Synthesis and biological screening of a novel enaminone-grafted trithiocarbonate: a potential anticancer and antimicrobial agent

A need exists to develop safe and efficacious medications to treat major diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases. In response to this need, we synthesized a novel enaminone, which structurally belongs to the trithiocarbonate class engrafted by an enaminone group. The anticancer and antimicrobial activities were evaluated by utilizing three different types of human cancer (MDA-MB-231, LoVo, and HepG2) and a wide field of microbes (G+ and G− bacteria, yeast, and molds). The tested compound 3 exhibited moderate growth suppression activity versus all examined human tumor cells, with values of IC50 ranging from 35 to 45 µg/ml. Moreover, the antimicrobial effects of compound 3 were more profound against fungal pathogens than against bacterial pathogens (minimal inhibitory concentrations; fungi, 0.08–0.14 mg/ml; bacteria, 0.3–1.4 mg/ml). These findings lay the foundation for designing improved bioactive agents that could be utilized as anticancer and/or antimicrobial agents.