Synthesis and antitumor activity of bis(arylsulfonyl)dihydroimidazolinone derivatives

A protocol for the gram-scale synthesis of polyfluoroaryl sulfides via an SNAr step

Polyfluoroaryl sulfide is one of the prevalent motifs ubiquitous in materials and pharmaceutical chemistry. We herein describe a simple yet efficient procedure for their synthesis from readily available thiols and polyfluoroarenes via an SNAr step. We detail specific steps for a gram-scale preparation of 2-((perfluoropyridin-4-yl)thio)benzo[d]thiazole 3 from mercaptobenzothiazole 1 and pentafluoropyridine 2. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Liao et al. (2022).1.

Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Pentafluorobenzenesulfonamide Derivatives as Caspase-Dependent Apoptosis-Inducing Agents

Arylsulfonamides are ubiquitous in a number of anticancer agents, and fluorine substitution on aromatic rings often improves drug profile. Herein, a series of novel pentafluorobenzenesulfonamide derivatives with different molecular scaffolds were readily synthesized and assessed for their antitumor activities against multiple cancer cell lines, including A549, HepG2, HuCCA-1, and MOLT-3. Dihydroimidazoline-containing analogue and its Diels-Alder cycloadducts exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity at micromolar range while the incorporation of other heterocyclic cores via nucleophilic substitution reaction resulted in diminished potency. Selected analogues were shown to induce the accumulation of cleaved forms of Casp-9, Casp-7 and PARP in cancer cells, indicating intrinsic apoptosis via a caspase-dependent process.