New dimeric carbazole-benzimidazole mixed ligands for the stabilization of human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA and as telomerase inhibitors. A remarkable influence of the spacer

for selectively targeting cancer cells. Herein, we report the design and evolution of a new kind of carbazole-based benzimidazole dimers for their efficient telomerase inhibition activity. Spectroscopic titrations reveal the ligands high affinity toward the G4 DNA with significantly higher selectivity over duplex-DNA. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay shows that the ligands efficiently promote the formation of 04 DNA even at a lower concentration of the stabilizing K+ ions. The TRAP-LIG assay demonstrates the ligand's potential telomerase inhibition activity and also establishes that the activity proceeds via G4 DNA stabilization. An efficient nuclear internalization of the ligands in several common cancer cells (HeLa, HT1080, and A549) also enabled differentiation between normal HFF cells in co-cultures of cancer and normal ones. The ligands induce significant apoptotic response and antiproliferative activity toward cancer cells selectively when compared to the normal cells.

Selective localisation of multi walled carbon nanotubes in polypropylene/natural rubber blends to reduce the percolation threshold

Polypropylene and natural rubber blends with multiwalled carbon nanotube (PP/NR + MWCNT nanocomposites) were prepared by melt mixing. The melt rheological behaviour of neat PP and PP/NR blends filled with different loadings (1, 3, 5, 7 wt%) of MWCNT was studied. The effect of PP/NR blends (with compositions, 80/20,50/50, 20/80 by wt) on the rheological percolation threshold was investigated. It was found that blending PP with NR (80/20 and 50/50 composition) reduced the rheological percolation threshold from 5 wt% to 3 wt% MWCNT. The melt rheological behaviour of the MWCNT filled PP/NR blends was correlated with the morphology observations from high resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) images. In predicting the thermodynamically favoured location of MWCNT in PP/NR blend, the specific interaction of phospholipids in NR phase with MWCNTs was considered quantitatively. The MWCNTs were selectively localised in the NR phase. The percolation mechanism in MWCNT filled PP/NR blends was discussed and for each blend composition, the percolation mechanism was found to be different. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of Novel Benzofuran-Gathered C-2,4,6-substituted Pyrimidine Derivatives Conjugated by Sulfonyl Chlorides: Orally Bioavailable, Selective, Effective Antioxidants and Antimicrobials Drug Candidates

In the present study, we have made an effort to develop the novel synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobials with improved potency. The novel benzofuran-gathered C-2,4,6-substituted pyrimidine derivatives 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, 7f, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f were synthesized by simple and efficient four-step reaction pathway. Initially, o-alkyl derivative of salicylaldehyde readily furnish corresponding 2-acetyl benzofuran 2 in good yield, upon the treatment with potassium tertiary butoxide in the presence of molecular sieves. Further, Claisen-Schmidt condensation with aromatic aldehydes via treatment with thiourea followed by coupling reaction with different sulfonyl chlorides afforded target compounds. The structures of newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, mass, and elemental analysis and further screened for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The results showed that the synthesized compounds 8b, 8e, 9b, and 9e produced significant antioxidant activity with 50% inhibitory concentration higher than that of reference, whereas compounds 7d and 7c produced dominant antimicrobial activity at concentrations 1.0 and 0.5mg/mL compared with standard Gentamicin and Nystatin, respectively.

Site-Selective Addition of Maleimide to Indole at the C-2 Position: Ru(II)-Catalyzed C-H Activation

Synthesis of 3-(indol-2-yl)succinimide derivatives is presented using a directing group strategy. Selective functionalization of C-2 in the presence of highly reactive C-3 in indole derivatives has been achieved. A conjugate addition product instead of Heck-type product has been brought about by careful selection of the alkene partner (maleimides and maleate esters) such that a beta-hydride elimination is avoided.

