Synthesis, anticancer activity, and docking study of N-acetyl pyrazolines from veratraldehyde

N-acetyl pyrazoline derivatives A-C containing methoxy and chloro/hydroxyl substituents were synthesized and tested for their cytotoxic activities.The precursor chalcones A-C which were obtained from the condensation reaction between veratraldehyde and acetophenone derivatives were reacted with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of glacial acetic acid to give pyrazolines A-C with excellent yield and purity.Characterization of all products was done using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometers.(GC-MS).Cytotoxicity evaluation of pyrazolines revealed that pyrazoline A has moderate activity against breast cancer cell line MCF7 (IC 50 40.47µg/ml), breast cancer cell line T47D (IC 50 26.51µg/ml), and cervical cancer cell line HeLa (IC 50 31.19µg/ml).Pyrazoline B is inactive against all tested cancer lines (IC 50 > 100 µg/ml).Pyrazoline C has moderate activity against MCF7 (IC 50 94.02µg/ml), but inactive against T47D and HeLa.Docking study showed the interaction between pyrazolines and EGFR receptor via hydrogen bonds and π-cation interactions.