Synthesis and Evaluation of Marine-Inspired Compounds Result in Hybrids with Antitrypanosomal and Antileishmanial Activities
2023
Diogo Teixeira Carvalho | Melissa Teixeira | Sara Luelmo | Nuno Santarém | Eugénia Pinto | Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva | Emília Sousa
Natural products are a very rich source for obtaining new compounds with therapeutic potential. In the search for new antiparasitic and antimicrobial agents, molecular hybrids were designed based on the structures of antimicrobial marine quinazolinones and eugenol, a natural phenolic compound. Following reports of the therapeutic potential of quinazolinones and eugenol derivatives, it was expected that the union of these pharmacophores could generate biologically relevant substances. The designed compounds were obtained by classical synthetic procedures and were characterized by routine spectrometric techniques. Nine intermediates and final products were then evaluated in vitro against <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> and <i>Leishmania infantum</i>. Antifungal and antibacterial activity were also evaluated. Six compounds (<b>9b</b>, <b>9c</b>, <b>9d</b>, <b>10b</b>, <b>10c</b>, and <b>14</b>) showed mild activity against <i>T. brucei</i> with IC<sub>50</sub> in the range of 11.17–31.68 μM. Additionally, intermediate <b>9c</b> showed anti-<i>Leishmania</i> activity (IC<sub>50</sub> 7.54 μM) and was six times less cytotoxic against THP-1 cells. In conclusion, novel derivatives with a simple quinazolinone scaffold showing selectivity against parasites without antibacterial and antifungal activities were disclosed, paving the way for new antitrypanosomal agents.
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