Synthesis and Bioevaluation of 3,6-Diaryl-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b] Pyridazines as Antitubulin Agents

A series of 3,6-diaryl-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazines were designed as a class of vinylogous CA-4 analogues. The easily isomerized (Z,E)-butadiene linker of vinylogous CA-4 was replaced by a rigid [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazine scaffold. Twenty-one target compounds were synthesized and exhibited moderate to potent antiproliferative activity. The compound 4q with a 3-amino-4-methoxyphenyl moiety as the B-ring, comparable to CA-4 (IC₅₀ = 0.009-0.012 μM), displayed the highly active antiproliferative activity against SGC-7901, A549, and HT-1080 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 0.014, 0.008, and 0.012 μM, respectively. Tubulin polymerization experiments indicated that 4q effectively inhibited tubulin polymerization, and immunostaining assay revealed that 4q significantly disrupted tubulin microtubule dynamics. Moreover, cell cycle studies revealed that compound 4q dramatically arrested cell cycle progression at G2/M phase in A549 cells. Molecular modeling studies showed that 4q could bind to the colchicine binding site on microtubules.