ACYL-HYDRAZONE AND OXADIAZOLE COMPOUNDS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING THE SAME AND USES THEREOF

The present invention relates to acyl-hydrazone compounds, in particular 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-hydrazide derivatives, as well as the oxadiazole analogs thereof and other similar compounds, and to the pharmaceutical use of the same for the treatment of various diseases associated with cell proliferation, such as leukemias, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), tumours and inflammation. Acyl-hydrazones have been obtained having activity similar to that of the compound used as a standard in experiments (colchicine). The greater selectivity of the compounds according to the invention is an important feature, associated with fewer side effects than the pharmaceuticals used at present in clinical treatments. The synthetised acyl-hydrazones, more particularly the compounds 02 and 07, exhibited important anti-leukemic activity, which suggests 02 and 07 as candidates to pharmaceutical prototypes, or to pharmaceuticals for the treatment of leukemias, in particular acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), tumours and other proliferative diseases, such as inflammation. The action mechanism of the most active compounds was determined by using DNA microarrays and subsequent tests indicated by the chip, besides selectivity studies in healthy human lymphocytes