Magdy Zahran

Design, synthesis and antitumor evaluation of novel thalidomide dithiocarbamate and dithioate analogs against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-induced solid tumor in Swiss albino mice

A series of 16 novel thalidomide sulfur analogs containing one and two sulfur atoms 2 and 4-18, respectively, were designed and synthesized. These compounds were screened for in vitro antitumor activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cell line and exhibited potent cytotoxic activity. On the bases of the obtained results for in vitro cytotoxic activity, thalidomide sulfur analogs containing two sulfur atoms 8, 9, 13 and 14 were selected and tested in vivo against EAC-induced solid tumor in female mice compared to thalidomide 1 as well as its analog 2 and exhibited a highly significant reduction in tumor volume (TV). Results illustrated the antioxidative activity of these compounds as the level of hepatic lipid peroxidation decreased and levels of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were elevated. The histopathological investigations revealed that thalidomide sulfur analogs 2, 8, 9, 13 and 14 have antimitotic, apoptotic and necrotic activities against solid tumor. These compounds lead to increase of Fas-L expression. The immunohistochemical studies showed a decrease in Ki67 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) staining in tumor cells from treated-animals when compared with non-treated groups, which suggests an inhibition of tumor proliferation rate and angiogenic process associated with tumor growth. Compounds 9 and 13 were the most potent compounds in tumor necrosis without liver necrosis. At the same time, treatment with compound 9 resulted in liver degeneration.

Effect of thalidomide dithiocarbamate analogs on the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression

Thalidomide has been reported to have anti-angiogenic and antimetastatic effects. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was shown to be involved in monocyte adherence to epithelial cells and cancer cell invasion. Novel thalidomide dithiocarbamate analogs (containing 2 sulfur atoms) were designed and synthesized as potential anti-tumor agents. The aim of this work is to investigate their anti-tumor effect against transplantable experimental tumor, Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC), in mice by studying the changes in cells biochemical profile, the expression of ICAM-1 and nitric oxide (NO) and their association with tumor burden. As shown in our results, treatment of solid tumor-bearing mice with thalidomide 1 resulted in a significant reduction in tumor volume with 75.4% inhibition, a significant decrease in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), ICAM-1 expression and NO. Thalidomide dithiocarbamate analogs 2 and 3 exhibited a potent effect to reduce the volume of solid tumor with 96.7% and 96.5% inhibition, respectively, a significant ability to increase the albumin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and glucose levels and to diminish LDH, ICAM-1 expression and NO. Thalidomide dithiocarbamate analog 3 has more potent anti-tumor activity as compared with thalidomide 1 or its dithiocarbamate analog 2. Taken together, our study improved that the dithiocarbamate analogs 2 and 3 are more potent anti-tumor agents with more pronounced effect than thalidomide 1 itself.

In vitro anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic activities of thalidomide dithiocarbamate analogs

Inhibition of angiogenesis is currently perceived as a promising strategy in the treatment of cancer. The anti-angiogenicity of thalidomide has inspired a second wave of research on this teratogenic drug. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic activities of two thalidomide dithiocarbamate analogs by studying their anti-proliferative effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines. Their action on the expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, VEGF165, and MMP-2 was also assessed. Furthermore, their effect on angiogenesis was evaluated through wound healing, migration, tube formation, and nitric oxide (NO) assays. Results illustrated that the proliferation of HUVECs and MDA-MB-231 cells was not significantly affected by thalidomide at 6.25-100μM. Thalidomide failed to block angiogenesis at similar concentrations. By contrast, thalidomide dithiocarbamate analogs exhibited significant anti-proliferative action on HUVECs and MDA-MB-231 cells without causing cytotoxicity and also showed powerful anti-angiogenicity in wound healing, migration, tube formation, and NO assays. Thalidomide analogs 1 and 2 demonstrated more potent activity to suppress expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, VEGF165, and MMP-2 than thalidomide. Analog 1 consistently, showed the highest potency and efficacy in all the assays. Taken together, our results support further development and evaluation of novel thalidomide analogs as anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic agents.

Anti-inflammatory effect of thalidomide dithiocarbamate and dithioate analogs

Thalidomide has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-angiogenic properties. It has been used to treat a variety of cancers and autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to characterize anti-inflammatory activities of novel thalidomide analogs by exploring their effects on splenocytes proliferation and macrophage functions and their antioxidant activity. MTT assay was used to assess the cytotoxic effect of thalidomide analogs against splenocytes. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB-P65) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Nitric oxide (NO) was estimated by colorimetric assay. Antioxidant activity was examined by ORAC assay. Our results demonstrated that thalidomide dithioate analog 2 and thalidomide dithiocarbamate analog 4 produced a slight increase in splenocyte proliferation compared with thalidomide. Thalidomide dithiocarbamate analog 1 is a potent inhibitor of TNF-α production, whereas thalidomide dithiocarbamate analog 5 is a potent inhibitor of both TNF-α and NO. Analog 2 has a pronounced inhibitory effect on NF-κB-P65 production level. All thalidomide analogs showed prooxidant activity against hydroxyl (OH) radical. Analog 1 and thalidomide dithioate analog 3 have prooxidant activity against peroxyl (ROO) radical in relation to thalidomide. On the other hand, analog 4 has a potent scavenging capacity against peroxyl (ROO) radical compared with thalidomide. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that thalidomide analogs might have valuable anti-inflammatory activities with more pronounced effect than thalidomide itself.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Thalidomide and Phthalimide Esters as Antitumor Agents

A series of thalidomide and phthalimide ester analogs were efficiently synthesized from N‐chloromethylthalidomide, N‐chloromethylphthalimide, and N‐(2‐bromoethyl)phthalimide derivatives with various biologically important carboxylic acids. The synthesized compounds were purified and characterized by various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The antitumor activity of all the synthesized compounds was screened against human liver and breast cancer cells, which showed that phthalimide ester 6a was the best cytotoxic compound against MCF7 cells, while all of the tested compounds showed a non‐cytotoxic effect against HepG2 cells. Compounds 5a, 6a, and 7a possess immunosuppressant effect, while compounds 5c, 5d, 6c, 6d, 7c, and 7d showed an immunostimmulatory effect. Meanwhile, estimation of the binding affinity for all the synthesized compounds toward the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) showed that compounds 5a, 5b, and 7d were the most potent inhibitors.

