A series of eight N ‐heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) gold(I) complexes, involving 1,3‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene (iPr) ligand in combination with 6‐mercaptopurine derivatives (HL 1–8 ), has been prepared and thoroughly characterized, including elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, infrared and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, and single crystal X‐ray analysis. The complexes, showing general composition of [Au (iPr)(L n )] 1 – 8 , were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines including A2780 (ovarian) and A2780R (ovarian Cisplatin resistant), PC3 (prostate) and MCF‐7 (breast), and normal human MRC‐5 cells (lung fibroblasts). The complexes revealed significant cytotoxicity, with the best IC 50 values ≈ 3.4–6.4 μM against A2780 and reasonable selectivity. Cellular effects of the selected complexes on the A2780 cells were evaluated using various flow cytometry assays. Complexes 1 , 3 , and 4 showed a strong pro‐apoptotic effect and a strong effect on the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. These findings indicate that their major mechanism of action is based on the collapse of the mitochondrial metabolism and activation of the intrinsic signaling pathway of apoptosis, consequently resulting in cell death. The complexes 1 – 8 revealed only negligible effect on the production of inflammatory‐related cytokine (TNF‐α), as well as the activation of nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cells (NF‐κB) or peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Moreover, the shotgun proteomic analysis was performed, and the obtained results suggest that the mechanism of action of complexes 1 , 3 , and 4 differs somewhat from that of Auranofin .

Motivated by the clinical success of gold(I) metallotherapeutic Auranofin in the effective treatment of both inflammatory and cancer diseases, we decided to prepare, characterize, and further study the [Au(kin)(PPh3)] complex (1), where Hkin = kinetin, 6-furfuryladenine, for its in vitro anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. The results revealed that the complex (1) had significant in vitro cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines (A2780, A2780R, PC-3, 22Rv1, and THP-1), with IC50 ≈ 1–5 μM, which was even significantly better than that for the conventional platinum-based drug Cisplatin while comparable with Auranofin. Although its ability to inhibit transcription factor NF-κB activity did not exceed the comparative drug Auranofin, it has been found that it is able to positively influence peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ), and as a consequence of this to have the impact of moderating/reducing inflammation. The cellular effects of the complex (1) in A2780 cancer cells were also investigated by cell cycle analysis, induction of apoptosis, intracellular ROS production, activation of caspases 3/7 and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, and shotgun proteomic analysis. Proteomic analysis of R2780 cells treated with complex (1) and starting compounds revealed possible different places of the effect of the studied compounds. Moreover, the time-dependent cellular accumulation of copper was studied by means of the mass spectrometry study with the aim of exploring the possible mechanisms responsible for its biological effects.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, CAN508, was protected with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate to access the amino-benzoylated pyrazoles. The bromo derivatives were further arylated by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling using the XPhos Pd G2 pre-catalyst. The coupling reaction provided generally the para-substituted benzoylpyrazoles in the higher yields than the meta-substituted ones. The Boc groups were only utilized as directing functionalities for the benzoylation step and were hydrolyzed under conditions of Suzuki-Miyaura coupling, which allowed for elimination of the additional deprotection step.

AIM:From betulinic acid (1a), we synthesized 30-oxobetulinic acid (2a) that is highly cytotoxic against many cancer cell lines; however, its generic toxicity is the main obstacle in further development as cytostatic. Methodology & results: From 2a, we prepared a new class of compounds - nonsymmetrical azines and tested their in vitro cytotoxicity. All new azines with a free 28-COOH group (4a-4e) were highly and selectively cytotoxic against the T-lymphoblastic leukemia cell line CCRF-CEM and exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of RNA and DNA synthesis and other cell-cycle alterations, including the M-phase block.CONCLUSION:The potential use of azines (4a-4e) in drug development focused on hematological cancers is significantly higher than that of previously studied acids 1a and 2a.

