Production of Terretonin N and Butyrolactone I by Thermophilic Aspergillus terreus TM8 Promoted Apoptosis and Cell Death in Human Prostate and Ovarian Cancer Cells

The anticancer activity of terretonin N (1) and butyrolactone I (2), obtained from the thermophilic fungus Aspergillus terreus TM8, was intensively studied against prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) human cell lines. According to this study, both compounds showed potent cytotoxicity towards ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (SKOV3) with IC₅₀ 1.2 and 0.6 μg/mL, respectively. With respect to metastatic prostate cells (PC-3), the two compounds 1 and 2 showed a significantly promising cytotoxicity effect with IC₅₀ of 7.4 and 4.5 μg/mL, respectively. The tested fungal metabolites showed higher rates of early and late apoptosis with little or no necrotic apoptotic pathway in all treated prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) human cell lines, respectively. The results reported in this study confirmed the promising biological properties of terretonin N (1) and butyrolactone I (2) as anticancer agents via the induction of cellular apoptosis. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which cellular apoptosis is induced in cancer cells.     

Design,synthesis and docking studies of new hydrazinyl-thiazole derivatives as anticancer and antimicrobial agents

Increase in the number of infections caused by pathogenic microbes in cancer patients has prompted the searcher to invest in the development of agents having dual anticancer and antimicrobial properties. The present study is concerned with synthesis and screening for anticancer and antimicrobial activity of a series of 5-hydrazinyl-2-(2-(1-(thien-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazinyl)thiazole derivatives. The structure elucidation of the synthesized hydrazinyl thiazole derivatives was illustrated by spectroscopic and elemental analysis. All the newly synthesized compounds 5a-p were evaluated for in-vitro cytotoxic activity against breast carcinoma (MCF-7 cell line), hepatocellular carcinoma (HePG-2) and colorectal cancer (HCT-116) cell lines using MTT assay method. Compounds 5 g, 5h showed broad spectrum activity against three cancer cell lines with IC₅₀ ranged from 3.81 to 11.34 µM in compared to the reference drug Roscovitine (IC₅₀ = 9.32 to 13.82 µM), while compounds 5 l and 5 m were found to be more selective against HePG-2 and HCT-116 cell line (IC₅₀ = 9.29 and 8.93 µM respectively) and compound 5j was more selective against HePG-2 and MCF-7 cell lines (IC₅₀ = 6.73 and 10.87 µM respectively). The inhibitory activity of the most promising compounds was tested against the EGFR and ARO enzymes and were further tested for apoptosis and Annexin V/PI staining. The results of enzyme-based tests revealed that the tested compound 5j has a dual inhibitory effect on the EGFR and ARO enzymes with IC₅₀ = 82.8 and 98.6 nM respectively in compared to the reference drugs Erlotinib and Letrozole (IC₅₀ = 62.4 and 79 nM respectively). Furthermore, the majority of the tested hydrazinyl thiazole derivatives exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against the used pathogenic microbes species. Compounds 4b, 5h, 5j and 5 m exerted a good antibacterial and antifungal activity against all tested pathogenic microbes. Therefore, it was concluded that compounds 5 h, 5j and 5 m proved to possess dual anticancer and antimicrobial agent and may serves as a useful lead compounds in search for further modification or derivatization to give more potent and selective agents.     

Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Some New Fused Pyrazoles and Their Glycoside Derivatives

4‐(4‐Chlorobenzylidene)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐3H‐pyrazol‐3‐one 3a and 4‐(3,4‐dimethoxybenzylidene)‐5‐phenyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐3H‐pyrazol‐3‐one 3b were prepared and were reacted with phenylhydrazine, thiosemicarbazide, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, ethyl acetoacetate, diethylmalonate, malononitrile, ethyl cyanoacetate, and thiourea yielding fused pyrazole derivatives. Some of the new compounds were reacted with cyclic and acyclic sugars to produce new S‐, O‐, and N‐glycoside derivatives. The antitumor activity against the human breast cancer cells (MCF‐7) was assessed. Four of the new compounds showed IC₅₀ values less than those of the positive control, indicating that these four compounds are better anticancer agents than doxorubicin.     

