Synthesis of 5-substituted 2-methylbenzimidazoles with anticancer activity

A series of compounds comprising the thiocarboximidopyrazolyl 5, the phenylpyrazolyl 6, the dimethylpyrazolyl 7, the nitrophenylpyrazolyl 8, the dimethyloxazolyl 9, the benzoxazepinyl 10, and pyrimidyl 11 a-c derivatives of 3-(2-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-5-ylazo)pentane-2, 4-dione was synthesized. Moreover, 5-amino-2-methylbenzimidazole (3) was reacted with phthalic anhydride or maleic anhydride in acetic acid or in toluene to produce 12-15. Treating 5, 6-diamino-2-methylbenzimidazole (16) with ethyl cyanoacetate or diethyl malonate or acetyl acetone leads to the formation of the benzodiazepine derivatives 17-20. The cytotoxic activity of the compounds 2, 7, 9, 10, and 11 was tested against 60 types of human cancer cell lines. Compounds 7 and 9 were found to be the most potent.