Synthesis, characterization and cytotoxic activity of 5- aminotetrazole Schiff bases

The incidence and prevalence of cancer has been on the rise in recent years and this has been linked to environmental factors, adoption of westernized lifestyle and aging populations. This situation is further complicated by the inadequacies of currently used anticancer agents such as toxicity and resistance which has prompted the search for new and more effective drugs. In this study, Schiff bases of 5-aminotetrazole were prepared by condensing 5aminotetrazole with various aromatic aldehydes. Preliminary confirmation of compound formation was done using thin layer chromatography while FT-IR, UV-Visible, proton and carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy were used for structural characterization of the compounds. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was evaluated using the brine shrimp lethality assay. The compounds were synthesized in good yield ranging from 80 to 88 % and found to be soluble in polar solvents. Results of the spectroscopic analyses were indicative of the formation of the new compounds. The 5aminotetrazole Schiff bases were found to demonstrate considerable cytotoxicity compared to the standard drug used, with the o-vanillin Schiff base (OVASB) showing the highest cytotoxicity (LC50 0.23 μg/mL). The results indicate that the compounds have potential for further development in the search for safe and potent anticancer agents.