Publications (26)74.27 Total impact
-
Article: Facile Construction of Structurally Diverse Thiazolidinedione-derived Compounds via Divergent Stereoselective Cascade Organocatalysis and Their Biological Exploratory Studies.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In this article, we present a new approach by merging two powerful synthetic tactics - divergent synthesis and cascade organocatalysis to create a divergent cascade organocatalysis strategy for the facile construction of new 'privileged' substructure-based DOS (pDOS) library. As demonstrated, notably 5 distinct molecular architectures are produced facilely from readily available simple synthons thiazolidinedione and its analogues and α, β-unsaturated aldehydes in 1-3 steps with the powerful strategy. The beauty of the chemistry is highlighted by the efficient formation of structurally new and diverse products from structurally close reactants under the similar reaction conditions. Notably, structurally diverse spiro-thiazolidinediones and -rhodanines are produced from organocatalytic enantioselective 3-component Michael-Michael-aldol cascade reactions of respective thiazolidinediones and rhodanines with enals. Nevertheless, under the similar reaction conditions, reactions of isorhodanine via a Michael-cyclization cascade lead to structurally different fused thiopyranoid scaffolds. This strategy significantly minimizes time- and cost-consuming synthetic works. Furthermore, these molecules possess high structural complexity, and functional, stereochemical, and skeletal diversity with similarity to natural scaffolds. In the preliminary biological studies of these molecules, compounds 4f, 8a, and 10a exhibit inhibitory activity against the human breast cancer cells, while compounds 8a, 9a, and 9b display good antifungal activities against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Notably, their structures are different from clinically used triazole antifungal drugs. Therefore, they could serve as good lead compounds for the development of new generation of antifungal agents.ACS combinatorial science. 04/2013; -
Article: Discovery of highly potent triazole antifungal derivatives by heterocycle-benzene bioisosteric replacement.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: On the basis of our previously discovered triazole antifungal lead compounds, heterocycle-benzene bioisosteric replacement was used to improve their pharmacokinetic profile. The designed new triazole derivatives have good antifungal activity toward a wide range of pathogenic fungi. Their binding mode with the target enzyme was clarified by molecular docking. The MIC value of the highly potent compound 8f against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Cryptococcus neoformans is 0.016 μg/mL, 0.004 μg/mL, and 0.016 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, preliminary pharmacokinetic studies revealed that it showed improved oral absorption as compared to the lead compound iodiconazole and deserved for further evaluations.European journal of medicinal chemistry 04/2013; 64C:16-22. · 3.27 Impact Factor -
Article: Discovery, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Orally Active Pyrrolidone Derivatives as Novel Inhibitors of p53-MDM2 Protein-Protein Interaction.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The p53-MDM2 interaction has been proved to be a valuable target to develop effective antitumor agents. Novel p53-MDM2 inhibitors bearing pyrrolidone scaffolds were successfully identified by structure-based design. The nanomolar inhibitor 5 possessed good p53-MDM2 inhibitory activity (K(i) = 780 nM) due to its hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions with MDM2. Further hit optimization led to the discovery of a number of highly potent pyrrolidone derivatives with improved p53-MDM2 inhibitory activity and in vitro antiproliferative potency. Compounds 41 (K(i) = 260.0 nM) and 60a (K(i) = 150.0 nM) showed good and selective activity against tumor cells with deleted p53. In addition, these two compounds also effectively inhibited the tumor growth in the A549 xenograft model. Interestingly, compound 41 was proved to be a potent MDM2/MDMX dual inhibitor. The novel pyrrolidone p53-MDM2 inhibitors represent promising lead structures for the development of novel antitumor agents.Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 10/2012; · 4.80 Impact Factor -
Article: Synthesis and preliminary bioevaluation of novel E-ring modified acetal analog of camptothecin as cytotoxic agents.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In an effort to improve the metabolic stability of the E-ring and decrease the toxicity of camptothecin (CPT), a novel cytotoxic acetal analog with 21-alkoxy groups was designed and synthesized. The preliminary results revealed that this class of compounds showed superior antiproliferative activity in vitro and moderate in vivo activity, while their topoisomerase I (Topo I) inhibitory activity was weakened significantly. The implications of these results within the current understanding of the structure-activity relationship of camptothecin are analyzed in detail. The obtained information provides insight into the role of the 21-carbonyl group in the binding of CPT to Topo I-DNA complex.European journal of medicinal chemistry 10/2012; 56:1-9. · 3.27 Impact Factor -