Cyclic Cationic Peptides Containing Sugar Amino Acids Selectively Distinguishes and Inhibits Maturation of Pre-miRNAs of the Same Family

The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has added a new dimension to the gene regulatory networks, making aberrantly expressed miRNAs as therapeutically important targets. Small molecules that can selectively target and modulate miRNA levels can thus serve as lead structures. Cationic cyclic peptides containing sugar amino acids represent a new class of small molecules that can target miRNA selectively. Upon treatment of these small molecules in breast cancer cell line, we profiled 96 therapeutically important miRNAs associated with cancer and observed that these peptides can selectively target paralogous miRNAs of the same seed family. This selective inhibition is of prime significance in cases when miRNAs of the same family have tissue-specific expression and perform different functions. During these conditions, targeting an entire miRNA family could lead to undesired adverse effects. The selective targeting is attributable to the difference in the three-dimensional structures of precursor miRNAs. Hence, the core structure of these peptides can be used as a scaffold for designing more potent inhibitors of miRNA maturation and hence function.

Conformation-selective coordination-driven self-assembly of a ditopic donor with Pd-II acceptors

Coordination-driven self-assembly of 3-(5-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)pyridine (L) was investigated with 90 degrees cis-blocked Pd(II) acceptors and tetratopic Pd(NO3)(2). Although the ligand is capable of binding in several different conformations (acting as a ditopic donor through the pyridyl nitrogens), the experimental results (including X-ray structures) showed that it adopts a particular conformation when it binds with 90 degrees cis-blocked Pd(II) acceptors (two available sites) to yield 2 + 2] self-assembled macrocycles. On the other hand, with Pd(NO3)(2) (where four available sites are present) a different conformer of the same donor was selectively bound to form a molecular cubic cage. The experimental findings were corroborated well with the density functional theory (B3LYP) calculations. The tetratopic Pd(NO3)(2) yielded a 6 + 12] self-assembled Pd6L12 molecular cube, which contains a potential void occupied by nitrate and perchlorate ions. Being a triazole based ligand, the free space inside the cage is enriched with several sp(2) hybridised nitrogen atoms with lone pairs of electrons to act as Lewis basic sites. Knoevenagel condensation reactions of several aromatic aldehydes with active methylene compounds were successfully performed in reasonably high yields in the presence of the cage.

Endoplasmic reticulum targeting tumour selective photocytotoxic oxovanadium(IV) complexes having vitamin-B6 and acridinyl moieties

Oxovanadium(IV) complexes of vitamin-B6 Schiff base, viz., VO(HL1/L-2/L-3)(B)] Cl (1-4), where B is 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy in 1 and 2), 11-(9-acridinyl)dipyrido3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine (acdppz in 3 and 4), H2L1 center dot HCl is 3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-4-(((2-hydroxyphenyl)imino)methyl)-2-methylp yridin-1-ium chloride (in 1 and 4), HL2 is 2-(((2-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)ethyl) imino)methyl) phenol (in 2) and HL3 is 4-(((2-(1H-imidazol-4- yl)ethyl)imino)methyl)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-3-ol (in 3) were synthesized, characterized and their cellular uptake, photo-activated cytotoxicity and intracellular localization were studied. Complexes 1a, as the perchlorate salt of 1, and 2a, as the hexafluorophosphate salt of 2, were structurally characterized. Vitamin-B6 transporting membrane carrier (VTC) mediated entry into tumour cells in preference to the normal ones seems to be responsible for the higher cellular uptake of the complexes into HeLa and MCF-7 cells over MCF-10A cells. Complexes 3 and 4 having acdppz as the photosensitizer exhibit remarkable photocytotoxicity in these cancer cells giving IC50 of < 0.9 mu M. The complexes remain non-toxic in the dark. The complexes show photo-induced apoptotic cell death via singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) generation. Fluorescence microscopy reveals specific localization of complex 4 to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and generation of O-1(2) possibly leads to apoptotic cell death by triggering ER stress response (ERSR).

