It is demonstrated that benzofuran-furan-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole hybrids possess promising multifaceted in vitro anticancer activity by inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and clonogenicity while inducing ROS-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis, highlighting these hybrid scaffolds as attractive candidates for further anticancer drug development.
Abstract
The development of anticancer agents capable of affecting multiple cancer-related cellular processes remains an important strategy in cancer drug discovery. In this study, a novel series of benzofuran-furan-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole hybrids was synthesized and comprehensively investigated through in vitro biological assays and in silico analyses. The synthesized compounds exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxicity against LNCaP, MDA-MB-231, A549, and Caco-2 cancer cells, with EC50 values ranging from 20.49 to 274.37 µM while displaying lower toxicity toward non-malignant HUVEC cells. Among the synthesized derivatives, compounds 4j, 4h, and 4d showed the strongest antiproliferative activities and significantly suppressed cancer cell migration, invasion, and colony formation. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the active hybrids induced G1/S phase cell cycle arrest, increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential, and promoted apoptotic cell death. These findings were further supported by quantitative real-time PCR, which revealed downregulation of BCL2 together with upregulation of BAX, CASP3, CASP8, CASP9, and TP53, indicating activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. In silico analysis of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) predicted favorable drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic properties for the synthesized hybrids. Molecular docking suggested potential interactions with CDK2, the androgen receptor, VEGFR-2, and Bcl-2, with compound 4f exhibiting the most favorable overall docking profile. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that benzofuran-furan-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole hybrids possess promising multifaceted in vitro anticancer activity by inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and clonogenicity while inducing ROS-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis, highlighting these hybrid scaffolds as attractive candidates for further anticancer drug development.
A novel series of benzofuran-based aryl urea derivatives incorporating a 1,3,4-thiadiazole linker were designed as dual VEGFR-2/BRAFWT inhibitors using sorafenib as a pharmacophoric template, with compound 7j emerging as the most active analogue.
Marwa I Serag, Mohamed R. Elnagar, Wafaa A. Ewes et al.· Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemi...· 0 citations
In silico investigations, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and MM/GBSA analysis, revealed stable binding of the synthesized compound within the VEGFR2 active site, supported by favorable binding free energy and key ligand–residue interactions.
Mostafa Sayed, Ehdaa Mohammed, Doha H. Aboubaker et al.· RSC Advances· 0 citations
It is suggested that 4c exerts anticancer activity through ROS-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis and cell-cycle disruption, highlighting its promise as an oncotherapeutic candidate for TNBC and Dalton lymphoma.
Overall, K12 emerged as the most promising lead compound, combining potent antiproliferative activity, high selectivity, efficient DNA-binding characteristics, and robust computational performance, highlighting its potential for further development as a novel anticancer agent.
Karan Kamle, Shreyansh R. Mevada, Reena Hirani et al.· Bioorganic chemistry (Print)· 0 citations
Cancer continues to be a leading cause of global mortality, highlighting the ongoing need for novel anticancer compounds that offer high efficacy with improved side effect profiles. In the present study, a series of 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione derivatives (DTT-S1-18) were synthesized as promising anticancer agents, and the structures of products were confirmed by spectral techniques. H2S-releasing experiments showed that most of the compounds released higher amounts of H2S slowly over time compared to standard ADT-OH. All compounds were tested for antiproliferative activity on HT-29, PC-3, MCF-7, and HUVEC cell lines. Compounds DTT-S6 (3-nitrophenyl derivative) and DTT-S8 (methionine derivative) have the lowest IC50 values of 41.6 and 38.9 µM on the MCF-7 cell line, respectively. Based on the wound healing and colony formation assays performed in MCF-7 cells, the wound areas were not significantly changed after treatment with compounds DTT-S6 and DTT-S8, whereas compound DTT-S8 at double IC50 dose inhibited colony formation by 81.82%. In addition, molecular docking, MD simulations, MM/GBSA binding free energy calculations, and binary QSAR analyses were performed to explore the potential target interactions and predicted activity profiles of the synthesized compounds toward inflammation-related proteins, including COX-1, COX-2, 5-LOX, and iNOS, thereby supporting the development of mechanistic hypotheses for future validation. Furthermore, structure-activity relationship (SAR) analyses were conducted to correlate the structural characteristics of the synthesized compounds with their H2S releasing potential and biological profiles. Overall, this work integrates experimental anticancer evaluation with computational pathway and structure-based cancer/inflammation analyses to characterize novel DTT-based H2S donors. The findings identify particularly compound DTT-S8, as a promising in vitro anticancer candidate, while the computational results suggest a putative involvement of inflammation-related targets, particularly the COX-2/5-LOX axis, which requires direct biochemical and cellular validation.
Semra Altunsoy, Y. Yilmaz, Tuğba Güngör et al.· Molecular diversity· 0 citations
Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, necessitating the development of new, selective, and potent therapeutic agents. In this study, a novel, metal-free, one-pot sequential synthetic approach was developed for the synthesis of carbazolyl-thiazolidinone (CTZD) derivatives via the reaction of N-octylcarbazole-3-carbaldehyde with variety of aromatic and aliphatic primary and secondary amines and thioglycolic acid. This strategy efficiently yielded a diverse range of CTZD derivatives (4a-p) in moderate to high yields (20-95%). The synthesized compounds were characterized by FTIR, NMR (1H, 13C, DEPT, APT), and HRMS. Their in vitro cytotoxicity was tested on human leukemia cell lines NB4, K562 and U937 using MTT assays, where four derivatives (4e, 4i, 4j, and 4o) exhibited potent, concentration-dependent antiproliferative activity over the tested concentration range (1.25-10 μM). As c-MYC is a key regulator of cell proliferation, qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that these four derivatives significantly downregulated c-MYC mRNA expression, with compound 4j producing the greatest reduction, suggesting a potential association with modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. DNA fragmentation analysis showed no detectable late-stage apoptosis, indicating that the observed c-MYC downregulation and antiproliferative effects were not associated with late-stage apoptotic cell death. The ADME/T analysis of all compounds showed favorable pharmacokinetic profiles with prediction of good oral absorption (HIA >92%) and no hERG I liability. Molecular docking studies demonstrated strong binding affinities of these compounds to β-catenin protein (PDB ID: 7ZRB) with compound 4i showing strongest affinity with ΔG = -8.10 kcal/mol via H-bonds with Ser473, Asn430, Arg469 and His470 amino acid residues. The developed metal-free synthesis provided a sustainable route to bioactive carbazolyl-thiazolidinones, and derivatives 4e, 4i, 4j, 4o could be promising leads for targeting Wnt/β-catenin/c-MYC signaling in leukemia.
S. Shehzadi, Sana Naveed, D. Khan et al.· Bioorganic chemistry (Print)· 0 citations
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