Synthesis and antitumor activity of 4-tert-butyl-5-benzyl-2-benzyliminothiazoles

A series of novel Schiff bases including 4-tert-butyl-5-benzyl-2-benzyliminothiazoles was synthesized by reacting the aromatic aldehydes with the corresponding 2-aminothiazoles. The antitumor bioassay revealed that compounds 2n and 2m exhibited potent cytotoxicity against human cervix cancer(HeLa) cell line with IC values of 0.001 and 0.007 mmol/L, respectively. The preliminary structure-activity relationship(SAR) investigations and the apoptosis evaluation suggest that 4-tert-butyl-5-benzyl-2-benzyliminothiazoles may be a satisfactory backbone for antitumor activity, and compound 2n can serve as an attractive candidate for the development of novel apoptosis in anticancer treatment. © 2013 Jilin University, The Editorial Department of Chemical Research in Chinese Universities and Springer-Verlag GmbH.