Synthesis and Antineoplastic Evaluation of Novel Unsymmetrical 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles

A series of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazoles was synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity in in vitro tumor models. Four of the new compounds (2d, 2j, 2k, and 2n) showed growth inhibition in the XTT dye assay. The most active agent, 2j, showed high potency against human cancer cells with IC₅₀s ranging from 0.05 to 1.7 μM. Preliminary SAR correlations suggested that the nature of chains on the oxadiazole is important for antitumor potency in vitro. Compound 2j determined a G₂/M arrest of the cell cycle and also activated a strong apoptotic response. The β-tubulin immunofluorescence analysis indicated that compound 2j effectively inhibited the microtubule organization in all cancer cell lines, causing the formation of abnormal spindle, which did not affect the normal human fibroblast cells NB1, Mrc-5 and IBR3. For all these reasons, compound 2j could be a good candidate in chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic strategies.