Nitroaromatic drugs represent an important class of therapeutic agents, endowed with different pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antiprotozoal, anti-Parkinson, anticancer, etc. However, the nitroheterocycle and nitroarene fragments are considered potentially toxic, with reports of mutagenicity and genotoxicity. The bioreduction process of the nitro group plays a central role in the antimicrobial and toxicological mechanism of action of nitroaromatic drugs. This article will review the nitroaromatic drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the last 30 years, the mechanisms of bioactivation, metabolism and toxicity and, finally, it will revisit the main methodologies for obtaining the nitroaromatic fragment from aromatic nitration reaction and oxidation of arylamines and/or heteroarylamines.

Combretastatin A-4 (CA-4, 1) is an antimicrotubule agent used as a prototype for the design of several synthetic analogues with anti-tubulin activity, such as LASSBio-1586 (2). A series of branched and unbranched homologs of the lead-compound 2, and vinyl, ethinyl and benzyl analogues, were designed and synthesized. A comparison between the cytotoxic effect of these homologs and 2 on different human tumor cell lines was performed from a cell viability study using MTT with 48 h and 72 h incubations. In general, the compounds were less potent than CA-4, showing CC₅₀ values ranging from 0.030 μM to 7.53 μM (MTT at 72 h) and 0.096 μM to 8.768 μM (MTT at 48 h). The antimitotic effect of the target compounds was demonstrated by cell cycle analysis through flow cytometry, and the cellular mechanism of cytotoxicity was determined by immunofluorescence. While the benzyl homolog 10 (LASSBio-2070) was shown to be a microtubule stabilizer, the lead-compound 2 (LASSBio-1586) and the methylated homolog 3 (LASSBio-1735) had microtubule destabilizing behavior. Molecular docking studies were performed on tubulin protein to investigate their binding mode on colchicine and taxane domain. Surprisingly, the benzyl homolog 10 was able to modulate EGFR phosphorylate activity in a phenotypic model. These data suggest LASSBio-2070 (10) as a putative dual inhibitor of tubulin and EGFR. Its binding mode with EGFR was determined by molecular docking and may be useful in lead-optimization initiatives.

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common malignant primary CNS tumor with a fast-growing and invasive profile. As a result of the poor prognosis and limited therapy available, glioblastoma shows a high mortality rate. Given the scarcity of effective chemotherapy options, multiple studies have explored the potential of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. To mitigate resistance and improve potency and selectivity, we proposed the combination of a potent irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor—LASSBio-1971—and a potent phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin dual inhibitor—Gedatolisib—through an in vitro phenotypic study using five human GB lines. Here, we aimed to establish the cytotoxic potency, selectivity, and effect on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and the cell cycle. Our data showed the cytotoxic potency of Gedatolisib and LASSBio-1971 and improved selectivity in the GB cell lines. They highlighted the synergistic response from their combination and its impact on migration reduction, G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, GB cytotoxicity, and apoptosis-inducing effects for different GB cell lines. The drug combination studies in phenotypic in vitro models made it possible to suggest a new potential treatment for glioblastoma that justifies further safety in in vivo phases of preclinical trials with the combination.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) involves chronic hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation, and oxidative stress that drive cardiometabolic and renal damage despite current therapies. Sodium–glucose cotransporter (SGLT) inhibitors have reshaped the treatment landscape, but residual risk and safety concerns highlight the need for new agents that combine glucose-lowering efficacy with redox–inflammatory modulation. LASSBio-1986 is a synthetic N-acylhydrazone (NAH) derivative designed as a gliflozin-like scaffold with the potential to interact with SGLT1/2 while also influencing oxidative and inflammatory pathways. Here, we integrated in silico and in vivo approaches to characterize LASSBio-1986 as a multifunctional antidiabetic lead in murine models of glucose dysregulation. PASS and target class prediction suggested a broad activity spectrum and highlighted transporter- and stress-related pathways. Molecular docking indicated high-affinity binding to both SGLT1 and SGLT2, with a modest energetic preference for SGLT2, and ADME/Tox predictions supported favorable oral drug-likeness. In vivo, intraperitoneal LASSBio-1986 improved oral glucose tolerance and reduced glycemic excursions in an acute glucose challenge model in C57BL/6 mice, while enhancing hepatic and skeletal muscle glycogen stores. In a dexamethasone-induced insulin-resistance model, LASSBio-1986 improved insulin sensitivity, favorably modulated serum lipids, attenuated thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), restored reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, and rebalanced pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in metabolic tissues, with efficacy broadly comparable to dapagliflozin. These convergent findings support LASSBio-1986 as a preclinical, multimodal lead that targets SGLT-dependent glucose handling while mitigating oxidative and inflammatory stress in models relevant to T2DM. Chronic disease models, formal toxicology, and pharmacokinetic studies, particularly with oral dosing, will be essential to define its translational potential.

Due to the arising of clinically relevant resistant EGFR‐related phenotype through innovative mechanisms, mainly EGFR _L858R/T790M , the emergence of novel molecules with dual or multi‐target affinity has presented a promising alternative to overcoming these resistance mechanisms. This study aimed to evaluate synthetic acrylamide quinoxaline derivatives against NSCLC cell lines with different overexpressed EGFR mutations and compare their DMPK profile. The biological activity of LASSBio‐1971 and LASSBio‐1974 was assessed through cytotoxicity (MTT and Sulforhodamine B assays), apoptosis induction, EGFR inhibition, cell cycle analysis (flow cytometry), immunofluorescence microscopy, cell membrane permeability (PAMPA assay), and metabolic stability in rat liver microsomes. LASSBio‐1971 exhibited promising EGFR inhibition with favorable in vitro pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, including high gastrointestinal and blood–brain barrier permeability. LASSBio‐1974 demonstrated nonselective mechanism inhibiting EGFR and mitotic machinery leading to apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at different phases. LASSBio‐1971 and LASSBio‐1974 emerge as EGFR inhibitors with equipotent cytotoxic effects on human NSCLC lines and different in PK profile. Further studies should be conducted with LASSBio‐1974 to prove and understand its antimicrotubule action.