Synthesis and antitubercular and antibacterial activity of some active fluorine containing quinoline–pyrazole hybrid derivatives

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.jfluchem.2016.01.011

In an attempt to develop newer antitubercular and antibacterial agents against the increasing bacterial resistance, we have designed new quinoline–pyrazole analogs (8a–u) following the molecular hybridization approach. The structure of one of the final compounds, 8a was unambiguously confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) analysis. The target compounds were evaluated for their antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and antibacterial activity against three common pathogenic bacterial strains. Four derivatives (8b, 8c, 8j and 8o) displayed significant antitubercular activity. The compounds derived from 8-trifluoromethylquinoline and 6-fluoroquinoline scaffolds with halogen substitution on the pyrazole ring exhibited superior inhibition activity than corresponding 6-methoxyquinoline analogs. The cytotoxic studies revealed that the active compounds are nontoxic to normal Vero cell lines with selectivity index values ≥10, which indicate the suitability of these compounds for further drug development. The in silico molecular docking study demonstrated strong binding affinity of the compounds with the target enzymes (InhA, CYP121 and TMPK) of M. tuberculosis. Further, the in vitro antibacterial activity of compounds 8b, 8c, 8d and 8g is comparable with that of the reference drug, Ciprofloxacin.

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.jfluchem.2016.01.011

Accepted Manuscript
Title: Synthesis and antitubercular and antibacterial activity of
some active fluorine containing quinoline-pyrazole hybrid
derivatives
Author: Nagabhushana Nayak Jurupula Ramprasad
Udayakumar Dalimba
PII:
S0022-1139(16)30011-2
DOI:
Reference:
http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.jfluchem.2016.01.011
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24-12-2015
23-1-2016
Please cite this article as: Nagabhushana Nayak, Jurupula Ramprasad, Udayakumar
Dalimba, Synthesis and antitubercular and antibacterial activity of some active fluorine
containing quinoline-pyrazole hybrid derivatives, Journal of Fluorine Chemistry
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfluchem.2016.01.011
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Synthesis and antitubercular and antibacterial activity of some active fluorine
containing quinoline-pyrazole hybrid derivatives
Nagabhushana Nayak, Jurupula Ramprasad, Udayakumar Dalimba*
Organic Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology
Karnataka, Surathkal, Srinivasanagar, Mangalore-575025, India.
*Corresponding author Email: udayaravi80@gmail.com, udayakumar@nitk.ac.in. Fax: +91 824
2474033
Graphical abstract:
New active fluorine containing quinoline-pyrazole hybrid analogs (8a-u) were synthesized and
evaluated for their antitubercular activity against MTB and antibacterial activity against three
pathogenic bacterial strains.
R1
N
NH
Pyrazole
methylene hydrazine linker
N
Molecular hybridization
of two heterocyclic units
HN
Bioactivity at R2:
Quinoline
R2
8-CF3 > 6-F > 6-OCH3
N
CH3
Twenty one new derivatives (8a-u)
Anti-TB: 8b, 8c, 8j and 8o were active with MIC 12.5 µg/mL.
Antibacterial: 8b, 8c, 8d and 8g were active against tested bacterial strains
Research highlights
 A new series of 21 quinoline-pyrazole hybrid derivatives was synthesized.
 Four derivatives displayed significant antiTB activity with MIC of 12.5 µg/mL.
 The active molecules are nontoxic to a normal Vero cell line.
 Compounds with CF3/F group showed better inhibition activity.
 Active compounds showed strong binding with the target enzymes.
1

Abstract
In an attempt to develop newer antitubercular and antibacterial agents against the
increasing bacterial resistance, we have designed new quinoline-pyrazole analogs (8a-u)
following the molecular hybridization approach. The structure of one of the final compounds, 8a
was unambiguously confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) analysis. The target
compounds were evaluated for their antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
and antibacterial activity against three common pathogenic bacterial strains. Four derivatives
(8b, 8c, 8j and 8o) displayed significant antitubercular activity. The compounds derived from 8-
trifluoromethylquinoline and 6-fluoroquinoline scaffolds with halogen substitution on the
pyrazole ring exhibited superior inhibition activity than corresponding 6-methoxyquinoline
analogs. The cytotoxic studies revealed that the active compounds are nontoxic to normal Vero
cell lines with selectivity index values ≥10, which indicate the suitability of these compounds for
further drug development. The in silico molecular docking study demonstrated strong binding
affinity of the compounds with the target enzymes (InhA, CYP121 and TMPK) of M.
tuberculosis. Further, the in vitro antibacterial activity of compounds 8b, 8c, 8d and 8g is
comparable with that of the reference drug, Ciprofloxacin.
Key words: Quinoline-pyrazole hybrids; SC-XRD analysis; antitubercular activity; antibacterial
activity; cytotoxicity; molecular docking studies.
1. INTRODUCTION
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading worldwide health problems which cause the death
of millions of people each year [1]. The disease is caused by an infectious bacillus called
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is the second largest killer disease after HIV/AIDS among
various diseases caused by a single infectious agent. World Health Organization (WHO) has
recommended standard strategy for the treatment of the tuberculosis by a program called DOTS
(Directly observed treatment, short-course), which include six month regimen of four first-line
TB-drugs, Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide (two months course of all four
drugs followed by four months course of Isoniazid and Rifampicin) [2]. In spite of the
availability of these drugs, rapidly increasing multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) has resulted
2

enormous difficulty in fighting against TB. In addition, the weak or no activity of the current
drugs against extremely drug resistant TB (XDR-TB), particularly in HIV infected patients is a
serious problem in TB control [3]. These challenges have necessitated a proactive effort to
discover novel anti-TB pharmacophores and to develop safe and fast acting anti-TB drugs. In
this direction, quinoline core has gathered an immense attention among the chemists as well as
biologists as it is one of the key building block elements for many drug derivatives. Recently,
Bedaquiline was approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a new anti-TB drug
[4,5]. Mefloquine, a quinoline derivative, is an orally administered drug used in the prevention
and treatment of malaria. Interestingly, a number of its derivatives have been reported to possess
very good antibacterial as well as antitubercular activities [6-8]. The quinolone based antibiotics,
Ciprofloxacin and Moxifloxacin (which are used for a number of bacterial infections) show
significant antitubercular activity as well and are recommended by WHO as second line anti-TB
drugs. These quinolone drugs also found to be good inhibitors of topoisomerase enzyme and
prevent them from de-catenation replicating DNA [9,10]. In this perspective, we have chosen the
quinoline skeleton for the design of new bioactive molecules.
On the other hand it has been well established that pyrazole derivatives possesses a wide
spectrum of chemotherapeutic activities including anticancer [11], anti-inflamatory [12,13],
antimicrobial [14,15], antiviral [16] and antituberculosis [17,18] properties. These observations
gave us an additional motivation to search for potential pharmacologically active leads carrying
pyrazole substituents. Further, the chemistry of hydrazone derived from 3-aryl-1H-pyrazole-4-
carbaldehyde has been an interesting field of study in medicinal chemistry for a long time
[19,20]. In general, this synthetic protocol is widely employed to combine any two heterocycles
through an azomethine (-C=N-) group. The protocol is simple and feasible which involves the
condensation of hydrazine derivative and active carbonyl groups in the presence of a mineral
acid. It is well established from the recent literatures that the combination of pharmacophoric
moieties of different bioactive substances generally yield a new hybrid compound with improved
bioactivity and efficacy, when compared to the parent drugs. Additionally, this strategy found to
be successful in developing new leads with better selectivity profile, mode of action and reduced
side effects [21]. Pertaining to these observations and in search of new antitubercular and
antibacterial agents, we have designed a new series of hydrazones derived from quinoline and
3

