Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 2-Phenoxy-N-Phenylacetamides as Novel Anticancer Agents

A series of 2-phenoxy-N-phenylacetamides were designed and synthesized with a view to develop novel anticancer agents. All compounds were prepared with varied substitutions in the phenyl ring of aniline and evaluated for their anticancer activity. The majority of them displayed a moderate degree of cytotoxicity against several human cancer cell lines. Six compounds displayed potent cell growth inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values below 20 μM. Two compounds (TC-5 and TC-14) exhibited the most pronounced antiproliferative activity equivalent to or higher than that of positive control. The structure – activity relationship of these anticancer agents has been reviewed. The results indicate that incorporation of halogen into the benzene ring is beneficial for anticancer activity.