Article: Structure-activity relationship and antitumor activity of thio-benzodiazepines as p53-MDM2 protein-protein interaction inhibitors.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In order to discuss the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the thio-benzodiazepine compounds which showed excellent activity against p53-MDM2 protein-protein interaction, we designed and synthesized twenty compounds with electrophilic and nucleophilic groups on the benzene ring. Among them, compounds 8i (K(i) = 91 nM) and 8n (K(i) = 89 nM) showed better binding activity than that of the reference drug Nutlin-3a (K(i) = 121 nM). In addition, in vitro antitumor activity against Saos-2, U-2 OS, A549 and NCI-H1299 cell-lines were assayed by the MTT method. Especially, compounds 8i and 8n possessed excellent biological activity and good selectivity comparable to Nutlin-3a, which were promising candidates for further evaluation.European journal of medicinal chemistry 08/2012; 56:10-6. · 3.27 Impact Factor -
Article: New tricks for an old natural product: discovery of highly potent evodiamine derivatives as novel antitumor agents by systemic structure-activity relationship analysis and biological evaluations.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Evodiamine is a quinazolinocarboline alkaloid isolated from the fruits of traditional Chinese herb Evodiae fructus . Previously, we identified N13-substituted evodiamine derivatives as potent topoisomerase I inhibitors by structure-based virtual screening and lead optimization. Herein, a library of novel evodiamine derivatives bearing various substitutions or modified scaffold were synthesized. Among them, a number of evodiamine derivatives showed substantial increase of the antitumor activity, with GI(50) values lower than 3 nM. Moreover, these highly potent compounds can effectively induce the apoptosis of A549 cells. Interestingly, further computational target prediction calculations in combination with biological assays confirmed that the evodiamine derivatives acted by dual inhibition of topoisomerases I and II. Moreover, several hydroxyl derivatives, such as 10-hydroxyl evodiamine (10j) and 3-amino-10-hydroxyl evodiamine (18g), also showed good in vivo antitumor efficacy and low toxicity at the dose of 1 mg/kg or 2 mg/kg. They represent promising candidates for the development of novel antitumor agents.Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 08/2012; 55(17):7593-613. · 4.80 Impact Factor -
Article: Synthesis and biological evaluation of 7-alkenyl homocamptothecins as potent topoisomerase I inhibitors.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Homocamptothecin (hCPT) is a camptothecin (CPT) derivative with a seven-membered β-hydroxylactone E ring, which shows higher lactone stability and improves topoisomerase I (Topo I) inhibition activity. In an attempt to improve the antitumor activity of homocamptothecins, a series of 7-alkenyl-homocamptothecin derivatives was designed and synthesized based on a semisynthetic route starting from CPT. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibit higher cytotoxic activities on the A-549 tumor cell line than topotecan (TPT). Some compounds such as 2a and 2o show a broad in vitro antitumor spectrum and exhibit superior Topo I-inhibition activity.Chemistry & Biodiversity 06/2012; 9(6):1084-94. · 1.80 Impact Factor -
Article: Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationships of new triazole derivatives containing N-substituted phenoxypropylamino side chains.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The incidence of invasive fungal infections and resistance to antifungal agents is increasing dramatically. It is highly desirable to develop novel azoles with improved biological profiles. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the N-substitutions was investigated in this study. In vitro antifungal activities revealed that sterically large groups were not favored for the N-substitutions. The removal of the N-substitutions had little effect on the antifungal activity. Two compounds with free amine group (i.e.9a and 10a) showed excellent activity with broad antifungal spectrum. The SAR results were supported by molecular docking and the N-substitutions were found to be important for the conformation of the side chains. The SAR and binding mode of the azoles are useful for further lead optimization.European journal of medicinal chemistry 04/2012; 53:292-9. · 3.27 Impact Factor -
Article: ERK1/2 and Akt pathway activated during (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1)-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1) was isolated from the endogenous fungus, Fusarium oxysporum J8-1-2. Previous studies showed that (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1) has anti-oestrogen properties which make it cytotoxic to ER (oestrogen receptor)-positive breast cancer cells (MCF-7) by cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis. (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1) suppresses mRNA and protein expression of the ERα and oestrogen responsive genes of cyclin D1 and PR. We have investigated the interaction between (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1) and ERα and followed the roles of ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase), Akt and GSK3β (glycogen synthase kinase 3β) during (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1)-induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1) competed with E2 (17β-estradiol) for ERα active sites to inhibit ERα activation. However, while ERK1/2 and Akt were activated, GSK3β was inactivated during (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1)-induced apoptosis, suggesting that this compound is indeed an anti-oestrogen agent that can also activate the survival signalling pathway. Apoptosis caused by (3R,6R)-bassiatin(1) may be related to activation of ERK.Cell Biology International 12/2011; 36(4):345-8. · 1.48 Impact Factor -
