Discovery of novel indole derivatives that inhibit NEDDylation and MAPK pathways against gastric cancer MGC803 cells.

• V7 exhibited the potent antiproliferative activity against MGC803 cells. • V7 induced cell cycle G2/M phase arrest. • V7 induced apoptosis against MGC803 cells. • V7 inhibited NEDDylation and MAPK pathways. A series of novel indole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against three selected cancer cell lines (MGC803, EC-109 and PC-3). Among these analogues, 2-(5-methoxy-1 H -indol-1-yl)- N -(4-methoxybenzyl)- N -(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)acetamide (V7) showed the best inhibitory activity against MGC803 cells with an IC 50 value of 1.59 μM. Cellular mechanisms elucidated that V7 inhibited colony formation, induced apoptosis and arrested cell cycle at G2/M phase. Importantly, indole analogue V7 inhibited NEDDylation pathway and MAPK pathway against MGC803 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]