Synthesis and biological evaluation of N-(carbobenzyloxy)-l-phenylalanine and N-(carbobenzyloxy)-l-aspartic acid-β-benzyl ester derivatives as potent topoisomerase IIα inhibitors

A new series of thirteen N -(carbobenzyloxy)- l -phenylalanine and N -(carbobenzyloxy)- l -aspartic acid- β -benzyl ester compounds were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activity against four different human cancer cell lines: cervical cancer (HeLa), lung cancer (A549), gastric cancer (MGC-803) and breast cancer (MCF-7) as well as topoisomerase I and IIα inhibitory activity. Compounds ( 5a , 5b , 5e , 8a , 8b ) showed significant antiproliferative activity with low IC 50 values against the four cancer cell lines. Equally, compounds 5a , 5b , 5e , 5f , 8a , 8d , 8e and 8f showed topoisomerase IIα inhibitory activity at 100   μM with 5b , 5e , 8f exhibiting potential topoisomerase IIα inhibitory activity compared to positive control at 100   μM and 20   μM, respectively. Conversely compounds 5e , 5f , 5g and 8a showed weaker topoisomerase I inhibitory activity compared to positive control at 100   μM. Compound 5b exhibited the most potent topoisomerase IIα inhibitory activity at low concentration and better antiproliferative activity against the four human cancer cell lines. The molecular interactions between compounds 5a – 5g , 8a – 8f and the topoisomerase IIα (PDB ID: 1ZXM ) were further investigated through molecular docking. The results indicated that these compounds could serve as promising leads for further optimization as novel antitumor agents.