Fe3O4@SiO2-SnCl4-promoted synthesis, cytotoxic evaluation, molecular docking, and MD simulation of some indenopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives

Abstract

In this study, an efficient and environmentally friendly method for the one-pot synthesis of indenopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives was developed using Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-SnCl₄ nanoparticles as a catalyst. Indenopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines (4a-4j) were synthesized via three-component couplings of 6-amino-2-(methylthio)pyrimidin-4(3H)-one, 1,3-indanedione, and aldehydes in water as the solvent. In this reaction, Fe₃O₄@SiO₂–SnCl₄ demonstrated a highly catalytic nature, an easy handling procedure, short reaction times, recyclability exploitation, and excellent yields. The cytotoxic activities of the synthesized indenopyrido[2,3-d] pyrimidines analogues were evaluated against three cancer cell lines; MCF-7 (breast carcinoma), A549 (lung non-small cell carcinoma), and SKOV3 (ovarian carcinoma) using MTT assay. Additionally, molecular docking studies and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the investigated compounds was performed to verify their binding modes toward EGFR kinase receptor as the possible targets. This analysis aimed to predict the antitumor mechanisms of the synthesized compounds. The binding free energy values of the compounds showed a satisfactory correlation with their cytotoxic activities.