The use of p53-MDM2 inhibitors is a prospective strategy in anti-cancer therapy for tumors expressing wild type p53 protein. In this study, we have applied a simple approach of two-step synthesis of imidazoline-based alkoxyaryl compounds, which are able to efficiently inhibit p53-MDM2 protein–protein interactions, promote accumulation of p53 and p53-inducible proteins in various cancer cell lines. Compounds 2l and 2k cause significant upregulation of p53 and p53-inducible proteins in five human cancer cell lines, one of which possesses overexpression of MDM2.

The enzyme NRH:quinone oxidoreductase 2 (NQO2) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, malaria, glaucoma, COVID-19 and cancer. NQO2 expression is known to be increased in some cancer cell lines. Since 3-arylidene-2-oxindoles are widely used in the design of new anticancer drugs, such as kinase inhibitors, it was interesting to study whether such structures have additional activity towards NQO2. Herein, we report the synthesis and study of 3-arylidene-2-oxindoles as novel NRH:quinone oxidoreductase inhibitors. It was demonstrated that oxindoles with 6-membered aryls in the arylidene moiety were obtained predominantly as E-isomers while for some 5-membered aryls, the Z-isomers prevailed. The most active compounds inhibited NQO2 with an IC₅₀ of 0.368 µM. The presence of a double bond in the oxindoles was crucial for NQO2 inhibition activity. There was no correlation between NQO2 inhibition activity of the synthesized compounds and their cytotoxic effect on the A549 cell line.

Mixed simplified structures containing the paclitaxel and eleutherobin pharmacophore moieties were analyzed using molecular docking techniques and synthesized based on adamantane and 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane scaffolds. The crucial role of substituents’ stereochemistry in biological activity is discussed. At micromolar concentrations the selected analogues interfered with tubulin dynamics in vitro and in a living organism. Furthermore, new compounds were cytotoxic against human tumour cell lines. The simplified eleutherobin analogues may be considered as prototypes of a new class of antitumour agents.

2,3-Dihydroindoles are promising agents for the synthesis of new compounds with neuroprotective and antioxidant properties. Usually, these compounds are obtained by direct reduction of the corresponding indoles containing acceptor groups in the indole ring for its activation. In this work, we propose a synthetic strategy to obtain new 2,3-dihydroindole derivatives from the corresponding polyfunctional 2-oxindoles. Three methods were proposed for reduction of functional groups in the 2-oxindole and 2-chloroindole molecules using various boron hydrides. The possibility of chemoselective reduction of the nitrile group in the presence of an amide was shown. The proposed synthetic strategy can be used, for example, for the synthesis of new analogs of the endogenous hormone melatonin and other compounds with neuroprotective properties.