Novel spiroindoline quinazolinedione derivatives as anticancer agents and potential FLT3 kinase inhibitors

Abstract

Despite considerable recent progress in therapeutic strategies, cancer still remains one of the leading causes of death. Molecularly targeted therapies, in particular those focused on blocking receptor tyrosine kinases have produced promising outcomes in recent years. In this study, a new series of spiro[indoline-3,2'-quinazoline]-2,4'(3'H)-dione derivatives (5a-5l) were synthesized and evaluated as potential kinase inhibitors with anticancereffects. The anti-proliferative activity was measured by MTT assay, while the cell cycle was studied using flow cytometry. Moreover, kinase inhibition profiles of the most promising compounds were assessed against a panel of 25 oncogenic kinases. Compounds 5f,5g,5i, and 5jshowed anti-proliferative effect against EBC-1, A549, and HT-29 solid tumor models in addition to leukemia cell line K562. In particular, compound 5f, bearing 4-methylphenyl pendant on the isatin ring displayed considerable potency with IC₅₀ values of 2.4 to 13.4 μM against cancer cells. The most potent derivatives also altered the distribution of cells in different phases of cell cycle and increased the sub-G1 phase cells in K562 cells. Moreover, kinase inhibition assays identified FLT3 kinase was as the primary targetof these derivatives. Compound 5f at 25 μM concentration showed inhibitory activities of 55% and 62% against wild-type FLT3 and its mutant, D835Y, respectively. Finally, the docking and simulation studies revealed the important interactions of compound 5f with wild type and mutant FLT3. The results of this study showed that some novel spiroindoline quinazolinedione compounds could be potential candidates for further development as novel targeted anticancer agents.

Keywords: Anticancer drug; Drug design; FLT3; Kinase inhibitor; Receptor tyrosine kinase.