Article: Synthesis and biological evaluation of thio-benzodiazepines as novel small molecule inhibitors of the p53-MDM2 protein-protein interaction.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A series of thio-benzodiazepine p53-MDM2 inhibitors were designed and synthesized based on the principle of bioisosterism. Most of the thio-benzodiazepines had nanomolar to micromolar affinity toward MDM2. Particularly, compounds 8a (K(i) = 0.52μM) and 8f (K(i) = 0.32 μM) showed binding activity comparable to the positive drug nutlin-3a (K(i) = 0.23 μM). Meanwhile, compound 8j exhibited excellent antitumor activity against the U-2 OS human osteosarcoma cell line with an IC(50) value of 1.06 μM, which was about 23 times higher than that of nutlin-3a. The docking model also successfully predicted that this class of compounds mimicked three p53 critical residues binding to MDM2. The thio-benzodiazepines represent a promising class of non-peptide inhibitors of the p53-MDM2 interaction.European journal of medicinal chemistry 11/2011; 46(11):5654-61. · 3.27 Impact Factor -
Article: Discovery of novel human acrosin inhibitors by virtual screening.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Human acrosin is an attractive target for the discovery of male contraceptive drugs. For the first time, structure-based drug design was applied to discover structurally diverse human acrosin inhibitors. A parallel virtual screening strategy in combination with pharmacophore-based and docking-based techniques was used to screen the SPECS database. From 16 compounds selected by virtual screening, a total of 10 compounds were found to be human acrosin inhibitors. Compound 2 was found to be the most potent hit (IC(50) = 14 μM) and its binding mode was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The hit interacted with human acrosin mainly through hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding interactions, which provided a good starting structure for further optimization studies.Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design 10/2011; 25(10):977-85. · 3.39 Impact Factor -
Article: Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel homocamptothecins conjugating with dihydropyrimidine derivatives as potent topoisomerase I inhibitors.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Homocamptothecin (hCPT) is a camptothecin (CPT) homologue with the insertion of a methylene (CH₂) spacer between the alcohol moiety and carbonyl group of the classical six-membered α-hydroxylactone ring. This modification provides higher lactone stability and did not impair its activity against topoisomerase I (Topo I), but rather appears to improve it compared to CPT. In an attempt to improve the antitumor activity of homocamptothecins, a series of novel hCPT derivatives conjugating with dihydropyrimidine (DHPM) derivatives was designed and synthesized based on a synthetic route which couples 7-formylhomocamptothecin with different dihydropyrimidine derivates. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited good antiproliferative activity on tumor cell lines A549, MDA-MB-435 and HCT116. Furthermore, this class of compounds showed superior Topo I inhibition activity comparable to or higher than CPT.Archiv der Pharmazie 09/2011; 344(11):726-34. · 1.71 Impact Factor -
Article: Synthesis of novel benzoxanthone analogues as non-Camptothecin topoisomerase I inhibitors.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Structure modification of the side chain of the lead compound benzoxanthone provided a series of benzoxanthone analogues and 12 of them were first reported. The results showed that most of these compounds had moderate cytotoxicity against tumour cells with the 50% inhibition concentration in the micromolar range. Furthermore, benzoxanthone derivatives 5, 6c, 7a and 7e, showed potent topoisomerase I (Topo I) inhibitory effect and the results indicated that some compounds had potential for development as non-Camptothecin (CPT) topoisomerase I inhibitors.Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry 07/2011; 27(3):437-42. · 1.62 Impact Factor -
Article: Synthesis of 9-(heteroarylmethylidene)amino derivatives of homocamptothecin with biological activities.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Six 9-(heteroarylmethylidene)amino derivatives, 2a-2f, of homocamptothecin were synthesized for the first time by total synthesis in 22 steps and biologically evaluated as inhibitors of topoisomerase I. Moreover, the antitumor activities of 2a-2f against three human tumor cell lines, i.e., A-549, MDA-MB-435, and HCT-116, were determined and the results showed that compound 2c was the most active homocamptothecin derivative against the A-549 (IC(50) =0.046 μM) and HTC-116 tumor cells (IC(50) =3.67 μM), with a ca. 50 times higher activity than the reference drug topotecan (TPT) against the lung cancer cell line A-549.Chemistry & Biodiversity 07/2011; 8(7):1266-73. · 1.80 Impact Factor -
Article: Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 7-acyl homocamptothecins as Topoisomerase I inhibitors.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A series of novel 7-acyl derivatives of homocamptothecin (hCPT) were designed and synthesized with the purpose to improve antitumor activity of hCPT, via Minisci free-radical reaction from 10-methoxyhomocamptothecin. All the compounds were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against three cancer cell lines (A549, MDA-MB-435 and HCT116). For MDA-MB-435 cell line, compounds, 6a, 6b, 6k and all of 7-alkylcabonyl homocamptothecin derivatives showed higher in vitro inhibitory activities than topotecan (TPT). Furthermore, compounds 6d, 6e, and 6k showed highly potent inhibitory activities with the IC50 values from less than 1 nM to 2.2 nM. In Topoisomerase I (Topo I)-induced DNA cleavage assay, compounds 6a, 6d, and 6k, as compared to CPT, revealed higher Topo I inhibitory activity.European journal of medicinal chemistry 03/2011; 46(6):2408-14. · 3.27 Impact Factor -
