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Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds: Volume II
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Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds: Volume II

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Organic Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 2462

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Brindusa Tiperciuc

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Hatieganu”, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: cancer therapy; anti-infective drugs; molecular mechanisms; drug synthesis; targeted therapies; bioactive heterocycle synthesis; docking and molecular modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the past few decades, the emergence of new highly pathogenic strains of viruses and microorganisms, such as SARS-CoV-2, drug-resistant tuberculosis and malaria (i.e., superbugs), has presented challenges that require an urgent response. Effective treatment of cancer is another important and unresolved problem. Tumors develop through genetic and epigenetic changes that modify fundamental cellular programs for growth and proliferation, followed by the natural selection of reprogrammed cells that best adapt to the constant fight against human immunity and chemotherapy drugs.

To address these issues, a number of breakthrough synthetic methodologies need to be developed which enable the efficient assembly of new molecules and make it possible to achieve the high variability of substituents necessary for studying structure–biological activity relationships.

This Special Issue aims to gather scientific articles devoted to the synthesis and study of the activity of previously unknown compounds, as well as fully synthetic papers that describe new effective approaches to known biologically active compounds, without further evaluation of biological properties.

Prof. Dr. Brindusa Tiperciuc
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at mdpi.longhoe.net by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biological activity
  • nature-derived molecules
  • heterocyclic moieties
  • aromatic species
  • structural diversity
  • alkaloids
  • organic synthesis

