Synthesis and evaluation of 1-benzhydryl-sulfonyl-piperazine derivatives as inhibitors of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell proliferation

Abstract

A series of novel 1-benzhydryl-sulfonyl-piperazine derivatives 7(a-e) were designed by a nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1-benzhydryl-piperazine with various sulfonyl chlorides and characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and elemental analysis. Our research is focused on identifying synthetically occurring chemotherapeutic substances capable of inhibiting, retarding, or reversing the process of multistage carcinogenesis. The title compounds were evaluated for their efficacy in inhibiting MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell proliferation. Compound 1-benzhydryl-4-(4-tert-butyl-benzenesulfonyl)-piperazine (7d) showed significant inhibitory activity. © Birkhäuser 2007.