Anticancer effects of novel thalidomide analogs in A549 cells through inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2

Lung cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and non-small-cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer. Several studies had shown that thalidomide has potential for prevention and therapy of cancer. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the antitumor effects of two novel thalidomide analogs in human lung cancer A549 cells. The antiproliferative, antimigratory, and apoptotic effects in A549 cells induced by thalidomide analogs were examined. In addition, their effects on the expression of mRNAs encoding vascular endothelial growth factor165 (VEGF165) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were evaluated. Their influence on the tumor volume in nude mice was also determined. Results revealed that thalidomide analogs exhibited antiproliferative, antimigratory, and apoptotic activities with more pronounced effect than thalidomide drug. Furthermore, analogs 1 and 2 suppressed the expression levels of VEGF165 by 42% and 53.2% and those of MMP-2 by 45% and 52%, respectively. Thalidomide analogs 1 and 2 also reduced the tumor volume by 30.11% and 53.52%, respectively. Therefore, this study provides evidence that thalidomide analogs may serve as a new therapeutic option for treating lung cancer.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluations, molecular docking, and in vivo studies of novel phthalimide analogs.

A series of novel phthalimide analogs containing an indole or brominated indole moiety were synthesized and their antimicrobial activity was evaluated. Compound 8 showed a broad spectrum activity, revealing 53–67% of erythromycin activity on the tested bacteria and 60–70% of miconazole activity on the tested fungi. Anticancer activity was evaluated on the cell lines HepG2, MCF‐7, A549, H1299, and Caco2. The results revealed that the new phthalimide analog 8 has broad‐spectrum anticancer activity toward all the tested cancer cell lines, followed by compound 11, which showed good activity toward all the tested cell lines except for MCF‐7. The ability of the promising analogs 5, 8, and 11 to bind to topoisomerase II DNA gyrase was investigated. Caspase‐3 activation and Bcl‐2 assay of the best active derivatives 8, 11 in addition to compound 5 were evaluated. The antifibrotic activity was studied in an in vivo model and the histopathological studies revealed that treatment with the new compound 8 improved the fibrotic liver tissues to normality.

Influence of ethyl acetate addition on volatility, octane rating, and phase stability of methanol–gasoline blends

ABSTRACT The effect of adding ethyl acetate (EA) on the phase stability of methanol–gasoline blends was investigated by measuring their water tolerance (WT) at three different temperatures (30°C, 15°C, and 0°C). The influence of EA addition on volatility was also studied to evaluate EA as a stabilizer for methanol–gasoline fuels. It was found that EA elevates the WT and octane number of the fuels without causing any adverse impact on the volatility of the blends.

Thymoquinone Improves Anti-Diabetic Activity of Metformin in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Male Rats

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of thymoquinone (TQ) to enhance the anti-diabetic effect of metformin (MET) in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in male rats. The mutual effect of TQ and MET on biochemical parameters such as glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and glycated hemoglobin was estimated. Also, their combined influence on malonaldehyde (MDA) and total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC) in liver and pancreas tissues homogenates were assessed. Furthermore, their synergistic effects on the expression of mRNA encoding glucose transporter-2 (Glut-2) were evaluated. Moreover, insulin receptor labeling index percentage in liver tissues was estimated. Results revealed that the alteration in biochemical levels due to streptozotocin action was corrected and restored by TQ plus MET with more pronounced effect than MET alone. Also, in liver homogenate both TQ and MET decreased the elevated MDA level to 8.82 and augmented the TAC level to 2.71, compared to their values in MET group 14.64 and 1.19, respectively. Furthermore, TQ plus MET up-regulated the expression level of Glut-2 by 88.2%, compared to 80% in MET group. Taken together, our study revealed that TQ via its anti-oxidant properties is a useful combination therapeutic agent to enhance the anti-diabetic activity of MET in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, Docking and QSAR Studies of SomeNovel Naphthalimide Dithiocarbamate Analogs as Antitumor and Anti-Inflammatory Agents

A series of novel naphthalimide dithiocarbamate 4a-f, 5a-f were efficiently synthesized via introduce dithiocarbamate and dithioate side chain onto the naphthalic anhydride core. The structures of the synthesized analogs were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including IR,1H and 13C NMR, and (ESIHRMS) techniques. The anti-cancer activities of the generated naphthalimide derivatives 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, and 5d were evaluated against 21 tumour cell lines; inculding 10 tumor subpanels using MTT assay. Analogue 4c offer antitumor activity with an IC50 of 10.54 μM against SKBR3 breast cancer cells. Compound 4d showed varying degrees of antitumor activities towards several tumour cell lines ranging from 21.1 to 71.7 μM. In addition to the antitumor activities; the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their In vitro anti-inflammatory activity. Compounds 4c and 4d revealed potent anti-inflammatory properties in comparison with the reference drug celecoxib. Molecular docking studies provided complementary theoretical support for experimental biological data.