Evaluation of 4-phenylamino-substituted naphthalene-1,2-diones as tubulin polymerization inhibitors

A series of 4-phenylamino-substituted naphthalene-1,2-dione derivatives were prepared and evaluated as effective antiproliferative agents. MTT assays showed that the compounds with a methyl group on the nitrogen linker exhibited potent antiproliferative activities against human cancer cells. The mechanistic study revealed that these compounds could induce mitochondrial depolarization, which resulted in intracellular ROS production, and they also acted as tubulin polymerization inhibitors. Moreover, the typical compound could arrest A549 cells in the G2/M phase, resulting in cellular apoptosis and induced mitotic arrest in A549 cells through disrupting microtubule dynamics.