Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 10, Issue 1, 2014

Opioid peptides have the potential to be pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of pain because they modulate nociceptive pathways at supraspinal, spinal and peripheral levels. Unfortunately, peptides are generally hydrophilic compounds and therefore unable to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by passive diffusion to reach the central nervous system (CNS) in an amount sufficient to activate appropriate recept Read More

In a previous study we found that fluorescence-marked vancomycin – a glycopeptide antibiotic – is taken up into human tumor cells. To expand on these investigations we now used the lipoglycodepsipeptide antibiotic ramoplanin. Compared to vancomycin it is not only a bigger molecule, but it also has two potential binding sites for coupling to the imaging agents. Three different ramoplanin imaging conjugates were synthesized, Read More

Four series of 1,3-diaza-2-functionalized-adamantan-6-one derivatives, bearing at the 2 position SO, SO2, POCl and PO2H functional groups, were synthesized via a key quadruple Mannich reaction, followed by transformation of an aminal functionality into the final 2-thia- and 2-phospha compounds. The compounds were tested for cytotoxic activity against the mouse B16-F10 melanoma cell line. Malignant melanoma is n Read More

A series of novel non-peptide boronic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized via rational drug design principles. All target compounds were screened for the proteasome inhibitory activities in vitro. Selected compounds (6a and 7j) were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities in vitro. Among these tested compounds, two (6a, 7j) displayed better proteasome inhibitory activities than that of the lead compound PI-083, a Read More

In our previous study, a protein engineering approach, accounting for the effects of single point mutations of the binding site residues on the stability of 22 thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines in complex with the intracellular kinase domain of EGFR (PDB ID: 1XKK), was established in a systematic manner to be an efficient strategy for the identification of anti-EGFR-related-cancer drug candidates. The inhibitory activities of two lign Read More

In an effort to develop safe and efficacious compounds for the treatment of metabolic disorders, new compounds based on a combination of clofibric acid, the active metabolite of clofibrate, and trans-stilbene, chalcone, and other lipophilic groups were synthesized. They were evaluated for PPARα transactivation activity; all branched derivatives showed an increase of the transcriptional activity of receptor compared to th Read More

As a part of a research project pertaining to the synthesis of novel candidates as nonsedating, nonclassic H1 histaminergic (H1) blockers with low toxicity profiles, some new 5-substituted aminomethylenepyrimidine-2,4,6-triones were designed based on the H1 histaminic receptor pharmacophore model. The interactions between the designed compounds and the H1 receptor were studied using molecular docking o Read More

Helicobacter pylori pathogenic action involves the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract and a large production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the neutrophils attracted to the site of infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate caffeic acid and its alkyl esters as inhibitors of the release of ROS by Helicobacter pylori activated neutrophils and their bactericidal effect. The increased hydrophobicity caused by esterification h Read More

A series of novel Ligustrazinyl amides was designed, synthesized and evaluated for their protective effect on the injured vascular endothelial cells. The preliminary results demonstrated that some compounds possessed more potent activities than that of Ligustrazine in stimulating replication of the injured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) that is damaged by hydrogen peroxide. Among the active compounds, c Read More

Since Alzheimer disease (AD) is a multifactorial disease, recent therapeutical approaches concentrate on the development of a multitargeting drug. Various protein kinases are known to be involved in the progression of AD. A first series of 3-ethoxycarbonyl-1-aza-9-oxafluorenes has been synthesized and biologically evaluated as AD-relevant protein kinase inhibitors. A concentration-dependent inhibition of important AD-rel Read More

The sigma (σ) receptor system consists of at least two major receptor subtypes: σ1 and σ2. Several potential therapeutic applications would benefit from structural knowledge of the σ2 receptor but gaining this knowledge has been hampered by the difficulties associated with its isolation and, thus, characterization. Here, a ligand based approach has been adopted using the program PHASE® and a group of 41 potent and struc Read More