Abstract
A series of fluorophenylpyrazole-picolinamide derivatives were synthesized in high yields using a cross-coupling reaction catalyzed by in situ formed palladium-N-heterocyclic carbenes (Pd-NHCs). The synthesized novel derivatives were evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity against a panel of four human tumor cell lines, HeLa (cervical), A-549 (lung), MCF-7 (breast), and IMR-32 (neuroblastoma). Four compounds, 11c, 11e, 11j, and 11k, showed growth inhibition (low µM) comparable with the standard drug cisplatin, providing a preliminary structure–activity relationship for the series. The present procedure is operationally simple and works with a wide range of substrates and may thus be useful in further compound optimization.
Graphical Abstract
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Acknowledgments
Dr. S. Kankala is thankful to CSIR, New Delhi for the award of Research Associate.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).