Cytotoxicity, Pro-apoptotic Activity and in silico Studies of Dithiocarbamates and their Structure Based Design and SAR Studies

Background: Cancer is a far-reaching and lethal but curable disease. Researchers have investigated numerous anticancer agents with only a few commercially available effective drugs which are very costly. Objective: Herein, we report the synthesis , characterization and anti cancer assays of a series of novel dithiocarbamates derivatives. Methods: All compounds were synthesized from different secondary amines and substituted benzyl chlorides in a single step. The structures of newly synthesized dithiocarbamate derivatives were confirmed by spectroscopic techniques (IR, NMR and HR-MS). Results: The synthesized compounds showed a significant anti-proliferative effect in cancer cells (HeLa) with the maximum inhibitory activity of compound SHD-2 with an IC50 = 0.31 ± 0.09 μM. However, the same compound exhibited 19.2% inhibition towards Baby Hamster Kidney fibroblasts (BHK-21), normal cell lines. Moreover, quantification of cellular DNA by flow cytometry for the evaluation of pro-apoptotic activity in HeLa cells demonstrates that arrest in cell cycle along with apoptosis advance towards drug cytotoxicity. However, molecular docking studies of the potent compound suggested that it binds to the major groove of the DNA. Conclusion: The cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic potential of the potent inhibitor may be further investigated in the animal models to advance their anti-cancer prospective.