Design, synthesis and computational evaluation of 1,2,3-triazole-Schiff base hybrid as AKT1 inhibitor for breast cancer

Cancer remains a major global health problem, with breast cancer being one of the most common malignancies. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, in particular the AKT1 kinase, plays a key role in tumour progression and resistance to treatment. This study focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of novel triazole-Schiff base hybrid compounds as potential AKT1 inhibitors. The hybrid molecules were synthesised using a multi-step process, characterised using spectroscopic techniques and subjected to extensive computational analysis, including density functional theory (DFT), molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and ADMET profiling. The results showed that the synthesised compound 5 exhibited a high binding affinity to AKT1 (-9.0 kcal/mol), higher than that of the reference drug Capivasertib (-7.46 kcal/mol). Network pharmacology identified key targets such as AKT1, EGFR and mTOR, while toxicity predictions indicated a favourable safety profile. These results highlight the potential of triazole-Schiff base hybrid as promising candidates for breast cancer therapy, warranting further experimental validation.