New antitumor imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole guanylhydrazones and analogues.

The synthesis of new antitumor 6-substituted imidazothiazole guanylhydrazones is described. Moreover, a series of compounds with a different basic chain at the 5 position were prepared. Finally, the replacement of the thiazole ring in the imidazothiazole system was also considered. All the new compounds prepared were submitted to the NCI cell line screen for evaluation of their antitumor activity. A few selected compounds were submitted to additional biological studies concerning effects on the cell cycle, apoptosis, and mitochondria.