Synthesis of novel 1,2,4-oxadiazoles and analogues as potential anticancer agents

A library of 3,5-disubstituted-1,2,4-oxadiazoles 7–9 and their bioisosters, 1,3,4-oxadiazole 14 and 1,3,4-thiadiazole 16, were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their anticancer potential against a panel of six human cancer cell lines. The key step in the synthesis of oxadiazoles 7–9 involve coupling of amidoxime 6 with an appropriate carboxylic acid followed by thermal cyclization. The bioisosteres, 1,3,4-oxadiazole 14 and 1,3,4-thiadiazole 16 were prepared from the reaction of a common precursor diacylhydrazine 13 with thionyl chloride and Lawesson′s reagent, respectively. The anticancer studies on the synthesized compounds revealed that presence of a cyclopentyloxy or n-butyloxy on the C-3 aryl ring and piperdin-4-yl or trichloromethyl at the C-5 position of 1,2,4-oxadiazole is essential for good activity. In particular, 1,2,4-oxadiazole 7i and analogue 1,3,4-thiadiazole 16 exhibited significant activity against DU145 (IC50: 9.3 μM) and MDA-MB-231 (IC50: 9.2 μM) cell lines, respectively.

Graphical abstractA new series of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their anticancer activity against various human cancer cell lines.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Novel 3,5-disubstituted-1,2,4-oxadiazoles and their analogues were synthesized. ► The 1,2,4-oxadiazole 7i exhibited promising cytotoxicity against DU145 cell line. ► The 1,3,4-thiadiazole 16 exhibited promising cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 cell line.