ChemMedChemPub Date : 2026-03-13DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202500997
Ivonne R. Lopez-Miranda, Tianyi Ma, Joshua N. Milstein, Andrew A. Beharry
{"title":"A Nitroreductase-Activatable Lapachol Against Bacillus subtilis Unveils Antimicrobial Specificity","authors":"Ivonne R. Lopez-Miranda, Tianyi Ma, Joshua N. Milstein, Andrew A. Beharry","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202500997","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202500997","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lapachol is a natural product with antimicrobial activity. Though promising for combating antimicrobial resistance, lapachol has toxicity to mammalian cells, which will cause severe side effects in vivo. To mitigate this, we developed alapachol prodrug which is dependent on the action of nitroreductase—an enzyme expressed in bacteria but not healthy mammalian cells. We observed release of lapachol in vitro by purified nitroreductase and in the gram-positive bacterial strain, <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>. Colony formation assays in <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> indicated release of lapachol, achieving comparable levels of toxicity as free lapachol. Lastly, minimal toxicity of our prodrug was observed in mammalian cell culture, demonstrating a >10-fold selectivity for bacteria over healthy mammalian cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987600/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147454864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemMedChemPub Date : 2026-03-13DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202500976
Iago C. Vogel, Manuel J. Verganista, Nuno R. Candeias
{"title":"Quinic Acid and Synthetic Derivatives in Medicinal Chemistry","authors":"Iago C. Vogel, Manuel J. Verganista, Nuno R. Candeias","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202500976","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202500976","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Quinic acid (QA) is a natural product recognized for its potential in medicinal chemistry. While traditionally studied as a structural moiety of chlorogenic acids, QA and synthetic derivatives thereof are becoming more relevant as independent scaffolds with broad therapeutic relevance. This review highlights the growing body of work on their biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticancer effects, as well as their roles in metabolic and immune modulation. Chemically, QA offers a rich framework for structural modification, enabling the design of diverse molecules with improved properties for drug development. Several derivatives have shown promising results in preclinical models, and new synthetic strategies continue to expand their applicability. By focusing on QA itself, instead of its more commonly studied esters, this review underscores its emerging value as a versatile and underutilized scaffold.</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987601/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147454889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemMedChemPub Date : 2026-03-13DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202501104
Natalie Hanheiser, Yuhang Jiang, Chuanxiong Nie, Rainer Haag
{"title":"Mechanism and Molecular Design Principles of Cationic Surfactants: From Charge-Driven Membrane Interactions to Next-Generation Quaternary Ammonium Compounds","authors":"Natalie Hanheiser, Yuhang Jiang, Chuanxiong Nie, Rainer Haag","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202501104","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202501104","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cationic surfactants, in particular quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), represent one of the most relevant and broadly applied classes of antiseptics. Their antimicrobial activity arises from electrostatic interactions with microbial membranes, resulting in rapid disruption of the membrane structure. In this review, we summarize currently described mechanistic insights into the membrane active behavior of QACs, thereby focusing on the interplay between molecular architecture, supramolecular organization and antimicrobial efficacy. Key structure activity relationships (SARs) are discussed, including the role of the hydrophobic tail length, spacer design, charge density and distribution, and counterion effects. Addressing challenges such as antimicrobial resistance and biocompatibility requires a detailed understanding of SARs and the mechanism behind resistance development. Therefore, we further highlight emerging concepts such as cleavable linkers, hybrid systems integrating metal, peptide or photodynamic modalities, supramolecular aggregates, and the integration of biodegradable materials for the design of surfactants capable of overcoming bacterial resistance and tuning selectivity toward bacterial cells. This review provides an updated framework for developing next-generation QACs that preserve antimicrobial potency while minimizing toxicity and the evolution of resistant microbial populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987642/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147454948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemMedChemPub Date : 2026-03-13DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.70264
Camilla Passi, Tobias Neu, Nicole Schneider-Daum, Claus-Michael Lehr, Marc Schneider, Sangeun Lee