Herein we report the polymer-supported synthesis of 3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-oxazine-3-carboxylic acid derivatives using immobilized Fmoc-Ser(tBu)-OH and Fmoc-Thr(tBu)-OH as the starting materials. After the solid-phase-synthesis of N-alkyl-N-sulfonyl/acyl intermediates, the target dihydrooxazines were obtained using trifluoroacetic acid-mediated cleavage from the resin. This approach was also studied for the preparation of dihydrothiazines from immobilized Fmoc-Cys(Trt)-OH. Inclusion of triethylsilane in the cleavage cocktail resulted in the stereoselective formation of the corresponding morpholine/thiomorpholine-3-carboxylic acids. Stereochemical studies revealed the specific configuration of the newly formed stereocenter and also the formation of stable N-acylmorpholine rotamers.

In this work, we describe synthesis of conjugates of betulinic acid with substituted triazoles prepared via Huisgen 1,3-cycloaddition. All compounds contain free 28-COOH group. Allylic bromination of protected betulinic acid by NBS gave corresponding 30-bromoderivatives, their substitution with sodium azides produced 30-azidoderivatives and these azides were subjected to CuI catalysed Huisgen 1,3-cycloaddition to give the final conjugates. Reactions had moderate to high yields. All new compounds were tested for their in vitro cytotoxic activities on eight cancer and two non-cancer cell lines. The most active compounds were conjugates of 3β-O-acetylbetulinic acid and among them, conjugate with triazole substituted by benzaldehyde 9b was the best with IC50 of 3.3 μM and therapeutic index of 9.1. Five compounds in this study had IC50 below 10 μM and inhibited DNA and RNA synthesis and caused block in G0/G1 cell cycle phase which is highly similar to actinomycin D. It is unusual that here prepared 3β-O-acetates were more active than compounds with the free 3-OH group and this suggests that this set may have common mechanism of action that is different from the mechanism of action of previously known 3β-O-acetoxybetulinic acid derivatives. Benzaldehyde type conjugate 9b is the best candidate for further drug development.

Lupane derivatives containing an electronegative substituent in the position 2 of the skeleton are often cytotoxic, however, the most active compounds are not selective enough. To further study the influence of a substituent in the position 2 in lupane and 18α-oleanane derivatives on their biological properties, we prepared a set of 38 triterpenoid compounds, 19 of them new, most of them substituted in the position 2. From betulin, we obtained 2-bromo dihydrobetulonic acid and 2-bromo allobetulon and their substitutions yielded derivatives with various substituents in the position 2 such as amines, amides, thiols, and thioethers. Nitration of allobetulon and dihydrobetulonic acid gave 2-nitro and 2,2-dinitro derivatives. Fifteen derivatives had IC50 < 50 μM on a chemosensitive CCRF-CEM (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) cell line and were tested on another seven cancer cell lines including resistant and two non-cancer lines. 2-Amino allobetulin had IC50 4.6 μM and caused significant block of the tumor cells in S and slightly in G2/M transition and caused strong inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis at 5 × IC50. 2-Amino allobetulin is the most active derivative of 18α-oleanane skeletal type prepared in our research group to date.

The solid-phase synthesis of 4H-benzo[f][1,2,3]triazolo[1,5-a][1,4]diazepin-6(5H)-ones and 4,5-dihydrobenzo[f][1,2,3]triazolo[5,1-d][1,2,5]thiadiazepine 6,6-dioxides under mild and catalyst-free conditions is described. The seven-step synthetic strategy is based on the preparation of polymer-supported 4-nitrobenzenesulfonamides and their alkylation with various propargyl derivatives. Cleavage of the 4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl group from each of the key intermediates was followed by acylation with different 2-azidobenzoic acids, leading to spontaneous intramolecular (Huisgen) 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. After cleavage from the polymer support, the target compounds were obtained in excellent crude purities and very good overall yields.

Here we describe the leishmanicidal activities of a library of 2,6,9-trisubstituted purines that were screened for interaction with Cdc2-related protein kinase 3 (CRK3) and subsequently for activity against parasitic Leishmania species. The most active compound inhibited recombinant CRK3 with an IC50 value of 162nM and was active against Leishmania major and Leishmania donovani at low micromolar concentrations in vitro. Its mode of binding to CRK3 was investigated by molecular docking using a homology model.

