6,7-Disubstituted-4-anilinoquinazoline: Design, Synthesis and Anticancer Activity as a Novel Series of Potent Anticancer Agents

Background: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) are responsible for several pathological conditions such as the development of different kinds of tumors. The combined inhibition of both signal transduction pathways seems to be a promising novel approach for cancer treatment. Methods: In this study, novel 4-anilinoquinazoline derivatives with various substituents on-7 position of quinazoline moiety were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against A431 and HU02 cell lines. Results: Compounds 8a, 8d, and 8f displayed the most potent anticancer activities against A431(IC50 = 1.78 μM, 8.25 μM, and 7.18 μM, respectively) in comparison with reference standards(erlotinib IC50=8.31 μM and vandetanib IC50=10.62 μM). Molecular docking studies proved that8a as the most potent compound could be efficiently accommodated in the ATP binding site ofEGFR and VEGFR-2 through the formation of essential hydrogen bonds between quinazolineN1 atom and the Met796 backbone of EGFR as well as the Cys919 backbone of VEGFR-2 with a distance of 1.94 Å and 1.398 Å, respectively. Conclusion: Compound 8a as the most potent compound with morpholine and 3-bromoaniline at the 7 and 4 positions of quinazoline scaffold, respectively, deserves more study and structural optimization as an anticancer agent.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Piperazinone Derivatives as Cytotoxic Agents

Purpose: In this study, a series of piperazin-2-one derivatives were prepared through bioisosteric substitution of the imidazole ring of L-778,123 (imidazole-containing FTase inhibitor) and rearrangement of groups based on the tipifarnib structure. Final compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities on cancer and normal cell lines by MTT assay. Methods: Methyl α-bromophenylacetic acid and 1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazin-2-one were synthesized using previously described methods. Methyl 2-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(4-(3- chlorophenyl)-3-oxopiperazin-1-yl) acetate was prepared by reaction between these two compounds in presence of potassium carbonate. Finally, methoxy group of ester was substituted by various amines such as guanidine, thiourea, urea and hydrazide. The synthesized compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity against colon cancer (HT-29) and lung cancer (A549) cell lines as well as MRC-5 (normal fetal lung fibroblasts) cells as a healthy cell line using MTT colorimetric assay method. Results: Replacement of imidazole moiety with guanidine, thiourea, and hydrazide could increase cytotoxicity toward all three cell lines. Some substituents, such as amine, urea, and hydroxylamine exhibited significant cytotoxicity (<500 µM) but lower than L-778,123 as standard compound. Hydroxyl and methoxy substituents did not show significant cytotoxicity. Imidazole substituent group revealed cytotoxicity similar to L-778,123 All compounds showed lower cytotoxic activity against normal cell lines compared with cancer cell lines. Conclusion: It seems the electron density of substituted groups and rearrangement of groups may significantly increase cytotoxic activity.