Synthesis and biological evaluation of some polymethoxylated fused pyridine ring systems as antitumor agents

A series of 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidones like chalcone analogues carrying variety of methoxylated aryl groups, pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridines, pyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidines, and pyrido[3,2-c]pyridines, carrying an arylidene moiety, and some pyrano[3,2-c]pyridines, like flavone and coumarin isosteres, were synthesized and screened for their in-vitro antitumor activity at the National Cancer Institute (NCI, USA). The tested compounds 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, and 19 exhibited a broad spectrum of antitumor activity. Compounds belonging to the pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridine series proved to be more active than those of the pyrido[3,2-c]pyridine and pyrano[3,2-c]pyridine analogues, in which the monomethoxylated derivatives showed better antitumor activity when compared with their corresponding dimethoxylated congeners. Compound 7 is considered to be the most active member identified in this study with a broad spectrum of activity against 22 different tumor cell lines belonging to the nine subpanels employed, and a particular effectiveness against the breast cancer T-47D cell line (GI 54.7%). The pyrano[3,2-c]pyridine heterocyclic system 19 proved to be the most active antitumor agent among the six-membered fused pyridines, with variable activity against 18 different tumor cell lines, and special activity against the non-small cell lung cancer Hop-92 and ovarian cancer OVCAR-4 cell lines (GI values 63.9 and 48.5%, respectively).