Targeting Breast Cancer: Novel Dihydropyrimidinones As Potent Eg5 Inhibitors

Breast cancer remains a formidable health concern for women, necessitating the development of potent anticancer agents with improved safety profiles. Dihydropyrimidinones (DHPM), pyrazole, and benzofuran scaffolds have emerged as promising targets due to their diverse pharmacological profiles. In this study, we employed a scaffold hopping approach to design a novel DHPM-Pyrazole-Benzofuran core. A series of compounds (3a-3j) were synthesized using the Biginelli protocol, and their characterization was performed using various techniques such as FTIR, ¹H NMR, and Mass spectroscopy.

Molecular docking studies against kinesin spindle protein Eg5 (1Q0B) performed to find superior binding interactions compared to the prototype Eg5 inhibitor Monastrol. Anti breast cancer potential of these compounds was screened against the breast adrenocarcinoma MCF-7 cell line using an SRB assay.

Compound 3j showed good growth inhibitory activity (GI₅₀=24.08 μM) compared to Monastrol (GI₅₀=32 μM) employed as a positive control. Moreover, Compound 3j exhibited strong interactions with amino acids GLU-116 and ARG-119 with Eg5 protein 1Q0B.

Compound 3j fits well at the allosteric site of Eg5 protein 1QOB. Compound 3j emerged as the most cytotoxic, displaying significant and impressive growth inhibitory activity (GI₅₀=24.08 μM).