Novel α, β-Unsaturated Sophoridinic Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, Molecular Docking and Anti-Cancer Activities

Abstract

Using sophoridine <b>1</b> and chalcone <b>3</b> as the lead compounds, a series of novel α, β-unsaturated sophoridinic derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis indicated that introduction of α, β-unsaturated ketone moiety and heterocyclic group might significantly enhance anticancer activity. Among the compounds, <b>2f</b> and <b>2m</b> exhibited potential effects against HepG-2 and CNE-2 human cancer cell lines. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were performed to understand possible docking sites of the molecules on the target proteins and the mode of binding. This work provides a theoretical basis for structural optimizations and exploring anticancer pathways of this kind of compound.