Several nicotinic and isoniazid derivatives, most of them containing nitro groups were synthesized by our group, and evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H 37 Rv using the Alamar Blue susceptibility test and the activity expressed as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in mg/mL. The compound 11d exhibited the best result (1.2 µg/mL) when compared with first line drugs such as isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIP). Therefore this class of compounds could be a good starting point to develop new lead compounds in the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

A series of thirty-two isoniazid derivatives have been evaluated for their activity against four human cancer cell lines with potent cytotoxicity (IC50 ranging from 0.61 to 3.36 μg/mL). The structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis indicated the number, the positions, and the types of substituents attached to the aromatic ring as being critical factors for the biological activity. Briefly, we observed that the presence of a hydroxyl group on the benzene ring plays an important role in the anticancer activity of this series, especially when it is located in ortho-position. Among the thirty-two compounds, three displayed good cytotoxic activity when compared to the reference drug doxorubicin and are thus being considered leading compounds of this new class.

A series of forty-seven quinoxaline derivatives, 2-(XYZC6H2CHN-NH)-quinoxalines, 1, have been synthesized and evaluated for their activity against four cancer cell lines: potent cytotoxicities were found (IC50 ranging from 0.316 to 15.749 μM). The structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis indicated that the number, the positions and the type of substituents attached to the aromatic ring are critical for biological activity. The activities do not depend on the electronic effects of the substituents nor on the lypophilicities of the molecules. A common feature of active compounds is an ortho-hydroxy group in the phenyl ring. A potential role of these ortho-hydroxy derivatives is as N,N,O-tridentate ligands complexing with a vital metal, such as iron, and thereby preventing proliferation of cells. The most active compound was (1: X,Y=2,3-(OH)2, Z=H), which displayed a potent cytotoxicity comparable to that of the reference drug doxorubicin.

Heterocyclic compounds are a class of substances, which play a critical role in modern drug discovery being incorporated in the structure of a large variety of drugs used in many different types of diseases. Quinoxaline is an important heterocyclic nucleus with a wide spectrum of biological activities, and recently much attention has been found on anticancer drug discovery based on this class. Owing to the importance of this system, the aim of this review is to provide an update on the synthesis and anticancer activity of quinoxaline derivatives covering articles published between 2010 and 2015.

Mycolic acids are an important class of compounds, basically found in the cell walls of a group of bacteria known as mycolata taxon, exemplified by the most famous bacteria of this group, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb.), the agent responsible for the disease known as tuberculosis (TB). Mycolic acids are important for the survival of M. tb. For example, they are able to help fight against hydrophobic drugs and dehydration, and also allow this bacterium to be more effective in the host's immune system by growing inside macrophages. Due to the importance of the mycolic acids for maintenance of the integrity of the mycobacterial cell wall, these compounds become attractive cellular targets for the development of novel drugs against TB. In this context, the aim of this article is to highlight the importance of mycolic acids in drug discovery.

A U-shaped conformation is found in the title compound, C19H21N3O5, with the benzene rings lying to the same side of the mol­ecule; the dihedral angle between them is 10.83 (16)°. The dihedral angle formed between the hydrazinecarbonyl and carbamate residues is 68.42 (13)°. The carbonyl groups lie approximately at right angles to each other [O—C⋯C—O pseudo torsion angle of 107.7 (3)°], and the conformation about the C12=N3 bond [1.279 (4) Å] is E. An intra­molecular Ncb—H⋯Ohy (cb = carbmate and hy = hydr­oxy) hydrogen bond occurs, generating an S(6) loop. In the crystal, inter­molecular Oh—H⋯Oca (ca = carbon­yl) and Nhz—H⋯Oca (hz = hydrazine) hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of a supra­molecular chain, two mol­ecules thick, which propagates along the a axis; these are connected by C—H⋯Oca contacts.

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Recebido em 26/9/05; aceito em 30/3/06; publicado na web em 26/9/06 ATROPISOMERISM: THE EFFECT OF THE AXIAL CHIRALITY IN BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS. Atropisomerism is a special kind of stereoisomeric relationship that arises from the freezing of a certain conformation of an organic molecule, associated with a high rotational barrier about a single covalent bond. Atropisomerism has been originally described in orto-functionalyzed biphenyl derivatives, but a lot of other organic functionalities can present this structural phenomenon, characterized by the presence of chiral properties in compounds that don't present classical stereogenic centers. Atropisomeric compounds, intermediates and catalysts have well-know importance in organic synthesis, but the influence of the axial chirality in substances able to modulate biological systems is still not very exploited in drug design and development. In this context, the present account describes the importance of this structural property in the medicinal chemistry of different classes of bioactive compounds or therapeutic agents, emphasizing how atropisomerism could affect the molecular recognition of a ligand or a prototype by the target bioreceptor.Keywords: atropisomerism; atropisomerism of drugs; stereoselective molecular recognition. INTRODUÇÃOO fenômeno conhecido como atropoisomerismo, denominação oriunda da palavra grega atropos (i.e. sem rotação), é atribuído a um tipo de estereoisomerismo característico de sistemas onde a rotação livre em torno de uma ligação simples é impedida, produzindo uma barreira energética suficientemente elevada, de modo a permitir o isolamento ou simplesmente a detecção dos diferentes rotâmeros, chamados atropoisômeros 1,2 . Este tipo de isomeria axial é caracterizada pela atividade ótica promovida por um eixo de ligação, não necessitando que a substância apresente carbono estereogênico como elemento de quiralidade. O fenômeno foi observado pela primeira vez por Christie e Kenner 3 , após a resolução dos atropoisômeros do ácido 6,6'-dinitro-2,2'-difênico 1, os quais não se mostraram interconversíveis à temperatura ambiente (Figura 1).A nomenclatura de substâncias que apresentam quiralidade axial pode ser atribuída como R ou S pela aplicação das regras de prioridade de Cahn-Ingold-Prelog 4,5 , conforme exemplificado na Figura 2. A partir da projeção da estrutura vista na direção do eixo de ligação do sistema bifenílico, deve-se definir a ordem de prioridade dos grupos funcionais, iniciando por aqueles mais próximos ao observador e, em seguida, atribuir a configuração absoluta R ou S com base no sentido da rotação produzida quando se caminha do substituinte de maior prioridade para o de menor prioridade. Apesar de ser opcional, a descrição da configuração absoluta de estereoisômeros atropoisoméricos deve ser acompanhada pela introdução do prefixo a, i.e. aR ou aS, visando distinguí-los de outros tipos de compostos oticamente ativos. De maneira alternativa, os compostos atropoisoméricos podem ser vistos como hélices e suas configurações descritas...