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Indazole is a significant class of heterocyclic compounds with a wide range of biological activity. We display here the synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel series of indazole derivatives 6a-v, which are differently substituted at the 6-position of the indazole moiety. The antiproliferative activity of compounds 6a-v was tested against four human cancer cell lines, using the MTT assay and doxorubicin as the reference drug. Compounds 6f, 6i, 6j, 6 s, and 6n were the most effective synthesized derivatives, with GI 50 values of 0.77, 0.86, 1.05, 1.05, and 1.07 µM, respectively, against the 4 cell lines, in comparison to the control doxorubicin (GI 50  = 1.10 µM). Compounds 6f, 6i, 6j, and 6 s the most potent derivatives as antiproliferative agents, displayed the utmost inhibitory activity against EGFR, and CDK2 and c-Met. Compounds 6f, 6n, and 6 s induced apoptosis through cytochrome C overexpression and activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway generated by the investigated compounds., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A novel series of pyrimido[5,4-c]quinoline derivatives variously substituted at positions 2 and 5 have been synthesized, in good to excellent yields, via rapid base-catalyzed cyclization reaction of 2,4-dichloroquinoline-3-carbonitrile (5) with guanidine hydrochlorides 6a-c. All the synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro antiproliferative activity. The most active hybrids 26a-d, 28a-d, and 30B were assessed against topoisomerase (topo) I, topo IIα, CDK2, and EGFR. The majority of the tested compounds exhibited selective topo I inhibitory activity while had weak topo IIα inhibitory action with compounds 30B and 28d, showed better topo I inhibitory activity than the reference camptothecin. Compound 30B, the most potent derivative as antiproliferative agent, exhibited moderate activity against CDK2 (IC 50  = 1.60 µM). The results of this assay show that CDK2 is not a potential target for these compounds, implying that the observed cytotoxicity of these compounds is due to a different mechanism. Compounds 30B, 28d, and 28c were found to be the most potent against EGFR and their EGFR inhibitory activities (IC 50  = 0.40 ± 0.2, 0.49 ± 0.2, and 0.64 ± 0.3, respectively) relative to the positive control erlotinib (IC 50  = 0.07 ± 0.03 µM). These results revealed that topo I and EGFR are attractive targets for this class of chemical compounds., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Using a single drug to treat cancer with dual-targeting is an unusual approach when compared to other drug combinations. Dual-targeting agents were developed as a result of insufficient efficacy and drug resistance when single-targeting agents were used. As a result, the 2,3-dihydropyrazino[1,2-a]indole-1,4-dione derivatives 13-22 have been developed as dual EGFR and BRAF V600E inhibitors. The target compounds were synthesized and tested in vitro against four cancer cell lines, with compounds 15, and 19-22 demonstrating potent antiproliferative activity. In vitro studies revealed that these compounds have dual inhibitory effect on EGFR and BRAF V600E . Compounds 15, and 19-22 exhibited inhibitions of EGFR with IC 50 ranging from 32 nM to 63 nM which were superior to erlotinib (IC 50  = 80 ± 10 nM). Compounds 20, 21 and 22 showed promising inhibitory activity of BRAF V600E (IC 50  = 55, 45 and 51 nM, respectively) and were found to be potent inhibitors of cancer cell proliferation (GI 50  = 51, 35 and 44 nM, respectively). Compounds 20, 21 and 22 showed good antioxidant activity comparable to the reference Trolox. Lastly, the best active dual inhibitors were docked inside EGFR and BRAF V600E active sites to clarify their binding modes., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We have discovered a family of synthetic oxazole-based macrocycles to be active against SARS-CoV-2. The synthesis, pharmacological properties, and docking studies of the compounds are reported in this study. The structure of the new macrocycles was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Compounds 13, 14, and 15a-c were evaluated for their anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity on SARS-COV-2 (NRC-03-nhCoV) virus in Vero-E6 cells. Isopropyl triester 13 and triacid 14 demonstrated