Synthesis, Anticancer and Antiadipogenic Activity of Curcumin Linked 1,2,3,4-Tetrazole Derivatives

Abstract

A novel series of monocarbonyl analogs of curcumin linked to 1,2,3,4-tetrazole analogs were designed, synthesized, and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FT-IR, and mass spectral analysis. Further, all the target molecules were aimed at investigating the effect of curcumin analogs on preventing breast cancer cells and adipogenesis activity. In vitro cytotoxic properties of curcumin analogs were evaluated by MTT assay, while antiadipogenic activity was assessed by Oil-Red O staining and lipolysis. Compounds 7g, 7m, 7d, and 7l have noteworthy anticancer activity in vitro against the MCF-7 cell line, with IC₅₀ values of 20.39, 21.11, 33.81, and 37.01 μg/mL, in that order. Additionally, the same compounds (7g, 7m, 7d, and 7l) exhibited good adipogenesis activity with the value of (p < 0.001) at a dose of 40 μg/mL and lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis was established, and these active compounds showed effective bonding interactions. Thus, based on the results, the study suggests that these monocarbonyl analogs of curcumin hybrids could be promising compounds for the treatment of breast cancer and the prevention of adipogenesis.