Investigation of Newly Synthesized Bis-Acyl-Thiourea Derivatives of 4-Nitrobenzene-1,2-Diamine for Their DNA Binding, Urease Inhibition, and Anti-Brain-Tumor Activities

Sep 24, 2026

Bis-acyl-thiourea derivatives (UP-1, UP-2, UP-3) were synthesized via a two-step route and structurally characterized using FTIR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. DNA binding, anti-urease activity, and anticancer effects were evaluated through density functional theory, molecular docking, UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and viscometry. Binding constants, site parameters, and negative Gibbs free energy trends support DNA interaction with strength UP-3 > UP-2 > UP-1. Spectral and electrochemical results consistently indicate formation of bulky DNA complexes with mixed binding modes.

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molecules Article Investigation of Newly Synthesized Bis-Acyl-Thiourea Derivatives of 4-Nitrobenzene-1,2-Diamine for Their DNA Binding, Urease Inhibition, and Anti-Brain-Tumor Activities Nasima Arshad 1,*, Uzma Parveen 1, Pervaiz Ali Channar 2, Aamer Saeed 3, Waseem Sharaf Saeed 4, Fouzia Perveen 5, Aneela Javed 6, Hammad Ismail 7, Muhammad Ismail Mir 1, Atteeque Ahmed 3, Basit Azad 5 and Ishaq Khan 8 Citation: Arshad, N.; Parveen, U.; Channar, P.A.; Saeed, A.; Saeed, W.S.; Perveen, F.; Javed, A.; Ismail, H.; Mir, M.I.; Ahmed, A.; et al. Investigation of Newly Synthesized Bis-Acyl-Thiourea Derivatives of 4-Nitrobenzene-1,2-Diamine for Their DNA Binding, Urease Inhibition, and Anti-Brain-Tumor Activities. Molecules 2023, 28, 2707 . [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)molecules28062707 Academic Editor: H. P. Vasantha Rupasinghe Received: 13 February 2023 Revised: 13 March 2023 Accepted: 13 March 2023 Published: 16 March 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; [uzmarajpoot123@gmail.com](uzmarajpoot123@gmail.com) (U.P.); [overlord.scorpion6@gmail.com](overlord.scorpion6@gmail.com) (M.I.M.) 2 Department of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Dawood University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 74800, Pakistan; [pervaiz.ali@duet.edu.pk](pervaiz.ali@duet.edu.pk) 3 Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; [asaeed@qau.edu.pk](asaeed@qau.edu.pk) (A.S.); [aahmed@chem.qau.edu.pk](aahmed@chem.qau.edu.pk) (A.A.) 4 Restorative Dental Sciences Department, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh 11545, Saudi Arabia; [wsaeed@ksu.edu.sa](wsaeed@ksu.edu.sa) 5 School of Interdisciplinary Engineering and Sciences (SINES), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; [fouzia@sines.nust.edu.pk](fouzia@sines.nust.edu.pk) (F.P.); [basitazad50@gmail.com](basitazad50@gmail.com) (B.A.) 6 Healthcare Biotechnology Atta-ur-Rehman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; [javedaneela19@asab.nust.edu.pk](javedaneela19@asab.nust.edu.pk) [7](7 Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology)[ Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology](7 Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology), [University of Gujrat](University of Gujrat), [Gujrat 50700](Gujrat 50700), [Pakistan](Pakistan); [hammad.ismail@uog.edu.pk](hammad.ismail@uog.edu.pk) 8 Texas A&M Health Science Center, Joe H. Reynolds Medical Build, College Station, TX 77843, USA; [isaackhan1@tamu.edu](isaackhan1@tamu.edu) * [Correspondence: nasimaa2006@yahoo.com or nasima.arshad@aiou.edu.pk](Correspondence: nasimaa2006@yahoo.com or nasima.arshad@aiou.edu.pk) Abstract: Bis-acyl-thiourea derivatives, namely N,N'-(((4-nitro-1,2-phenylene)bis(azanediyl)) bis (carbonothioyl))bis(2,4-dichlorobenzamide) (UP-1), N,N'-(((4-nitro-1,2-phenylene) bis(azanediyl))bis (carbonothioyl))diheptanamide (UP-2), and N,N'-(((4-nitro-1,2-phenylene)bis(azanediyl))bis(carbonothioyl)) dibutannamide (UP-3), were synthesized in two steps. The structural characterization of the derivatives was carried out by FTIR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR, and then their DNA binding, anti-urease, and anticancer activities were explored. Both theoretical and experimental results, as obtained by density functional theory, molecular docking, UV-visible spectroscopy, ﬂuorescence (Flu-)spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and viscometry, pointed towards compounds' interactions with DNA. However, the values of bindi

FAQs

What compounds were synthesized in the study?

The study synthesized bis-acyl-thiourea derivatives named UP-1, UP-2, and UP-3, based on 4-nitrobenzene-1,2-diamine.

How were the DNA binding interactions evaluated?

DNA binding was assessed using density functional theory and molecular docking, supported by UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and DNA viscosity (viscometry) measurements.

What were the key findings for anti-urease and anticancer activity?

All derivatives showed strong anti-urease activity, with UP-1 reporting an IC50 value of 1.55 ± 0.0288 µM. Cytotoxicity against glioblastoma MG-U87 and HEK-293 cells indicated higher cytotoxicity for UP-1 and UP-3, while UP-2 showed dose-dependent effects on cancerous cells and limited cytotoxicity on the healthy cell line at lower concentrations.

Sep 24, 2026

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