Endoplasmic reticulum targeting tumour selective photocytotoxic oxovanadium(IV) complexes having vitamin-B6 and acridinyl moieties

Oxovanadium(IV) complexes of vitamin-B6 Schiff base, viz., VO(HL1/L-2/L-3)(B)] Cl (1-4), where B is 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy in 1 and 2), 11-(9-acridinyl)dipyrido3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine (acdppz in 3 and 4), H2L1 center dot HCl is 3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-4-(((2-hydroxyphenyl)imino)methyl)-2-methylp yridin-1-ium chloride (in 1 and 4), HL2 is 2-(((2-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)ethyl) imino)methyl) phenol (in 2) and HL3 is 4-(((2-(1H-imidazol-4- yl)ethyl)imino)methyl)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-3-ol (in 3) were synthesized, characterized and their cellular uptake, photo-activated cytotoxicity and intracellular localization were studied. Complexes 1a, as the perchlorate salt of 1, and 2a, as the hexafluorophosphate salt of 2, were structurally characterized. Vitamin-B6 transporting membrane carrier (VTC) mediated entry into tumour cells in preference to the normal ones seems to be responsible for the higher cellular uptake of the complexes into HeLa and MCF-7 cells over MCF-10A cells. Complexes 3 and 4 having acdppz as the photosensitizer exhibit remarkable photocytotoxicity in these cancer cells giving IC50 of < 0.9 mu M. The complexes remain non-toxic in the dark. The complexes show photo-induced apoptotic cell death via singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) generation. Fluorescence microscopy reveals specific localization of complex 4 to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and generation of O-1(2) possibly leads to apoptotic cell death by triggering ER stress response (ERSR).

First-in-Class Inhibitors of Sulfur Metabolism with Bactericidal Activity against Non-Replicating M-tuberculosis

Development of effective therapies to eradicate persistent, slowly replicating M. tuberculosis (Mtb) represents a significant challenge to controlling the global TB epidemic. To develop such therapies, it is imperative to translate information from metabolome and proteome adaptations of persistent Mtb into the drug discovery screening platforms. To this end, reductive sulfur metabolism is genetically and pharmacologically implicated in survival, pathogenesis, and redox homeostasis of persistent Mtb. Therefore, inhibitors of this pathway are expected to serve as powerful tools in its preclinical and clinical validation as a therapeutic target for eradicating persisters. Here, we establish a first functional HTS platform for identification of APS reductase (APSR) inhibitors, a critical enzyme in the assimilation of sulfate for the biosynthesis of cysteine and other essential sulfur-containing molecules. Our HTS campaign involving 38?350 compounds led to the discovery of three distinct structural classes of APSR inhibitors. A class of bioactive compounds with known pharmacology displayed potent bactericidal activity in wild-type Mtb as well as MDR and XDR clinical isolates. Top compounds showed markedly diminished potency in a conditional Delta APSR mutant, which could be restored by complementation with Mtb APSR. Furthermore, ITC studies on representative compounds provided evidence for direct engagement of the APSR target. Finally, potent APSR inhibitors significantly decreased the cellular levels of key reduced sulfur-containing metabolites and also induced an oxidative shift in mycothiol redox potential of live Mtb, thus providing functional validation of our screening data. In summary, we have identified first-in-class inhibitors of APSR that can serve as molecular probes in unraveling the links between Mtb persistence, antibiotic tolerance, and sulfate assimilation, in addition to their potential therapeutic value.

Potency and pharmacokinetics of broad spectrum and isoform-specific p110 gamma and delta inhibitors in cancers

Emerging data on cancer suggesting that target-based therapy is promising strategy in cancer treatment. PI3K-AKT pathway is extensively studied in many cancers; several inhibitors target this pathway in different levels. Recent finding on this pathway uncovered the therapeutic applications of PI3K-specific inhibitors; PI3K, AKT, and mTORC broad spectrum inhibitors. Noticeably, class I PI3K isoforms, p110 and p110 catalytic subunits have rational therapeutic application than other isoforms. Therefore, three classes of inhibitors: isoform-specific, dual-specific and broad spectrum were selected for molecular docking and dynamics. First, p110 structure was modelled; active site was analyzed. Then, molecular docking of each class of inhibitors were studied; the docked complexes were further used in 1.2ns molecular dynamics simulation to report the potency of each class of inhibitor. Remarkably, both the studies retained the similar kind of protein ligand interactions. GDC-0941, XL-147 (broad spectrum); TG100-115 (dual-specific); and AS-252424, PIK-294 (isoform-specific) were found to be potential inhibitors of p110 and p110, respectively. In addition to that pharmacokinetic properties are within recommended ranges. Finally, molecular phylogeny revealed that p110 and p110 are evolutionarily divergent; they probably need separate strategies for drug development.

