A green synthetic approach toward the synthesis of structurally diverse spirooxindole derivative libraries under catalyst-free conditions.

A catalyst-free green methodology for the synthesis of pharmacologically important spirooxindole derivatives has been developed by a three-component domino reaction between isatin, various amino compounds, and 1,3-dicarbonyl or 3-phenylisoxazolone compounds in ethyl L-lactate medium at room temperature. This new efficient synthetic method facilitated the formation of a wide range of biologically significant spirooxindole derivatives (including 17 new spirooxindoles) under very mild conditions. The cytotoxic activity of one of the isoxazole-fused spirooxindoles was evaluated in MDA-MB 468 breast cancer cell line. It was found that cell survivability decreases with increasing concentration of the selected compound in MDA-MB 468 breast cancer cells.