1,2,4-Oxadiazole-5-ones as analogues of tamoxifen: synthesis and biological evaluation

Org Biomol Chem. 2019 May 15;17(19):4892-4905. doi: 10.1039/c9ob00651f.

Abstract

A series of 2,3,4-triaryl-substituted 1,2,4-oxadiazole-5-ones have been prepared as fixed-ring analogues of tamoxifen (TAM), a drug inhibitor of Estradiol Receptor (ER) used in breast cancer therapy, by an efficient synthetic protocol based on a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones to isocyanates. Some of the newly synthesized compounds (14d-f, 14h and 14k) show a significant cytotoxic effect in a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) possessing IC50 values between 15.63 and 31.82 μM. In addition, compounds 14d-f, 14h and 14k are able to increase the p53 expression levels, activating also the apoptotic pathway. Molecular modeling studies of novel compounds performed on the crystal structure of ER reveal the presence of strong hydrophobic interactions with the aromatic rings of the ligands similar to TAM. These data suggest that 1,2,4-oxadiazole-5-ones can be considered analogues of TAM, and that their anticancer activity might be partially due to ER inhibition.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / chemical synthesis*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / pharmacology*
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Molecular Structure
  • Oxadiazoles / chemical synthesis*
  • Oxadiazoles / chemistry
  • Oxadiazoles / pharmacology*
  • Quantum Theory
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Tamoxifen / analogs & derivatives*
  • Tamoxifen / chemistry
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal
  • Oxadiazoles
  • Tamoxifen