Unveiling a New Selenocyanate as a Multitarget Candidate with Anticancer, Antileishmanial and Antibacterial Potential

Molecules. 2022 Nov 2;27(21):7477. doi: 10.3390/molecules27217477.

Abstract

Currently, cancer, leishmaniasis and bacterial infections represent a serious public health burden worldwide. Six cinnamyl and benzodioxyl derivatives incorporating selenium (Se) as selenocyanate, diselenide, or selenide were designed and synthesized through a nucleophilic substitution and/or a reduction using hydrides. Ferrocene was also incorporated by a Friedel-Crafts acylation. All the compounds were screened in vitro for their antiproliferative, antileishmanial, and antibacterial properties. Their capacity to scavenge free radicals was also assessed as a first approach to test their antioxidant activity. Benzodioxyl derivatives 2a-b showed cytotoxicity against colon (HT-29) and lung (H1299) cancer cell lines, with IC50 values below 12 µM, and were also fairly selective when tested in nonmalignant cells. Selenocyanate compounds 1-2a displayed potent antileishmanial activity in L. major and L. infantum, with IC50 values below 5 µM. They also exhibited antibacterial activity in six bacterial strains, notably in S. epidermidis with MIC and MBC values of 12.5 µg/mL. Ferrocene-containing selenide 2c was also identified as a potent antileishmanial agent with radical scavenging activity. Remarkably, derivative 2a with a selenocyanate moiety was found to act as a multitarget compound with antiproliferative, leishmanicidal, and antibacterial activities. Thus, the current work showed that 2a could be an appealing scaffold to design potential therapeutic drugs for multiple pathologies.

Keywords: antibacterial activity; antileishmanial activity; antioxidant; cytotoxicity; selenium.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Antiprotozoal Agents* / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Metallocenes
  • Neoplasms*

Substances

  • selenocyanic acid
  • ferrocene
  • Metallocenes
  • Antiprotozoal Agents
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents