Gaurav Joshi

A review on pharmacophoric designs of antiproliferative agents

Abstract Past few decades have witnessed the dawn of new diseases in which cancer is a major problem and the race ensued to eradicate cancer by charting out various effective therapeutic regimens. Circumventing resistance issues and combating the toxicity and selectivity problems are matter-of-concern in cancer treatment. Persistent failure to ensure complete remission and eradication of cancer instigated the researchers to exploit the strategies of combining pharmacophores as targeted therapeutic agents. Momentous improvement in the pharmacokinetic as well as pharmacodynamic profile resulting in the enhancement of bioavailability was seen with the introduction of these pharmacophores. The scope of molecular hybridization can be clearly exemplified through the US-FDA approved estramustine and others such as CUDC-101, CBLC-137, PLX3397, E-3810, and CUDC-907 that are currently in different phases of clinical trials. This review seeks to highlight and discuss anti-proliferative activity of some important hybrid, dual, and multi-targeted pharmacophores reported to date along with their designs, structure activity relationships, scope, and limitations. Further, an emphasis has been made to summarize US-FDA approved as well as drugs currently undergoing clinical trials of anticancer drug development.

Growth factors mediated cell signalling in prostate cancer progression: Implications in discovery of anti-prostate cancer agents

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality amongst worlds population, in which prostate cancer is one of the most encountered malignancies among men. Globally, it is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Prostate cancer is more prevalent in the developed world and is increasing at alarming rates in the developing countries. Prostate cancer is mostly a very sluggish progressing disease, caused by the overproduction of steroidal hormones like dihydrotestosterone or due to over-expression of enzymes such as 5-α-reductase. Various studies have revealed that growth factors play a crucial role in the progression of prostate cancer as they act either by directly elevating the level of steroidal hormones or upregulating enzyme efficacy by the active feedback mechanism. Presently, treatment options for prostate cancer include radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy. If treatment is done with prevailing traditional chemotherapy; it leads to resistance and development of androgen-independent prostate cancer that further complicates the situation with no cure option left. The current review article is an attempt to cover and establish an understanding of some major signalling pathways intervened through survival factors (IGF-1R), growth factors (TGF-α, EGF), Wnt, Hedgehog, interleukin, cytokinins and death factor receptor which are frequently dysregulated in prostate cancer. This will enable the researchers to design and develop better therapeutic strategies targeting growth factors and their cross talks mediated prostate cancer cell signalling.

Imine/amide-imidazole conjugates derived from 5-amino-4-cyano-N1-substituted benzyl imidazole: Microwave-assisted synthesis and anticancer activity via selective topoisomerase-II-α inhibition.

Microwave-accelerated synthesis and anticancer activity of novel imine/amide-imidazole conjugates derived from 5-amino-4-cyano-N1-substituted benzyl imidazole against a panel of seven cancer cell lines are reported for the first time. Compounds ARK-4, 10 and 12 in the series show promising in vitro anti proliferative activity with low micromolar IC50 values against A-459 (lung), Hep-G2 (liver) and H-460 (liver) cancer cell lines. Compounds caused the increase in ROS levels as well as mitochondrial membrane depolarization, which might induce apoptosis. Further, mechanistic interventions on biological and molecular modeling data supported that compounds inhibited topoisomerase-II selectively.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new 2,5-dimethylthiophene/furan based N-acetyl pyrazolines as selective topoisomerase II inhibitors

Based on reported pharmacophores as topoisomerase inhibitors, 2,5-dimethylthiophene/furan based N-acetyl pyrazolines were designed and envisaged as topoisomerase inhibitors. The target compounds were synthesized and tested in vitro against human topoisomerases in decatenation, relaxation, cleavage complex and DNA intercalation assays. Out of 29 compounds, three (10, 11 and 29) showed potent and selective topoisomerase II inhibitory activity with no intercalation with DNA. Further, molecular docking studies also endorsed them as ATP dependent topoisomerase II catalytic inhibitors. These compounds exerted potential anticancer effects on breast, colon, lung and prostate cancer cell lines at a low micromolar level, as compared to etoposide, and low toxicity to normal cells. Apart from the topoisomerase II inhibition, these compounds also induced a reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in cancer cells. The cell cycle analyses showed their apoptotic effect at the G1 phase.

Dual inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor and topoisomerase IIα derived from a quinoline scaffold

Based on the quinazoline bearing EGFR inhibitors, a series of thirty four compounds having a quinoline scaffold were synthesised and evaluated in vitro for EGFR kinase inhibitory activity. A structure–activity relationship study revealed that 2,4-bis(arylamino) substituted quinolines possessed better anti-EGFR kinase activity. Compounds 3f and 3m emerged as potent EGFR kinase inhibitors (200 and 210 nM, respectively) and showed excellent anticancer activity at the micromolar level against a panel of cancer cell lines comparable to erlotinib. Furthermore, representative compounds inhibited the human topoisomerase IIα selectively and catalytically, did not intercalate with DNA, increased intracellular ROS concentration (except 3m) and altered the mitochondrial membrane potential of the cancer cells. Cell cycle analysis and annexin-V staining in a lung cancer cell line showed that the compounds delayed cell cycle progression by inducing cell cycle arrest and subsequent apoptosis at the G1 phase. The facts were further corroborated through molecular modeling studies.

Structural insights of cyclin dependent kinases: Implications in design of selective inhibitors

There are around 20 Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) known till date, and various research groups have reported their role in different types of cancer. The X-ray structures of some CDKs especially CDK2 was exploited in the past few years, and several inhibitors have been found, e.g., flavopiridol, indirubicin, roscovitine, etc., but due to the specificity issues of these inhibitors (binding to all CDKs), these were called as pan inhibitors. The revolutionary outcome of palbociclib in 2015 as CDK4/6 inhibitor added a new charm to the specific inhibitor design for CDKs. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) tools added a benefit to the design and development of new CDK inhibitors by studying the binding pattern of the inhibitors to the ATP binding domain of CDKs. Herein, we have attempted a comparative analysis of structural differences between several CDKs ATP binding sites and their inhibitor specificity by depicting the important ligand-receptor interactions for a particular CDK to be targeted. This perspective provides futuristic implications in the design of inhibitors considering the spatial features and structural insights of the specific CDK.

Pyrimidine-fused Derivatives: Synthetic Strategies and Medicinal Attributes

Pyrimidine-fused derivatives traits the inextricable part of DNA and RNA, exhibit indispensable role in numerous biological processes, possessing momentous chemical and biological importance. Pyrimidine-condensed derivatives as the pharmacophore exhibit broad spectrum of biological activities encompassing antitubercular, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, anticancer and anti-HIV. Several retrosynthetic approaches, are available for the synthesis of pyrimidine-fused analogues which offers enormous scope in the field of medicinal chemistry. Ring fused pyrimidine and their innumerable derivatives continue to hold the attention of chemists since their presence in the biologically active resources have been known to elicit additive effects on the bio-efficacy of the molecules. The present review is a concerted effort to congregate information mainly focusing on the comprehensive categorization of pyrimidine ring based on their fusion with five, six, seven and eight-membered ring(s). Moreover, it also puts forward their systematic nomenclature, synthetic strategies, and bioactivities including SAR studies. This review is being put forwarded with an incentive to provide researchers with a comprehensive and updated literature. In addition, the manuscript also brings to light the various pharmacophore designs based on fusedpyrimidine ring system, delving deeper into synthesis and the subsequent generation of new libraries of pyrimidine-fused derivatives including their biological assessments.

Toward an Understanding of Structural Insights of Xanthine and Aldehyde Oxidases: An Overview of their Inhibitors and Role in Various Diseases

Almost all drug molecules become the substrates for oxidoreductase enzymes, get metabolized into more hydrophilic products and eliminated from the body. These metabolites sometime may be more potent, active, inactive, or toxic in nature compared to parent molecule. Xanthine oxidoreductase and aldehyde oxidase belong to molybdenum containing family and are well characterized for their structures and functions, in particular to their ability to oxidize/hydroxylate the xenobiotics. Their upregulated clinical levels causing oxidative stress are associated with pathways either directly involved in the progression of diseases, gout, or indirectly with the succession of other diseases such as diabetes, cancer, etc. Herein, we have put forth a comprehensive review on the xanthine and aldehyde oxidases pertaining to their structures, functions, pathophysiological role, and a comparative analysis of structural insights of xanthine and aldehyde oxidases’ binding domains with endogenous ligands or inhibitors. Though both the enzymes are molybdenum containing and are likely to share some common pathways and interact with inhibitors in a similar manner but we have focused on structural prerequisites for inhibitor specificity to both the enzymes keeping in view of the existing X‐ray structures. This review also provides futuristic implications in the design of inhibitors derived from inorganic complexes or small organic molecules considering the spatial features and structural insights of both the enzymes.

Pyrimidine containing epidermal growth factor receptor kinase inhibitors: Synthesis and biological evaluation

Structure‐based design and synthesis of pyrimidine containing reversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors 1a–d are reported. The compounds (1a–d) inhibited the EGFR kinase activity in vitro with IC50 range 740 nm to 3 μm. mRNA expression of EGFR downstream target genes, that is twist, c‐fos and aurora were found to be altered upon treatment with compounds 1a–d. The compounds 1a–d exhibited excellent anticancer activity at low micromolar level (3.2–9 μm) in lung, colon and breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, compounds induced the alteration in mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species level and. Selected compound 1b was found to increase sub‐G1 population indicative of cell death, the mode of cell death was apoptotic as evident from Annexin V verses propidium iodide assay. Molecular modelling further helped to investigate the binding recognition pattern of the compounds in ATP binding EGFR domain similar to erlotinib and dissimilar to WZ4002.

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and its Cross-Talks with Topoisomerases: Challenges and Opportunities for Multi-Target Anticancer Drugs

BACKGROUND The interactions of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and topoisomerases have been seen in various cancer including brain, breast, ovarian, colorectal, gastric, etc. METHODS The studies in adenocarcinoma patients, chromogenic in situ hybridization, western blotting, receptor binding assay and electromobility shift assays, etc. threw light on the biophysical and biochemical features of EGFR and Topoisomerase cross-talks. RESULTS It has been revealed that both the isomers of topoisomerase (Topo I and Topo II) interact via different mechanisms with EGFR. Topo II and HER2 share the same location i.e. 17q12-21 regions which could be a possible cause of predominant interactions seen between them. Topo I and EGFR interactions are mechanically related to the nucleolar translocation of heparenase by EGF and c-Jun. CONCLUSION We compiled literature findings including the mechanistic interventions, signaling pathways, patents, in vitro and in vivo data of tested inhibitors and combinations in clinical trials, which provide convincing confirmations for the interactions of EGFR and topoisomerases. These interactions may be used for deriving a consistent route of mechanism, design and development of standard drug combinations and dual or multi inhibitors.