superior inhibitory activities against SARS-CoV-2 compared to carboxamides 15a-c. MTT cytotoxicity assays showed that the CC 50 (50% cytotoxicity concentration) of 13, 14, and 15a-c ranged from 159.1 to 741.8 μM and their safety indices ranged from 2.50 to 39.1. Study of the viral inhibition via different mechanisms of action (viral adsorption, replication, or virucidal property) showed that 14 had mild virucidal (60%) and inhibitory effects on virus adsorption (66%) at 20 μM concentrations. Compound 13 displayed several inhibitory effects at three levels, but the potency of its action is primarily virucidal. The inhibitory activity of compounds 13, 14, and 15a-c against the enzyme SARS-CoV-2 M pro was evaluated. Isopropyl triester 13 had a significant inhibition activity against SARS-CoV-2 M pro with an IC 50 of 2.58 µM. Large substituents on the macrocyclic template significantly reduced the inhibitory effects of the compounds. Study of the docking of the compounds in the SARS CoV-2-M pro active site showed that the most potent macrocycles 13 and 14 exhibited the best fit and highest affinity for the active site binding pocket. Taken together, the present study shows that the new macrocyclic compounds constitute a new family of SARS CoV-2-M pro inhibitors that are worth being further optimized and developed., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

COX-2 selective drugs have been withdrawn from the market due to cardiovascular side effects, just a few years after their discovery. As a result, a new series of 1,5-diaryl pyrazole carboxamides 19-31 was synthesized as selective COX-2/sEH inhibitors with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and lower cardiotoxic properties. The target compounds were synthesized and tested in vitro against COX-1, COX-2, and sEH enzymes. Compounds 20, 22 and 29 exhibited the most substantial COX-2 inhibitory activity (IC 50 values: 0.82-1.12 µM) and had SIs of 13, 18, and 16, respectively, (c.f. celecoxib; SI = 8). Moreover, compounds 20, 22, and 29 were the most potent dual COX-2/sEH inhibitors, with IC 50 values of 0.95, 0.80, and 0.85 nM against sEH, respectively, and were more potent than the standard AUDA (IC 50  = 1.2 nM). Furthermore, in vivo studies revealed that these compounds were the most active as analgesic/anti-inflammatory derivatives with a good cardioprotective profile against cardiac biomarkers and inflammatory cytokines. Finally, the most active dual inhibitors were docked inside COX-2/sEH active sites to explain their binding modes., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV (topo IV) inhibitors are among the most interesting antibacterial drug classes without antibacterial pipeline representative. Twenty-four new quinoline-1,3,4-oxadiazole and quinoline-1,2,4-triazole hybrids were developed and tested against DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV from Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The most potent compounds 4c, 4e, 4f, and 5e displayed an IC 50 of 34, 26, 32, and 90 nM against E. coli DNA gyrase, respectively (novobiocin, IC 50  = 170 nM). The activities of 4c, 4e, 4f, and 5e on DNA gyrase from S. aureus were weaker than those on E. coli gyrase. Compound 4e showed IC 50 values (0.47 µM and 0.92 µM) against E. coli topo IV and S. aureus topo IV, respectively in comparison to novobiocin (IC 50  = 11, 27 µM, respectively). Antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains has been studied. Some compounds have demonstrated superior antibacterial activity to ciprofloxacin against some of the bacterial strain studied. The most active compounds in this study showed no cytotoxic effect with cell viability>86%. Finally, a molecular docking analysis was performed to investigate the binding mode and interactions of the most active compounds to the active site of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV (topo IV) enzymes., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

