Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Synthesis and screening of anticancer potentials of some new terephthaldehyde-derived nitrone compounds

Husam Hamza Salman¹ , Munther Abduljaleel Mohammed Ali¹, Eman Tariq Ali²

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; ²Department of Laboratories Clinical Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.

For correspondence:- Husam Salman Email: hussam_712003@yahoo.com

Accepted: 22 January 2020 Published: 29 February 2020

Citation: Salman HH, Ali MA, Ali ET. Synthesis and screening of anticancer potentials of some new terephthaldehyde-derived nitrone compounds. Trop J Pharm Res 2020; 19(2):341-349 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v19i2.17

© 2020 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To synthesize and screen some new nitrone compounds derived from terephthaldehyde for their anticancer potential.

Methods: Six new compounds (H, p-Me,p-Br, p-Cl, o-Cl and m-Me) were synthesized via a condensation reaction between terephthaldehyde and a variety of aryl hydroxylamine compounds derived from nitrobenzene and its derivatives. The chemical structures of these compounds were identified using elemental CHN analysis and were elucidated using Fourier Transform infra-red (FT-IR), ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), and elemental analysis. The anticancer effects of the compounds were screened in vitro with respect to their cytotoxicity on MCF7 human cancer cells line. The IC₅₀ values were obtained by MTT assay and their effects on apoptosis of MCF-7 cells were assessed using Acridine orange-ethidium bromide AO/EtBr staining method under a fluorescence microscope.

Results: Only four compounds (2b, 2d, 2e, and 2f) inhibited more than 50 % of the growth of MCF-7 cells. The strongest anti-proliferation effect against MCF-7 cells was exhibited by 2f (m-Me), producing more apoptosis which increased membrane disruption and consistency of lysosome vacuoles; it also exhibited higher cytotoxic effects on human cancer cell lines (IC₅₀ < 7.5) than the other synthesized compounds.

Conclusion: The new nitrone compounds (2b, 2d, 2e, and 2f) synthesized from terephthaldehyde exhibit some anticancer properties, and so are potential anticancer agents.

Keywords: Terephthaldehyde, Nitrone, Cytotoxicity, Anticancer, MCF-7 cells