1-[2-(2-Methoxyphenylamino)ethylamino]-3-(naphthalene-1-yloxy)propan-2-ol as a potential anticancer drug.

The aim of the present study was to assess the anticancer effect of several naftopidil analogues on human malignant mesothelioma cell lines NCI-H28, NCI-H2052, NCI-H2452, and MSTO-211H, human lung cancer cell lines A549, SBC-3, and Lu-65, human hepatoma cell lines HepG2 and HuH-7, human gastric cancer cell lines MKN-28 and MKN-45, and human bladder cancer cell lines 253J, 5637, KK-47, TCCSUP, T24, and UM-UC-3, human prostate cancer cell lines DU145, LNCap, and PC-3, and human renal cancer cell lines ACHN, RCC4-VHL, and 786-O. We newly synthesized 21 naftopidil analogues, and of them 1-[2-(2-methoxyphenylamino)ethylamino]-3-(naphthalene-1-yloxy)propan-2-ol (HUHS1015) most efficiently reduced cell viability for all the investigated malignant mesothelioma cell lines in a concentration (1-100 μmol/l)-dependent manner. HUHS1015 reduced cell viability for all other investigated cancer cell lines, to an extent similar to that for malignant mesothelioma cell lines. HUHS1015 activated caspase-3 and -4, without activating caspase-8 and -9, in malignant mesothelioma cell lines. The results of the present study, thus, indicate that HUHS1015 induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells, possibly by activating caspase-4 and the effector caspase-3.