New EGFR inhibitor series of fifteen 5-chloro-3-hydroxymethyl-indole-2-carboxamide derivatives has been designed, synthesized, and tested for antiproliferative activity against a panel of cancer cell lines. The results showed that p-substituted phenethyl derivatives 10, 11, 13, 15 and 17-19 showed superior antiproliferative activity compared to their m-substituted counterparts 12, 14, 16 and 20. Compounds 15, 16, 19 and 20 displayed promising EGFR inhibitory activity as well as an increase in caspase 3 levels. Compounds 15 and 19 increased caspase-8 and 9 levels, as well as inducing Bax and decreasing Bcl-2 protein levels. Compound 19 demonstrated cell cycle arrest at pre-G1 and G2/M phases. The results of the docking study into the active site of EGFR revealed strong fitting of the new compounds with higher binding affinities compared to erlotinib., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A new series of pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile derivatives 8a-p carrying the 1,3-thiazole moiety has been designed and synthesized as novel anti-inflammatory EGFR inhibitors with cardiac and gastric safety profiles. 8a-p have been assessed for their inhibitory activity against COX-1/COX-2 activity. Compounds 8h, 8n, and 8p were found to be potent and selective COX-2 inhibitors (IC 50  = 1.03-1.71 μM) relative to celecoxib (IC 50  = 0.88 μM). The most potent COX-2 inhibitors have been further investigated for their in-vivo anti-inflammatory effect. Compounds 8h, 8n, and 8p showed anti-inflammatory activity up to 90%, 94% and 86% of meloxicam after 4 h interval. 8h, 8n, and 8p showed higher gastric safety profiles than meloxicam. A substantial reduction in serum concentrations of PGE 2 , TNF-α, IL-6, iNO and MDA and a significant induction of TAC was also observed. In vivo experiments on heart rate and blood pressure established the cardiovascular safety profile of 8h, 8n, and 8p. Anti-proliferative and wild-type EGFR inhibitory assays displayed similar results to selective COX-2 inhibition where compounds 8h, 8n, and 8p had a superior inhibition than other tested ones. Molecular docking study demonstrated that these compounds revealed similar orientation and binding interactions as selective COX-2 inhibitors with a higher liability to enter the side pocket selectively. Also, they interacted with EGFR tyrosine kinase main amino acids similar to erlotinib with a strong binding energy score., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A potential microtubule destabilizing series of new thirty-five Pyrrol-2-one, Pyridazin-3(2H)-one and Pyridazin-3(2H)-one/oxime derivatives has been synthesized and tested for their antiproliferative activity against a panel of 60 human cancer cell lines. Compounds IVc, IVg and IVf showed a broad spectrum of growth inhibitory activity against cancer cell lines representing renal, cancer of lung, colon, central nervous system, ovary, and kidney. Among them, compound IVg was found to have broad spectrum anti-tumor activity against the tested nine tumor subpanels with selectivity ratios ranging between 0.21 and 3.77 at the GI 50 level. In vitro assaying revealed tubulin polymerization inhibition by all active compounds IVc, IVg and IVf. The results of the docking study revealed nice fitting of compounds IVc, IVf, and IVg into CA-4 binding site in tubulin. The three compounds exhibited high binding affinities (ΔG b  = -12.49 to -12.99 kcal/mol) toward tubulin compared to CA-4 (-8.87 kcal/mol). Investigation of the binding modes of the three compounds IVc, IVf, and IVg revealed that they interacted mainly hydrophobically with tubulin and similar binding orientations to that of CA-4. These observations suggest that tubulin is a possible target for these compounds., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

New quinoline / chalcone hybrids containing 1,2,4-triazole moiety have been designed, synthesized and their structures elucidated and confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques. The designed compounds showed moderate to good activity on different NCI 60 cell lines in a single-dose assay with a growth inhibition rate ranging from 50% to 94%. Compounds 7b, 7d, 9b, and 9d were the most active compounds in most cancer cell lines with a growth inhibition percent between 77% and 94%. Newly synthesized hybrids were evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity against a panel of four human cancer cell lines. Compounds 7a, 7b, 9a, 9b, and 9d showed promising antiproliferative activities. These compounds were further tested for their inhibitory potency against EGFR and BRAF V600E kinases with erlotinib as a reference drug. The molecular docking study of compounds 7a, 7b, 9a, 9b, and 9d revealed nice fitting into the