The use of a hydrazine derived from a backbone amide linker as a new hydrazone-based traceless linker for solid-phase organic synthesis is described. The stability of the linker was tested under various conditions, including treatment with acids, bases, and borohydrides. Final compounds can be released by selective cleavage using trimethylsilanolate. To demonstrate the versatility of the linker, the synthesis of a model compound under various reaction conditions was performed with good results.

Copper-free click reactions between a dibenzoazocine derivative and azides derived from 5-methyluridine were investigated. The non-catalyzed reaction yielded both regioisomers in an approximately equivalent ratio. The NMR spectra of each regioisomer revealed conformational isomery. The ratio of isomers was dependent on the type of regioisomer and the type of solvent. The synthesis of various analogs, a detailed NMR study and computational modeling provided evidence that the isomery was dependent on the interaction of the azocine and pyrimidine parts.

In this article, we describe the preparation and cytotoxic properties of a small focused library of lupane and 18α-oleanane triterpenoids that contain a combination of two structural motifs known to enhance the biological activities. First, we introduced two fluorine atoms to position 2 of the skeleton. Second, we synthesized a set of hemiester prodrugs, which were intended to increase the solubility and activity. Starting from betulin, we obtained two hydroxyketones (derivatives of dihydrobetulinic acid and allobetulin) and their fluorination using DAST provided 2,2-difluoro-3-oxo-compounds as the main products. Then the 3-oxo group in each derivative was reduced by NaBH4 to obtain 3β-hydroxy compounds suitable for modifying by various hemiesters. We prepared 21 compounds, 11 of them new, their cytotoxicity was tested on T lymphoblastic leukemia CCRF-CEM cells first and the most active derivatives were selected for screening on another six tumor and two non-tumor cell lines. All of them showed selectivity against cancer lines with therapeutic index between 2 and 8. All hemiesters had activity in the same range as the free hydroxyl derivatives and they would be suitable prodrugs for future in vivo experiments. Interestingly, all hemiesters of 2,2-difluorodihydrobetulonic acid had higher activity against p53 knock-out p53-/- cancer cell line than against the non-mutated analog. In active derivatives, the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry and several compounds slowed down cell cycle progression through G0/G1 or S-phase.

An efficient method is described for the solid-supported synthesis of imidazo[4,5-b]pyridines and imidazo[4,5-c]pyridines from 2,4-dichloro-3-nitropyridine. The key pyridine building block was reacted with polymer-supported amines, followed by replacement of the second chlorine with amines, nitro group reduction, and imidazole ring closure with aldehydes. Depending on the combination of polymer-supported and solution-phase reagents, the strategy allowed for the simple preparation of the target trisubstituted derivatives with variable positioning of the pyridine nitrogen atom. Additionally, after a slight modification of the method, the preparation of strictly isomeric imidazopyridines was possible.

The in vitro antitumour activity studies on a panel of human cancer cell lines (A549, HeLa, G-361, A2780, and A2780R) and the combined in vivo and ex vivo antitumour testing on the L1210 lymphocytic leukaemia model were performed on the cis-[PtCl2(naza)2] complexes (1-3) involving the 7-azaindole derivatives (naza). The platinum(II) complexes showed significantly higher in vitro cytotoxic effects on cell-based models, as compared with cisplatin, and showed the ability to avoid the acquired resistance of the A2780R cell line to cisplatin. The in vivo testing of the complexes (applied at the same dose as cisplatin) revealed their positive effect on the reduction of cancerous tissues volume, even if it is lower than that of cisplatin, however, they also showed less serious adverse effects on the healthy tissues and the health status of the treated mice. The results of ex vivo assays revealed that the complexes 1-3 were able to modulate the levels of active forms of caspases 3 and 8, and the transcription factor p53, and thus activate the intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway of apoptosis. The pharmacological observations were supported by both the histological and immunohistochemical evaluation of isolated cancerous tissues. The applicability of the prepared complexes and their fate in biological systems, characterized by the hydrolytic stability and the thermodynamic aspects of the interactions with cysteine, reduced glutathione, and human serum albumin were studied by the mass spectrometry and isothermal titration calorimetric experiments.

