4‐(1H‐benzo[d]imidazol‐2‐yl)thiazol‐2‐amine and its 1‐methyl derivative (1) were reacted with different reagents such as acid anhydrides, malononitrile, chloroacetyl chloride, and aromatic aldehydes to produce the corresponding benzimidazole products 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, respectively. Also, 2‐chloro‐N‐(4‐(1‐methyl‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazol‐2‐yl)thiazol‐2‐yl) acetamide (6) was reacted with diaminoethane, ortho‐substituted aniline, thioglycolic acid, thiosemicarbazide derivatives, secondary amines, and potassium isothiocyanate to afford the corresponding derivatives 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, respectively. The cytotoxic activity of some newly synthesized derivatives was studied against two different cell lines HepG2 and PC12. Compounds 9 and 15b showed promising anticancer activity against both types of the tested cancerous cell lines.

Background: A new set of hybrid conjugates derived from 2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propanoic acid (ibuprofen) is synthesized to overcome the drawbacks of the current non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Results & methodology: Synthesized conjugates were screened for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic and ulcerogenic properties. Few conjugates were found to have significant anti-inflammatory properties in the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema test, while a fair number of conjugates showed promising peripheral analgesic activity in the acetic acid-induced writhing test as well as central analgesic properties in the in vivo hot plate technique. The newly synthesized conjugates did not display any ulcerogenic liability. Conclusion: In vitro, COX-1 and COX-2 enzyme inhibition studies raveled compound 7e is more selective toward COX-2 compared with ibuprofen.

Novel, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), acetaminophen conjugates 6a–l with amino acid linkers were synthesized utilizing benzotriazole chemistry. Biological data acquired for all the novel bis-conjugates showed (a) some bis-conjugates (6d, 6e, 6h, and 6k) exhibit more potent anti-inflammatory activity than their parent drugs, (b) the potent bis-conjugates show no visible stomach lesions in contrast to parent drugs which are highly ulcerogenic, and (c) that the potent bio-active compounds have no mortality rates or toxic symptoms at 5 fold the applied anti-inflammatory dosage. A statistically significant QSAR model describing the anti-inflammatory properties of 6a–l (N = 15, n = 3, R(2) = 0.891, R(2)cvOO = 0.770, R(2)cvMO = 0.796, F = 29.904, s(2) = 0.011) was obtained employing CODESSA-Pro that validated the observed bio-activity.

Graphical abstract Sets of 3-alkenyl-2-oxindoles were synthesized of potential antiproliferative (against PaCa-2 and MCF7cancer cell lines) and promising properties against SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Curcumin is a well-known example of plant origin exhibiting promising diverse biological properties such as, anti-inflammatory and antitumor as well as poor pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties. This is why effective agents based on its chemical scaffold were explored. Methods: A set of 3,5-bis(ylidene)-1-(alkylsulfonyl)piperidin-4-ones were synthesized in excellent yield (80- 96%) through dehydrohalogenation reaction of 3,5-bis(ylidene)-4-piperidinones with the corresponding alkane sulfonyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine. Antiproliferative properties of the synthesized compounds (dienone/curcumin inspired analogues) were studied by the standard MTT technique. Results: Most of the synthesized compounds revealed antiproliferative properties against HCT116 (colon) and A431 (skin/squamous) cancer cell lines with IC50 values at sub-micromolar level. Compound 36 also exhibited potency against MCF7 (breast) and A549 (lung) cancer cell lines (IC50 = 2.23, 4.27µM, respectively) higher than that of the reference standards (IC50 = 3.15, 5.93µM for 5-fluorouracil and doxorubicin against MCF7 and A549 cell lines, respectively). Cytotoxic properties of the synthesized compounds against non-cancer RPE1 cell line supported the safety profile of the effective agents against normal cells. Molecular modeling (3Dpharmacophore and 2D-QSAR) studies validated the observed bio-properties and explained the parameters governing activity. Inhibitory properties of compounds 27 and 29 (representative examples of the promising antiproliferative agents synthesized) supported their mode of action against topoisomerase IIα Conclusion: The synthesized scaffold is a promising antitumor agent (with special selectivity against colon and skin/squamous cancer cell lines) so, it can be considered for further investigation and development of highly effective hits/leads based on the computational models obtained.

Graphical abstract A series of quinolone-triazole conjugates synthesized as potential antiviral agents for SARS-CoV2. Some of the conjugates are more potent than the standards.

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Synthesis and computational studies of new pyrazinoic acid–isoniazid hybrid conjugates as potential anti-infective agents.