Synthesis and discovery of autophagy inducers for A549 and H460 lung cancer cells, novel 1-(2'-hydroxy-3'-aroxypropyl)-3-aryl-1H-pyrazole-5-carbohydrazide derivatives.

A series of novel 1-(2'-hydroxy-3'-aroxypropyl)-3-aryl-1H-pyrazole-5-carbohydrazide derivatives were synthesized, and the effects of the compounds on A549 cell growth were investigated. The results showed that all of the 1-(2'-hydroxy-3'-aroxypropyl)-3-aryl-1H-pyrazole-5-carbohydrazide derivatives 2 could inhibit the growth of A549 cells in dosage- and time-dependent manners. Typically, compound 2a and 2d induced A549 cells to autophagy but did not cause apoptosis and necrosis in the cells, and 2d had the most autophagy inducing effect in H460 cells. More importantly, 2a and 2d did not inhibit the growth of HUVEC cells.