N-(benzazol-2-yl)-2-substituted phenylacetamide derivatives: Design, synthesis and biological evaluation against MCF7 breast cancer cell line

This work describes the straightforward and efficient one-pot synthesis of a new library of N-(benzazol-2-yl)-2-substituted phenylacetamide derivatives (19–27). Using the MTT assay, these compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against the MCF7 human breast cancer cell line, and the results were compared to the standard doxorubicin. The majority of compounds exhibited an inhibitory effect against the cancer cell line, with compounds 19, 22, and 26 exhibiting exceptional cytotoxicity against MCF7 cells. Using flow cytometry, the most potent compound 19 on the induction of apoptosis in the breast cancer cell line was determined. Compound 19 induced G1-phase cell cycle arrest followed by apoptotic cell death. In silico analyses of potent compounds 19, 22, and 26 were conducted to investigate their interactions with Human DNA topoisomerase II. The energy calculations were found to be in excellent agreement with the calculated IC50 values. In addition, drug similarity parameter values for the three active compounds were determined using in silico ADME prediction studies. Considering all of these results, it appears that these N-(benzazol-2-yl)-2-substituted phenylacetamide derivatives may be effective anticancer agents. This work may possibly generate new concepts for the enhancement of inhibitors of human DNA topoisomerase II for breast cancer treatment. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.