Synthesis, in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of novel 1-(4-imino-1-substituted-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-5(4H)-yl)urea derivatives

Abstract

A series of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine and urea hybrids have been designed, synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo cancer models. Among them, compounds 28, 30, 33, 36 and 37 showed promising cytotoxicity against tested cancer cell lines. Compound 37 (CBS-1) appeared as the most active derivative and it exhibited better cytotoxicity against all tested cell lines as compared to doxorubicin. CBS-1 successfully inhibited cell cycle progression and displayed good apoptosis in A549 cells. CBS-1 significantly induced caspase-3 activation and suppressed NF-κB and IL-6 activation in immunocytochemistry, qPCR and western blot analysis. Additionally, CBS-1 prominently displayed tumoricidal effects in lung adenocarcinoma in vivo xenograft nude mice model.