Cu(OTf)2 catalyzed three component reaction: efficient synthesis of spiro[indoline-3,4'-pyrano[3,2-b]pyran derivatives and their anticancer potency towards A549 human lung cancer cell lines.

Cu(OTf)2 catalyzed efficient synthesis of spiropyrano[3,2-b]pyran-4(8H)-ones is accomplished via one-pot three component reaction between isatin, kojic acid and active methylenes. This synthetic protocol is operationally simple and affords product with good to excellent yields at a short reaction time. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their tumor cell growth inhibitory activity against the human lung cancer cell line (A549) and found that 13 compounds exhibited moderate to good anticancer potency. Molecular docking studies were performed for all the synthesized compounds and the results showed that compound 4e showed greater affinity for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) receptor.