Cholinesterase Inhibition and Anticancer Properties of [4-(Benzyloxy) phenyl]{Methylidene}hydrazinylidene]-1,3-dihydro-2H-Indol-2-ones Using Swiss Target-guided Prediction.

Introduction: Our group previously reported isatin-based hydrazones (ISB1-ISB6) were further evaluated for their in vitro acetylcholine esterase, butylcholinestrase and cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines. The compounds successfully suppressed AChE and BChE, with Ki values ranging from 1.06±0.07 to 23.57±1.64 nM for AChE and 15.31±1.28 to 84.41±8.04 nM for BChE. However, the IC50 values of these compounds for AChE and BChE were found to be in the ranges of 1.45-25.51 nM and 16.38-92.90 nM, respectively.

Method: Furthermore, to explore the anti-tumor potential of our newly synthesized compounds, we conducted a cytotoxic MTT assay to assess their impact on two different cancer cell lines: MCF7 and A2780.

Results: Our findings highlight diverse cytotoxic profiles among the compounds. Specifically, ISB2, ISB3, and ISB4 demonstrated potential cytotoxicity in the A2780 cell line, while ISB6 exhibited significant cytotoxicity in the MCF7 cell line. This suggests that these compounds have different effects on cancer cell types, indicating the need for further investigation into their potential applications in cancer therapy.

Conclusion: Finally, molecular docking and dynamic study revealed that lead molecule ISB3 provides stability in the AChE and BChE protein-ligand complex.