Synthesis and antitumor evaluation in vitro of 5-bromo-N-phenyl substituted isatin derivatives

Our previous research have identified a series of N-phenyl substituted isatin derivatives as antitumor agents in vitro. 5-Bromo isatin derivatives have been found to increase their cytotoxic activity and selectivity. A series of 5-bromo-N-phenyl isatin analogues were designed and synthesized about 40-80% overall yields. All of synthesized compounds have not been reported before. Their structures were characterized by H and C NMR. The cytotoxic activities of all the synthesized derivatives were evaluated against two human tumor cell lines HepG2 and HT-29. Results showed that all bromo-substituted compounds exhibited potential anti-tumor activities against HepG2 and HT-29.