pyrazole units by employing the combinatorial chemistry approach, which is the present trend
being practiced in the drug discovery process. The synthesized target compounds (8a-u) were
characterized, evaluated for their in vitro antitubercular activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv
(MTB) and antibacterial activity against three bacterial strains viz. Staphylococcus aureus,
Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
2.1 Chemistry
The synthetic route for quinoline-pyrazole hybrid derivatives (8a-u) is represented in
Schemes 1-3. Seven 3-aryl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehydes (3a-g) were synthesized by the
Vilsmeier-Haack formylation of respective semicarbazones (2a-g) [22]. Intermediates 1-(2-
methylquinolin-4-yl)hydrazines (7a-c) was synthesized from the corresponding starting materials
4a-c. The aniline derivatives (4a-c) were conventionally cyclized by heating with ethyl
acetoacetate in the presence of polyphosphoric acid (PPA) to yield substituted 2-methylquinolin-
4-ol intermediates (5a-c). The 4-hydroxy derivatives 5a-c were then refluxed with freshly
distilled phosphorus oxychloride (POCl3) to yield the corresponding 4-chloro derivative 6a-c,
which were then treated with hydrazine hydrate in ethanol to give intermediates 7a-c. The target
compounds 8a-u were synthesized in good yield by refluxing a equimolar mixture of 3-aryl-1H-
pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde (3a-g) and respective 1-(2-methylquinolin-4-yl)hydrazines (7a-c) in the
presence of catalytic amount of sulphuric acid using ethanol as solvent.
The compounds were purified by appropriate methods, recrystallization or column
chromatography. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by recording their 1H NMR,
13C NMR and mass spectra followed by elemental analysis. For instance, formation of 2-methyl-
8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-ol (5a) from 2-trifluoromethylaniline (4a) was evidenced by the
1
appearance of new -OH signal as broad singlet at δ 6.20 ppm in the H NMR spectrum of 5a.
The spectrum showed also a new singlet at δ 2.70 ppm due to -CH3 protons thus confirming the
completion of the cyclization reaction. Further, total proton count for compound 5a matches very
well with its structure. The Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectra (ESI-MS) of 5a showed a
molecular ion peak at m/z 228.0 (M+H)+, which is in agreement with its molecular formula
1
C11H8F3NO. The complete disappearance of -OH signal in the H NMR spectrum and a
4

molecular ion peak at m/z 246.2 (M+H)+ in the ESI-MS spectrum of 6a confirms the chlorination
1
at C-4 position of the quinoline ring. The H NMR spectrum of intermediate 7a displayed two
new broad singlet signals at δ 4.36 and 8.31 ppm due to -NH2 and -NH protons, respectively. The
ESI-MS spectrum of 7a displayed a molecular ion peak at m/z 242.1 (M+H)+, which matches
with its molecular formula, C11H10F3N3. Similarly, the structure of intermediates 5b-7b and 5c-
7c were also confirmed by their spectral data. The 13C NMR spectra and elemental analysis data
of these intermediates further confirm their structure. Similarly, the formation of title compounds
8a-u was evidenced by spectral and elemental analysis. For instance, in the 1H NMR spectrum of
8a, the broad signal of -NH2 at δ 4.36 ppm of quinoline hydrazide (7a) was absent and the signal
due to the -NH proton was shifted to δ 10.93 ppm thus confirming the formation of the
hydrazone product. The ESI mass spectrum of 8a displayed a molecular ion peak at m/z 414.0
13
(M+H)+, which matches with its molecular formula C21H15F4N5. Further, the signals in the C
NMR spectrum are in well agreement with its structure. In addition, the molecular structure of
the compound 8a was unambiguously confirmed by SC-XRD study. The details of substitution
patterns of the target compounds (8a-u) are presented in Table 1.
2.2. X-ray crystallographic analysis of 8a.
The single crystal of one of the target compounds, (E)-1-((3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-
pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (8a) was grown
by the slow evaporation of a 1:1 mixture of dichloromethane/methanol solution at room
temperature through a parafilm plastic containing pinholes. A crystal of suitable size was
mounted on the X-ray diffractometer and crystal data was collected at room temperature. The
crystal structure was solved and refined by direct methods using SHELXL-2013 package. The
hydrogens were fixed in geometrically calculated positions and refined isotropically. The Oak
Ridge Thermal Ellipsoid Plot Program (ORTEP) diagram for compound 8a is shown in Figure 2
and details of the crystal data are given in Table 2.
5

3. PHARMACOLOGY
3.1. Antitubercular studies
All target compounds (8a-u) were screened against M. tuberculosis H37Rv (MTB) strain
using the microplate alamar blue assay (MABA). Isoniazid, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide were
taken as the positive drug standards for the assay. The in vitro antimycobacterial activity in terms
of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, of the target compounds and the standard
drugs are represented in Table 1. Four derivatives 8b, 8c, 8j and 8o showed significant inhibition
activity with a MIC of 12.5 µg/mL and other nine compounds, 8a, 8d, 8e, 8f, 8i, 8l, 8m, 8n and
8u displayed a moderate activity with MIC of 25 µg/mL. The compounds derived from 8-
trifluoromethyl quinoline and 6-fluoro quinoline scaffolds exhibited superior inhibition activity
than their 6-methoxy quinoline analogues. This observation clearly indicates that the
trifluoromethyl and fluoro groups on the quinoline ring enhance the inhibition activity of the
hybrid molecules. It is interesting to note that the structure of 8-trifluoromethyl quinoline
derivatives (8a-g) resemble with that of the drug, Mefloquine. Similarly, the 6-flouro quinoline
derivatives (8h-n) are structural analogues of Ciprofloxacin and Moxifloxacin. The presence of a
3/4-chlorophenyl group on the pyrazole ring enhanced the anti-TB activity as seen in the case of
compounds 8b, 8c and 8j. These results suggests that the structural modification of the above
mentioned drug molecules by a molecular hybridization approach could be a promising strategy
to identify newer leads towards the development of potent antitubercular agents.
3.2. Cytotoxicity
The active antitubercular compounds with MIC of 12.5 µg/mL were further subjected to
cytotoxicity studies against a Vero cell line. The percentage inhibition, IC50 and selectivity index
(SI) values are presented in Table 3. The low growth inhibition by the compounds with
selectivity index (SI) value ≥ 10 which signifies their non-toxicity against the tested cells within
the systems tested but further evaluation is warranted. This suggests suitability of the active
derivatives for further development as antitubercular leads.
6

3.3 Molecular docking studies
In order to understand the probable binding mode of the compounds, molecular modeling
studies of the active anti-TB compounds (8b, 8c, 8j and 8o) were performed against selected
enzymes viz. InhA (PDB ID: 1P44), CYP121 (PDB ID: 4KTF) and TMPK (PDB ID: 4UNR) of
MTB. It is known that the key first line drug isoniazid acts as an inhibitor of InhA. Similarly,
Mycobacterium tuberculosis cytochrome P450 gene CYP121 is another enzyme which is
essential for the viability of the bacterium. Recently, another enzyme thymidine monophosphate
kinase (TMPK) emerged as an attractive target for developing inhibitors of MTB growth.
Further, literatures reports revealed the favorable interactions of some quinoline/azole
derivatives against these enzymes [23-28]. These results prompted us to select the above three
key targets in our study. The protein structures obtained from the protein data bank (PDB) were
initially subjected to various processes such as removal of water molecules and removal of
heteroatoms etc. using the Protein Preparation Wizard of Schrödinger 2015. The reference
ligands were further re-docked with the active site residues of the corresponding proteins to
validate the active site cavity. Re-docking results showed that all crystal compounds exhibited
similar interactions as that of the original crystal structures and showed RMSD values between
of 0.61 to 1.14 Å. The docking results were drawn based on docking score, hydrogen bonding, π-
H and π-π interaction of the ligand with the protein. The best docking pose of the representative
compounds in the active site of enzymes, InhA, CYP121 and TMPK are shown in Figure 3,
Figure 4 and Figure 5 respectively. Firstly, InhA of MTB which is one of the key enzymes
validated as an effective antibacterial target was selected for docking studies. All four ligands
(8b, 8c, 8j and 8o) have shown good docking score ranging from -7.64 to -10.88 (Table 4). The
highest score was observed for ligand 8b (-10.88). Except 8j, other three ligands showed two
common π-π interactions with amino acid residues Phe 149 and Tyr 158 (Figure 3). Ligand 8o
showed an additional hydrogen bonding interaction with Ala 157. Additionally, docking studies
were carried out with target enzymes CYP121 and TMPK as well. It was observed that all
ligands showed three common interactions with the residues Trp 182, Gln 385 and Phe 168
(Figure 4) of CYP121with a good docking score (8.16 - 9.31). Ligand 8b showed additional
hydrogen bonding with Thr 229. Similarly, docking studies with TMPK revealed the favorable
interactions of the ligands with the amino acid residues. Ligand 8j displayed five interactions
7

including two hydrogen bonds with Val 63 and Ser 99 (Figure 5); also it exhibited the highest
docking score with both CYP121 and TMPK. Overall, the docked ligands showed good docking
score as well as multiple interactions with amino acid residues of all the three enzymes of MTB.
Thus the antiTB profile of these active compounds (8b, 8c, 8j and 8o) could be due to their
inhibition activity against the MTB enzymes.
3.4. Antibacterial studies
The antibacterial activity of the target compounds (8a-u) against three common
pathogenic bacterial strains Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa is presented in Table 5. The studies were carried out using the well plate method by
measuring the zone of inhibition by the compounds. The well-known commercial antibiotic,
Ciprofloxacin was taken as the standard drug during the assay. The zone of inhibition was
measured in millimeter (mm) scale at two different concentrations (50 and 75 µg/mL) of the
compounds. Four compounds 8b, 8c, 8d and 8g showed significant inhibition activity against all
three tested strains and rest of the compounds displayed moderate activity. Interestingly, all the
active compounds are the derivatives of 8-triflouromethyl quinoline scaffold which indicates that
the -CF3 group plays a pivotal role in enhancing the inhibition activity of the molecules.
4. CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, we have designed and synthesized a library of new quinoline-pyrazole
hybrid derivatives and the molecules were characterized by spectral techniques. The structure of
one of the derivatives (8a) was confirmed by single crystal XRD study. The molecules were
tested for their antitubercular activity against MTB and antibacterial activity against three
bacterial strains. Derivatives 8b, 8c, 8j and 8o emerged as active anti-TB leads which exhibited
8

low toxicity profile and high selectivity index value. The molecular docking studies further
revealed the strong interaction of the active compounds with the active site of the target
enzymes. In the antibacterial studies, four compounds (8b, 8c, 8d and 8g) showed substantial
inhibition activity against the tested bacterial strains. The compounds with 8-trifluoromethyl
quinoline substitution exhibited remarkable antitubercular as well as antibacterial activity and are
promising lead molecules for further drug development. Overall, the results described here
demonstrate the potential utility of the molecular hybridization strategy in designing new hybrid
analogues of quinoline and pyrazole as potent antitubercular and antibacterial agents for further
lead optimization.
5. EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOLS
5.1. Analysis and instruments
All chemicals and reagents used in current study were of analytical grade and are used as
such without further purification. The reactions of each step were monitored using thin layer
chromatography (TLC) on pre coated aluminum sheets with 60 F254 silica gel (Merck KGaA).
Column chromatography was performed using silica gel (60-120 mesh) eluting with ethyl acetate
and petroleum ether. Melting points (uncorrected) were determined on a Stuart SMP3 melting
point apparatus by open capillary method. ESI mass spectra were obtained on a Waters Q-Tof
1
13
micro mass spectrometer. The H and C NMR spectra were recorded on a Bruker-400 MHz
spectrometer and Varian-400 MHz spectrometer at room temperature with solvent
tetramethylsilane (TMS) is chosen as internal standards. Elemental analyses were performed on a
Thermo electron corporation EA-112 series C,H,N,S analyzer. The single crystal XRD analysis
was performed on a Bruker Smart ApexII Duo XRD diffractometer using MoKα as radiation (λ
= 0.71073).
5.2 Synthesis
5.2.1 Synthesis of 2-methyl-substituted-quinolin-4-ol derivatives (5a-c)
5.2.1.1 2-Methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-ol (5a): To an equimolar solution of 2-
trifluoromethylaniline (10.0 g, 62.1 mmol) and ethyl acetoacetate (8.01 g, 62.1 mmol),
polyphosphoric acid (50 g, 5 w/w) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred at 150 ºC for 2
h. After the completion of the reaction (as monitored by TLC), the reaction mixture was poured
9

