Cytotoxic analogues of 2,6-bis(arylidene)cyclohexanones

A series of 2,6-bis(arylidene)cycloalkanones (1) and related compounds containing one or two substituents at the four position of the cyclohexyl ring were prepared and shown to display cytotoxic activity towards murine P388 and L1210 cells as well as human Molt 4/C8 and CEM T-lymphocytes. In some of the series of compounds, positive correlations were noted between the potencies of the enones and the magnitude of the Hammett sigma values of the aryl substituents. Four representative compounds were cytotoxic to a number of human tumours in vitro, particularly towards colon cancer and leukemic cells. A noteworthy feature of the compounds prepared in this study is that, in general, they were well tolerated when administered to rodents. A number of lead molecules emerged from this investigation as well as guidelines for future expansion of these series of compounds.