Atalantums H-K from the peels of Atalantia monophylla and their cytotoxicity

Abstract

Four new benzoyltyramines, atalantums H-K (1–4) and seven known compounds were isolated from the peels of Atalantia monophylla. All compounds were tested for cytotoxicity against HeLa, HCT116 and MCF-7 cell lines, as well as normal cells (Vero cells). Compound 5 showed cytotoxicity against HeLa, HCT116 and MCF-7 cell lines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 16-25?μg/mL but was inactive against Vero cells. Compound 6 also showed interesting results as compound 5 with IC₅₀ values ranging from 15-18?μg/mL and an IC₅₀ value of 80.20?μg/mL against Vero cells. This means compounds 5 and 6 can be used as lead compounds for anticancer agents.     

Design and synthesis of novel 7-[(N-substituted-thioureidopiperazinyl)-methyl]-camptothecin derivatives as potential cytotoxic agents

Abstract

As part of continuing our research on diverse C-7 derivatives of camptothecin (CPT), 16 CPT derivatives bearing piperazinyl-thiourea chemical scaffold and different substituent groups have been designed, synthesized and evaluated in vitro for cytotoxicity against five tumor cell lines (A-549, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, KB and KBvin). As a result, all the synthesized compounds showed promising in vitro cytotoxic activity against the five tumor cell lines tested, and were more potent than irinotecan. Importantly, compounds 13?g (IC₅₀ = 0.514?μM) and 13o (IC₅₀ = 0.275?μM) possessed similar or better antiproliferative activity against the multidrug-resistant (MDR) KBvin subline than that of topotecan (IC₅₀ = 0.511?μM) and merit further development as anticancer candidates for clinical trail. With these results in hand, we have a reason to conclude that incorporating piperazinyl-thiourea motifs into position-7 of camptothecin confers well cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines, probably resulting in new anticancer drugs.     

Synthesis,pharmacological evaluation,and molecular modeling studies of novel isatin hybrids as potential anticancer agents

A novel series of isatin hybrids 5a-g was designed, synthesized, and characterized spectroscopically. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) by in vitro MTT assay. Amongst the tested compounds, 5e compound bearing benzyl moiety at N₄ piperazine was found to be the most active with the promising IC₅₀ (12.47 µM). Moreover, the active compounds 5e and 5g were subjected to antitumor evaluation (in vivo) against Dalton’s ascitic lymphoma (DAL) cell line and the results suggested that the best active compound 5e can normalize the blood picture in comparison to the standard drug. An in silico molecular docking study using the crystal structure of Hsp90 protein described the role of significant protein–ligand interactions and revealed more insights into the binding mode. The drug-likeliness of the compounds was predicted based on Lipinski's rule of five and pharmacokinetic ADME parameters. Hence, the synthesized isatin hybrids could be novel starting point anticancer lead compounds demonstrating drug-like properties which can be explored further for anticancer drug discovery.     

One-pot synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-2,4-dioxobenzo[b][1,4]diazepine and malonamide derivatives using multi-component reactions

In this work, a new series of 1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-2,4-dioxobenzo[b][1,4]diazepine and malonamide derivatives have been synthesized using an aromatic 1,2-diamine, Meldrum's acid, an isocyanide, and an arylidene malononitrile (or an aldehyde and malononitrile instead of an arylidene malononitrile) in CH₂Cl₂ at ambient temperature. Synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-2,4-dioxobenzo[b][1,4]diazepine proceeded via four- and five-component reactions; while the synthesis of malonamide derivatives was performed using five- and six-component reactions. In addition, a new series of the malonamide derivatives have been prepared using an aldehyde, malononitrile, Meldrum's acid, an isocyanide, and two molecules of 1,4-diamine via a six-component reaction. These procedures provide alternative methods to the synthesis of a new series of 1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-2,4-dioxobenzo[b][1,4]diazepine and malonamide derivatives.     