into ice water (500 mL) slowly with vigorous stirring. The precipitated solid was filtered and
completely dried in vacuum oven at 50 ºC to get the crude product as pale yellow solid. The
crude product was taken as such for the next step without further purification. Yield 11.0 g
1
(78%); Off white solid; mp 181-182 °C; H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 8.37 (d, 1H,
ArH, J = 8.4), 8.28 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.6 Hz), 7.68 (t, 1H, ArH, J = 7.8 Hz), 6.89 (s, 1H, ArH),
6.20 (brs, 1H, -OH), 2.70 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 163.84, 160.01,
158.23, 128.93, 127.64, 126.88, 125.55, 125.44, 124.16, 120.47, 25.82; ESI-MS (m/z) 228.0
(M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C11H8F3NO; C, 58.15; H, 3.55; N, 6.17. Found: C, 58.18; H, 3.55;
N, 6.20.
5.2.1.2 6-Fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-ol (5b): The compound 5b was synthesized according to the
above mentioned procedure by treating 4-fluoro aniline (10.0 g, 90.0 mmol) with ethyl
acetoacetate (11.71 g, 90.0 mmol) in polyphosphoric acid (50 g, 5 w/w). Yield 10.0 g (63%); Off
white solid; mp 268-269 °C; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 8.08 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.8),
7.77 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.38 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.8 Hz), 6.58 (s, 1H, ArH), 6.18 (brs, 1H, -OH), 2.71 (s,
13
3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 176.56, 155.67, 149.02, 135.16, 125.94,
122.17, 119.91, 107.87, 104.74, 20.81; ESI-MS (m/z) 178.1 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for
C10H8FNO; C, 67.79; H, 4.55; N, 7.91. Found: C, 67.82; H, 4.56; N, 7.90.
5.2.1.3 6-Methoxy-2-methylquinolin-4-ol (5c): The compound 5c was synthesized according to
the above mentioned procedure by treating 4-methoxy aniline (10.0 g, 81.0 mmol) with ethyl
acetoacetate (10.56 g, 81.0 mmol) in polyphosphoric acid (50 g, 5 w/w). Yield 10.7 g (69%); Off
white solid; mp 303-304 °C; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 7.88 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.4),
7.39 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.34 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.4 Hz), 6.49 (s, 1H, ArH), 6.19 (brs, 1H, -OH), 3.76 (s,
3H, OCH3), 2.71 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 176.54, 158.21, 151.83,
138.31, 127.68, 121.89, 119.64, 106.17, 103.60, 55.74, 19.94; 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ
ppm ; ESI-MS (m/z) 208.3 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C11H11F3NO2; C, 69.83; H, 5.86; N,
7.40. Found: C, 69.85; H, 5.88; N, 7.41.
5.2.2 Synthesis of 4-chloro-2-methyl-substituted-quinoline derivatives (6a-c).
5.2.2.1 4-Chloro-2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)quinoline (6a): A mixture of 5a (10.0 g, 44.0
mmol) and freshly distilled phosphorous oxychloride (50 mL) was heated at 80 ºC for 4 h. The
10

reaction was monitored by TLC. After completion of the reaction, excess POCl3 was distilled off
completely. The residue thus obtained was stirred with ice water for 15 min. After this, the solid
1
phase was filtered and dried. Yield 8.74 g (81%); Off white solid; mp 66-67 °C; H NMR (400
MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 8.40 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 8.4), 8.27 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.6 Hz), 7.71 (t, 1H,
ArH, J = 7.8 Hz), 7.59 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.71 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm
159.88, 158.24, 144.43, 131.03, 128.94, 125.21, 123.36, 121.66, 120.47, 119.53, 25.82; ESI-MS
(m/z) 246.2 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C11H7ClF3N; C, 53.79; H, 2.87; N, 5.70. Found: C,
53.84; H, 2.88; N, 5.71.
5.2.2.2 4-Chloro-6-fluoro-2-methylquinoline (6b): This compound was synthesized according to
the above mentioned procedure by treating 5b (10.0 g, 56.4 mmol) with POCl3 (50 mL). Yield
8.8 g (79.8%); Off white solid; mp 83-84 °C; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 8.11 (d, 1H,
ArH, J = 7.6), 7.84 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.45 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.6 Hz), 7.23 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.73 (s, 3H,
13
CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 159.21, 158.38, 144.75, 130.42, 122.92, 121.23,
120.57, 119.35, 104.91, 25.44; ESI-MS (m/z) 196.3 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C10H7ClFN; C,
61.40; H, 3.61; N, 7.16. Found: C, 61.44; H, 3.63; N, 7.18.
5.2.2.3 4-Chloro-6-methoxy-2-methylquinoline (6c): This compound was synthesized according
to the above mentioned procedure by treating 5c (10.0 g, 53.0 mmol) with POCl3 (50 mL). Yield
8.0 g (73%); Off white solid; mp 98-99 °C; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 7.97 (d, 1H,
ArH, J = 7.4), 7.55 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.49 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.4 Hz), 7.18 (s, 1H, ArH), 3.75 (s, 3H,
13
OCH3), 2.71 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 156.59, 154.08, 142.65,
130.03, 125.72, 124.83, 121.62, 120.95, 102.68, 56.15, 24.81; ESI-MS (m/z) 208.0 (M+H)+;
Anal. calculated for C11H10ClNO; C, 63.62; H, 4.85; N, 6.75. Found: C, 63.64; H, 4.87; N, 6.72.
5.2.3 Synthesis of 1-(2-Methyl-substituted)quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine derivatives (7a-c).
5.2.3.1 1-(2-Methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (7a): Compound 6a (8.0 g, 32.0
mmol) and hydrazine hydrate (20 mL) in ethanol (20 mL) was heated under reflux at 90 ºC for 4
h. Completion of the reaction was monitored by TLC. The reaction mixture was concentrated
and allowed to cool. The solid product obtained was filtered, washed with water and dried. Yield
5.96 g (75%); Off white solid; mp 211-212 °C; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 8.31 (s,
1H, -NH), 8.38 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 8.4), 8.13 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.6 Hz), 7.64 (t, 1H, ArH, J = 7.8
11

Hz), 6.95 (s, 1H, ArH), 4.36 (brs, 2H, -NH2), 2.70 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6)
δ ppm 160.81, 158.23, 148.96, 129.32, 128.56, 126.17, 121.84, 120.66, 120.47, 119.36, 25.82;
ESI-MS (m/z) 242.1 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C11H10F3N3; C, 54.77; H, 4.18; N, 17.42.
Found: C, 54.81; H, 4.19; N, 17.44.
5.2.3.2 1-(6-Fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (7b): This compound was synthesized
according to the above mentioned procedure by treating 6b (8.0 g, 41.0 mmol) with hydrazine
1
hydrate (20 mL) in ethanol (20 mL). Yield 6.0 g (76%); Off white solid; mp 167-168 °C; H
NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 8.27 (s, 1H, -NH), 7.94 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.8), 7.51 (s, 1H,
ArH), 7.28 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.8 Hz), 6.39 (s, 1H, ArH), 4.35 (brs, 2H, -NH2), 2.68 (s, 3H, CH3);
13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 159.65, 157.27, 145.12, 130.82, 118.85, 118.31, 116.90,
106.07, 98.91, 25.45; ESI-MS (m/z) 192.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C10H10FN3; C, 62.82; H,
5.27; N, 21.98. Found: C, 62.86; H, 5.25; N, 21.98.
5.2.3.3 1-(6-Methoxy-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (7c): This compound was synthesized
according to the above mentioned procedure by treating 6c (8.0 g, 38.6 mmol) with hydrazine
1
hydrate (20 mL) in ethanol (20 mL). Yield 5.5 g (70%); Off white solid; mp 176-177 °C; H
NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 8.26 (s, 1H, -NH), 7.84 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.6), 7.29 (d, 1H,
ArH, J = 7.6 Hz), 7.19 (s, 1H, ArH), 6.38 (s, 1H, ArH), 4.35 (brs, 2H, -NH2), 3.74 (s, 3H,
13
OCH3), 2.67 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 156.07, 155.67, 144.35,
130.24, 122.05, 120.91, 116.65, 101.40, 100.92, 56.14, 24.82; ESI-MS (m/z) 204.0 (M+H)+;
Anal. calculated for C11H13N3O; C, 65.01; H, 6.45; N, 20.68. Found: C, 64.97; H, 6.44; N, 20.70.
5.2.4 General procedure for the synthesis of the target compounds (8a-u)
An equimolar mixture of 3-aryl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde (3a-g, 0.1 g) and
intermediate 7a-c were dissolved in ethanol (2 mL). A catalytic amount of concentrated
sulphuric acid was added and the reaction mixture was stirred at 80 ºC for 4 h, then kept at room
temperature overnight. The resultant solid was filtered, washed with chilled ethanol, dried and
recrystallized from ethanol-dioxane (1:2) mixture to afford the pure final compounds 8a-u.
12

