Adenine derivatives: promising candidates for breast cancer treatment

Abstract

The cascade reaction of N‐aryl‐5‐{[(dimethylamino)methylene]amino}‐4‐cyanoimidazoles with primary aromatic amines, under reflux in acetic acid, proved to be a general and efficient method for the regioselective synthesis of 6‐arylaminopurines. A selection of these compounds was tested in breast cancer cell models MCF‐7 and Hs578t and five compounds proved to be highly active and non‐toxic to the non‐neoplastic cell line MCF‐10A. Furthermore, the compounds demonstrated apoptosis‐inducing capacity in the cancer cells.