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A series of ferrocenyl analogues and derivatives of paclitaxel and docetaxel were synthesised and assayed for their antiproliferative/cytotoxic effects, impact on the cell cycle distribution and ability to induce tubulin polymerisation. The replacement of the 3'-N-benzoyl group of paclitaxel with a ferrocenoyl moiety, in particular, led to formation of an analogue that was at least one order of magnitude more potent in terms of antiproliferative activity than the parent compound (IC50 values of 0.11 versus 1.11 μm, respectively), but still preserved the classical taxane mode of action, that is, microtubule stabilisation leading to mitotic arrest. Molecular docking studies revealed an unexpected binding pocket in the tubulin structure for the ferrocenoyl group introduced in the paclitaxel backbone., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

With the aim to combine more than one biologically‐active component in a single molecule, derivatives of ispinesib and its (S) analogue were prepared that featured ferrocenyl moieties or bulky organic substituents. Inspired by the strong kinesin spindle protein (KSP) inhibitory activity of ispinesib, the compounds were investigated for their antiproliferative activity. Among these compounds, several derivatives demonstrated significantly higher antiproliferative activity than ispinesib with nanomolar IC50 values against cell lines. Further evaluation indicated that the antiproliferative activity is not directly correlated with their KSP inhibitory activity while docking suggested that several of the derivatives may bind in a manner similar to ispinesib. In order to investigate the mode of action further, cell cycle analysis and reactive oxygen species formation were investigated. The improved antiproliferative activity of the most active compounds may be assigned to synergic effects of various factors such as KSP inhibitory activity due to the ispinesib core and ability to generate ROS and induce mitotic arrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two series of the ferrocenyl and ruthenocenyl analogues of etoposide bearing 1,2,3‐triazolyl or aminoalkyl linker were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic properties, influence on the cell cycle, ability to induce tubulin polymerization, and inhibition of topoisomerase II activity. We found that the replacement of the etoposide carbohydrate moiety with a metallocenyl group led to organometallic conjugates exhibiting differentiated antiproliferative activity. Biological studies demonstrated that two ferrocenylalkylamino conjugates were notably more active than etoposide, with submicromolar or low‐micromolar IC50 values towards SW620, etoposide‐resistant SW620E, and methotrexate‐resistant SW620M cancer cell lines. Moreover, the simplest ferrocenylmethylamino conjugate exerted dual inhibitory action against tubulin polymerization and topoisomerase II activity while other studied compounds affected only topoisomerase II activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of ferrocenyl analogues and derivatives of paclitaxel and docetaxel were synthesised and assayed for their antiproliferative/cytotoxic effects, impact on the cell cycle distribution and ability to induce tubulin polymerisation. The replacement of the 3′- N-benzoyl group of paclitaxel with a ferrocenoyl moiety, in particular, led to formation of an analogue that was at least one order of magnitude more potent in terms of antiproliferative activity than the parent compound (IC50 values of 0.11 versus 1.11 μ m, respectively), but still preserved the classical taxane mode of action, that is, microtubule stabilisation leading to mitotic arrest. Molecular docking studies revealed an unexpected binding pocket in the tubulin structure for the ferrocenoyl group introduced in the paclitaxel backbone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 3-ferrocenylpropenamides were synthetized • Increased cytotoxicity of 3-ferrocenylpropenamide compared to the pure organic analog • The observed biological activity of 3-ferrocenylpropenamide is independent of ROS formation We described a synthesis of new 3-ferrocenylpropenamides prepared by oxazolone-ring opening reaction with various primary and secondary amines. The antiproliferative activities of the obtained compounds were screened on human tumor cell lines (HCT116, SW620, Colo 205, MCF-7, HepG2 and A549). We found that the newly prepared compounds showed cytotoxicity in micromolar range, with the most active piperidinyl derivative 6b with IC 50 values 8.1 μM (MCF-7), 9.6 μM (SW620) and 13.2 μM (Colo 205). Cell cycle analysis showed that 6b increases number of G 2 /M arrested cells. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]