5.2.4.1 (E)-1-((3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)
1
quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (8a): Yield 0.16 g (93%); Off white solid; mp 264-265 °C; H NMR
(400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.44-13.37 (brs, 1H, NH), 10.93 (s, 1H, NH), 8.37-8.49 (m, 3H,
ArH), 8.02 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.2 Hz), 7.72 (s, 2H, ArH), 7.17-7.55 (m, 4H, ArH), 2.55 (s, 3H,
13
CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 161.86, 161.45, 147.52, 145.29, 137.76, 131.03,
130.95, 128.05, 126.80, 126.27, 125.67, 122.53, 116.62, 116.12, 114.80, 101.55, 26.23; ESI-MS
(m/z) 414.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H15F4N5; C, 61.02; H, 3.66; N, 16.94. Found: C,
60.97; H, 3.66; N, 16.96.
5.2.4.2 (E)-1-((3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)
1
quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (8b): Yield 0.16 g (91%); Off white solid; mp 285-286 °C; H NMR
(400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.44 (s, 1H, NH), 10.95 (s, 1H, NH), 8.37-8.51 (m, 3H, ArH),
8.03 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.2 Hz), 7.51-7.72 (m, 5H, ArH), 7.18 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.55 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C
NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 160.44, 147.51, 145.27, 137.65, 134.81, 133.38, 132.59,
131.72, 130.62, 129.12, 128.01, 126.82, 122.55, 116.61, 114.99, 101.57, 26.22; ESI-MS (m/z)
430.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H15ClF3N5; C, 58.68; H, 3.52; N, 16.29. Found: C, 58.64;
H, 3.50; N, 16.33.
5.2.4.3 (E)-1-((3-(3-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)
1
quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (8c): Yield 0.16 g (92%); Off white solid; mp 198-199 °C; H NMR
(400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.33-13.39 (brs, 1H, NH), 10.89 (s, 1H, NH), 8.38-8.51 (m, 3H,
ArH), 8.01 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 7.02 Hz), 7.48-7.64 (m, 5H, ArH), 7.23 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.54 (s, 3H,
CH3); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 160.49, 148.03, 145.29, 139.31, 137.69, , 133.73,
132.68, 131.70, 130.63, 129.56, 129.27. 128.06, 127.41, 126.39, 125.74, 122.55, 116.59, 115.00,
101.56, 26.22; ESI-MS (m/z) 430.3 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H15ClF3N5; C, 58.68; H,
3.52; N, 16.29. Found: C, 58.73; H, 3.51; N, 16.32.
5.2.4.4 (E)-1-((3-(4-bromophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)
1
quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (8d): Yield 0.17 g (88%); Off white solid; mp 293-294 °C; H NMR
(400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.44 (s, 1H, NH), 10.95 (s, 1H, NH), 8.37-8.49 (m, 3H, ArH),
8.02 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 6.8 Hz), 7.47-7.80 (m, 5H, ArH), 7.18 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.55 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C
NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 160.45, 147.50, 145.31, 137.66, 133.79, 133.32, 132.58,
13

131.72, 129.13, 128.04, 125.57, 124.19, 122.58, 119.73, 116.58, 114.60, 101.55, 26.24; ESI-MS
(m/z) 475.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H15BrF3N5; C, 53.18; H, 3.19; N, 14.77. Found: C,
53.22; H, 3.18; N, 14.80.
5.2.4.5 (E)-1-((3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)
1
quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine (8e): Yield 0.16 g (89%); Off white solid; mp 279-280 °C; H NMR
(400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.42 (s, 1H, NH), 10.89 (s, 1H, NH), 8.45-8.50 (m, 2H, ArH),
8.01-8.16 (m, 2H, ArH), 7.52-7.61 (m, 3H, ArH), 7.11-7.24 (m, 3H, ArH), 3.84 (s, 3H, OCH3),
13
2.56 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 160.46, 159.96, 147.54, 145.29,
138.17, 138.01, 136.89, 134.44, 130.12, 127.99, 126.84, 122.49, 116.63, 114.68, 114.35, 101.51,
55.78, 26.24; ESI-MS (m/z) 426.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C22H18F3N5O; C, 62.11; H, 4.26;
N, 16.46. Found: C, 62.08; H, 4.28; N, 16.48.
5.2.4.6 (E)-1-(2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-p-tolyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methyl
1
ene)hydrazine (8f): Yield 0.16 g (94%); Off white solid; mp 266-267 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) 13.29 (s, 1H, NH), 10.87 (s, 1H, NH), 8.02-8.48 (m, 3H, ArH), 8.00 (d, 1H, ArH, J =
13
7.2 Hz), 7.34-7.54 (m, 5H, ArH), 7.23 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.54 (s, 3H, CH3), 2.48 (s, 3H, CH3); C
NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 160.47, 147.53, 145.29, 138.08, 137.74, 135.91, 133.31,
129.79, 128.69, 128.04, 126.82, 123.56, 122.50, 116.63, 114.61, 101.54, 26.24, 21.34; ESI-MS
(m/z) 410.1 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C22H18F3N5; C, 64.54; H, 4.33; N, 17.11. Found: C,
64.59; H, 4.31; N, 17.14.
5.2.4.7 (E)-1-(2-methyl-8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methyl
1
ene)hydrazine (8g): Yield 0.15 g (92%); Off white solid; mp 233-244 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.38 (s, 1H, NH), 10.89 (s, 1H, NH), 8.45-8.48 (m, 2H, ArH), 8.00 (d, 1H,
ArH, J = 7.2 Hz), 7.48-7.64 (m, 7H, ArH), 7.23 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.48 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C NMR (100
MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 160.48, 148.01, 145.28, 138.60, 137.69, 131.23, 130.47, 129.87, 129.62,
129.03, 128.38, 128.19, 127.74, 126.52, 125.71, 122.54, 119.88, 116.63, 114.59, 101.57, 26.22;
ESI-MS (m/z) 396.1 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H16F3N5; C, 63.79; H, 4.08; N, 17.71.
Found: C, 63.83; H, 4.06; N, 17.68.
14

