Abstract
We synthesized twelve hybrids, S-allyl Cysteine methyl, ethyl and propyl ester-based non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. The chemopreventive potential of all compounds was evaluated against SW480 human colon adenocarcinoma cells and the non-malignant CHO-K1 cell line. Among the tested compounds, hybrids 10b-c, 11b and 12b displayed the best anticancer activity with IC50 values between 0.131-0.183 mM and selectivity indices higher than 1 after 48 h of treatment. Selectivity indices were comparable to those reported for the reference drug, 5-fluorouracil (SI > 1). The SAR analysis showed that compounds with two carbon atom alkylic chains displayed the best activity (10b, 11b and 12b). Modeling studies including drug-likeness, bioactivity score and ADME/tox studies using online tools like molinspiration and Osiris suggested that these designed hybrids have a good pharmacological profile and can be considered as promising scaffolds for further studies in the search for new therapeutic alternatives to treat colorectal cancer.