3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one Hybrids as Phenotypic Anti-Breast Cancer Agents: Synthesis, Colony-Formation Profiling and Computational Target Deconvolution

3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones (DHPMs) are privileged heterocyclic scaffolds with broad biological activities. Sixteen DHPM hybrids (4a–p) carrying para- or ortho-aryloxy linkers and diverse terminal amines were prepared through a modular propargylation, Mannich-type, and Biginelli sequence. The compounds were ranked by NIH/3T3 cytotoxicity, MCF-7 antiproliferative activity (SRB assay), and colony formation under continuous exposure at the MCF-7 IC25. Compounds 4a and 4m were the most potent in MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 10.7 and 11.6 µM; preliminary selectivity indices of 9.6 and 9.1), but 4m inhibited colony formation by 68.3% compared with 25.3% for 4a, supporting its prioritization as the most balanced lead. Ligand-based target prediction followed by GNINA screening of seven candidate targets identified TOP2A as the best match to the experimental pIC50 ranking (Pearson r = 0.883, Spearman ρ = 0.893, n = 7), with Eg5/KIF11 as a secondary comparator. Docking, 200 ns molecular dynamics, and MM/PBSA estimates were compatible with this hypothesis but did not constitute experimental target validation. These data identify 4m as a starting point for DHPM-based antiproliferative agents and TOP2A as a hypothesis to be tested experimentally.

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Journal
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Published
2026-10-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27219618
Primary Topic
Synthesis and biological activity
Type
article
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article

3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one Hybrids as Phenotypic Anti-Breast Cancer Agents: Synthesis, Colony-Formation Profiling and Computational Target Deconvolution

Mohammad Saleh Hussein Alzubi, Placido Giuseppe Mineo, Maria Sofia Molonia, Antonio Rescifina et al.
3 links
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Synthesis and biological activity
article

3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one Hybrids as Phenotypic Anti-Breast Cancer Agents: Synthesis, Colony-Formation Profiling and Computational Target Deconvolution

Mohammad Saleh Hussein Alzubi, Placido Giuseppe Mineo, Maria Sofia Molonia, Antonio Rescifina, Nicola Micale, Anas J. Rasras, Francesco Cimino, Eyad A. Younes, Rocco Buccheri, Hadeel D. Sultan
article en

Abstract

3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones (DHPMs) are privileged heterocyclic scaffolds with broad biological activities. Sixteen DHPM hybrids (4a–p) carrying para- or ortho-aryloxy linkers and diverse terminal amines were prepared through a modular propargylation, Mannich-type, and Biginelli sequence. The compounds were ranked by NIH/3T3 cytotoxicity, MCF-7 antiproliferative activity (SRB assay), and colony formation under continuous exposure at the MCF-7 IC25. Compounds 4a and 4m were the most potent in MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 10.7 and 11.6 µM; preliminary selectivity indices of 9.6 and 9.1), but 4m inhibited colony formation by 68.3% compared with 25.3% for 4a, supporting its prioritization as the most balanced lead. Ligand-based target prediction followed by GNINA screening of seven candidate targets identified TOP2A as the best match to the experimental pIC50 ranking (Pearson r = 0.883, Spearman ρ = 0.893, n = 7), with Eg5/KIF11 as a secondary comparator. Docking, 200 ns molecular dynamics, and MM/PBSA estimates were compatible with this hypothesis but did not constitute experimental target validation. These data identify 4m as a starting point for DHPM-based antiproliferative agents and TOP2A as a hypothesis to be tested experimentally.

International Journal of Molecular SciencesVol. 27(21)
University of Messina (IT), Hashemite University (JO), Al-Balqa Applied University (JO), University of Catania (IT)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 26%
Synthesis and biological activity
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