Densely functionalized cinnolines: Controlled microwave-assisted facile one-pot multi-component synthesis and in vitro anticancer activity via apoptosis induction.

There is an urging continuous need for novel anti-cancer agents due to persistent chemoresistance. Herein, newly synthesized cinnolines are evaluated for their possible anticancer activities and suggested mechanisms. In the current study, a simple and efficient synthesis of densely functionalized cinnolines has been developed that relied on multi-component reaction of ethyl 5-cyano-4-methyl-1-aryl-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridazine-3-carboxylates with aromatic aldehydes and nitromethane in dioxane/pipridine under controlled microwave heating. Selected cinnolines (4a-c, e, h, j-n, q-v) were tested for possible anticancer activity using in vitro one dose assay at National Cancer institute, USA. Only cinnoline 4b stood out as the most potent cinnoline derivative (mean GI%=26.33) with broad-spectrum antitumor activity against the most tested cancer cell lines from all subpanels. The target cinnoline 4b emerged as the most active derivative against both leukemia RPMI-8226 and melanoma LOX IMVI cell lines (GI% = 106.06 and 82.1) respectively, with IC values equal to 17.12 ± 1.31 and 12.32 ± 0.75 μg/mL, which are comparable to those of staurosporin; 24.97 ± 1.47 and 8.45 ± 0.42 μg/mL, respectively. Cinnoline 4b influenced cell cycle distribution causing pre-G1 apoptosis and cell growth arrest at G2/M phase. It also induced apoptosis in both cell lines as manifested by significant increase in the percent of annexin V-FITC positive apoptotic cells in leukemia RPMI-8226 cells (from 1.09% to 12.47%) and melanoma LOX IMVI (from 1.32% to 19.05%). In addition, it showed lower expression levels of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, and higher expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins; Bax, p53, cytochrome c, caspases 3 and 9. CONCLUSION: Induction of mitochondrial intrinsic pathway of apoptosis is a possible mechanism by which cinnoline 4b may confer its anticancer activity.