{"title":"Front Cover: pH-Responsive Isoprenoid-Antitumoral Polymer Conjugates for Superior Drug Loading via Self-Assembly and Endosomal-Targeted Anticancer Activity (ChemMedChem 5/2026)","authors":"Camilla Passi, Tobias Neu, Nicole Schneider-Daum, Claus-Michael Lehr, Marc Schneider, Sangeun Lee","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.70264","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.70264","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The image illustrates the pH-responsive Farnesal-Poly-Lysine conjugates that self-assemble into nanoparticles for better cellular delivery. The nanoparticles can enter cancer cells by endocytosis and release their active components (Farnesal and ε-Poly-Lysine) under acidic endosomal conditions. The artwork highlights self-assembled nanoparticle formation, cellular uptake, and selective intracellular drug liberation, visualizing the targeted delivery concept explored in the article. More details can be found in the Research Article by Marc Schneider, Sangeun Lee, and co-workers (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202500810). Figure created in BioRender.\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cmdc.70264","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147565711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemMedChemPub Date : 2026-03-13DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202500751
Alba Rodriguez, Elena Formoso, Birgitta R. Knudsen, Cinzia Tesauro, Maria Fuertes, Concepcion Alonso
{"title":"Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Theoretical Study of Indenoquinolinylphosphine Oxide Derivatives as Topoisomerase 1 Inhibitors and Antiproliferative Agents","authors":"Alba Rodriguez, Elena Formoso, Birgitta R. Knudsen, Cinzia Tesauro, Maria Fuertes, Concepcion Alonso","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202500751","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202500751","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) enzymatic inhibition and antiproliferative activity of phosphorated indenoquinoline derivatives were investigated. First, the preparation of new hybrid quinoline and tetrahydroquinoline structures with a phosphine oxide group was performed by a two-step Povarov type [4 + 2]-cycloaddition reaction between the corresponding phosphorated aldimines with indene in the presence of BF<sub>3</sub>·Et<sub>2</sub>O, affording corresponding 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroindeno[2,1-c]quinolinylphosphine oxides <b>9</b>, 7H-indeno[2,1-c]quinolinylphosphine oxides <b>10</b> and 7-oxoindeno[2,1-c]quinolinylphosphine oxides <b>11</b> with good yields. The synthesized derivatives were evaluated as TOP1 inhibitors, showing that some derivatives (<b>9f</b>, <b>9g</b>, <b>9l</b>, and <b>11m</b>) show better or similar activity to the reference compound (CPT) at 1 min. The synthesized derivatives were screened for their antiproliferative activity in different cancerous cell lines, and all of them present a higher selective cytotoxicity in the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549), than in the others. In contrast, almost none of the synthesized phosphorated compounds exhibited antiproliferative activity toward nonmalignant lung fibroblasts MCR5. These results suggest that phosphine oxide-substituted quinoline derivatives have important properties as TOP1 inhibitors and show an interesting cytotoxicity against six different cancerous cell lines.</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987641/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147454974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemMedChemPub Date : 2026-03-13DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202500922
Antonino N. Fallica, Carla Barbaraci, M. Carmen Ruiz-Cantero, Arianna Scarlatti, Alessandro Coco, Giorgia Giordano, Alfonsina La Mantia, Orazio Prezzavento, Antonio Di Stefano, Ivana Cacciatore, Giacomo Siano, Antonino Cattaneo, Lorella Pasquinucci, Enrique J. Cobos, Cristina Di Primio, Emanuele Amata, Agostino Marrazzo
{"title":"Modulation of Tau Protein Neurotoxic Hallmarks by Novel σ1R Agonists/HDAC Inhibitor Dual-Acting Compounds","authors":"Antonino N. Fallica, Carla Barbaraci, M. Carmen Ruiz-Cantero, Arianna Scarlatti, Alessandro Coco, Giorgia Giordano, Alfonsina La Mantia, Orazio Prezzavento, Antonio Di Stefano, Ivana Cacciatore, Giacomo Siano, Antonino Cattaneo, Lorella Pasquinucci, Enrique J. Cobos, Cristina Di Primio, Emanuele Amata, Agostino Marrazzo","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202500922","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202500922","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's disease (AD), are characterized by the accumulation of tau aggregates, leading to neuronal dysfunction and cognitive decline. This study explores the development of dual-acting compounds combining sigma-1 receptor (<i>σ</i><sub>1</sub>R) agonists and histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) to target these pathological mechanisms. Compounds <b>2d</b> and <b>3a</b> demonstrated high affinity for <i>σ</i><sub>1</sub>R and significantly reduced tau aggregation and phosphorylation in vitro, notably at the AT8 epitope. These dual-acting compounds destabilized tau aggregates, increased tau solubility, and showed favorable pharmacokinetic properties, with compound <b>2d</b> exhibiting enhanced chemical stability and longer half-life than <b>3a</b>. In vivo, both compounds confirmed a <i>σ</i><sub>1</sub>R agonist profile by reversing the effect of the <i>σ</i><sub>1</sub>R antagonist BD-1063. This dual-action approach, acting on both HDAC and <i>σ</i><sub>1</sub>R pathways, holds significant potential for treating tauopathies. While further optimization and clinical evaluation are needed, these findings provide a strong foundation for the continued development of multimodal therapies for neurodegenerative diseases treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987640/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147454918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemMedChemPub Date : 2026-03-12DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202500683
Reena C. Patel, Kaushal B. Parmar, Manish P. Patel