Design,synthesis, anticancer activity,and in silico studies of novel imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine based 1H-1,2,3-triazole derivatives

A novel series of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine based 1H-1,2,3-triazole derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their anticancer activity against two different human cancer cell lines. Most of the synthesized compounds displayed anticancer activity with IC₅₀ values from 2.35 to 120.46 μM. Furthermore, compounds 9b , 9c, 9d, 9f , and 9j showed potent inhibitory activity against cancer cell lines, with IC₅₀ values close to that of standard drug. It is important to note that compound 9d was more potent than the standard drug cisplatin with IC₅₀ values of 10.89 and 2.35 μM against Hela cell line and MCF-7 cell line, respectively.     

Design and synthesis of some new tri-substituted pyrazole derivatives as anticancer agents

A new series of tri-substituted pyrazole derivatives were designed as anti-cancer agents and synthesized, starting with the formylation of semicarbazone via the Vilsmeier–Haack reaction to give 3-(4-bromophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde I which was the precursor of compounds 1–9. The new chemical entities were screened for their anti-cancer activity on various human cancer cell lines, namely: hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2, breast cancer MCF-7, lung carcinoma A549 and prostatic cancer PC3. Most of the synthesized compounds showed remarkable activity on the tested cell lines, while compound 2 had the highest potency against the HepG2 cell line with an IC₅₀ of 9.13 µM compared with doxorubicin (IC₅₀ = 34.24 µM), the reference standard used in this study, and compound 7 was the most active on the rest of the three cell lines; MCF-7, A549 and PC3 (IC₅₀ = 16.52, 6.52 and 9.13 µM, respectively) relative to IC₅₀ = 20.85, 5.93 and 38.02 µM of the standard. Thus, some of the synthesized tri-substituted pyrazole derivatives, specially 2 and 7, have the potential to be developed into potent anticancer agents.     

Chemical composition of the Brazilian native Cinnamomum stenophyllum (Meisn.) Vattimo-Gil essential oil by GC-qMS and GC × GC-TOFMS,and its cytotoxic activity

Cinnamomum stenophyllum (Meisn.) Vattimo-Gil (Lauraceae) is a native and vulnerable Brazilian species restricted to the Atlantic Forest. The leaf essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation was characterized for the first time by two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS). This analysis resulted in the tentatively identification of 80 compounds, showing the superior performance of this method in comparison to the seven compounds identified by GC–MS. The identified compounds included 8 ketones, 7 monoterpene hydrocarbons, 30 oxygenated monoterpenes, 4 sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and 23 oxygenated sesquiterpenes, showing that the C. stenophyllum oil contained mostly oxygenated mono and sesquiterpenes. The oil cytotoxicity was tested against two human cancer cell lines, colon adenocarcinoma (HCT-116) and breast cancer carcinoma (MCF-7), and the non-tumor retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) using the colorimetric MTT assay. Both cancer cell lines were sensible to leaf essential oil, with IC₅₀ < 20 μg/mL (HCT, IC₅₀ = 9.95 μg/mL and MCF-7, IC₅₀ = 16.65 μg/mL), while there was no cytotoxicity against the non-tumor cells at tested concentrations (IC₅₀ > 50 μg/mL), suggesting selectivity to cancer cells. The results showed that the C. stenophyllum leaf essential oil has a cytotoxic potential, presenting several compounds already known as biologically active against tumor cells.     

Chemical characterization,computational analysis and biological views on Daphne gnidioides Jaub. & Spach extracts: Can a new raw material be provided for biopharmaceutical applications?