5.2.4.8
(E)-1-(6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methyl
1
ene)hydrazine (8h): Yield 0.14 g (94%); Off white solid; mp 235-236 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.28 (s, 1H, NH), 10.61 (s, 1H, NH), 8.39 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.26-8.13 (m, 8H,
13
ArH), 7.11 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.39 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 161.98,
159.90, 157.56, 145.11, 141.26, 133.62, 130.99, 129.47, 128.19, 128.19, 127.87, 119.33, 118.81,
117.04, 115.35, 106.07, 100.83, 21.53; ESI-MS (m/z) 364.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for
C20H15F2N5; C, 66.11; H, 4.16; N, 19.27. Found: C, 66.13; H, 4.18; N, 19.29.
5.2.4.9 (E)-1-((3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-
1
yl)hydrazine (8i): Yield 0.18 g (94%); Off white solid; mp 271-272 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.36 (s, 1H, NH), 10.61 (s, 1H, NH), 8.39 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.39-8.18 (m, 8H,
13
ArH), 7.07 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.38 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 159.91,
157.54, 145.13, 142.29, 140.44, 134.51, 131.08, 130.63, 129.79, 128.37, 127.26, 121.02, 119.11,
118.85, 115.29, 106.08, 100.85, 21.54; ESI-MS (m/z) 380.2 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for
C20H15ClFN5; C, 63.24; H, 3.98; N, 18.44. Found: C, 63.28; H, 3.99; N, 18.47.
5.2.4.10 (E)-1-((3-(3-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-
1
yl) hydrazine (8j): Yield 0.19 g (93%); Off white solid; mp 209-210 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.36 (s, 1H, NH), 10.67 (s, 1H, NH), 8.40 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.47-8.22 (m, 8H,
13
ArH), 7.05 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.38 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 159.91,
157.52, 145.11, 142.28, 140.36, 133.76, 131.28, 130.96, 129.59, 128.52, 128.38, 127.43, 120.23,
119.10, 118.85, 115.28, 106.08, 100.83, 21.53; ESI-MS (m/z) 380.1 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated
for C20H15ClFN5; C, 63.24; H, 3.98; N, 18.44. Found: C, 63.29; H, 3.96; N, 18.41.
5.2.4.11 (E)-1-((3-(4-bromophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-
1
yl) hydrazine (8k): Yield 0.2 g (90%); Off white solid; mp 218-219 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.31 (s, 1H, NH), 10.64 (s, 1H, NH), 8.39 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.31-8.10 (m, 8H,
13
ArH), 7.07 (s, 1H, ArH), 2.38 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 159.91,
157.53, 145.10, 142.28, 140.31, 132.37, 131.76, 131.61, 128.29, 128.04, 127.38, 124.59, 120.21,
119.10, 115.28, 106.09, 100.84, 21.53; ESI-MS (m/z) 425.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for
C20H15BrFN5; C, 56.62; H, 3.56; N, 16.51. Found: C, 56.66; H, 3.59; N, 16.55.
15

5.2.4.12 (E)-1-(6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methyl
1
ene)hydrazine (8l): Yield 0.17 g (88%); Off white solid; mp 211-212 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.28 (s, 1H, NH), 10.62 (s, 1H, NH), 8.39 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.34-8.12 (m, 6H,
13
ArH), 7.03-7.11 (s, 3H, ArH), 3.75 (s, 3H, OCH3), 2.39 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 160.44, 159.93, 157.51, 145.10, 142.29, 140.33, 131.29, 128.81, 127.82,
125.24, 120.23, 119.11, 118.85, 115.28, 115.02, 106.07, 100.83, 55.78, 21.53; ESI-MS (m/z)
376.1 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H18FN5O; C, 67.19; H, 4.83; N, 18.66. Found: C, 67.22;
H, 4.85; N, 18.63.
5.2.4.13 (E)-1-(6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-p-tolyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)hydra
zine (8m): Yield 0.17 g (89%); Off white solid; mp 202-203 °C; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6)
δ ppm 13.28 (s, 1H, NH), 10.61 (s, 1H, NH), 8.39 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.33-8.13 (m, 8H, ArH), 7.11 (s,
1H, ArH), 2.38 (s, 3H, CH3), 2.38 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 159.92,
157.51, 145.11, 142.24, 140.35, 137.73, 131.27, 130.71, 129.56, 127.88, 127.43, 120.24, 119.11,
118.88, 115.28, 106.07, 100.84, 26.24, 21.53; ESI-MS (m/z) 360.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for
C21H18FN5; C, 70.18; H, 5.05; N, 19.49. Found: C, 70.14; H, 5.04; N, 19.52.
5.2.4.14 (E)-1-(6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)hydra
zine (8n): Yield 0.17 g (92%); Off white solid; mp 201-202 °C; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6)
δ ppm 13.31 (s, 1H, NH), 10.62 (s, 1H, NH), 8.40 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.26-8.11 (m, 9H, ArH), 7.10 (s,
13
1H, ArH), 2.38 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 159.91, 157.54, 145.09,
142.27, 140.36, 133.71, 131.21, 128.82, 128.47, 127.59, 127.43, 120.22, 119.10, 118.84, 115.27,
106.08, 100.86, 21.53; ESI-MS (m/z) 346.0 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C20H16FN5; C, 69.55;
H, 4.67; N, 20.28. Found: C, 69.59; H, 4.68; N, 20.24.
5.2.4.15 (E)-1-((3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(6-methoxy-2-methylquinolin-
1
4-yl)hydrazine (8o): Yield 0.16 g (84%); Off white solid; mp 215-216 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.26 (s, 1H, NH), 10.57 (s, 1H, NH), 8.37 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.28-7.73 (m, 8H,
13
ArH), 7.02 (s, 1H, ArH), 3.87 (s, 3H, OCH3), 2.48 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-
d6) δ ppm 161.96, 156.02, 155.68, 144.89, 142.73, 140.31, 131.06, 130.95, 128.84, 126.68,
120.84, 116.17, 115.95, 115.14, 105.08, 101.43, 100.87, 56.12, 21.54; ESI-MS (m/z) 376.1
16

