Synthesis of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinolinyl substituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives: their evaluation as potential PDE 4B inhibitors possessing cytotoxic properties against cancer cells

Abstract

The 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinolinyl substituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives were designed as potential inhibitors of PDE4B. These compounds were synthesized via a multi-step sequence consisting of copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) as a key step in aqueous media. The required alkynes were prepared from nimesulide via N-propargylation and then nitro group reduction followed by a CAN mediated modified Skraup reaction of the resulting amine. All the synthesized compounds showed PDE4B inhibitory properties in vitro at 30μM with two compounds showing >50% inhibition that were supported by the in silico docking results of these compounds at the active site of PDE4B. Three of these PDE4 inhibitors showed promising cytotoxic properties against A549 human lung cancer cells in vitro with IC50 ∼8-9μM.

Keywords: 1,2,3-Triazole; Cycloaddition; Cytotoxic activities; Nimesulide; PDE4B.