Synthesis and anticancer activity of thiourea derivatives bearing a benzodioxole moiety with EGFR inhibitory activity, apoptosis assay and molecular docking study.

New thiourea derivatives bearing a benzodioxole moiety were synthesized via the reaction of 5-isothiocyanatobenzodioxole with amino compounds such as aromatic amines, sulfa drugs, heterocyclic amines, hydrazines and hydrazides. The anticancer activity of the synthesized thiourea derivatives was examined against HCT116, HepG2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Most of thiourea derivatives revealed significant cytotoxic effect, in some cases greater than the doxorubicin. As example, IC50 values of N1,N3-disubstituted-thiosemicarbazone 7 were 1.11, 1.74 and 7.0 μM for HCT116, HepG2 and MCF7, respectively; IC50 values of doxorubicin were 8.29, 7.46 and 4.56 μM, respectively. The anticancer mechanisms were studied via EGFR inhibition and apoptosis assessments, as well as molecular docking.