active site of EGFR and BRAF V600E kinases. Compounds 7b, 9b, and 9d displayed the highest binding affinities and similar binding pattern to those of erlotinib., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel thiazolo[3,2-b][1,2,4]-triazoles 3a-n has been synthesized and evaluated in vitro as potential antiproliferative. Compounds 3b-d exhibited significant antiproliferative activity. Compound 3b was the most potent with Mean GI 50 1.37 µM comparing to doxorubicin (GI 50 1.13 µM). The transcription effects of 3b, 3c and 3d on the p53 were assessed and compared with the reference doxorubicin. The results revealed an increase of 15-27 in p53 level compared to the test cells and that p53 protein level of 3b, 3c and 3d was significantly inductive (1419, 571 and 787 pg/mL, respectively) in relation to doxorubicin (1263 pg/mL). The docking study of the new compounds 3a-n revealed high binding scores for the new compounds toward p53 binding domain in MDM2. The docking analyses revealed the highest affinities for compounds 3b-d which induced p53 activity in MCF-7 cancer cells. Compound 3b which exhibited the highest antiproliferative activity and induced the highest increase in p53 level in MCF-7 cells showed also the highest affinity to MDM2., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pyrano[3,2-c]quinoline derivatives have been synthesized and utilized to obtain various new hetero-annulated triazolopyrimidine, containing quinoline, pyran, 1,2,4-triazine and pyrimidine in good yields. Newly synthesized compounds have been characterized by spectral data and elemental analysis. Most of the synthesized compounds showed moderate to weak antiproliferative activity on most cancer cell lines, especially leukemia and breast cancer cell lines. The open chain formimidic acid ethyl ester is slightly more potent than hetero-annulated systems. The most active compounds were further investigated for caspase activation, Bax activation and Bcl-2 down regulation compared to doxorubicin as a standard, and indeed exhibited mainly cell cycle arrest at the Pre-G1 and G2/M phases. The transcription effects of 5a and 5b on the p53 were assessed and compared with the reference doxorubicin. The results revealed an increase of 12-19 in p53 level compared to the test cells and that p53 protein level of 5a and 5b was significantly inductive (991, and 639 pg/mL, respectively) in relation to doxorubicin (1263 pg/mL)., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recent studies have shown additive and synergistic effects associated with the combination of kinase inhibitors. BRAF V600E and EGFR are attractive targets for many diseases treatments and have been studied extensively. In keeping with our interest in developing anticancer targeting EGFR and BRAF V600E , a novel series of 2,3-dihydropyrazino[1,2-a]indole-1,4-dione has been rationally designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against a panel of four human cancer cell lines. Compounds 20-23, 28-31, and 33 showed promising antiproliferative activities. These compounds were further tested for their inhibitory potencies against EGFR and BRAF V600E kinases with erlotinib as a reference drug. Compounds 23 and 33 exhibited equipotency to doxorubicin against the four cell lines and efficiently inhibited both EGFR (IC 50  = 0.08 and 0.09 µM, respectively) and BRAF V600E (IC 50  = 0.1 and 0.29 µM, respectively). In cell cycle study of MCF-7 cell line, compounds 23 and 33 induced apoptosis and exhibited cell cycle arrest in both Pre-G1 and G2/M phases. Molecular docking analyses revealed that the new compounds can fit snugly into the active sites of EGFR, and BRAF V600E kinases. Compound 23, 31 and 33 adopted similar binding orientations and interactions to those of erlotinib and vemurafenib., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of new 1,6-dihydropyrimidin-2-thiol derivatives (scaffold A) as VEGFR-2 inhibitors has been designed and synthesized. Compounds 3a, 3b, 3e and 4b have been selected for in vitro anticancer screening by the National Cancer Institute. Compound 3e showed remarkable anticancer activity against most of the cell lines tested, where a complete cell death against leukemia, non-small cell lung cancer, colon, CNS, melanoma, and breast cancer cell lines was observed. In vitro five dose tests showed that compound 3e had high activity