Browsing by Author "Mella, Jaime"

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    3D-QSAR Design of New Bcr-Abl Inhibitors Based on Purine Scaffold and Cytotoxicity Studies on CML Cell Lines Sensitive and Resistant to Imatinib
    (2025) Cabezas, David; Delgado Aguilar, Thalía; Sepúlveda Sánchez, Guisselle Alexandra; Krňávková, Petra; Vojáčková, Veronika; Kryštof, Vladimír; Strnad, Miroslav; Nicolás Ignacio, Silva Reyes; Echeverría, Javier; Espinosa Bustos, Christian Marcelo; Mellado, Guido; Luo, Jiao; Mella, Jaime; Salas Sánchez, Cristian Osvaldo
    Bcr-Abl inhibitors such as imatinib have been used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, the efficacy of these drugs has diminished due to mutations in the kinase domain, notably the T315I mutation. Therefore, in this study, new purine derivatives were designed as Bcr-Abl inhibitors based on 3D-QSAR studies. Methods: A database of 58 purines that inhibit Bcr-Abl was used to construct 3D-QSAR models. Using chemical information from these models, a small group of new purines was designed, synthesized, and evaluated in Bcr-Abl. Viability assays were conducted on imatinib-sensitive CML cells (K562 and KCL22) and imatinib-resistant cells (KCL22-B8). In silico analyses were performed to confirm the results. Results: Seven purines were easily synthesized (7a–g). Compounds 7a and 7c demonstrated the highest inhibition activity on Bcr-Abl (IC50 = 0.13 and 0.19 μM), surpassing the potency of imatinib (IC50 = 0.33 μM). 7c exhibited the highest potency, with GI50 = 0.30 μM on K562 cells and 1.54 μM on KCL22 cells. The GI50 values obtained for non-neoplastic HEK293T cells indicated that 7c was less toxic than imatinib. Interestingly, KCL22-B8 cells (expressing Bcr-AblT315I) showed greater sensitivity to 7e and 7f than to imatinib (GI50 = 13.80 and 15.43 vs. >20 μM, respectively). In silico analyses, including docking and molecular dynamics studies of Bcr-AblT315I, were conducted to elucidate the enhanced potency of 7e and 7f. Thus, this study provides in silico models to identify novel inhibitors that target a kinase of significance in CML.
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    A New Kind of Quinonic-Antibiotic Useful Against Multidrug-Resistant S. aureus and E. faecium Infections
    (2018) Campanini Salinas, Javier; Andrades Lagos, Juan; González Rocha, Gerardo; Choquesillo Lazarte, Duane; Bollo Dragnic, Soledad; Faúndez Cáceres, Mario; Alarcón, Pedro; Silva, Francisco; Vidal, Roberto; Salas Huenuleo, Edison; Kogan Alterman, Marcelo; Mella, Jaime; Recabarren Gajardo, Gonzalo; Vásquez Velásquez, David
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    Design of benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles, benzothiazoles and thiazolopyridines as leukotriene A4 hydrolase inhibitors through 3D-QSAR, docking and molecular dynamics
    (2023) Lorca, Marcos; Faundez, Mario; Pessoa-Mahana, C. David; Recabarren-Gajardo, Gonzalo; Diethelm-Varela, Benjamin; Millan, Daniela; Celik, Ismail; Mellado, Marco; Araque, Ileana; Mella, Jaime; Romero-Parra, Javier
    Human leukotriene A4 hydrolase enzyme (LTA4H) catalyses the biotransformation of the inactive precursor leukotriene A4 (LTA4) to the bioactive Leukotriene B4 (LTB4), which causes many inflammatory responses in the human body. Therefore, the selective inhibition of this enzyme becomes a useful strategy for the treatment of several illnesses such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Herein we report a 3D-QSAR/ /CoMFA and CoMSIA study on a series of 47 benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles, benzothiazoles and thiazolopyridines reported as potent LTA4H inhibitors. Good statistical parameters were obtained for the best model (q2 = 0.568, r2 ncv = 0.891 and r2 test = 0.851). A new series of 10 compounds capable of inhibiting leukotriene A4 hydrolase with high potency was presented. All designed inhibitors showed low IC50 in nano- and sub-nanomolar ranges, when they were evaluated in 3D-QSAR models. Subsequently, the designed molecules, as well as the least and most active compounds were subjected to docking and molecular dynamics studies into LTA4H. In conclusion, we summarised a thorough structure-activity relationship (SAR) of LTA4H inhibitors of heterocyclic structure. These models can be used for the rational proposal of new inhibitors.