(M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H18FN5O; C, 67.19; H, 4.83; N, 18.66. Found: C, 67.21; H,
4.82; N, 18.64.
5.2.4.16 (E)-1-((3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(6-methoxy-2-methylquinolin-
1
4-yl)hydrazine (8p): Yield 0.18 g (94%); Off white solid; mp 222-223 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.27 (s, 1H, NH), 10.56 (s, 1H, NH), 8.37 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.32-7.73 (m, 8H,
13
ArH), 7.04 (s, 1H, ArH), 3.86 (s, 3H, OCH3), 2.48 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-
d6) δ ppm 156.03, 155.68, 144.86, 142.74, 140.33, 133.28, 131.22, 130.95, 128.47, 128.19,
127.73, 120.84, 116.17, 115.95, 105.07, 101.44, 100.88, 56.12, 21.53; ESI-MS (m/z) 392.1
(M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H18ClN5O; C, 64.37; H, 4.63; N, 17.87. Found: C, 64.39; H,
4.63; N, 17.89.
5.2.4.17 (E)-1-((3-(3-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(6-methoxy-2-methylquinolin-
1
4-yl) hydrazine (8q): Yield 0.17 g (87%); Off white solid; mp 228-229 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.26 (s, 1H, NH), 10.57 (s, 1H, NH), 8.36 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.24-7.71 (m, 8H,
13
ArH), 7.03 (s, 1H, ArH), 3.86 (s, 3H, OCH3), 2.48 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-
d6) δ ppm 156.04, 155.67, 144.86, 142.72, 140.36, 134.18, 133.86, 130.54, 130.29, 126.63,
126.39, 126.02, 124.72, 121.14, 116.16, 115.95, 105.05, 101.45, 100.87, 56.13, 21.54; ESI-MS
(m/z) 392.3 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C21H18ClN5O; C, 64.37; H, 4.63; N, 17.87. Found: C,
64.42; H, 4.64; N, 17.90.
5.2.4.18 (E)-1-((3-(4-bromophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)-2-(6-methoxy-2-methylquinolin-
1
4-yl)hydrazine (8r): Yield 0.19 g (88%); Off white solid; mp 205-206 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.27 (s, 1H, NH), 10.58 (s, 1H, NH), 8.38 (s, 1H, ArH), 8.19 (s, 1H, ArH),
7.63-7.73 (m, 5H, ArH), 7.52 (d, 1H, ArH, J = 1.2 Hz), 7.25 (m, 1H, ArH), 6.99 (s, 1H, ArH),
3.87 (s, 3H, OCH3), 2.48 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 156.05, 155.66,
144.87, 142.73, 140.35, 132.25, 131.92, 130.96, 128.88, 127.41, 122.38, 122.00, 120.91, 116.65,
115.31, 101.41, 100.90, 56.14, 21.57; ESI-MS (m/z) 437.1 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for
C21H18BrN5O; C, 57.81; H, 4.16; N, 16.05. Found: C, 57.86; H, 4.18; N, 16.02.
5.2.4.19
(E)-1-(6-methoxy-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)
1
methylene)hydrazine (8s): Yield 0.18 g (92%); Off white solid; mp 261-262 °C; H NMR (400
17

MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.27 (s, 1H, NH), 10.54 (s, 1H, NH), 8.39 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.33-7.71 (m,
6H, ArH), 7.02-7.14 (m, 3H, ArH), 3.85 (s, 3H, OCH3), 3.76 (s, 3H, OCH3), 2.48 (s, 3H, CH3);
13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 159.98, 156.02, 155.67, 144.88, 142.72, 140.30, 131.05,
129.89, 128.54, 126.71 126.47, 120.84, 116.16, 115.15, 114.60, 101.43, 100.89, 55.75, 56.10,
21.53; ESI-MS (m/z) 388.2 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C22H21N5O2; C, 68.20; H, 5.46; N,
18.08. Found: C, 68.25; H, 5.49; N, 18.04.
5.2.4.20
(E)-1-(6-methoxy-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-p-tolyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)
1
hydrazine (8t): Yield 0.16 g (90%); Off white solid; mp 188-189 °C; H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ ppm 13.26 (s, 1H, NH), 10.56 (s, 1H, NH), 8.36 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.19-7.71 (m, 8H,
ArH), 7.04 (s, 1H, ArH), 3.86 (s, 3H, OCH3), 2.49 (s, 3H, CH3), 2.38 (s, 3H, CH3); 13C NMR
(100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 156.03, 155.67, 144.89, 142.74, 140.35, 131.06, 129.88, 128.50,
127.08, 126.72, 126.48, 120.83, 116.18, 115.14, 101.40, 100.93, 56.13, 24.82, 21.55; ESI-MS
(m/z) 372.1 (M+H)+; Anal. calculated for C22H21N5O; C, 71.14; H, 5.70; N, 18.85. Found: C,
71.18; H, 5.68; N, 18.92.
5.2.4.21 (E)-1-(6-methoxy-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)-2-((3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methylene)hydra
zine (8u): Yield 0.16 g (89%); Off white solid; mp 183-184 °C; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6)
δ ppm 13.27 (s, 1H, NH), 10.55 (s, 1H, NH), 8.37 (s, 1H, ArH), 7.22-7.72 (m, 9H, ArH), 7.03 (s,
13
1H, ArH), 3.85 (s, 3H, OCH3), 2.49 (s, 3H, CH3); C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm
156.03, 155.66, 144.91, 142.75, 140.34, 133.27, 131.01, 129.84, 128.43, 126.95, 126.72, 126.60,
120.82, 116.18, 115.92, 101.41, 100.90, 56.13, 21.54; ESI-MS (m/z) 358.0 (M+H)+; Anal.
calculated for C21H19N5; C, 70.57; H, 5.36; N, 19.59. Found: C, 70.61; H, 5.33; N, 19.61.
5.3. Antitubercular studies
The antimycobacterial activity of compounds were assessed against M. tuberculosis using
microplate alamar blue assay (MABA) [29,30]. This methodology is non-toxic, uses a thermally
stable reagent and shows good correlation with proportional and BACTEC radiometric method
[31]. Briefly, 200 µL of sterile deionized water was added to all outer perimeter wells of sterile
96 wells plate to minimized evaporation of medium in the test wells during incubation. The 96
18

wells plate received 100 µL of the Middlebrook 7H9 broth and serial dilution of compounds
were made directly on plate. The final drug concentrations tested were 100 to 0.2 µg/mL. Plates
were covered and sealed with parafilm and incubated at 37 ºC for five days. After this time, 25
µL of freshly prepared 1:1 mixture of alamar blue reagent and 10% tween 80 was added to the
plate and incubated for 24 h. A blue color in the well was interpreted as no bacterial growth, and
pink color was scored as growth. The MIC was defined as lowest compound/drug concentration
which prevented the color change from blue to pink.
5.4. Cytotoxicity studies
Vero (African green monkey kidney) cell line was procured from National Centre for
Cell Sciences (NCCS), Pune, India. Stock cells were cultured in MEM supplemented with 10%
inactivated Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), penicillin (100 µg/mL), streptomycin (100 µg/mL) and
amphotericin B (5 µg/mL) in an humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 at 37 ºC until confluent. The
cells were dissociated with TPVG solution (0.2% trypsin, 0.02% EDTA, 0.05% glucose in PBS).
The stock cultures were grown in 25 cm2 culture flasks and all experiments were carried out in
96 microtitre plates (Tarsons India Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata, India). For cytotoxicity studies, each
weighed test drugs were separately dissolved in distilled DMSO and volume was made up with
MEM supplemented with 2% inactivated FBS to obtain a stock solution of 1 mg/mL
concentration and sterilized by filtration. Serial two fold dilutions were prepared from this for
carrying out MTT assay [32]. The monolayer cell culture was trypsinized and the cell count was
adjusted to 1.0 x 105 cells/mL using MEM containing 10% FBS. To each well of the 96 well
microtitre plate, 0.1 ml of the diluted cell suspension (approximately 10,000 cells) was added.
After 24 h, when a partial monolayer was formed, the supernatant was flicked off, washed the
monolayer once with medium and 100 µL of different test concentrations of test drugs were
added on to the partial monolayer in microtitre plates. The plates were then incubated at 37 °C
for 3 days in 5% CO2 atmosphere, and microscopic examination was carried out and
observations were noted every 24 h interval. After 72 h, the drug solutions in the wells were
discarded and 50 µL of MTT in PBS was added to each well. The plates were gently shaken and
incubated for 3 h at 37 °C in 5% CO2 atmosphere. The supernatant was removed and 100 µL of
propanol was added and the plates were gently shaken to solubilize the formed formazan. The
absorbance was measured using a microplate reader at a wavelength of 540 nm. The percentage
19