The scientific world tends to turn to natural products such as medicinal and aromatic plants because of the inadequacy of commercially available synthetic drugs as antibiotics or anticancer, and their adverse effects on healthy tissues. One of these plants is Daphne gnidioides Jaub. & Spach, which belongs to the Thymelaeaceae family, and there is no data in the literature on its biological activity. This study is aimed to elucidate the chemical profiles and in vitro anticancer, antibacterial and DNA protection and enzyme inhibitory properties of methanol extracts of root, stem, and leaf of D. gnidioides Jaub. & Spach. Polyphenolic components of the extracts were characterized by HPLC-MS/MS. The highest phenolic content was detected in the leaf extract (TIPC = 43.5 ± 0.5 mg/g DE), followed by stem (TIPC = 27.3 ± 0.7 mg/g DE) and root (TIPC = 18.3 ± 0.2 mg/g DE) extracts. Vicenin-2 and 3-O-p-coumaroyl-5-O-caffeoylquinic acid were the main identified compounds in leaf and both root and stem extracts, respectively. The extracts did not show any protective effect on DNA against experimental Fenton’s reagent. The minimum inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration values for the root and leaf extracts against tested bacterial strains ranged from 31.25 to 500 μg/mL. After 48 h interaction of the cancer cell lines with the extracts, only the stem extract had significant cytotoxicity on HeLa cells (IC₅₀ = 86.16 μg/mL). No remarkable activity of the extracts, which was tested against MDA-MB-231, was detected (IC₅₀ > 1000 μg/mL). These data showed that D. gnidioides Jaub. & Spach stem extract inhibited the survival of HeLa cells in a time-dependent manner. After the treatment of IC₅₀ concentration of stem extract with HeLa cells, an increase in LC3-II autophagic gene expression was detected. Also, the extracts exhibited significant tyrosinase inhibitory effects which were confirmed by molecular docking. To sum up, the tested extracts could be used as a starting point for the development of new multifunctional drugs.     

Synthesis of 1,4-Thiazepane-Based Curcuminoids with Promising Anticancer Activity

Curcumin, the main component of turmeric (Curcuma longa) is known to display an interesting bioactivity profile, including pronounced anticancer properties. However, its low bioavailability, metabolic instability and nonspecific activity are concerns that have to be addressed before curcuminoids can be considered for therapeutic applications. Within that framework, intensive research has been carried out in the last decades to develop new curcumin derivatives, generally centered on standard modifications of the sp² curcumin framework, with the aim to augment its bioavailability while maintaining or improving its anticancer properties. To find potential hit molecules by moving away from the classical flat curcumin framework, we investigated an unexplored modification to produce novel, out-of-plane 1,4-thiazepane-based curcuminoids and assessed the impact of this modification on the biological activity. In this way, 21 new, structurally diverse thiazepane scaffolds (4-aryl-1-(7-aryl-1,4-thiazepan-5-ylidene)but-3-en-2-ones) were synthesized, as well as some biologically interesting unexpected reaction products (such as 5-aryl-6-arylmethylene-3-ethoxycyclohex-2-en-1-ones and 4-acetyl-5-aryl-2-(3-arylacryloyl)-3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-ones). All these analogues were subsequently tested on their antioxidant capacity, their cytotoxicity properties and their ROS (reactive oxygen species) production. Many compounds demonstrated interesting activities, with ten curcuminoids, whereof eight 1,4-thiazepane-based, showing better antiproliferative properties compared to their mother compounds, as well as an increased ROS production. This unprecedented 3D curcumin modification has thus delivered promising new hit compounds with good activity profiles eligible for further exploration.     

Antitumor activity of stilbenoids and flavonoids isolated from Acanthopanax brachypus

This report is the first to detail the antitumor activity of Acanthopanax brachypus, a species well recognized by eastern folk medicine. Four stilbeniods and nine flavonoids have been isolated from stem bark of the plant. The isolates have been tested for their antitumor activity against selected human cancer cell lines (HgpG-2, MCF-7, K-562, and A-549). Even though three of the compounds have shown high to moderate cytotoxicity against certain cell lines (IC₅₀ of 4.5 to 6.5 μg/mL), in most of the experiments little or no anticancer activity has been revealed.     

