Benzo[f]chromene Derivatives as Cytotoxic Agents: Design, Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and ADMET

A series of novel benzo-[f]-chromene derivatives, 4-14, were successfully synthesized and structurally characterized using spectroscopic techniques, including IR, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR. The antiproliferative activities of selected compounds were evaluated against three human cancer cell linesHepG-2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), HCT-116 (colorectal carcinoma), and MCF-7 (breast cancer)using the MTT assay. Cytotoxic effects were compared to standard anticancer agents 5-Fluorouracil and Doxorubicin. Among the tested compounds, 7, 9, and 12 exhibited superior cytotoxicity across all three cell lines, outperforming the reference drugs. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis suggested that fused heterocyclic moieties at the 2,3-position significantly enhanced anticancer activity. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking studies targeting the EGFR tyrosine kinase domain (PDB ID: 4HJO) demonstrated that compound 12 and the reference ligand AQ4 formed stable interactions with key active-site residues, suggesting a potential mechanism of action through EGFR inhibition that warrants further experimental validation. These findings suggest that the synthesized benzo-[f]-chromene derivatives, particularly benzo-[f]-chromenopyrimidine derivative 12, represent promising lead candidates for further development pending validation of their proposed mechanism of action, warranting future biochemical and cellular validation.