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    Design, synthesis, cytotoxicity and 3D-QSAR analysis of new 3,6-disubstituted-1,2,4,5-tetrazine derivatives as potential antitumor agents
    (2017) Cañete Molina, Álvaro; Espinosa Bustos, Christian Marcelo; González Castro, Marcos; Faundez, Mario; Mella, Jaime; Tapia Apati, Ricardo; Cabrera Caballero, Alan Raúl; Brito, Iván; Aguirre, Adam; Salas Sánchez, Cristián Osvaldo
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    Hansch’s analysis application to chalcone synthesis by Claisen–Schmidt reaction based in DFT methodology
    (2018) Mellado, Marco; Madrid, Alejandro; Martínez, Úrsula; Mella, Jaime; Salas Sánchez, Cristián Osvaldo; Cuellar Fritis, Mauricio Alcides
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    New Dimethoxyaryl-Sesquiterpene Derivatives with Cytotoxic Activity Against MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells: From Synthesis to Topoisomerase I/II Inhibition and Cell Death Mechanism Studies
    (2025) Araque, Ileana; Vergara, Rut; Mella, Jaime; Aranguiz, Pablo; Espinoza, Luis; Salas, Cristián O.; Fernández Barrero, Alejandro; Quilez del Moral, José Francisco; Villena, Joan; Cuellar, Mauricio
    Breast cancer is a prevalent type of cancer worldwide, leading to both high incidence and mortality, and hence, effective and safe drugs are needed. Because of this, the use of natural products and their derivatives has become a popular strategy for developing new chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, 17 new sesquiterpene-aryl derivatives were synthesized using (−)-drimenol as the starting material. The cytotoxicity of these semi-synthetic derivatives was determined in MCF-7 cells, a breast cancer model, and in a non-tumor cell line, MCF-10, to evaluate selectivity. The results show that five of these sesquiterpene derivatives had IC50 values between 9.0 and 25 µM. Of these, compound 14c stands out for its higher cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells but lower cytotoxicity in MCF-10 cells, being more selective than daunorubicin (selective index values of 44 and 28, respectively). In addition, compound 14c induced oxidative stress in MCF-7 cells, activated caspases-3/7, and selectively inhibited topoisomerase II (TOP2) versus topoisomerase I (TOP1) in MCF-7 cells. In silico studies allowed us to propose a binding mode for 14c to the TOP2 DNA complex to validate the experimental results. Therefore, this study demonstrated the importance of aryl-sesquiterpene structures and their promising profiles in the search for new bioinspired antitumor drugs in natural products.