against most of the tested cell lines with GI 50 ranging from 19 to 100 μM and selectivity ratios ranging between 0.75 and 1.71 at the GI 50 level. VEGFR-2-kinase was tested against 3a, 3b, 3e, 4b and sorafenib was used as a reference. Compounds 3a and 3e were the most potent analogues with IC 50 values of 386.4 nM and 198.7 nM against VEGFR-2, respectively, in comparison to sorafenib (IC 50  = 0.17 nM). The results of the docking study showed a good fitting of the new compounds to the active site of VEGFR-2 with binding free energies in the range of -9.80 to -11.25 kcal/mol compared to -12.12 kcal/mol for sorafenib. Compounds 4a-e with the hydroxyimino group had a higher affinity to VEGFR-2 than their parent derivatives 3a-e., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Two series of novel 1,2,4-triazol-3-yl-thioacetamide 3a-b and 4a-b and 5-pyrazin-2-yl-3H-[1,3,4]oxadiazole-2-thiones 9a-h were designed and synthesized. The compounds prepared have been identified using 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and elemental analyses. The synthesized compounds 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 9a, 9b, 9d-e and 9f have been evaluated with α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) as a control drug for their in vitro antitrypanosomal activity against Trypanosoma brucei. Results showed that 3b was the most active compound in general and also more potent than control DFMO. 3b was 8 folds more potent than the reference with IC 50 of 0.79 μM and IC 90 of 1.35 μM, respectively compared to DFMO (IC 50  = 6.10 μM and IC 90 of 8.66 μM). The tested compounds showed moderate cytotoxicity with selectivity indices ranging from 12 (9d) to 102 (3b) against L6 cells. Docking study was performed into ten of T. brucei enzymes which have been identified as potential/valid targets for most of the antitrypanosomal agents. The results of the docking study revealed high binding scores toward many of the selected enzymes. A good correlation was observed only between log (IC 50 ) of antitrypanosomal activity of the new compounds and their calculated Ki values against TryR enzyme (R 2  = 0.726). Compound 3b, the most active as antitrypanosomal agents exhibited similar binding orientation and interaction to those of WP6 against TryR enzyme. However, in a next round of work, a complementary studies will be carried out to clarify the mechanism of action of these compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel 5-(substituted quinolin-3-yl or 1-naphthyl)methylene)-3-substituted imidazolidin-2,4-dione 9-26 was designed and synthesized. The prepared compounds were identified using 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR as well as elemental analyses. The inhibitory activity of 9-26 on HIV-1 IIIB replication in MT-2 cells was evaluated. Some derivatives showed good to excellent anti-HIV activities as compounds 13, 18, 19, 20, 22 and 23. They showed EC 50 of 0.148, 0.460, 0.332, 0.50, 0.271 and 0.420 μM respectively being more potent than compound I (EC 50  = 0.70 μM) and II ( EC 50  = 2.40 μM) as standards. The inhibitory activity of 9-26 on infected primary HIV-1 domain, 92US657 (clade B, R5) was investigated. All the tested compounds consistently inhibited infection of this virus with EC 50 from 0.520 to 11.857 μM. Results from SAR studies showed that substitution on ring A with 6/7/8-methyl group resulted in significant increase in the inhibitory activity against HIV-1 IIIB infection (5- >300 times) compared to the unsubstituted analog 9. The cytotoxicity of these compounds on MT-2 cells was tested and their CC 50 values ranged from 11 to 85 μM with selectivity indexes ranged from 0.53 to 166. The docking study revealed nice fitting of the new compounds into the hydrophobic pocket of HIV-1 gp41 and higher affinity than NB-64. Compound 13, the most active in preventing HIV-1 IIIB infection, adopted a similar orientation to compound IV. Molecular docking analysis of the new compounds revealed hydrogen bonding interactions between the imidazolidine-2,4-dione ring and LYS574 which were missed in the weakly active derivatives., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest, (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel 5,6,7,8-Tetrahydro[1]benzothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one derivatives bearing a hydroxamic acid, 2-aminoanilide