861107-96-2

Upstream product

• 108-73-6 3,5-dihydroxyphenol 
• 480-66-0 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone 
• 871878-99-8 1-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-hydroxyethanone 
• 459-57-4 4-fluorobenzaldehyde 
• 90-24-4 2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethoxyacetophenone 
• 403-42-9 1-(4-fluorophenyl)ethanone 

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• 152969-67-0 2-(4-fluorophenyl)-5’,7’-dihydroxy-chromen-4-one 

Relevant academic research and scientific papers

Identification of novel androgen receptor degrading agents to treat advanced prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies affecting men worldwide. Androgen receptor (AR) has been a target of PCa treatment for nearly six decades. AR antagonists/degraders can effectively treat PCa caused by increased AR overexpression. However, all approved AR antagonists have similar chemical structures and exhibit the same mode of action on the protein. Although initially effective, resistance to these AR antagonists usually develops. Therefore, this calls for the identification of novel chemical structures of AR antagonists to overcome the resistance. Herein, we employed the synergetic combination of virtual and experimental screening to identify a flavonoid compound which not only effectively inhibits AR transcriptional activity, but also induces the degradation of the protein. Based on this compound, we designed and synthesized a series of derivatives. We discovered that the most potent compound 10e could effectively inhibit AR transcriptional activity, and possessed a profound ability to cause degradation of both full length- and ARv7 truncated forms of human AR. Notably, 10e efficiently inhibited the growth of ARv7 dependent prostate cancer cell-lines, which are completely resistant to all current anti-androgens. Compound 10e also showed strong antitumor activity in the LNCaP (androgen dependent prostate cancer cell line) in vivo xenograft model. These results provide a foundation for the development of a new class of AR antagonists.

Design of wogonin-inspired selective cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) inhibitors with potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity

Wogonin, a natural product isolated from the plant Scutellaria baicalensis, has been shown to be a potent and selective inhibitor of CDK9. With the purpose of investigating the activity and selectivity of this chemical scaffold, several series of wogonin derivatives were prepared and screened for CDK9 inhibition and cellular antiproliferative activity. Among these compounds, the drug-like compound 51 showed potent activity against CDK9 (IC50 = 19.9 nM) and MV4-11 cell growth (IC50 = 20 nM). In addition, compound 51 showed much improved physicochemical properties, such as water solubility, compared with the parent compound wogonin. The follow-up studies showed that the compound 51 is selective toward CDK9-overexpressing cancer cells over normal cells. Preliminary mechanism studies on the anticancer effect indicated that 51 inhibited the proliferation of MV4-11 cells via caspase-dependent apoptosis. In addition, highlighted compound 51 showed significant antitumor activity in mouse acute myeloid leukemia (AML) models without producing apparent toxic effects in vivo, which gave us a new tool for further investigation of CDK9-targeted inhibitor as a potential antitumor drug especially for AML.

Targeting the MDM2-p53 protein-protein interaction with prenylchalcones: Synthesis of a small library and evaluation of potential antitumor activity

Prenylation of several bioactive scaffolds is a very interesting strategy used in Medicinal Chemistry in order to improve biological/pharmacological effects. A small library of prenylchalcones was synthesized and evaluated for the ability to inhibit the MDM2-p53 interaction using a yeast-based assay. The capacity of all synthesized prenylchalcones and their non-prenylated precursors to inhibit the growth of human colon tumor HCT116 cells was also evaluated. The obtained results led to the identification of a hit compound, prenylchalcone 2e, which behaved as potential inhibitor of the MDM2-p53 interaction in yeast, and showed improved cytotoxicity against human tumor cells expressing wild-type p53, including liver hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2, breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7, and malignant melanoma A375 cells. In colon cancer cells, it was also shown that the growth inhibitory effect of prenylchalcone 2e was associated with the induction of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and increased protein expression levels of p53 transcriptional targets. Moreover, computational docking studies were performed in order to predict docking poses and residues involved in the MDM2-p53 potential interaction.

Design, synthesis and docking studies of flavokawain B type chalcones and their cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines

