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Abstract: We previously reported the discovery of 2-aryl-4-benzoyl-imidazoles (ABI-I) as potent antiproliferative agents for melanoma. To further understand the structural requirements for the potency of ABI analogs, gain insight in the structure–activity relationships (SAR), and investigate metabolic stability for these compounds, we report extensive SAR studies on the ABI-I scaffold. Compared with the previous set of ABI-I analogs, the newly synthesized ABI-II analogs have lower potency in general, but some of the new analogs have comparable potency to the most active compounds in the previous set when tested in two melanoma and four prostate cancer cell lines. These SAR studies indicated that the antiproliferative activity was very sensitive to subtle changes in the ligand. Tested compounds 3ab and 8a are equally active against highly paclitaxel resistant cancer cell lines and their parental cell lines, indicating that drugs developed based on ABI-I analogs may have therapeutic advantages over paclitaxel in treating resistant tumors. Metabolic stability studies of compound 3ab revealed that N-methyl imidazole failed to extend stability as literature reported because de-methylation was found as the major metabolic pathway in rat and mouse liver microsomes. However, this sheds light on the possibility for many modifications on imidazole ring for further lead optimization since the modification on imidazole, such as compound 3ab, did not impact the potency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In a continued effort to improve upon the previously published 4-substituted methoxybenzoyl-aryl-thiazole (SMART) template, we explored chemodiverse “B” rings and “B” to “C” ring linkage. Further, to overcome the poor aqueous solubility of this series of agents, we introduced polar and ionizable hydrophilic groups to obtain water-soluble compounds. For instance, based on in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) studies, an orally bioavailable phenyl-amino-thiazole (PAT) template was designed and synthesized in which an amino linkage was inserted between “A” and “B” rings of compound 1. The PAT template maintained nanomolar (nM) range potency against cancer cell lines via inhibiting tubulin polymerization and was not susceptible to P-glycoprotein mediated multidrug resistance in vitro, and markedly improved solubility and bioavailability compared with the SMART template (45a–c(PAT) vs 1(SMART)). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of (2RS,4R)-2-arylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid amide (ATCAA) was synthesized. Antiproliferative activity against melanoma and prostate cancer cells compared with control cells (fibroblast and RH7777, respectively) was evaluated. Compound 3id showed the best selectivity and growth-inhibition activity against three melanoma cell lines (B16-F1, A375, and WM-164). Compounds 15b and 3ac had good selectivity and potency against four prostate cancer cell lines (DU 145, PC-3, LNCaP, and PPC-1). The structure–activity relationship (SAR) of the side chain, the thiazolidine ring, and phenyl substituents is discussed. Cell cycle analysis showed that the percentage of cancer cells undergoing apoptosis (sub-G1 phase) increased after treatment with 1b and 3ad, which also strongly inhibited melanoma colony formation. In vivo studies on nude mice bearing A375 melanoma tumors showed that compound 1b inhibited tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner. At a dose of 10mg/kg, 1b significantly inhibited melanoma tumor growth and showed higher efficacy than did dacarbazine at 60mg/kg. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]