and hydrazide moieties as zinc-binding group (ZBG) were designed, synthesized and evaluated for the HDAC inhibition activity and antiproliferative activity. Most of the tested compounds displayed strong to moderate HDAC inhibitory activity. Some of these compounds showed potent anti-proliferative activity against human HepG2, MCF-7 and HCT-116 cell lines. In particular, compounds IVa, IVb, IXa and IXb exhibited significant anti-proliferative activity against the three cell lines tested compared to SAHA as a reference. Compound IVb is equipotent inhibitor for HDAC1 and HDAC2 as SAHA. It is evident that the presence of free hydroxamic acid group is essential for Zn binding affinity with maximal activity with a linker of aliphatic 6 carbons. Docking study results revealed that compound IVb could occupy the HDAC2 binding site and had the potential to exhibit antitumor activity through HDAC inhibition, which merits further investigation., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Two new series of diethyl 2-[2-(substituted-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolin-4-yl)hydrazono]-succinates 6a-g and 1-(2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazoles 7a-f have been designed and synthesized. The structures of the synthesized compounds were proved by IR, mass, NMR (2D) spectra and elemental analyses. The target compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against 60 cancer cell lines according to NCI protocol. Consequently, seven compounds were further examined against the most sensitive cell lines, leukemia CCRF-CEM, and MOLT-4. 5-Amino-1-(6-bromo-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazole-3,4-dicarbonitrile (7f) was the most active product, with IC 50  = 1.35 uM and 2.42 uM against MOLT-4 and CCRF-CEM, respectively. Also, it showed a remarkable inhibitory activity compared to erlotinib on the EGFR TK with IC 50  = 247.14 nM and 208.42 nM, respectively. Cell cycle analysis of MOLT-4 cells treated with 7f showed cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase (supported by Caspases, BAX and Bcl-2 studies) with a significant pro-apoptotic activity as indicated by annexin V-FITC staining. Moreover, the docking study indicated that both the pyrazole moiety and the quinolin-2-one ring showed good fitting into EGFR (PDB code: 1M17). In order to interpret SAR of the designed compounds, and provide a basis for further optimization, molecular docking of the synthesized compounds to known EGFR inhibitors was performed. The study illustrated the effect of several factors on the compounds' activity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

One of the helpful ways to improve the effectiveness of anticancer agents and weaken drug resistance is to use hybrid molecules. therefore, the current study intended to introduce 20 novel xanthine/chalcone hybrids 9-28 of promising anticancer activity. Compounds 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 20 and 23 exhibited potent inhibition of cancer cells growth with IC 50 ranging from 1.0 ± 0.1 to 3.5 ± 0.4 μM compared to doxorubicin with IC 50 ranging from 0.90 ± 0.62 to 1.41 ± 0.58 μM and that compounds 11 and 16 were the best. To verify the mechanism of their anticancer activity, compounds 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 20 and 23 were evaluated for their EGFR inhibitory effect. The study results revealed that compound 11 showed IC 50  = 0.3 µM on the target enzyme which is more potent than staurosporine reference drug (IC 50  = 0.4 µM). Accordingly, the apoptotic effect of the most potent compounds 11 was extensively investigated and showed a marked increase in Bax level up to 29 folds, and down-regulation in Bcl2 to 0.28 fold, in comparison to the control. Furthermore, the effect of compound 11 on Caspases 3 and 8 was evaluated and was found to increase their levels by 8 and 14 folds, respectively. Also, the effect of compound 11 on the cell cycle and its cytotoxic effect were examined. Moreover, a molecular docking study was adopted to confirm mechanism of action., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel naproxen analogues containing 3-aryl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles moiety (4b-g) and their reaction intermediates aryl carboximidamides moiety (3b-g) was synthesized and evaluated in vitro as dual COXs/15-LOX inhibitors. Compounds 