Synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular docking studies of 2,6-dinitro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxysalicylaldoxime derivatives as novel antitubulin agents.

A series of 2,6-dinitro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxysalicylaldoxime derivatives (1h–20h) have been designed and synthesized, and their biological activities were also evaluated as potential antiproliferation and tubulin polymerization inhibitors. Among all the compounds, 2h showed the most potent activity in vitro, which inhibited the growth of MCF-7, Hep-G2 and A549 cell lines with IC50 values of 0.70±0.05, 0.68±0.02 and 0.86±0.05μM, respectively. Compound 2h also exhibited significant tubulin polymerization inhibitory activity (IC50=3.06±0.05μM). The result of flow cytometry (FCM) demonstrated that compound 2h induced cell apoptosis. Docking simulation was performed to insert compound 2h into the crystal structure of tubulin at colchicine binding site to determine the probable binding model. Based on the preliminary results, compound 2h with potent inhibitory activity in tumor growth may be a potential anticancer agent.