3-Hydroxy-1H-quinazoline-2,4-dione as a New Scaffold To Develop Potent and Selective Inhibitors of the Tumor-Associated Carbonic Anhydrases IX and XII

In this paper, we describe the discovery of the 3-hydroxyquinazoline-2,4-dione as a useful scaffold to obtain potent inhibitors of the tumor-associated human carbonic anhydrases (hCAs) IX and XII. A set of derivatives (1–29), bearing different substituents on the fused benzo ring (Cl, NO2, NH2, CF3, ureido, amido, heterocycles), were synthesized, and several of them showed nanomolar activity in inhibiting the hCA IX and XII isoforms, while they were ineffective against the cytosolic enzymes hCAs I and II. Some selected compounds were tested for their antiproliferative activity against HT-29 colon cancer cell lines. After 48 h of treatment with the lower dose (30 μM), derivatives 12, 14, 15, and 19 were significantly active, inducing a mortality by about 50% in both normoxia and hypoxia. This finding led us to hypothesize for these compounds more than one mechanism of action involving both CAs IX and XII and other not yet identified target(s).