Stereoselective synthesis of 2-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydrazono- and (2-tosylhydrazono)-4-oxo-thiazolidine derivatives and screening of their anticancer activity

Stereoselective synthesis of (Z)-methyl 2-[(Z)-3-substituted 2-[2-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydrazono]-4-oxothiazolidine-5-ylidene]acetates and (Z)-methyl 2-[(Z)-3-substituted 2-[2-(tosylhydrazono)-4-oxothiazolidine-5-ylidene]acetates via the cyclization ofN-substituted 2-arylhydrazino-carbothioamides with dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates in absolute ethanol is reported. The structures were confirmed by spectroscopic data as well as single-crystal X-ray analyses. The mechanism of nucleophilic addition and the role of electronic factors were discussed. The anticancer activity of the newly synthesized compounds was evaluated against a panel of 60 cell lines derived from 9 different types of cancers including, leukemia, melanoma, lung, colon, CNS, ovarian, renal, prostate, and breast cancers and the results revealed that the cyclohexyl derivative has a significant broad anticancer activity, especially against different leukemia and colon cancer cell lines. [GRAPHICS] .