Synthesis of extended conjugated indolyl chalcones as potent anti-breast cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents

Abstract In the present investigation, synthesis of a series of extended conjugated δ-chloro-α-cyano substituted indolyl chalcones ( 5a – p ) was accomplished by reacting 3-cyanoacetylindole 2 with 3-chloro-3-phenyl-propenal 4 in the presence of piperidine. The structural interpretations of newly synthesized compounds were based on chemical and spectroscopic evidences. Anti-tumor evaluation of the synthesized compounds in vitro against MCF-7 (breast carcinoma) cell line revealed that they possess high anti-tumor activities. Among them, compound 5e and 5a demonstrated excellent activity against breast carcinoma (GI 50 50 5a , 5i and 5m with their simple analogues. Among the synthesized compounds, 5i and 5l were found to be active anti-inflammatory agents in addition to having noteworthy antioxidant potential. These results suggest the possible use of these compounds for the design and development of novel anti-breast cancer agents.