{"title":"Discovery of Pyrazolo[5,1-b]quinazoline Tethered 1,2,3-Triazole Analogs as Potential Antioxidant Agents: Design, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and In Silico Insights","authors":"Reena C. Patel, Kaushal B. Parmar, Manish P. Patel","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202500683","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202500683","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article seeks to develop new antioxidant agents to address the rising prevalence of oxidative stress-associated disorders. This research outlines a high-yielding synthetic approach to functionalized pyrazolo[5,1-b]quinazoline tethered 1,2,3-triazole derivatives <b>7(a-x)</b> using L-proline as a catalyst under microwave irradiation. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant activity using 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical as well as hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) scavenging assays. In all assays, compounds <b>7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7m, 7n, 7o,</b> and <b>7p</b> exhibited significantly greater antioxidant activity compared to the reference standard, ascorbic acid. Molecular docking study reinforced the experimental findings, showing that the compounds engage in multiple binding interactions within the active sites of both enzymes. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) analysis was also performed to examine the electronic and molecular properties of the compounds, revealing strong agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental results. Overall, the results highlight these derivatives as promising lead candidates for antioxidant drug development, supported by robust evidence from molecular docking and DFT analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemMedChemPub Date : 2026-03-09DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202500958
Camille Richagneux, Anton Granzhan
{"title":"Targeting Expanded CUG and CTG Repeats as a Therapeutic Approach for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1)","authors":"Camille Richagneux, Anton Granzhan","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202500958","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202500958","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is caused by expanded CTG repeats, d(CTG)<sup>exp</sup>, transcribed into toxic r(CUG)<sup>exp</sup> RNA repeats that sequester splicing regulator MBNL1, leading to its loss-of-function. An emerging therapeutic strategy toward DM1 treatment relies on the inhibition of MBNL1 sequestration by using small molecules, oligomers, peptides, engineered proteins, or synthetic oligonucleotides that interact with CUG repeats at the RNA level and/or CTG repeats at the DNA level. This review covers ∼18 years of research in the field of CUG and CTG ligands that were identified or rationally designed as DM1 drug candidates, with an emphasis on their chemical structures, molecular design, RNA- or DNA-binding modes, in vitro affinities and specificities, molecular mechanisms of action, and biological activity in DM1 models.</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12969270/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147375494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Novel Synthetic Route for Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1-Targeting Compounds: CC-90011 and MS9117","authors":"Jingying Wang, Yuying Li, Jingya Zhang, Wenwen Wang, Jianghong Tan, Jingxing Zheng, Shuyi Jiang, Sidi Cheng, Bin Yu","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202501081","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202501081","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a crucial target due to its essential role in cancers. <b>CC-90011</b>, the reversible and highly selective LSD1 inhibitor at the clinical stage, has demonstrated significant therapeutic potential in acute myeloid leukemia and solid tumors. Herein, we present a novel synthetic route to LSD1-targeting compounds that enables late-stage diversification; the key intermediate <b>LYY-23</b> was used to synthesize <b>CC-90011</b> and <b>MS9117</b>. In addition, compounds <b>LYY-25 ∼ LYY-29</b> were synthesized and evaluated for LSD1 inhibition, all of which showed inhibitory activity, with <b>LYY-28</b> emerging as the most potent compound (IC<sub>50</sub> = 3.59 nM).</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147347184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Responsive Nanomolecular Probes for Evolving Liver Diseases: Technological Revolutions and Challenges","authors":"Guozhu Yang, Chunshu Pan, Pengli Zhang, Fengzheng Tang, Liangchen Luo, Pingting Luo, Jianjun Zheng, Jingfeng Zhang, Aiguo Wu, Tianxiang Chen","doi":"10.1002/cmdc.202501026","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cmdc.202501026","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Early diagnosis of liver diseases has long faced serious challenges such as insufficient sensitivity, low specificity and difficulty in revealing molecular lesion information by conventional imaging methods. With the rapid development of nanoscience, nanomolecular probes exhibit tuneable structure, modifiable surface and excellent biocompatibility, and their responsive properties have gradually become an ideal medium for connecting molecular pathological changes and image visualisation. This review reveals that functionalised nanoprobes responsive to disease microenvironment-specific signals (e.g., reactive oxygen species, enzymes, pH, metal ions, etc.) can enable the visualisation and tracking of molecular events in liver diseases, thereby promoting the shift of diagnostic paradigm from traditional morphological assessment to precise identification at the functional and molecular levels. This article not only systematically reviews the latest application progress of responsive nanoprobes in liver disease diagnosis, but also demonstrates their great potential to shift the diagnostic paradigm from macro-anatomy to micro-molecule. At the same time, this article presents an in-depth analysis of the key bottlenecks in the clinical translation process, thereby outlining directions for the rational design of next-generation intelligent nano-diagnostic tools. Collectively, this work offers new insights and strategies to accelerate the early and precise diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":147,"journal":{"name":"ChemMedChem","volume":"21 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147347163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}