Article: Selection of evodiamine as a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor by structure-based virtual screening and hit optimization of evodiamine derivatives as antitumor agents.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Human topoisomerase I (TopoI) is recognized as a valuable target for the development of effective antitumor agents. Structure-based virtual screening was applied to the discovery of structurally diverse TopoI inhibitors. From 23 compounds selected by virtual screening, a total of 14 compounds were found to be TopoI inhibitors. Five hits (compounds 1, 14, 20, 21, and 23) also showed moderate to good in vitro antitumor activity. These novel structures can be considered as good starting points for the development of new antitumor lead compounds. Hit 20 (evodiamine) was chosen for preliminary structure-activity relationship studies. Various groups, including alkyl, benzoyl, benzyl and ester, were introduced to the indole nitrogen atom of evodiamine. The substituted benzoyl groups were found to be favorable for the antitumor activity and spectrum. The 4-Cl benzoyl derivative, compound 29u, was the most active one with IC(50) values in the range 0.049-2.6 μM.Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 10/2010; 53(21):7521-31. · 4.80 Impact Factor -
Article: Novel conformationally restricted triazole derivatives with potent antifungal activity.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In continuation of our work on azole antifungal agents, a series of new conformationally restricted triazole derivatives possessing benzylpiperidin-4-yl methyl amino side chains were designed and synthesized. All the new azoles showed moderate to excellent in vitro antifungal activity against most of the tested pathogenic fungi. Several compounds (such as 12e, 12f, 12h and 12n) showed higher antifungal activity against Candida albicans than fluconazole. Moreover, compounds 12g-i also showed good activity against Aspergillus fumigatus with their MIC80 on the level of 1 μg/mL. Flexible molecular docking was used to analyze the binding mode of the designed compounds. They interact with CACYP51 through hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions.European journal of medicinal chemistry 10/2010; 45(12):6020-6. · 3.27 Impact Factor -
Article: Design, synthesis and antifungal activity of isosteric analogues of benzoheterocyclic N-myristoyltransferase inhibitors.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) has been a promising new target for the design of novel antifungal agents with new mode of action. A series of benzoxazole and indole derivatives were designed and synthesized as isosteric analogues of benzoheterocyclic NMT Inhibitors. In vitro antifungal assay indicated that the benzoxazole derivatives were far more potent than the indoles. Molecular docking studies revealed that the hydrogen bonding interaction between the benzoheterocyclic core and NMT might be essential in the orientation of the inhibitor to a proper position. The antifungal activity of benzoxazole derivative 8f was comparable or superior to that of fluconazole, which can serve as a good starting point for further studies of structural diversity of the benzoheterocyclic NMT inhibitors.European journal of medicinal chemistry 09/2010; 45(9):3531-40. · 3.27 Impact Factor -
Article: Phosphate ester derivatives of homocamptothecin: synthesis, solution stabilities and antitumor activities.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Homocamptothecins (hCPTs) represents a new promising class of topoisomerase I inhibitors with enhanced stability and superior antitumor activity. Some phosphodiesters and phosphotriesters homocamptothecin derivatives were designed and synthesized based on our previous synthetic route. The cytotoxicity in vitro on three cancer cell lines and antitumor activity in vivo, and inhibitory properties of topoisomerase I of these derivatives were evaluated. Among them compounds 24e and 24f exhibited higher cytotoxic activity than IRT and the former exhibited the best antitumor activity in vivo and solution stability both at pH 7.4 and pH 3.0.Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry 03/2010; 18(9):3140-6. · 2.82 Impact Factor -
Article: Structure-based rational design, synthesis and antifungal activity of oxime-containing azole derivatives.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In an attempt to find novel azole antifungal agents with improved activity and broader spectrum, computer modeling was used to design a series of new azoles with piperidin-4-one O-substituted oxime side chains. Molecular docking studies revealed that they formed hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding interactions with lanosterol 14alpha-demethylase of Candida albicans (CACYP51). In vitro antifungal assay indicates that most of the synthesized compounds showed good activity against tested fungal pathogens. In comparison with fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole, several compounds (such as 10c, 10e, and 10i) show more potent antifungal activity and broader spectrum, suggesting that they are promising leads for the development of novel antifungal agents.Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters 03/2010; 20(9):2942-5. · 2.65 Impact Factor
Top co-authors
Top Journals
Institutions
-
2009–2012
-
Second Military Medical University, Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghai Shi, China
-