Flavokawain B (1) is a natural chalcone extracted from the roots of Piper methysticum, and has been proven to be a potential cytotoxic compound. Using the partial structure of flavokawain B (FKB), about 23 analogs have been synthesized. Among them, compounds 8, 13 and 23 were found in new FKB derivatives. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic properties against two breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, thus establishing the structure-activity relationship. The FKB derivatives 16 (IC50 = 6.50 ± 0.40 and 4.12 ± 0.20 μg/mL), 15 (IC50 = 5.50 ± 0.35 and 6.50 ± 1.40 μg/mL) and 13 (IC50 = 7.12 ± 0.80 and 4.04 ± 0.30 μg/mL) exhibited potential cytotoxic effects on the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. However, the methoxy group substituted in position three and four in compound 2 (IC50 = 8.90 ± 0.60 and 6.80 ± 0.35 μg/mL) and 22 (IC50 = 8.80 ± 0.35 and 14.16 ± 1.10 μg/mL) exhibited good cytotoxicity. The lead compound FKB (1) showed potential cytotoxicity (IC50 = 7.70 ± 0.30 and 5.90 ± 0.30 μg/mL) against two proposed breast cancer cell lines. It is evident that the FKB skeleton is unique for anticancer agents, additionally, the presence of halogens (Cl and F) in position 2 and 3 also improved the cytotoxicity in FKB series. These findings could help to improve the future drug discovery process to treat breast cancer. A molecular dynamics study of active compounds revealed stable interactions within the active site of Janus kinase. The structures of all compounds were determined by 1H-NMR, EI-MS, IR and UV and X-ray crystallographic spectroscopy techniques.

Mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationships of cytotoxic flavokawain derivatives

22 Flavokawain derivatives (FKd) were obtained by one step syntheses in order to conduct a SAR study to understand the structural requirements for optimum and selective cytotoxicity. FKd and natural flavokawains A and B found into kava, a South Pacific traditional beverage, were evaluated against nine cancer and one healthy cell lines. The targeted cell cycle phases as well as the effects on the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle protein levels were investigated. Therapeutic improvements (more activity and selectivity) were achieved with FKd compared to natural flavokawains and notably with the 2′,3,4′,6′-tetramethoxychalcone (FKd 19). FKd induced a G1/S arrest on p53 wild-type cells and an M arrest on p53 mutant-type, via the up-regulation of p21 and cyclin B1 proteins, followed by apoptosis. Moreover, FKd exhibited a 24?h-effect on Akt/mTor normal cells versus a 48?h-effect on Akt/mTor up-regulated cells. The SAR study resulted in the conclusion that trimethoxy A-ring allowed the best compromise between cytotoxicity and selectivity, as well as the substitution of the meta position on the B-ring and the use of halogens substituents.

Synthesis of 5-subsituted flavonols via the Algar-Flynn-Oyamada (AFO) reaction: The mechanistic implication

Herein, we report a synthetic method with improved selectivity for 5-substituted flavonols via the Algar-Flynn-Oyamada reaction (AFO), by using of sodium carbonate/hydrogen peroxide A series of 5-substituted flavonols was obtained with moderate to high yields. The mechanism of the AFO reaction was elucidated. LCMS analysis and in situ 1H NMR analysis indicated that the epoxide was involved in the transformation from chalcone to flavonol and/or aurone under alkaline base/peroxide conditions.

Synthesis of chalcone analogues with increased antileishmanial activity

Eighteen analogues of an active natural chalcone were synthesized using xanthoxyline and some derivatives, and these analogues were tested for selective activity against both promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis in vitro. Three analogues (10, 12, and 19) containing nitro, fluorine or bromine groups, respectively, displayed increased selective activity against the parasites as compared with the natural chalcone. The nitrosylated chalcone 10 was also tested intralesionally in infected mice and was found to be as effective as Pentostan reference drug at a dose 100 times higher than that of the chalcone in controlling both the lesion growth and the parasite burden.

Antifungal activity and studies on mode of action of novel xanthoxyline-derived chalcones

Chalcones and chalcone-like compounds, most of them new ones, prepared by base-catalyzed condensation of appropriate aldehydes and xanthoxyline, were tested for antifungal properties against a panel of yeasts, hialohyphomycetes as well as dermatophytes with the agar dilution assay. Results indicate that neither the sole presence of a xanthoxyline-like substitution pattern nor a 2′-OH substituent on ring A are sufficient for these compounds to have antifungal properties. The chalcone 3-(2-chlorophenyl)-1- (2′-hydroxy-4′,6′-dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one, with a Cl atom in the ortho position of benzene ring B showed the best antifungal activity against standardized strains of Trichophyton rubrum (MIC = 12.5 μg/mL) and inhibited all of the ten clinical isolates of T. rubrum tested (MIC at which 50% [MIC50] and 90% [MIC90] of the isolates were inhibited = 12.5 and 25 μg/mL). Regarding its mode of action, the Neurospora crassa assay showed a blotchy appearance in the inhibition halo produced by this chalcone, strongly suggesting that it could act by inhibiting the fungal cell wall. This chalcone seems to be an hyphal malformation inducer, since a clear curling of the hypha was observed in this hazy zone at a magnification of X 400. This work strongly contributes to the knowledge of the antifungal properties of hydroxy-chalcones.