Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking of new uracil analogs-1,2,4-oxadiazole hybrids as potential anticancer agents

Abstract

A new series of uracil analogues-1,2,4-oxadiazole hybrid derivatives were synthesized by a new, simple, and efficient method using for the first time HAP-SO₃H as an heterogenous acid catalyst for the condensation and cyclization between amidoxime and aldehyde. The new derivatives were characterized by HRMS, FT-IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy techniques. The synthesized 1,2,4-oxadiazole hybrids were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity in five human cancer cell lines: melanoma (A-375), fibrosarcoma (HT-1080), breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), and lung carcinoma (A-549). Data showed that compounds 22 and 23 were potent cytotoxic agents against HT-1080 and MFC-7 cells with IC₅₀ inferior to 1 µM. The possible mechanism of apoptosis induction by the derivatives was investigated using Annexin V staining, caspase-3/7 activity, mitochondrial membrane potential measurement, and analysis cell cycle progression. The compound 22 induced apoptosis through caspase-3/7 activation and S-phase arrest in HT-1080 and A549 cells. The molecular docking showed that compound 22 activated the caspase-3 by forming a stable protein-ligand complex.

Keywords: 1,2,4-Oxadiazole; Anticancer activity; Apoptosis; Heterogeneous catalyst; Hybrid molecules; Molecular docking; Uracil analogues.