growth inhibition was calculated using the following formula and concentration of test drug
needed to inhibit cell growth by 50% (IC50) values is generated from the dose-response curves
for each cell line. Selectivity index (SI = IC50 against Vero cells/MIC against M. tuberculosis)
values were also determined. The compound that exhibited selectivity index (SI) values greater
than 10 against Vero cell line is considered as nontoxic [33].
Mean OD of individual test group
X 100
% Growth inhibition = 100 –
Mean OD of control group
5.5. Molecular docking studies
The crystal structure of InhA (PDB ID: 1P44), CYP121 (PDB ID: 4KTF) and TMPK
(PDB ID: 4UNR) from species of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was taken from Protein Data
Bank was utilized as template for docking explorations. The molecules were sketched using
Maestro panel of Schrodinger 2015-1 and were subjected for all possible conformation
generation using LigPrep module. These molecules were docked to the active site of protein
using extra precision (XP) mode of Glide.
5.6. Antibacterial studies
The compounds were screened for antibacterial activity using the Disc diffusion method
[34] by measuring the zone of inhibition. Bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli were cultivated in Brain heart infusion agar
medium for 24 h. The culture suspensions were prepared and adjusted by comparing against 0.5
McFarland turbidity standard tubes. The hollow tube of 5 mm diameter was taken and heated.
Pressed it on above inoculated Agar plate and removed it immediately by making a well in the
plate. All The compounds were dissolved in DMSO and appropriate dilutions were made (75 and
50 µg/mL) and added to respective wells. DMSO was used as a solvent and as control. After the
°
inoculation of organism and compound, the petri plates were incubated for 18-24 h at 37 C.
Inhibition zones formed on the medium were evaluated in millimeter (mm). The negative solvent
control (DMSO) did not show any antimicrobial activity. Studies were performed in triplicate
and the average reading was taken. Inhibition zones were compared with those of the reference
discs.
20

Acknowledgments
NN and JR thank NITK, Surathkal for the research fellowship and laboratory facility. We
are thankful to MIT Manipal and Dr.Reddy’s Institute of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad
Campus, Hyderabad for NMR and Mass spectral studies and to Maratha Mandal's NGH Institute
of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Belgaum for providing the facility for biological
studies.
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23

O
N
O
H
N
O
N
O
HO
HO
F
N
H
N
OH
F
OH
Br
N
N
O
CF3
HN
N
O
NH
CF3
Moxifloxacin
Antibiotic drug
Mefloquine
Antimalarial drug
Ciprofloxacin
Antibiotic drug
Bedaquiline
FDA approved antitubercular drug
Figure 1. Important quinoline containing drugs which possess promising antitubercular activity.
Figure 2. ORTEP diagram showing the X-ray crystal structure of 8a.
24

Figure 3. The docking pose of the compounds 8b and 8o in the active pocket of InhA.
Figure 4. The docking pose of the compounds 8b and 8c in the active pocket of CYP121.
25

Figure 5. The docking pose of the compounds 8c and 8j in the active pocket of TMPK.
26

R1
O
O
CH3
H
H3C
N
NH2
N
H
O
a
b
N
R1
N
R1
H
2a-g
3a-g
1a-g
1a-3a R1 = 4-F; 1b-3b R1 = 4-Cl; 1c-3c R1 = 3-Cl; 1d-3d R1 = 4-Br;
1e-3e R1 = 4-OCH3; 1f-3f R1 = 4-CH3; 1g-3g R1 = H
Scheme 1. Synthesis of the 3-aryl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde (3a-g). Reagents and conditions:
a) Semicarbazide hydrochloride, sodium acetate, ethanol, 80 °C, 8 h; b) POCl3,
DMF, 80 °C, 2 h.
NH2
HN
N
OH
Cl
N
c
e
R2
d
R2
R2
R2
NH2
N
4a-c
5a-c
7a-c
6a-c
4a R2 = 2-CF3
4b R2 = 4-F
4c R2 = 4-OCH3
5a-7a R2 = 8-CF3; 5b-7b R2 = 6-F; 5c-7c R2 = 6-OCH3
Scheme 2. Synthesis of 1-(2-methyl-substituted)quinolin-4-yl)hydrazine derivatives (7a-c).
Reagents and conditions: c) Ethyl acetoacetate, PPA, 150 °C, 2 h; d) POCl3, 80 °C, 4
h; e) NH2NH2.H2O, ethanol, 90 °C, 4 h.
27

R1
N
R1
NH
NH2
H
HN
N
f
O
N
HN
R2
N
N
R2
H
N
7a-c
3a-g
8a-u
Scheme 3. Synthesis of the pyrazole-quinoline based target compounds. Reagents and
conditions: f) Ethanol, cat. sulfuric acid, 80 °C, 4 h.
28

Table 1. Substitution patterns and antitubercular activity of the target compounds (8a-u).
Compound R1
R2
Log P/Clog Pa MIC (µg/mL)
4-F
8-CF3
8-CF3
8-CF3
8-CF3
5.48/5.72
5.88/6.29
5.88/6.29
6.15/6.44
5.20/5.52
5.81/6.06
5.33/5.56
4.72/4.93
5.12/5.50
5.12/5.50
5.39/5.65
4.44/4.73
5.05/5.27
4.56/4.77
4.44/5.02
4.84/5.59
4.84/5.59
5.11/5.74
4.15/4.82
4.77/5.36
4.28/4.86
-
25
12.5
12.5
25
8a
8b
4-Cl
3-Cl
4-Br
8c
8d
4-OCH3 8-CF3
25
8e
4-CH3
H
8-CF3
8-CF3
6-F
25
8f
50
8g
4-F
50
8h
4-Cl
3-Cl
4-Br
6-F
25
8i
6-F
12.5
50
8j
6-F
8k
4-OCH3 6-F
25
8l
4-CH3
H
6-F
25
8m
8n
6-F
25
4-F
6-OCH3
6-OCH3
6-OCH3
6-OCH3
12.5
50
8o
4-Cl
3-Cl
4-Br
8p
50
8q
50
8r
4-OCH3 6-OCH3
50
8s
4-CH3
6-OCH3
50
8t
H
-
6-OCH3
25
8u
INHb
ETBc
PZAd
-
-
-
0.1
3.13
50
-
-
-
-
aObtained from ChemDraw Ultra 8.0. bINH: Isoniazid, cETB: Ethambutol, dPZA: Pyrazinamide
29