Issue 1, 2011

Library synthesis and cytotoxicity of a family of 2-phenylacrylonitriles and discovery of an estrogen dependent breast cancer lead compound

Abstract

In our efforts to prevent highly toxic compounds progressing through our anti-parasitic drug development program, we serendipitously discovered a family of 2-phenylacrylonitriles with excellent growth inhibition of a panel of ten human cancer cell lines. Focused library approaches facilitated the identification of a simple pharmacophore, comprising two terminal aromatic moieties linked via a conjugated cyano (acrylonitrile) moiety. Efforts that perturbed this pharmacophore resulted in a significant drop in growth inhibition. Multiple libraries led to the discovery of two key lead compounds. The first, (Z)-2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)acrylonitrile (31) exhibits broad spectrum growth inhibition with GI50 values of 0.52–3 μM (HT29 and BE2-C cancer cell lines respectively; average = 1.6 μM). Of greater note is (Z)-2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)acrylonitrile (28), a 0.127 ± 0.043 μM growth inhibitor of the estrogen receptor positive (ER+ve) human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. Analogue 28 displays up to 543 fold selectivity towards MCF-7 cells compared with nine other non-breast derived cancer cell lines. Further screening of 28 against one human, ER−ve breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB231) and one normal non-tumourigenic breast epithelial cell line (MCF-10A) returned poor growth inhibition values of 34 ± 2 and 16 ± 4μM, demonstrating ca. ∼268 and∼126 fold preference for the MCF-7 estrogen dependent breast cancer cells.

Graphical abstract: Library synthesis and cytotoxicity of a family of 2-phenylacrylonitriles and discovery of an estrogen dependent breast cancer lead compound

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Concise Article
Submitted
02 Sep 2010
Accepted
11 Oct 2010
First published
15 Nov 2010

Med. Chem. Commun., 2011,2, 31-37

Library synthesis and cytotoxicity of a family of 2-phenylacrylonitriles and discovery of an estrogen dependent breast cancer lead compound

M. Tarleton, J. Gilbert, M. J. Robertson, A. McCluskey and J. A. Sakoff, Med. Chem. Commun., 2011, 2, 31 DOI: 10.1039/C0MD00147C

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