Design, synthesis, and anticancer evaluation of novel coumarin/thiazole congeners as potential CDK2 inhibitors with molecular dynamics

Abstract

A series of novel coumarin–thiazoles was designed and synthesized as a possible CDK2 inhibitor with anticancer activity with low toxicity. The design relied on having hydrazine thiazole or its open-form thioamide to form H-bonds with the ATP binding site while coumarin maintained the crucial hydrophobic interactions for proper fitting. The biological evaluation revealed that the hydroxycoumarin-thiazole derivative 6c demonstrated the best inhibition with HepG2 and HCT116 IC₅₀ 2.6 and 3.5 μM, respectively. Similarly, its open thioamide chain congener 5c exhibited potent inhibition on MCF-7 and HepG2 with IC₅₀ of 4.5 and 5.4 μM, respectively. Molecular docking simulations supported the assumption of inhibiting CDK2 by preserving the crucial interaction pattern with the hinge ATP site and the surrounding hydrophobic (HPO) side chains. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations of 5c and 6c established satisfactory stability and affinity within the CDK2 active site.