Synthesis of new Pyridoclax analogs: Insights into their druggability through investigation of their physicochemical properties and their interactions with membranes

Pyridoclax is considered a promising anticancer drug, acting as a protein-protein interaction disruptor, with potential applications in the treatment of ovarian, lung, and mesothelioma cancers. Eighteen sensibly selected structural analogues of Pyridoclax were synthesized, and their physicochemical properties were systematically assessed and analyzed. Moreover, considering that drug-membrane interactions play an essential role in understanding the mode of action of a given drug and its eventual toxic effects, membrane models were used to investigate such interactions in bulk (liposomes) and at the air-water interface. The measured experimental data on all original oligopyridines allowed the assessment of relative differences in terms of physicochemical properties, which could be determinant for their druggability, and hence for drug development.