Alexandros Patsilinakos

Curcumin analogues as possible anti-proliferative & anti-inflammatory agents

A series of novel curcumin analogues has been designed, synthesized and tested in vitro/in vivo as potential multi-target agents. Their anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities were studied. Compounds 1b and 2b were stronger inhibitors of soybean lipoxygenase (LOX) than curcumin. Analogue 1b was also the most potent aldose reductase (ALR2) inhibitor. Two compounds, (1a and 1f) exhibited in vivo anti-inflammatory activity comparable to that of indomethacin, whereas derivative 1i exhibited even higher activity. The derivatives were also tested for their anti-proliferative activity using three different human cancer cell lines. Compounds 1a, 1b, 1d and 2b exhibited significant growth inhibitory activity as compared to curcumin, against all three cancer cell lines. Lipophilicity was determined as R(M) values using RPTLC and theoretically. The results are discussed in terms of the structural characteristics of the compounds. Docking simulations were performed on LOX and ALR2 inhibitor 1b and curcumin. Compound 1b is well fitted in the active site of ALR2, binding to the ALR2 enzyme in a similar way to curcumin. Allosteric interactions may govern the LOX-inhibitor binding.

Studies on the antiplatelet and antithrombotic profile of anti-inflammatory coumarin derivatives

Abstract The interest towards coumarin-based structures stems from their polypharmacological profile. Herein, we present a series of Mannich bases and 7-azomethine-linked coumarin derivatives exhibiting antiplatelet and antithrombotic activities, in addition to the already known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Among others, compounds 15 and 16 were found to be the most potent and selective inhibitors of platelet aggregation whereas compound 3 also proved to be the most potent in the clot retraction assay. Structure–activity relationship studies were conducted to elucidate the molecular determinants responsible for the herein observed activities. The chance of inhibiting cyclooxygenase-1 was also investigated for evaluating the platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid. Taken together, these results suggest that the investigation of other targets connected to the antiplatelet activity, such as phosphodiesterase-3 (PDE3), could be a viable strategy to shed light on the polypharmacological profile of coumarin-based compounds. Docking simulations towards PDE3 were also carried out.

Decreasing acidity in a series of aldose reductase inhibitors: 2-Fluoro-4-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)phenol as a scaffold for improved membrane permeation

Targeting long-term diabetic complications, as well as inflammatory pathologies, aldose reductase inhibitors (ARIs) have been gaining attention over the years. In the present work, in order to address the poor membrane permeation of previously reported ARIs, derivatives of N-phenylpyrrole, bearing groups with putative pKa≥7.4, were synthesized and evaluated for aldose reductase inhibitory activity. The 2-fluorophenol group proved the most promising moiety, and further modifications were explored. The most active compound (31), identified as a submicromolar inhibitor (IC50=0.443μM), was also selective against the homologous enzyme aldehyde reductase. Cross-docking revealed that 31 displays a peculiar interaction network that may be responsible for high affinity. Physicochemical profiling of 31 showed a pKa of 7.64, rendering it less than 50% ionized in the physiological pH range, with potentially favorable membrane permeation. The latter was supported from the successful inhibition of sorbitol formation in rat lenses and the ability to permeate rat jejunum.

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) inhibitors: development and validation of predictive 3-D QSAR models through extensive ligand- and structure-based approaches

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, (VEGFR-2), is a key element in angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels are formed, and is thus an important pharmaceutical target. Here, 3-D quantitative structure–activity relationship (3-D QSAR) were used to build a quantitative screening and pharmacophore model of the VEGFR-2 receptors for design of inhibitors with improved activities. Most of available experimental data information has been used as training set to derive optimized and fully cross-validated eight mono-probe and a multi-probe quantitative models. Notable is the use of 262 molecules, aligned following both structure-based and ligand-based protocols, as external test set confirming the 3-D QSAR models’ predictive capability and their usefulness in design new VEGFR-2 inhibitors. From a survey on literature, this is the first generation of a wide-ranging computational medicinal chemistry application on VEGFR2 inhibitors.

Understanding the Molecular Determinant of Reversible Human Monoamine Oxidase B Inhibitors Containing 2H-Chromen-2-One Core: Structure-Based and Ligand-Based Derived Three-Dimensional Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationships Predictive Models

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of aryalkylamines neurotransmitters with concomitant reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. Consequently, the enzymes malfunction can induce oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA and mediates development of Parkinsons disease. Thus, MAO B emerges as a promising target for developing pharmaceuticals potentially useful to treat this vicious neurodegenerative condition. Aiming to contribute to the development of drugs with the reversible mechanism of MAO B inhibition only, herein, an extended in silico-in vitro procedure for the selection of novel MAO B inhibitors is demonstrated, including the following: (1) definition of optimized and validated structure-based three-dimensional (3-D) quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) models derived from available cocrystallized inhibitor-MAO B complexes; (2) elaboration of SAR features for either irreversible or reversible MAO B inhibitors to characterize and improve coumarin-based inhibitor activity (Protein Data Bank ID: 2V61 ) as the most potent reversible lead compound; (3) definition of structure-based (SB) and ligand-based (LB) alignment rule assessments by which virtually any untested potential MAO B inhibitor might be evaluated; (4) predictive ability validation of the best 3-D QSAR model through SB/LB modeling of four coumarin-based external test sets (267 compounds); (5) design and SB/LB alignment of novel coumarin-based scaffolds experimentally validated through synthesis and biological evaluation in vitro. Due to the wide range of molecular diversity within the 3-D QSAR training set and derived features, the selected N probe-derived 3-D QSAR model proves to be a valuable tool for virtual screening (VS) of novel MAO B inhibitors and a platform for design, synthesis and evaluation of novel active structures. Accordingly, six highly active and selective MAO B inhibitors (picomolar to low nanomolar range of activity) were disclosed as a result of rational SB/LB 3D QSAR design; therefore, D123 (IC50 = 0.83 nM, Ki = 0.25 nM) and D124 (IC50 = 0.97 nM, Ki = 0.29 nM) are potential lead candidates as anti-Parkinsons drugs.

