Synthesis and antitumoral activity of novel 3-(2-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl) and 3-(5-substituted-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl) beta-carboline derivatives

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Several novel 1-substituted-phenyl beta-carbolines bearing the 2-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl and 5-substituted-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl groups at C-3 were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity. The assay results pointed thirteen compounds with growth inhibition effect (GI(50) < 100 mu M) for all eight different types of human cancer cell lines tested. The b-carbolines 7a and 7h, bearing the 3-(2-metylthio-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl) group, displayed high selectivity and potent anticancer activity against ovarian cell line with GI50 values lying in the nanomolar concentration range (GI(50) = 10 nM for both compounds). The 1-(N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(5-thioxo-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl) beta-carboline (8g) was the most active compound, showing particular effectiveness on lung (GI(50) = 0.06 mu M), ovarian and renal cell lines. The potent anticancer activity presented for synthesized compounds 7a, 7h, and 8g, together with their easiness of synthesis, makes these compounds promising anticancer agents. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.162296609667Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP