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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Functionalized Spirocyclic Heterocycle Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Assay
Published on: February 9, 2021
Structure-activity relationships of novel heteroaryl-acrylonitriles as cytotoxic and antibacterial agents
Franciszek Saczewski1, Agnieszka Stencel, Andrzej M Bieńczak
1Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland. saczew@amg.gda.pl
Abstract:
Eighteen new 2,6-disubstituted acrylonitriles and two new (benzimidazol-1-yl)-acetamide derivatives were prepared and screened for antibacterial and cytotoxic activities on 12 human cancer cell lines. Based on the lead structure 2-(benzimidazol-2-yl)-3-(5-nitrothiophen-2-yl) acrylonitrile it was found that placement of methyl groups at the 5,6 positions of the benzimidazole ring lead to a 3-fold increase in overall cytotoxic activity. Replacing the nitrothiophene for pyridine reduced cytotoxic activity as did replacing the nitro group for a methoxy group. Cytotoxic activity was only slightly reduced when the benzimidazole ring was replaced by a imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine or a benzthiazole ring but replacement by benzoxazole led to a substantial decrease in activity. Moving the acrylonitrile group from position 2 to position 1 of the benzimidazole ring also resulted in moderately active compounds. (Benzimidazol-1-yl)acetamides showed only modest activity. The structure-activity relationships found in the cytotoxicity studies are mirrored in the results of the antibacterial experiments.
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