Design,synthesis and molecular modeling studies of few chalcone analogues of benzimidazole for epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor in search of useful anticancer agent

In the present investigation, few 3-(substitutedphenyl)-1-[2-(1-hydroxy-ethyl)]-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)prop-2-en-1-ones are EGFR antagonist are designed, by molecular docking analysis. The synthesized compounds were tested for their in vitro anticancer activity by propidium iodide fluorescent assay and Trypan blue viability assay against colorectal cancer cell lines (HCT116) and non-small cell lung cancer cell lines (H460). Human Epithelial Kidney cell lines (HEK) are used as normal cell lines for studying effect of drug on non-cancerous cells within human body. Evaluation of cytotoxic studies of synthesized compounds CHL(1–8) reveal that compound CHL1 [IC₅₀ = 7.31 and 10.16 μM against HCT116 and H460 cell lines respectively, by PI assay] and CHL8 [IC₅₀ = 12.52 and 6.83 against HCT116 and H460 μM cell lines respectively] possess promising cytotoxic activity.     

Design and synthesis of fluorescent symmetric bis-triazolylated-1,4-dihydropyridines as potent antibreast cancer agents

Herein, we report the synthesis of fluorescent 1,4-dihydropyridine-linked bis-triazoles (2a–2n) through Hantzsch synthesis by the condensation of o/m-chloro-substituted benzaldehyde, ethyl 3-oxo-4(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)butanoate, and ammonium acetate in the presence of Ba(NO₃)₂ as a catalyst followed by the click reaction of resultant Hantzsch product (1) with various aromatic as well as aliphatic azides. All the synthesized compounds were well characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, FTIR, and HRMS spectral techniques. Antibreast cancer evaluation of all the synthesized derivatives revealed that the compounds 2f (IC₅₀?=?7?±?0.02?µM) and 2g (IC₅₀?=?5?±?0.03?µM) showed better anticancer activity (lower IC₅₀) than the standard drug tamoxifen (IC₅₀?=?11.2?±?0.01?µM) against breast carcinoma (MDA-MB-231) cell line. The synthesized compounds were also screened against normal human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell line and found to be nontoxic. The fluorescent nature and cytotoxicity assay of these newly synthesized hybrids recommend their utility in tumor cell imaging.     

Synthesis and studies of calcium channel blocking and antioxidant activities of novel 4-pyridinium and/or N-propargyl substituted 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives

The novel 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives containing the cationic pyridine moiety at the position 4, and the N-propargyl group as a substituent at position 1 of the 1,4-DHP cycle were designed, synthesised, and assessed in biological tests. Among all the novel compounds, the 4-(N-dodecyl) pyridinium group-containing compounds 11 (without the N-propargyl group) and 12 (with the N-propargyl group) demonstrated the highest calcium antagonistic properties against neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y (IC₅₀ about 5–14 μM) and the vascular smooth muscle A7r5 cell (IC₅₀ – 0.6–0.7 μM) lines, indicating that they predominantly target the L-type calcium channels. These compounds showed a slight total antioxidant activity. At concentrations close to those of L-type calcium channel blocking ones, compound 12 did not affect mitochondrial functioning; also, no toxicity was obtained in vivo. The N-propargyl group as a substituent at position 1 of the 1,4-DHP cycle did not essentially influence the compounds’ activity. The 4-(N-dodecyl) pyridinium moiety-containing compounds can be considered as prototype molecules for further chemical modifications and studies as cardioprotective/neuroprotective agents.     

Synthesis and Biological Activity Evaluation of Coumarin-3-Carboxamide Derivatives

A series of novel coumarin-3-carboxamide derivatives were designed and synthesized to evaluate their biological activities. The compounds showed little to no activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria but specifically showed potential to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. In particular, among the tested compounds, 4-fluoro and 2,5-difluoro benzamide derivatives (14b and 14e, respectively) were found to be the most potent derivatives against HepG2 cancer cell lines (IC₅₀ = 2.62–4.85 μM) and HeLa cancer cell lines (IC₅₀ = 0.39–0.75 μM). The activities of these two compounds were comparable to that of the positive control doxorubicin; especially, 4-flurobenzamide derivative (14b) exhibited low cytotoxic activity against LLC-MK2 normal cell lines, with IC₅₀ more than 100 μM. The molecular docking study of the synthesized compounds revealed the binding to the active site of the CK2 enzyme, indicating that the presence of the benzamide functionality is an important feature for anticancer activity.     