3b-g exhibited superior inhibitory activity than celecoxib as COX-2 inhibitors. Compounds 3b-d and 3g were the most potent COX-2 inhibitors with IC 50 range of 6.4 - 8.13 nM and higher selectivity indexes (3b, SI = 26.19; 3c, SI = 13.73; 3d, SI = 29.27; 3g, SI = 18.00) comparing to celecoxib (IC 50  = 42.60 nM, SI = 8.05). Regarding 15-LOX inhibitory activity, compounds belonging to aryl carboximidamide backbone 3b-e and 3g were the most potent with IC 50 range of 1.77-4.91 nM comparing to meclofenamate sodium (IC 50  = 5.64 µM). Data revealed that The levels of NO released by aryl carboximidamides 3b-g were more higher than 3-aryl-1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives 4b-g, which correlated well with their COX-2 inhibitory activities., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A novel quinolinyl pyrrolone and quinolinyl pyridazinone derivatives has been synthesized and characterized using different spectroscopic and elemental analysis techniques. Most of the target compounds displayed promising antiproliferative activity; In general, the pyrrolone derivatives 4a-f exhibited higher antiproliferative activity than their corresponding pyridazinone. The pyrrolone 4f showed outstanding antiproliferative activity with moderate selectivity against CNS and renal cancer with selectivity ratio of 3.49 and 3.56, respectively. Compound 4e and 5d experienced tubulin polymerization inhibitory activity comparable to that of vincristine while 4c, 4e and 4d showed good BRAF kinase inhibition compared to Erlotinib. Docking of compound 4e into colchicine binding site and biological assay results revealed that these compounds act mainly through tubulin polymerization inhibitory mechanism and can exhibit pre G1 apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel compounds carrying 1,2,4-triazole scaffold was synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activity against a panel of cancer cell lines using MTT assay. Compounds 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 10b, 10e, and 10 g showed remarkable antiproliferative activity against the tested cell lines. Compounds 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 10b, 10e, and 10 g with the least IC 50 values in MTT assay were tested against three known anticancer targets including EGFR, BRAF and Tubulin. The results revealed that compounds 8c and 8d showed almost same BRAF inhibitory activity and were discovered to be potent inhibitors of cancer cell proliferation and were also observed to be strong Tubulin inhibitors. Moreover, 8c also showed the best EGFR inhibition with IC 50 = 3.6 μM. Finally molecular modeling studies were performed to explore the binding mode of the most active compounds to the target enzymes., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Over the last few decades, a growing body of studies addressed the anticancer activity of NSAIDs, particularly selective COX-2 inhibitors. However, their exact molecular mechanism is still unclear and is not fully investigated. In this regard, a novel series of compounds bearing a COXs privilege scaffold, diphenyl thiazole, was synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activity against a panel of cancer cell lines. The most active compounds 10b, 14a,b, 16a, 17a,b and 18b were evaluated in vitro for COX-1/COX-2 inhibitory activity. These compounds were suggested to exert their anticancer activity through a multi-target mechanism based on their structural features. Thus, compounds 10b and 17b with the least IC 50 values in MTT assay were tested against three known anticancer targets; EGFR, BRAF and tubulin. Compounds 10b and 17b showed remarkable activity against EGFR with IC 50 values of 0.4 and 0.2μM, respectively and good activity against BRAF with IC 50 values of 1.3 and 1.7μM, respectively. In contrast, they showed weak activity in tubulin polymerization assay. The in vivo anti-inflammatory potential was assessed and interestingly, compound 17b was the most potent compound. Together, this study offers some important insights into the correlation between COXs inhibition and cancer treatment. Additionally, the results demonstrated the promising activity of these compounds with a multi-target mechanism as good candidates for further development into potential anticancer agents., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)