Abstract
A series of halogenated 2-amino-4-aryl-4H-pyrano[3,2-h]quinoline-3-carbonitrile derivatives were prepared via interaction of 8-hydroxyquinoline, 5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline, and 8-hydroxy-2-methylquinoline with various alpha-cyanocinnamonitriles. The assignments of the structure of all synthesized compounds were based on spectral data. The cytotoxic activities of the synthesized compounds against four human tumor cell lines MCF-7, HCT-116, HepG-2, and A549 in comparison with the reference drugs Vinblastine and Colchicine were determined by microculture tetrazolium assay. Several compounds showed significant cytotoxic activity. The structure-activity relationship studies reported that the substitution at 4-, 6-, and 9-positions in several 2-amino-4H-pyrano[3,2-h]quinoline nucleus with the specific halogen atom and lipophilicity increases the ability of the molecule against the different cell lines.