Synthesis and comparative study of cytotoxicity and anticancer activity of Chalconoid-Co(II) metal complexes with 2-hydroxychalcones analogue containing naphthalene moiety

A series of six C1–C6 chalconoid based Co(II) complexes were prepared from bi-dentate 2-hydroxychalcones ligands L1-L6 containing naphthalene moiety. All synthesized metal-complexes have been evaluated to determine their cytotoxicity and anticancer activity against liver cancer cell line (Hep G2). Compared to standard 5-fluorouracil (IC₅₀ ?= ?98.61 ?μg/mL), the metal complex C6 exhibits more potency with IC₅₀ value 64.21 ?μg/mL against liver cancer cell line. While the remaining metal complexes such as C2, C4 and C5 are moderately active with IC₅₀ value 314.93, 414.05 and 376.00 ?μg/mL respectively. The complexes C1 and C3 with IC₅₀ value ?> ?1000 ?μg/mL are inadequate to display anticancer activity against Hep G2. Our perception towards the presence of organic group in the main structural moiety of complex C6 which associated with di-hydroxy (-OH) substituent at 3 and 4-position found more potent than complex C2, C4 and C5 which associated with halo (-Cl) substituent. The MTT assay revealed that the cytotoxicity and anticancer activity enhanced upon coordination of bio-ligand compared to free chalcone ligands. Therefore the present study may lead to the development of new class of anticancer drugs with structural modification.     

Bimetallic Iron–Palladium Catalyst System as a Lewis-Acid for the Synthesis of Novel Pharmacophores Based Indole Scaffold as Anticancer Agents

The Friedel–Crafts reaction between substituted indoles as nucleophiles with chalcones-based benzofuran and benzothiophene scaffolds was carried out by employing a highly efficient bimetallic iron–palladium catalyst system. This catalytic approach produced the desired bis-heteroaryl products with low catalyst loading, a simple procedure, and with acceptable yield. All synthesized indole scaffolds 3a–3s were initially evaluated for their cytotoxic effect against human fibroblast BJ cell lines and appeared to be non-cytotoxic. All non-cytotoxic compounds 3a–3s were then evaluated for their anticancer activities against cervical cancer HeLa, prostate cancer PC3, and breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines, in comparison to standard drug doxorubicin, with IC₅₀ values 1.9 ± 0.4 µM, 0.9 ± 0.14 µM and 0.79 ± 0.05 µM, respectively, and appeared to be moderate to weak anticancer agents. Fluoro-substituted chalcone moiety-containing compounds, 3b appeared to be the most active member of the series against cervical HeLa (IC₅₀ = 8.2 ± 0.2 µM) and breast MCF-7 cancer cell line (IC₅₀ = 12.3 ± 0.04 µM), whereas 6-fluroindol-4-bromophenyl chalcone-containing compound 3e (IC₅₀ = 7.8 ± 0.4 µM) appeared to be more active against PC3 prostate cancer cell line.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new 9-aminoacridine-4-carboxamide derivatives as anticancer agents: 1st Cancer Update

The design of molecules that recognize the specific sequence of the DNA double helix or those that can stabilize DNA topoisomerase cleavable complex to stop the progression of DNA process, may be very useful in cancer chemotherapy. In the field of antituor DNA-intercalating agents, 9-aminoacridine-4-carboxamide derivatives play an important role due to their anti-proliferative properties. In the present study, 9-aminoacridine-4-carboxamide derivatives were designed, synthesized, characterized and evaluated against lung cancer (A-549) cell line and cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line in vitro by MTT assay. Compounds 5a, 5b and 5e were selected for anticancer evaluation against the lung cancer cell line and cervical cancer cell line. Compound 5b showed the maximum activity against the cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line with CTC₅₀ (47.50 μg/ml) and compound 5e showed the maximum activity against the lung cancer (A-549) cell line with CTC₅₀ (100 μg/ml) among the tested compounds. The present study opens new vista for DNA intercalating anticancer compounds and their further in vivo investigation.