Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is the infectious disease responsible for the highest number of deaths worldwide. Herein, 22 new N-oxide-containing compounds were synthesized followed by in vitro and in vivo evaluation of their antitubercular potential against Mtb. Compound 8 was found to be the most promising compound, with MIC90 values of 1.10 and 6.62 μM against active and nonreplicating Mtb, respectively. Additionally, we carried out in vivo experiments to confirm the safety and efficacy of compound 8; the compound was found to be orally bioavailable and highly effective, leading to a reduction of Mtb to undetectable levels in a mouse model of infection. Microarray-based initial studies on the mechanism of action suggest that compound 8 blocks translation. Altogether, these results indicate that benzofuroxan derivative 8 is a promising lead compound for the development of a novel chemical class of antitubercular drugs.

The present study describes the antiprotozoal activities of four cyclopalladated compounds, [Pd(dmba)(μ-Cl)] 2 , [Pd(dmba)(NCO)(isn)], [Pd(dmba)(N 3 )(isn)] and [Pd(dmba)(μ-NCO)] 2 , (dmba: N,N'-dimethylbenzylamine and isn: isonicotinamide), against the diseases leishmaniasis (Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania infantum), Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi) and human African trypanosomiasis (Trypanosoma brucei). [Pd(dmba)(μ-NCO)] 2 exhibited good leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activities against L. amazonensis and T. cruzi intracellular amastigote forms, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) value of less than 9 μM and selectivity indexes of 14.47 and 28.42, respectively. Stability essays were conducted in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) pH 7.0 and showed that [Pd(dmba)(μ-NCO)] 2 is the most stable molecule. These findings indicate that this compound presented higher selectivity for these parasites than the other tested compounds. The data presented here suggest that this compound should be considered in the development of new and more potent drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. 7 Pentavalent antimonial drugs are the most frequently prescribed treatments for leishmaniasis. 8 The main adverse effects that occur in systemic administration of these antimonials are arthralgias, myalgias, anorexia, and nausea, and other serious side effects include pancreatitis, liver-enzyme abnormalities, cardiac malfunctions and severe renal toxic effects. Other drugs, such as amphotericin B, pentamidine and miltefosine, are second choice drugs but they also produce side effects that can endanger the patient's life. KeywordsTrypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, which is present mainly in Latin America but also in North America. [10][11][12] Nifurtimox and benznidazole are the only drugs available to treat patients in the acute phase of the disease.13,14 However, these drugs are not Velásquez et al. 1033 Vol. 27, No. 6, 2016 effective against the chronic phase of the disease, and they present multiple side effects, from dermatitis to bone marrow depression. 15 HAT is caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. 16Treatment of the hemolymphatic stage of HAT relies on suramin and pentamidine. In the meningoencephalitis stage, melarsoprol, a highly toxic arsenic-based drug that is effective against both T. b. gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense is used. Eflornithine is useful only against T. b. gambiense. An eflornithine/nifurtimox combined therapy has been used, but this also causes several side effects.17 In summary, the conventional drugs that have been employed to treat these diseases are antiquated, have high toxicity and are ineffective due to drug resistance. Therefore, is critical to develop new drugs for the treatment of these trypanosomiases.The use of transition metal-based drugs is increasing significantly in the therapy of cancer and tropical diseases; in fact, many organometallic compounds have been designed to specifically bind to a well-d...

Summary Hydroxymethylnitrofurazone (NFOH) is a nitrofurazone prodrug effective in vivo during acute infections, and it has less hepatotoxicity effect than the standard drug benznidazole (BZN) which has been used during short‐ and long‐term treatment. In the present study, we induced the indeterminate form of Chagas disease in mice with a Y strain of Trypanosoma cruzi and analysed the histopathological data about the effects of NFOH and BZN on different tissues, including the heart, skeletal muscle, liver, kidney, colon, spleen and brain. After infection, BALB/c mice were treated with NFOH (150 mg/kg) and BZN (60 mg/kg) for 60 days and then submitted to immunosuppression using dexamethasone (5 mg/kg) for 14 days. Two trained analysts, as part of a blind evaluation, examined the results using serial sections of 3 mm diameter in two different moments. The results showed reactivation of the disease only in the infected nontreated group (POS). After treatment, amastigote nests were found in the heart, colon, liver and skeletal muscle in the POS group and in the heart and liver of the BZN group. Interestingly, amastigote nests were not found in the NFOH and NEG groups. The histopathological analysis showed fewer tissue lesions and parasite infiltrates in the NFOH group when compared with the BZN and POS groups. We have not observed any increase in the levels of hepatocellular injury biomarkers (AST/ALT) in the NFOH group. These in vivo studies show the potential for NFOH as an effective and safe compound useful as an anti‐T. cruzi agent.

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The chemopreventive and anticancer effects of resveratrol (RSV) are widely reported in the literature. Specifically, mechanisms involving epigenetic regulation are promising targets to regulate tumor development. Bromodomains act as epigenetic readers by recognizing lysine acetylation on histone tails and boosting gene expression in order to regulate tissue-specific transcription. In this work, we showed that RSV is a pan-BET inhibitor. Using Differential Scanning Fluorimetry (DSF), we showed that RSV at 100 µM increased the melting temperature (∆Tm) of BET bromodomains by around 2.0 °C. The micromolar dissociation constant (Kd) range was characterized using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC). The RSV Kd value accounted to 6.6 µM in case of BRD4(1). Molecular docking proposed the binding mode of RSV against BRD4(1) mimicking the acetyl-lysine interactions. All these results suggest that RSV can also recognize epigenetic readers domains by interacting with BET bromodomains.

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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the leading causes of gastric diseases such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric adenocarcinoma. The current treatment of H. pylori infection with antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors has several limitations, including poor adherence and intrinsic patient-related factors, drug resistance, and the absence of adequate treatments. This review summarizes the current therapeutic approaches to eradicating H. pylori, the difficulties associated with its treatment, and several new perspectives aimed at improving existing treatment strategies.

: Thiazoles, triazoles, and thiosemicarbazones function as efficient scaffolds in compounds for the treatment of several illnesses, including cancers. In this review article, we demonstrate the various studies involving these three pharmacophore classes (thiazoles, triazoles, and thiosemicarbazones) in the medicinal chemistry field over the last decade (2011-2021), with a focus on MCF-7 adenocarcinoma breast cancer cells. Our objective is to facilitate drug discovery of novel chemotherapeutic agents by detailing anti-proliferative compounds.