Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 12-Aryl-11-hydroxy-5,6-dihydropyrrolo[2″,1″:3′,4′]pyrazino[1′,2′:1,5]pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazine-8(9H)-one Derivatives as Potential Cytotoxic Agents

Abstract

In the present paper, a facile and efficient synthetic procedure has been applied to obtain dihydrodipyrrolo­[1,2-a:2′,1′-c]­pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylates (5a–s), which have subsequently gone through the cyclization in the presence of hydrazine hydrate to afford 12-aryl-11-hydroxy-5,6-dihydropyrrolo­[2″,1″:3′,4′]­pyrazino­[1′,2′:1,5]­pyrrolo­[2,3-d]­pyridazine-8­(9H)-ones (7a–q). The molecular structures of these novel compounds were extensively examined through the analysis of spectroscopic data in combination with X-ray crystallography techniques. Following that, the in vitro cytotoxic activities of all derivatives against three human cancer cell lines (Panc-1, PC3, and MDA-MB-231) were comprehensively evaluated alongside the assessment on normal human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells using the MTT assay. Among the compounds, the 3-nitrophenyl derivative (7m) from the second series showed the best antiproliferative activity against all tested cell lines, particularly against Panc-1 cell line, (IC50 = 12.54 μM), being nearly twice as potent as the standard drug etoposide. The induction of apoptosis and sub-G1 cell cycle arrest in Panc-1 cancer cells by compound 7m was confirmed through further assessment. Moreover, the inhibition of kinases and the induction of cellular apoptosis by compound 7m in Panc-1 cancer cells were validated using the Western blotting assay.

Synthesis of Substituted Pyrrole Derivatives Based on 8-azaspiro[5.6]dodec-10-ene Scaffold

“…There are two main problems with anticancer drugs: non-selectivity for cancer cells and drug resistance. According to the literature, most anticancer drugs that were FDA-approved between 2010 and 2015 contain a N-heterocycle in their chemical structure [2].…”