title: Synthesis and evaluation of antitumor activities of novel chiral 1,2,4-triazole Schiff bases bearing γ-butenolide moiety.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  1,2,4-Triazole derivatives have received much attention due to their versatile biological properties including antibacterial, antifungal, anticonvulsant, antiinflammatory, anticancer, and antiproliferative properties. 1,2,4-Triazole nucleus has been incorporated into a wide variety of therapeutically interesting molecules to transform them into better drugs. Schiff bases of 1,2,4-triazoles have also been found to possess extensive biological activities. On the other hand, γ-substituted butenolide moiety represents a biological important entity that is present in numerous biologically active natural products.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have described herein the synthesis of 12 hybrid 1,2,4-triazole Schiff bases bearing γ-substituted butenolide moiety. These compounds were synthesized by utilizing the tandem asymmetric Michael addition/elimination reaction as the key step. All the new compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tandem asymmetric Michael addition/elimination approach has offered an easy access to new chiral 1,2,4-triazole compounds 7a-7l. All these chiral 1,2,4-triazole derivatives exhibited good anticancer activities towards Hela. Of all the tested compounds, the chiral compound 7l with an IC50 of 1.8 μM was found to be the most active.
authors: Key Laboratory of Energy Sources & Chemical Engineering, Development Center of Natural Products and Medication and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, 750021, China. lixq@nxu.edu.cn.
authors: Xiang
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Xue-Qiang
authors: XQ
authors: Li
authors: He-Mei
authors: HM
authors: Liu
authors: Xue-Zhang
authors: XZ
authors: Zhou
authors: Zhi-Hui
authors: ZH
authors: Shao