Unlocking the Potential of ZnO-NPs Assisted Heterogeneous Synthesis: A Novel Approach to Fabricate Fused Thienopyridines as a Promising Scaffold for Prostate Cancer Treatment

Herein, we delineate an efficacious heterogeneous protocol for the one-pot synthesis of fused thienopyridine derivatives through the employment of diverse thiophene carboxaldehydes and glycine esters, catalyzed by simple ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). This novel methodology exhibits considerable functional group tolerance, yielding the targeted thienopyridine derivatives in moderate to good yield within appropriate reaction time. The catalytic presence of ZnO-NPs significantly enhances reaction efficiency by augmenting the electrophilic nature of aldehydes and activating the carbonyl group, thus facilitating nucleophilic attack for the synthesis of fused thienopyridine conjugates. Within the array of synthesized derivatives, compound 3aa underwent evaluation for its in vitro anticancer efficacy against prostate cancer (PC-3) cell lines and human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. Remarkably, compound 3aa exhibited substantial inhibitory activity against PC-3 cell lines, achieving an IC₅₀ value of 12.7 μM.