Benzoquinoline Derivatives: An Attractive Approach to Newly Small Molecules with Anticancer Activity

This study presents the synthesis, structural characterization, and in vitro evaluation of anticancer activity of some newly benzo[f]quinoline derivatives. The synthesis is facile and efficient, involving two steps: quaternization of nitrogen heterocycle followed by a [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition reaction. The synthesized compounds were characterized by FTIR, NMR, and X-ray diffraction on monocrystal in the case of compounds 6c and 7c. An in vitro single-dose anticancer assay of eighteen benzo[f]quinoline compounds, quaternary salts, and cycloadducts, was performed. The results showed that the most active compounds were quaternary salts 3d and 3f with aromatic R substituents. Quaternary salt 3d revealed non-selective activity against all types of cancer cells, while salt 3f exhibited a highly selective activity against leukemia cells. Compound 3d also presented remarkable cytotoxic efficiency against four distinct types of cancer cells-namely, non-small cell lung cancer HOP-92, melanoma LOX IMVI, melanoma SK-MEL-5, and breast cancer MDA-MB-468. Compound 3f was selected for five-dose screening. The study also includes SAR correlations.

Automated summary

This study presents the synthesis, structural characterization, and in vitro evaluation of newly benzo[f]quinoline derivatives as potential anticancer agents. The synthesis process involves quaternization and dipolar cycloaddition reaction, and the compounds were characterized by FTIR, NMR, and X-ray diffraction. The most active compounds were quaternary salts 3d and 3f, with salt 3d showing non-selective activity against various types of cancer cells and salt 3f exhibiting highly selective activity against leukemia cells. Compound 3d also demonstrated remarkable cytotoxic efficiency against four different types of cancer cells.