Exploring the first Rimonabant analog-opioid peptide hybrid compound, as bivalent ligand for CB1 and opioid receptors

Abstract Cannabinoid (CB) and opioid systems are both involved in analgesia, food intake, mood and behavior. Due to the co-localization of µ-opioid (MOR) and CB1 receptors in various regions of the central nervous system (CNS) and their ability to form heterodimers, bivalent ligands targeting to both these systems may be good candidates to investigate the existence of possible cross-talking or synergistic effects, also at sub-effective doses. In this work, we selected from a small series of new Rimonabant analogs one CB1R reverse agonist to be conjugated to the opioid fragment Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-Phe-NH2. The bivalent compound (9) has been used for in vitro binding assays, for in vivo antinociception models and in vitro hypothalamic perfusion test, to evaluate the neurotransmitters release.

Novel coumarin- and quinolinone-based polycycles as cell division cycle 25-A and -C phosphatases inhibitors induce proliferation arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells

Cell division cycle phosphatases CDC25 A, B and C are involved in modulating cell cycle processes and are found overexpressed in a large panel of cancer typology. Here, we describe the development of two novel quinone-polycycle series of CDC25A and C inhibitors on the one hand 1a-k, coumarin-based, and on the other 2a-g, quinolinone-based, which inhibit either enzymes up to a sub-micro molar level and at single-digit micro molar concentrations, respectively. When tested in six different cancer cell lines, compound 2c displayed the highest efficacy to arrest cell viability, showing in almost all cell lines sub-micro molar IC50 values, a profile even better than the reference compound NCS95397. To investigate the putative binding mode of the inhibitors and to develop quantitative structure-activity relationships, molecular docking and 3-D QSAR studies were also carried out. Four selected inhibitors, 1a, 1d, 2a and 2c have been also tested in A431 cancer cells; among them, compound 2c was the most potent one leading to cell proliferation arrest and decreased CDC25C protein levels together with its splicing variant. Compound 2c displayed increased phosphorylation levels of histone H3, induction of PARP and caspase 3 cleavage, highlighting its contribution to cell death through pro-apoptotic effects.

Pteridine-2,4-diamine derivatives as radical scavengers and inhibitors of lipoxygenase that can possess anti-inflammatory properties

Background Reactive oxygen species are associated with inflammation implicated in cancer, atherosclerosis and autoimmune diseases. The complex nature of inflammation and of oxidative stress suggests that dual-target agents may be effective in combating diseases involving reactive oxygen species. Results A novel series of N-substituted 2,4-diaminopteridines has been synthesized and evaluated as antioxidants in several assays. Many exhibited potent lipid antioxidant properties, and some are inhibitors of soybean lipoxygenase, IC50 values extending down to 100 nM for both targets. Several pteridine derivatives showed efficacy at 0.01 mmol/kg with little tissue damage in a rat model of colitis. 2-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-N-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)pteridin-4-amine (18f) at 0.01 mmol/kg exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity (reduction by 41%). Conclusion The 2,4-diaminopteridine core represents a new scaffold for lipoxygenase inhibition as well as sustaining anti-inflammatory properties.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and quantitative structure-active relationships of 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one derivatives. A promising chemical scaffold endowed with high antifungal potency and low cytotoxicity

With reference to recent studies reporting on the various biological properties of the thiazolidinone scaffold, we synthesized more than a hundred compounds characterized by a 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one nucleus derivatised at the C2 with a hydrazine bridge linked to (cyclo)aliphatic or hetero(aryl) moieties, and their N-benzylated derivatives. These molecules were assayed as potential anti-Candida agents and they were shown to possess comparable, and in some cases higher biological activity than well-established topical and systemic antimycotic drugs (i.e. clotrimazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, miconazole, tioconazole, amphotericin B). Compounds endowed with the lowest MICs underwent further testing in order to assess their cytotoxic effect (CC50) on Hep2 cells, which demonstrated their relative safety. Finally, QSAR and 3-D QSAR models were used to predict putative chemical modifications of the 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one scaffold in order to design new and potential more active compounds against Candida spp.

Gas-phase basicity of 2-furaldehyde

2-Furaldehyde (2-FA), also known as furfural or 2-furancarboxaldehyde, is an heterocyclic aldehyde that can be obtained from the thermal dehydration of pentose monosaccharides. This molecule can be considered as an important sustainable intermediate for the preparation of a great variety of chemicals, pharmaceuticals and furan-based polymers. Despite the great importance of this molecule, its gas-phase basicity (GB) has never been measured. In this work, the GB of 2-FA was determined by the extended Cookss kinetic method from electrospray ionization triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometric experiments along with theoretical calculations. As expected, computational results identify the aldehydic oxygen atom of 2-FA as the preferred protonation site. The geometries of O-O-cis and O-O-trans 2-FA and of their six different protomers were calculated at the B3LYP/aug-TZV(d,p) level of theory; proton affinity (PA) values were also calculated at the G3(MP2, CCSD(T)) level of theory. The experimental PA was estimated to be 847.9 ± 3.8 kJ mol(-1), the protonation entropy 115.1 ± 5.03 J mol(-1) K(-1) and the GB 813.6 ± 4.08 kJ mol(-1) at 298 K. From the PA value, a ΔH°(f) of 533.0 ± 12.4 kJ mol(-1) for protonated 2-FA was derived.