Novel PARP inhibitors sensitize human leukemic cells in an endogenous PARP activity dependent manner

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a critical nuclear enzyme which safeguards genome stability from genotoxic insults and helps in DNA repair. Inhibition of PARP results in sustained DNA damage in cancer cells. PARP inhibitors are known to play an important role in chemotherapy as single agents in many DNA repair pathway deficient tumor cells or in combination with several other chemotherapeutic agents. In the present study, we synthesize and characterize novel pyridazine derivatives, and evaluate their potential for use as PARP inhibitors. Results show that pyridazine derivatives inhibited the PARP1 enzymatic activity at the nanomolar range and showed anti-proliferative activity in leukemic cells. Interestingly, human leukemic cell line, Nalm6, in which PARP1 and PARP2 expression as well as intrinsic PARP activity are high, showed significant sensitivity for the novel inhibitors compared to other leukemic cells. Among the inhibitors, P10 showed maximum inhibition of intrinsic PARP activity and inhibited cell proliferation in Nalm6 cells. Besides P10 also showed maximum inhibition against purified PARP1 protein, which was comparable to olaparib in our assays. Newly synthesized compounds also showed remarkable DNA trapping ability, which is a signature feature of many PARP inhibitors. Importantly, P10 also induced late S and G2/M arrest in Nalm6 cells, indicating accumulation of DNA damage. Therefore, we identify P10 as a potential PARP inhibitor, which can be developed as a chemotherapeutic agent.

Rapid NMR Assignments of Proteins by Using Optimized Combinatorial Selective Unlabeling

A new approach for rapid resonance assignments in proteins based on amino acid selective unlabeling is presented. The method involves choosing a set of multiple amino acid types for selective unlabeling and identifying specific tripeptides surrounding the labeled residues from specific 2D NMR spectra in a combinatorial manner. The methodology directly yields sequence specific assignments, without requiring a contiguously stretch of amino acid residues to be linked, and is applicable to deuterated proteins. We show that a 2D N-15,H-1]HSQC spectrum with two 2D spectra can result in approximate to 50% assignments. The methodology was applied to two proteins: an intrinsically disordered protein (12kDa) and the 29kDa (268 residue) -subunit of Escherichia coli tryptophan synthase, which presents a challenging case with spectral overlaps and missing peaks. The method can augment existing approaches and will be useful for applications such as identifying active-site residues involved in ligand binding, phosphorylation, or protein-protein interactions, even prior to complete resonance assignments.

Stimuli-responsive colorimetric and NIR fluorescence combination probe for selective reporting of cellular hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a key reactive oxygen species and a messenger in cellular signal transduction apart from playing a vital role in many biological processes in living organisms. In this article, we present phenyl boronic acid-functionalized quinone-cyanine (QCy-BA) in combination with AT-rich DNA (exogenous or endogenous cellular DNA), i.e., QCy-BA subset of DNA as a stimuli-responsive NIR fluorescence probe for measuring in vitro levels of H2O2. In response to cellular H2O2 stimulus, QCy-BA converts into QCy-DT, a one-donor-two-acceptor (D2A) system that exhibits switch-on NIR fluorescence upon binding to the DNA minor groove. Fluorescence studies on the combination probe QCy-BA subset of DNA showed strong NIR fluorescence selectively in the presence of H2O2. Furthermore, glucose oxidase (GOx) assay confirmed the high efficiency of the combination probe QCy-BA subset of DNA for probing H2O2 generated in situ through GOx-mediated glucose oxidation. Quantitative analysis through fluorescence plate reader, flow cytometry and live imaging approaches showed that QCy-BA is a promising probe to detect the normal as well as elevated levels of H2O2 produced by EGF/Nox pathways and post-genotoxic stress in both primary and senescent cells. Overall, QCy-BA, in combination with exogenous or cellular DNA, is a versatile probe to quantify and image H2O2 in normal and disease-associated cells.