Development of Novel Silyl Cyanocinnamic Acid Derivatives as Metabolic Plasticity Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment

Novel silyl cyanocinnamic acid derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated as potential anticancer agents. In vitro studies reveal that lead derivatives 2a and 2b have enhanced cancer cell proliferation inhibition properties when compared to the parent monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) inhibitor cyano-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHC). Further, candidate compounds exhibit several-fold more potent MCT1 inhibition properties as determined by lactate-uptake studies, and these studies are supported by MCT homology modeling and computational inhibitor-docking studies. In vitro effects on glycolysis and mitochondrial metabolism also illustrate that the lead derivatives 2a and 2b lead to significant effects on both metabolic pathways. In vivo systemic toxicity and efficacy studies in colorectal cancer cell WiDr tumor xenograft demonstrate that candidate compounds are well tolerated and exhibit good single agent anticancer efficacy properties.

Density Functional Theory Predictions of the Nonlinear Optical (NLO) Properties in Triphenylamine based α-Cyanocinnamic Acid Compounds: Effect of Fluorine on NLO Response

In this study, the energy gaps, second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties and dipole polarizabilities of triphenylamine based α-cyanocinnamic acid acetylene derivatives have been investigated via using time-dependent density functional response theory. These compounds were designed theoretically by fluorine (F) atom substitution at different positions of phenyl ring end of the α-cyanocinnamic acid segment. The results have indicated that the systems substituted by fluorine show remarkable NLO second-order response, especially D4 system with computed static second-order polarizability (βtot) of 70537.95 (a.u). Hence, these materials have the likelihood to be an excellent second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. The βtot value suggests that along the x-axis the charge transfer (CT) from triphenylamine to α-cyanocinnamic acid (D-A) plays a key role in NLO response; whereas α-cyanocinnamic acid acts as an acceptor (A) and triphenylamine acts as a donor (D) in all the studied systems. Incorporation of an electron acceptor (F) at the phenyl ring end of the α-cyanocinnamic acid segment increases the computed βtot values. The present investigation therefore provides an important insight into the remarkably greater NLO properties of α-cyanocinnamic acid and triphenylamine attached via acetylene.

Synthesis and antiproliferative activity in vitro of new 2-aminobenzimidazole derivatives. Reaction of 2-arylideneaminobenzimidazole with selected nitriles containing active methylene group

A series of pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazole and α-cyanocinnamic acid derivatives have been synthesized in the reactions of Schiff bases 2–7 with selected nitriles containing an active methylene group: malononitrile 8–12, cyanoacetamide 13–16, benzyl cyanide 17–21, benzoylacetonitrile 22–24, cyanoacetate methyl ester 25–28 and benzylacetamide 29. The structures 8–29 were confirmed by the results of elementary analysis and their IR, 1H-, 13C-NMR and MS spectra. The products 8–29 of various chemical structure pyrimido[1,2-a] benzimidazole 8–12, 14–16, 17–21, 23–24, 26 and α-cyanocinnamic acid derivatives 13, 22, 25, 27, 28 were obtained, which are of interest for biological studies or which can be substrates for further synthesis. The selected compounds 10, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 23–25 and 28 were screened for their antiproliferative activity in vitro against neoplastic and normal cell lines. The most active two compounds were: 2-(o-bromophenylene)-3-cyano-4-phenyl-1,2-dihydropyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazole (24) and 3-cyano-4-phenyl-2-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydropyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazole (23). However, similarly like cisplatin used as the control, they showed no selectivity towards cancer cells, by inhibiting proliferation of normal mouse fibroblasts in similar manner.