A series of novel 4-[(3-substituted)ureido]-N-(5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) benzenesulfonamides and 4-[(3-substituted)thioureido]-N-(5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamides were prepared from 4-amino-N-(5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide (sulfamethizole). The structures of the synthesized compounds were determined by IR, ¹H-NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The anticancer activity of these compounds was evaluated against human colorectal carcinoma (HCT116) and human cervix carcinoma (HeLa) cell lines. Compound 4 (4-{[(2,4-dichlorophenyl)carbamoyl]amino}-N-(5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide) showed marked anticancer activity, being the most active compounds in this series with the IC₅₀ value of 13.92 ± 0.22 µM and 37.91 ± 0.10 µM against HeLa and HCT116, respectively. In silico, ADMET was used to examine their pharmacokinetic properties. ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) studies were applied to develop new anticancer compound(s) with high selectivity.

Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCKs) are a member of the serine/threonine protein kinase family and potential therapeutic target for various diseases. This enzyme has two isoforms, Rho-associated protein kinase I (ROCKI) and Rho-associated protein kinase II (ROCKII). They share an overall 65% homology in all amino acid sequence and 92% homology in kinase domains. Since, the kinase domains of ROCKI and ROCKII are highly conserved and similar, the discovery and design of isoform-selective inhibitors are more challenging. Thus, most currently available agents that is against ROCKs exhibit low selectivity and severe side effects. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the interaction of compounds that indicated high potential in experimental studies against ROCKI and ROCKII enzymes in the molecular level with molecular modeling techniques. Firstly, we determined the interaction property of catalytic sites of the ROCKs by analyzing with molecular docking. Based on these results, the best ligands (50 compounds) corresponding to experimental studies were selected, and then absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion – toxicity (ADMET) analysis of these compounds were implemented. According to these study results, the compound 40 for ROCKI and the compound 50 for ROCKII were identified as selective and highly potent inhibitors. And finally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed for the stability of ROCKs with identified compounds. In the light of this study, it will be possible to treat diseases that ROCKs have a role by developing more effective and specific ROCK inhibitors. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

In an effort to develop new and effective therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease, a series of hydrazone derivatives bearing piperidine rings have been designed and synthesized. The chemical structures of the compounds were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. In vitro antioxidant and cholinesterase activities of the compounds were evaluated. Among the compounds, N12 exhibited the most antioxidant activity in all methods (CUPRAC, FRAP, DPPH, ABTS). In vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity results of the compounds showed good IC₅₀ values between 14.124 ± 0.084 and 49.680 ± 0.110 µM were obtained (IC₅₀ = 38.842 ± 0.053 µM for Donepezil). Among the compounds, N7 and N6 are much more effective derivatives than the standard compound donepezil with IC₅₀ values of 14.124 ± 0.084 and 17.968 ± 0.072 µM, respectively. In vitro, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition values of the compounds were between 13.505 ± 0.025 and 52.230 ± 0.027 μm. Among the compounds, N6 has the highest BChE inhibition with an IC₅₀ value of 13.505 μm in the series. The cytotoxicity and AChE inhibitory activity of the compounds on SH‐SY5Y cell lines were also evaluated. Kinetic studies were also performed to determine the behavior of the compounds as competitive or noncompetitive inhibitors. The binding modes of N6, which was determined to be highly effective according to in vitro analyses, with AChE and BChE were investigated using molecular docking studies, and the stability of the complexes was determined by molecular dynamics simulations. These findings indicated that AChE and BChE enzymes maintained their overall structural stability and compactness during interactions with compound N6.