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A series of novel benzimidazole-2-subsituted phenyl or pyridine propyl ketene derivatives were designed and synthesized. The biological activities of these derivatives were then evaluated as potential antitumour agents. These compounds were assayed for growth-inhibitory activity against HCT116, MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines in vitro. The IC 50 values of compounds A 1 and A 7 against the cancer cells were 0.06–3.64 μM and 0.04–9.80 μM, respectively. Their antiproliferative activities were significantly better than that of 5-Fluorouracil (IC 50 : 56.96–174.50 μM) and were close to that of Paclitaxel (IC 50 : 0.026–1.53 μM). The activity of these derivatives was over 100 times more effective than other reported structures of chalcone analogues (licochalcone A). A preliminary mechanistic study suggested that these compounds inhibit p53-MDM2 binding. Compounds A 1 , A 7 and A 9 effectively inhibited tumour growth in BALB/c mice with colon carcinoma HCT116 cells. The group administered 200 mg/kg of compound A 7 showed a 74.6% tumour growth inhibition with no signs of toxicity at high doses that was similar to the inhibition achieved with the 12.5 mg/kg irinotecan positive control (70.2%). Therefore, this class of benzimidazole-2-subsituted phenyl or pyridine propyl ketene derivatives represents a promising lead structure for the development of possible p53-MDM2 inhibitors as new antitumour agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BMP pathway is a promising new target for the design of therapeutic agents for the treatment of low bone mass. To enrich our understanding of SAR and based on our previously concluded structure–effect relationship, 23 derivatives were prepared in this work. The synthesis, up-regulating activities on BMP-2 expression, and bone loss prevention efficacies of these compounds in rats with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis are presented. The bone histology of the tested rats assessed through light microscopy showed that compounds 1 , 21 , 35 , and 38 significantly increased the trabecula compared with the model group, and the trabecula of the groups treated with 8a was similar to that obtained with raloxifene and alfacalcidol. The compounds exhibited potential for development as anabolic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel class of small-molecule inhibitors of MDM2–p53 interaction with a (E)-3-benzylideneindolin-2-one scaffold was identified using an integrated virtual screening strategy that combined both pharmacophore- and structure-based approaches. The hit optimisation identified several compounds with more potent activity than the hit compound and the positive drug nutlin-3a, especially compound 1b, which exhibited both the highest binding affinity to MDM2 (K i = 0.093 μM) and the most potent antiproliferative activity against HCT116 (wild type p53) cells (GI50 = 13.42 μM). Additionally, 1b dose-dependently inhibited tumour growth in BALB/c mice bearing CT26 colon carcinoma, with no visible sign of toxicity. In summary, compound 1b represents a novel and promising lead structure for the development of anticancer drugs as MDM2–p53 interaction disruptors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]