Synthesis, preliminary biological evaluation and 3D-QSAR study of novel 1,5-disubstituted-2(1H)-pyridone derivatives as potential anti-lung cancer agents

Twenty-eight novel 1,5-disubstituted-2(1H)-pyridone derivatives were designed and synthesized for discovering more potent anti-lung cancer agents combined with anti-fibrotic profiles. The in vitro antiproliferative activities of the derivatives against A549 and NIH3T3 cell lines were tested by MTT assays. The majority of the tested analogues exhibited equivalent or an improved anti-lung cancer activity. Prominently, compound 4l displayed the best potency and selectivity toward A549 with an IC50 value of 20 μM, nearly comparable to the positive control cisplatin (IC50 = 10 μM) and even superior to the lead compound 22 (IC50 = 130 μM). Simultaneously, compound 4l showed significant inhibitory activity against NIH3T3 (IC50 = 55 μM), which may contribute to hindering the proliferation of lung cancer cells fundamentally. What is more, the 3D-QSAR models established on the activity data may provide new insights into the design of novel 2(1H)-pyridone derivatives and lay a theoretical foundation for further studies of promising anti-lung cancer activity with the maintenance of anti-fibrotic effect.