Simple solid-phase synthesis of 3,10-dihydro-2H-benzo[e]imidazo[1,2-b][1,2,4]thiadiazin-2-one 5,5-dioxides is described, with Fmoc-α-amino acids and 2-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chlorides (2-NosCls) being the key building blocks. Fmoc-α-amino acids were immobilized on Wang resin and transformed to the corresponding 2-nitrobenzenesulfonamides in two steps. After reduction of the nitro group, Fmoc-thioureas were synthesized followed by cyclization of the 1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide scaffold with diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC). Cleavage of the Fmoc protecting group followed by spontaneous cyclative cleavage gave the target products in excellent crude purity.

Solid-phase synthesis of 1H-benzo[d]imidazo[1,2-a]imidazol-2(3H)-one derivatives employing Fmoc-α-amino acids and nitroaryl fluorides as key building blocks has been developed. The Fmoc-α-amino acids immobilized on Wang resin, equipped with a piperazine carbamate linker, were transformed to o-nitroanilines in two steps. After reduction of the nitro group, the corresponding o-phenylenediamines gave the 2-aminobenzimidazole scaffold by reaction either with cyanogen bromide or with Fmoc-NCS. Cleavage from the polymer support and further cyclization afforded the target compounds. The developed methodology represents a versatile and simple approach for the preparation of various corresponding 1H-benzo[d]imidazo[1,2-a]imidazol-2(3H)-ones from a large number of commercially available building blocks.

A one-step synthetic procedure using the reaction of potassium bis(oxalato)platinate(II) with the corresponding N6-benzyladenosine derivative (nL) provided the [Pt(ox)(nL)2]∙1.5H2O oxalato (ox) complexes 1–5, involving the nL molecules as monodentate coordinated N-donor ligands. The complexes were thoroughly characterized by elemental analysis, multinuclear (1H, 13C, 15N, 195Pt) and two dimensional NMR, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, proving their composition and purity as well as coordination of nL through the N7 atom of the purine moiety. Geometry of [Pt(ox)(4FL)2] (5) was optimized at the B3LYP/LANLTZ/6-311G** level of theory. The complexes were screened for their in vitro cytotoxicity against two human cancer cell lines (HOS osteosarcoma and MCF7 breast adenocarcinoma), but they did not show any effect up to the concentration of 50.0 µM (compounds 1, 2) or 20.0 µM (compounds 3–5).

The platinum(II) oxalato complexes [Pt(ox)(naza)2] (1-3) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis (C, H, N), multinuclear NMR spectroscopy ((1)H, (13)C, (15)N, (195)Pt) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS); naza = 4-chloro-7-azaindole (4Claza; 1), 3-bromo-7-azaindole (3Braza; 2) or 4-bromo-7-azaindole (4Braza; 3). The prepared substances were screened for their in vitro antitumor activity on the osteosarcoma (HOS) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) human cancer cell lines, where 2 showed moderate antitumor effect (IC50 = 27.5 μM, and 18.3 μM, respectively). The complex 2 was further tested on a panel of six others human cancer cell lines, including the malignant melanoma (G361), cervix carcinoma (HeLa), ovarian carcinoma (A2780), cisplatin-resistant ovarian carcinoma (A2780R), lung carcinoma (A549) and prostate adenocarcinoma (LNCaP). This substance was found to be moderate antitumor effective against G361 (IC50 = 17.3 μM), HeLa (IC50 = 31.8 μM) and A2780 (IC50 = 19.2 μM) cell lines. The complex 2 was also studied by NMR for its solution stability and by ESI-MS experiments for its ability to interact with biomolecules, such as cysteine, glutathione or guanosine 5'-monophosphate.

The first nitration of codeine by using bismuth nitrate pentahydrate under mild reaction conditions is described. The resulting 1-nitrocodeine was reduced to 1-aminocodeine, a key precursor for the synthesis of the azo derivative and several hydrazones. Structures of both 1-nitrocodeine and 1-aminocodeine were unequivocally determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The reported preliminary synthetic study lays the groundwork for the synthesis of modified codeine derivatives with potential biological activity.