Abstract
Background: Cancer is one of the most common reasons for mortality in the world. A continuous effort to develop effective anti-cancer drugs with minimum side effects has become necessary. The use of small-molecule drugs has revolutionized cancer research by inhibiting cancer cell survival and proliferation. Quinazolines are a class of bioactive heterocyclic compounds with active pharmacophores in several anti-cancer drugs. Such small molecule inhibitors obstruct the significant signals responsible for cancer cell development, thus blocking these cell signals to prevent cancer development and spread.
Objective: In the current study, novel quinazoline derivatives structurally similar to erlotinib were synthesized and explored as novel anti-cancer agents.
Methods: All the synthesized molecules were confirmed by spectroscopic techniques like 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and ESI-MS. Various techniques were applied to study the protein-drug interaction, DFT analysis, Hirshfeld surface, and target prediction. The molecules were screened in vitro for their anti-cancer properties against 60 human tumor cell lines. The growth inhibitory properties of a few compounds were studied against the MCF7 breast cancer cell line.
Results: The activity of compounds 9f, 9o, and 9s were found to be active. However, compound 9f is more active when compared with other compounds.
Conclusion: Some synthesized compounds were active against different cancer cell lines. The in-vitro study results were found to be in agreement with the predictions from in-silico data. The selected molecules were further subjected to get the possible mechanism of action against different cancer cells.
Graphical Abstract
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3322/caac.21708] [PMID: 35020204]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3322/caac.21763] [PMID: 36633525]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3322/caac.21660] [PMID: 33538338]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41392-021-00572-w] [PMID: 34054126]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molonc.2012.02.004] [PMID: 22440008]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/092986710793361252] [PMID: 20939813]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2018.07.008] [PMID: 30505655]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D0RA06642G] [PMID: 35516563]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/212096]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biom9110668] [PMID: 31671561]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa040938] [PMID: 15118073]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esmoop.2021.100314] [PMID: 34922298]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40265-018-1028-x] [PMID: 30506139]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.15761/ICST.1000109]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2165/1163018-S0-000000000-00000]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109161] [PMID: 35998506]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C7MD00097A] [PMID: 30108803]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.03.042] [PMID: 28351589]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2012.01.032] [PMID: 22305614]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2012.10.055] [PMID: 23291119]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.01.088]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.06.003] [PMID: 22749421]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2011.12.001] [PMID: 22202437]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c0ob01161d] [PMID: 21448470]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.08.017] [PMID: 22929231]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cdc.2023.101071]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570178620666230217111458]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2260/7IJACS.2018.604003]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.07.029] [PMID: 28756024]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/op025572d]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jnci/82.13.1113] [PMID: 2359137]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.12.013] [PMID: 24361000]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/1735-5362.236838] [PMID: 30271447]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1758-2946-3-33] [PMID: 21982300]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcc.21334] [PMID: 19499576]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep42717] [PMID: 28256516]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0169-409X(00)00129-0] [PMID: 11259830]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/cc9800071] [PMID: 10746014]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jm020017n] [PMID: 12036371]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jm000292e] [PMID: 11052792]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jm015507e] [PMID: 11384230]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcc.20084] [PMID: 15264254]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tet.2004.01.020]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrd1549] [PMID: 15520816]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157340911795677602] [PMID: 21534921]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S0219633619500184]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers12092613] [PMID: 32933200]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10549-012-2289-9] [PMID: 23073759]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10911-008-9107-3] [PMID: 19034632]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/BJ20121513] [PMID: 23101586]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2017.02.055] [PMID: 28273614]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2019.04.062]