Synthesis and antitumor evaluation of novel derivatives of 6-amino-2-phenylbenzothiazoles.

Novel derivatives of 6-amino-2-phenylbenzothiazole bearing different substituents (amino, dimethylamino or fluoro) on the phenyl ring were prepared as the corresponding hydrochloride salts. 6-Nitro-2-(substituted-phenyl)benzothiazoles (1-6) were synthesized by condensation reactions of substituted benzaldehydes with 2-amino-5-nitrothiophenol. Nitro derivatives were reduced to the amino derivatives with SnCl(2)/HCl. Water soluble hydrochloride salts of 6-amino-2-(substituted-phenyl)benzothiazole (13-19)were prepared using concentrated or gaseous HCl. Compounds 13-19 were found to exert cytostatic activities against malignant human cell lines: cervical (HeLa), breast (MCF-7),colon (CaCo-2), laryngeal carcinoma (Hep-2), and normal human fibroblast cell lines (WI-38).