifungal activities. Moreover, compounds
4h
and
4i
being the broader and superior members regarding their antimicrobial effects were selected to be further evaluated via
in vivo
testing using biochemical analysis and liver/kidney histological examination. Additionally, molecular docking was carried out to attain further deep insights into the synthesised compounds' binding modes. Also, ADMET studies were performed to investigate the physicochemical/pharmacokinetics features and toxicity parameters of the synthesised derivatives. Finally, a structure-antimicrobial activity relationship study was established to facilitate further structural modifications in the future.
Highlights
A series of new
N'
-benzylidene-3,4-dimethoxybenzohydrazide derivatives were designed and synthesised targeting the multidrug efflux pump (MATE) guided by the pharmacophoric features of the co-crystallized native inhibitor of the target protein.
The newly synthesised compounds were assessed through
in vitro
,
in vivo
, and
in silico
approaches.
Using the agar well diffusion assay, the antibacterial activities of the synthesised compounds were screened against
S. aureus
,
Acinetobacter
,
S. typhi
,
E. coli
, and
P. aeruginosa
, whereas, their antifungal activities were screened against
C. albicans
.
The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the synthesised compounds were investigated on variable microbial species.
Compounds (
4h
and
4i
) -as the broader and superior members regarding their antimicrobial effects- were further evaluated via
in vivo
testing using bio-chemical analysis and liver/kidney histological examination.
A molecular docking study and ADMET
in silico
...
In the current work, some 1,3,4-oxadiazole-naphthalene hybrids were designed and synthesised as VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The synthesised compounds were evaluated
in vitro
for their antiproliferative activity against two human cancer cell lines namely, HepG-2 and MCF-7. Compounds that exhibited promising cytotoxicity (
5
,
8
,
15
,
16
,
17
, and
18
) were further evaluated for their VEGFR-2 inhibitory activities. Compound
5
showed good antiproliferative activity against both cell lines and inhibitory effect on VEGFR-2. Besides, it induced apoptosis by 22.86% compared to 0.51% in the control (HepG2) cells. This apoptotic effect was supported by a 5.61-fold increase in the level of caspase-3 compared to the control cells. Moreover, it arrested the HepG2 cell growth mostly at the Pre-G1 phase. Several
in silico
studies were performed including docking, ADMET, and toxicity studies to predict binding mode against VEGFR-2 and to anticipate pharmacokinetic, drug-likeness, and toxicity of the synthesised compounds.
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