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1511 KiB  
Article
Enantioselective Synthesis of the Active Sex Pheromone Components of the Female Lichen Moth, Lyclene dharma dharma, and Their Enantiomers
by Yun Zhou, Jianan Wang, Yueru Zhang, **aochen Fu, Hongqing **e, **long Han, Jianhua Zhang, Jiangchun Zhong and Chenggang Shan
Molecules 2024, 29(12), 2918; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29122918 - 19 Jun 2024
Viewed by 296
Abstract
The Lichen moth, Lyclene dharma dharma (Arctiidae, Lithosiinae), plays a significant role in forest ecosystem dynamics. A concise and novel method to synthesize the active sex pheromone components, (S)-14-methyloctadecan-2-one ((S)-1), (S)-6-methyloctadecan-2-one (( [...] Read more.
The Lichen moth, Lyclene dharma dharma (Arctiidae, Lithosiinae), plays a significant role in forest ecosystem dynamics. A concise and novel method to synthesize the active sex pheromone components, (S)-14-methyloctadecan-2-one ((S)-1), (S)-6-methyloctadecan-2-one ((S)-2), and their enantiomers has been developed. Key steps in the synthesis include the use of Evans’ chiral auxiliaries, Grignard cross-coupling reactions, hydroboration–oxidation, and Wacker oxidation. The synthesized sex pheromone components hold potential value for studies on communication mechanisms, species identification, and ecological management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds: Volume II)
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14 pages, 2040 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Photophysical Characterization of Fluorescent Naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-Diones and Their Antimicrobial Activity against Staphylococcus Strains
by Masayori Hagimori, Fumiko Hara, Naoko Mizuyama, Shinya Takada, Saki Hayashi, Tamami Haraguchi, Yoshiro Hatanaka, Toshihiro Nagao, Shigemitsu Tanaka, Miki Yoshii and Miyako Yoshida
Molecules 2024, 29(12), 2777; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29122777 - 11 Jun 2024
Viewed by 355
Abstract
The chemical reaction of 2-(methylsulfinyl)naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione (3) using different amines, including benzylamine (4a), morpholine (4b), thiomorpholine (4c), piperidine (4d), and 4-methylpiperazine (4e), produced corresponding new tricyclic naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole–4,9–dione compounds [...] Read more.
The chemical reaction of 2-(methylsulfinyl)naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione (3) using different amines, including benzylamine (4a), morpholine (4b), thiomorpholine (4c), piperidine (4d), and 4-methylpiperazine (4e), produced corresponding new tricyclic naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole–4,9–dione compounds (5a–e) in moderate-to-good yields. The photophysical properties and antimicrobial activities of these compounds (5a–e) were then characterized. Owing to the extended π-conjugated system of naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole–4,9–dione skeleton and substituent effect, 5a–e showed fluorescence both in solution and in the solid state. The introduction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles at position 2 of the thiazole ring on naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione led to large bathochromic shifts in solution, and 5b–e exhibited orange-red fluorescence with emission maxima of over 600 nm in highly polar solvents. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a highly pathogenic bacterium, and infection with its antimicrobial-resistant pathogen methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) results in serious clinical problems. In this study, we also investigated the antimicrobial activities of 5a–e against S. aureus, MRSA, and S. epidermidis. Compounds 5c with thiomorpholine group and 5e with 4-methylpiperazine group showed potent antimicrobial activity against these bacteria. These results will lead to the development of new fluorescent dyes with antimicrobial activity in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds: Volume II)
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19 pages, 6703 KiB  
Article
Design, Synthesis, and Antitumor Activity of Isoliquiritigenin Amino Acid Ester Derivatives
by Chi Liu, **nyue Liu, Qing Ma, Fengyan Su and Enbo Cai
Molecules 2024, 29(11), 2641; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29112641 - 3 Jun 2024
Viewed by 287
Abstract
Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a chalcone that has shown great potential in the treatment of cancer. However, its relatively weak activity and low water solubility limit its clinical application. In this study, we designed and synthesized 21 amino acid ester derivatives of ISL and [...] Read more.
Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a chalcone that has shown great potential in the treatment of cancer. However, its relatively weak activity and low water solubility limit its clinical application. In this study, we designed and synthesized 21 amino acid ester derivatives of ISL and characterized the compounds using 1H NMR and 13C NMR. Among them, compound 9 (IC50 = 14.36 μM) had a better inhibitory effect on human cervical cancer (Hela) than ISL (IC50 = 126.5 μM), and it was superior to the positive drug 5-FU (IC50 = 33.59 μM). The mechanism of the action experiment showed that compound 9 could induce Hela cell apoptosis and autophagy through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds: Volume II)
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28 pages, 7372 KiB  
Article
Are Terminal Alkynes Necessary for MAO-A/MAO-B Inhibition? A New Scaffold Is Revealed
by Panagiou Mavroeidi, Leandros P. Zorba, Nikolaos V. Tzouras, Stavros P. Neofotistos, Nikitas Georgiou, Kader Sahin, Murat Şentürk, Serdar Durdagi, Georgios C. Vougioukalakis and Thomas Mavromoustakos
Molecules 2024, 29(11), 2486; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29112486 - 24 May 2024
Viewed by 446
Abstract
A versatile family of quaternary propargylamines was synthesized employing the KA2 multicomponent reaction, through the single-step coupling of a number of amines, ketones, and terminal alkynes. Sustainable synthetic procedures using transition metal catalysts were employed in all cases. The inhibitory activity of [...] Read more.
A versatile family of quaternary propargylamines was synthesized employing the KA2 multicomponent reaction, through the single-step coupling of a number of amines, ketones, and terminal alkynes. Sustainable synthetic procedures using transition metal catalysts were employed in all cases. The inhibitory activity of these molecules was evaluated against human monoaminoxidase (hMAO)-A and hMAO-B enzymes and was found to be significant. The IC50 values for hMAO-B range from 152.1 to 164.7 nM while the IC50 values for hMAO-A range from 765.6 to 861.6 nM. Furthermore, these compounds comply with Lipinski’s rule of five and exhibit no predicted toxicity. To understand their binding properties with the two target enzymes, key interactions were studied using molecular docking, all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and MM/GBSA binding free energy calculations. Overall, herein, the reported family of propargylamines exhibits promise as potential treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. Interestingly, this is the first time a propargylamine scaffold bearing an internal alkyne has been reported to show activity against monoaminoxidases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds: Volume II)
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25 pages, 5588 KiB  
Article
Synthesis, In Vivo Anticonvulsant Activity Evaluation and In Silico Studies of Some Quinazolin-4(3H)-One Derivatives
by Raluca Pele, Gabriel Marc, Cristina Mogoșan, Anamaria Apan, Ioana Ionuț, Brîndușa Tiperciuc, Cristina Moldovan, Cătălin Araniciu, Ilioara Oniga, Adrian Pîrnău, Laurian Vlase and Ovidiu Oniga
Molecules 2024, 29(9), 1951; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29091951 - 24 Apr 2024
Viewed by 597
Abstract
Two series, “a” and “b”, each consisting of nine chemical compounds, with 2,3-disubstituted quinazolin-4(3H)-one scaffold, were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsant activity. They were investigated as dual potential positive allosteric modulators of the GABAA receptor at the [...] Read more.
Two series, “a” and “b”, each consisting of nine chemical compounds, with 2,3-disubstituted quinazolin-4(3H)-one scaffold, were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsant activity. They were investigated as dual potential positive allosteric modulators of the GABAA receptor at the benzodiazepine binding site and inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase II. Quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives were evaluated in vivo (D1–3 = 50, 100, 150 mg/kg, administered intraperitoneally) using the pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure model in mice, with phenobarbital and diazepam, as reference anticonvulsant agents. The in silico studies suggested the compounds act as anticonvulsants by binding on the allosteric site of GABAA receptor and not by inhibiting the carbonic anhydrase II, because the ligands-carbonic anhydrase II predicted complexes were unstable in the molecular dynamics simulations. The mechanism targeting GABAA receptor was confirmed through the in vivo flumazenil antagonism assay. The pentylenetetrazole experimental anticonvulsant model indicated that the tested compounds, 1a–9a and 1b–9b, present a potential anticonvulsant activity. The evaluation, considering the percentage of protection against PTZ, latency until the onset of the first seizure, and reduction in the number of seizures, revealed more favorable results for the “b” series, particularly for compound 8b. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds: Volume II)
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Review

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61 pages, 2485 KiB  
Review
Biological Activities of Novel Oleanolic Acid Derivatives from Bioconversion and Semi-Synthesis
by Nahla Triaa, Mansour Znati, Hichem Ben Jannet and Jalloul Bouajila
Molecules 2024, 29(13), 3091; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29133091 - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 193
Abstract
Oleanolic acid (OA) is a vegetable chemical that is present naturally in a number of edible and medicinal botanicals. It has been extensively studied by medicinal chemists and scientific researchers due to its biological activity against a wide range of diseases. A significant [...] Read more.
Oleanolic acid (OA) is a vegetable chemical that is present naturally in a number of edible and medicinal botanicals. It has been extensively studied by medicinal chemists and scientific researchers due to its biological activity against a wide range of diseases. A significant number of researchers have synthesized a variety of analogues of OA by modifying its structure with the intention of creating more potent biological agents and improving its pharmaceutical properties. In recent years, chemical and enzymatic techniques have been employed extensively to investigate and modify the chemical structure of OA. This review presents recent advancements in medical chemistry for the structural modification of OA, with a special focus on the biotransformation, semi-synthesis and relationship between the modified structures and their biopharmaceutical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis of Bioactive Compounds: Volume II)
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