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    Structure-activity relationships studies on weakly basic N-arylsulfonylindoles with an antagonistic profile in the 5-HT6 receptor
    (2017) Mella, Jaime; Villegas, Francisco; Morales Verdejo, César Aarón; Lagos, Carlos F.; Recabarren Gajardo, Gonzalo
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    Structure-guided discovery of benzoic-acid-based TRPC6 ligands. An integrated docking, MD, and MM-GBSA SAR study. Potential therapeutic molecules for autism spectrum disorder
    (2025) Silva, Nicolás Ignacio; Sabadini, Gianfranco; Cabezas, David; González, Cristofer; González, Paulina; Luo, Jiao; Salas Sánchez, Cristián Osvaldo; Mellado, Marco; Lorca, Marcos; Romero Parra, Javier; Mella, Jaime
    TRPC6 is recognized as a therapeutically relevant cation channel, whose activation is governed by specific ligand–pocket interactions. Methods: An integrated in silico workflow was employed, comprising structure-based docking, 100-nanosecond molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and MM-GBSA calculations. Benzoic-acid–based compounds were designed and prioritized for binding to the TRPC6 pocket, using a known literature agonist as a reference for benchmarking. Results: Within the compound series, BT11 was found to exhibit a representative interaction profile, characterized by a key hydrogen bond with Trp680 (~64% occupancy), persistent salt-bridge interactions with Lys676 and Lys698, and π–π stacking with Phe675 and Phe679. A favorable docking score (−11.45 kcal/mol) was obtained for BT11, along with a lower complex RMSD during MD simulations (0.6–4.8 Å), compared with the reference compound (0.8–7.2 Å). A reduction in solvent-accessible surface area (SASA) after ~60 ns was also observed, suggesting decreased water penetration. The most favorable binding energy was predicted for BT11 by MM-GBSA (−67.72 kcal/mol), while SOH95 also ranked highly and slightly outperformed the reference. Conclusions: These convergent computational analyses support the identification of benzoic-acid–derived chemotypes as potential TRPC6 ligands. Testable hypotheses are proposed, along with structure–activity relationship (SAR) guidelines, to inform experimental validation and guide the design of next-generation analogs.
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    Synthesis of chalcones with antiproliferative activity on the SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line : Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Models
    (2018) Mellado, Marco; Madrid, Alejandro; Reyna, Mauricio; Weinstein-Oppenheimer, Caroline; Mella, Jaime; Salas Sánchez, Cristián Osvaldo; Sánchez, Elizabeth; Cuellar Fritis, Mauricio Alcides
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    Synthesis of Novel Chloro-Benzo [d]imidazole Regioisomers as Selective CB2 Receptor Agonists: Indirect Functional Evaluation and Molecular Insights
    (2025) Zuñiga Salazar, Valeria; Burgos Ravanal, Renato; Soto Flores, Jonathan; Sabadini, Gianfranco; González, José Vicente; Mella, Jaime; Romero Parra, Javier
    The cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2 receptor) has been extensively studied in recent years due to the benefits associated with its modulation, including the regulation of the inflammatory response, neuroimmunomodulatory properties, and antitumor effects, all with the advantage of lacking significant psychoactive effects. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, characterization, biological assays, and molecular modelling analyses of novel (5/6-chloro-2-aryl-1H-benzo [d]imidazol-1-yl)(4-methoxyphenyl)methanone and 5/6-chloro-1-(4-methoxybenzyl)-2-aryl-1H-benzo [d]imidazole regioisomers as potential cannabinoid type 2 receptor ligands. Methods: The compounds were evaluated for their presumed CB2 agonist activity using an indirect receptor-dependent apoptotic cell death assay exerted by cannabinoids, using the cell lines HEK293 (low CB1/CB2 expression), U-87 MG (high CB1 expression), and HL-60 (exclusive CB2 expression), and including the known cannabinoid ligands WIN-55,212-2 and AM630 as reference ligands. Flow cytometry was performed to assess apoptosis. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to explore ligand-receptor interactions at the CB2 active site. Results: Compounds 3a, 3b’, 3c, and 4b selectively reduced HL-60 cell viability, similar to WIN-55,212-2, while showing no toxicity toward HEK293 or U-87 MG cells. Flow cytometry indicated that compounds 3a and 3c induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells comparable to WIN-55,212-2. Computational studies suggested that both compounds bind within the CB2 receptor active site predominantly through π–π and hydrophobic interactions involving their benzo [d]imidazole cores, 2-aryl moieties, and 4-methoxybenzoyl scaffolds, resembling the binding patterns of established CB2 ligands. Conclusions: Compounds 3a and 3c exert selective cytotoxicity against HL-60 cells, likely via a CB2 agonist-mediated apoptotic mechanism. The applied combined experimental and computational approach provides a rapid, informative strategy for preliminary evaluation of CB2 ligands and guides subsequent detailed pharmacological studies.