Design, synthesis and docking studies of novel 1,2-dihydro-4-hydroxy-2-oxoquinoline-3-carboxamide derivatives as a potential anti-proliferative agents.

A new series of 4-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide hybrids 8a-l have been designed and synthesized using peptide coupling agents with substituted N-phenyl piperazines and piperidines with good to excellent yields. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anti-proliferative activity against PANC 1, HeLa and MDA-MB-231. The compounds 8d, 8e, 8f, 8g, 8h and 8k exhibited considerable anti-proliferative activity with GI values ranging from 0.15 to 1.4 μM. The structure and anti-proliferative activity relationship was further supported by in silico molecular docking study of the active compounds against tubulin protein.