Discovery of hybrid dual N-acylhydrazone and diaryl urea derivatives as potent antitumor agents: Design, synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation

Article abstract of DOI:10.3390/molecules18032904

Based on the hybrid pharmacophore design concept, a novel series of dual diaryl urea and N-acylhydrazone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity by the standard MTT assay. The pharmacological results indicated that most compounds exhibited moderate to excellent activity. Moreover, compound 2g showed the most potent cytotoxicity against HL-60, A549 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 0.22, 0.34 and 0.41 μM, respectively, which was 3.8 to 22.5 times more active than the reference compounds sorafenib and PAC-1. The promising compound 2g thus emerges as a lead for further structural modifications.

Full text of DOI:10.3390/molecules18032904

Molecules 2013, 18, 2904-2923; doi:10.3390/molecules18032904
OPEN ACCESS
molecules
ISSN 1420-3049
www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
Article
Discovery of Hybrid Dual N-Acylhydrazone and
Diaryl Urea Derivatives as Potent Antitumor Agents:
Design, Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation
Xin Zhai, Qiang Huang, Nan Jiang, Di Wu, Hongyu Zhou and Ping Gong *
Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education,
School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016,
Liaoning, China
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: gongpinggp@126.com;
Tel./Fax: +86-24-2398-6429.
Received: 7 January 2013; in revised form: 19 January 2013 / Accepted: 25 January 2013 /
Published: 4 March 2013
Abstract: Based on the hybrid pharmacophore design concept, a novel series of dual diaryl
urea and N-acylhydrazone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro
cytotoxicity by the standard MTT assay. The pharmacological results indicated that most
compounds exhibited moderate to excellent activity. Moreover, compound 2g showed the
most potent cytotoxicity against HL-60, A549 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, with IC50
values of 0.22, 0.34 and 0.41 μM, respectively, which was 3.8 to 22.5 times more active
than the reference compounds sorafenib and PAC-1. The promising compound 2g thus
emerges as a lead for further structural modifications.
Keywords: diaryl ureas; N-acylhydrazone; cytotoxicity
1. Introduction
Design of single chemical compounds that simultaneously modulate multiple biological targets in a
specific manner is the current focus of new drug development and is becoming more popular. An
effective approach is to take existing individual compounds, each known to have pharmacological
structural features and high selectivity against the particular targets of interest, and combine them into
a single molecule. Sorafenib (Figure 1), a diaryl urea analogue [1], is a small molecular inhibitor of
several tyrosine protein kinases (VEGFR, PDGFR and B-Raf) [2,3] and unique in targeting the

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Raf/Mek/Erk pathway (MAPK pathway) [4], was approved by FDA for the treatment of advanced
renal cell carcinoma and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma [5,6]. PAC-1 (Figure 1), the first
preferential small molecule procaspase-3 activating compound with N-acylhydrazone pharmacophore,
is promising as a new anti-tumor drug that can directly influence the apoptotic machinery or suicide of
cells and has shown good results in mouse models [7–9].
Figure 1. Structures of sorafenib, PAC-1 and target compounds.
In an attempt to discover new antitumor agents with multiple molecular mechanisms, we combined
the diaryl urea moiety from sorafenib and N-acylhydrazone based in a hybrid pharmacophore design.
The use of thiazolyl and amido moieties as linkers has been reported in our preliminary study [10], and
the thiazolyl ring is retained in this paper for its better antitumor potency. Thus a series of diaryl urea
derivatives bearing an N-acylhydrazone moiety (Figure 1) were designed and synthesized. Various
substituted ureido-linked phenyl (Ar1) and hydrazone-linked phenyl (Ar2) groups were introduced to
explore the influence of electronic and steric effects on the anticancer activity. 2-Hydroxyl substitution
was retained for the Ar2 ring for the reason that only with the hydroxyl group on Ar2 did the PAC-1
derivatives display antitumor activity in vitro [11]. 4-and 5-Benzyloxyl groups were introduced to Ar2,
respectively, to investigate the effect of the extension of the hydrophobic region. Furthermore, Ar2 was
replaced with a substituted chromenonyl or imidazolindionyl groups, which are often associated with a
variety of biological activity, to note the effect of each discreet change on the biological activity of the
resulting compounds.
2. Results and Discussion
2.1. Chemistry
The synthesis of target compounds 1a–g, 2a–k, 3a–e and 4a–c is described in Scheme 1.
Commercially available 4-aminobenzonitrile reacted with triphosgene in dioxane at 80 °C for 24 h to
give 4-isocyanatobenzonitrile (5) as a colorless oil. Compound 5 was treated with various substituted
anilines to obtain diaryl ureas 6a–o [12], whose cyano group was reduced to a thioamide moiety using
magnesium chloride and sodium hydrogensulfide in N,N-dimethylformamide to afford the
corresponding derivatives 7a–o. Cyclization of 7a–o with 1,3-dichloroacetone in tetrahydrofuran at 50
°C readily afforded thiozoles 8a–o, which reacted with piperazine in ethanol by nucleophilic
substitution to give 9a–o. Consequently, treatment of 9a–o with ethyl chloroacetate in ethanol in the
presence of potassium carbonate and sodium iodide afforded esters 10a–o, which were turned into

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acylhydrazines 11a–o via hydrazinolysis in 80% hydrazine hydrate for 48 h. Finally, target compounds
1a–g, 2a–k, 3a–e and 4a–c were prepared via condensation of 11a–o with substituted benzaldehydes,
various aromatic aldehydes (12a–d, 13a–c or 15) as well as imidazolindiones 19a–b, respectively, and
isolated as the corresponding dihydrochlorides [7].
Scheme 1. Synthesis of target compounds 1a–g, 2a–k, 3a–e and 4a–c.
Reactions and conditions: (a) triphosgene, dioxane, 80 °C, 24 h; (b) Ar1NH2, THF, r.t.; (c) MgCl2, NaSH,
DMF, overnight; (d) ClCH2COCH2Cl, THF, 50 °C, 7 h; (e) piperazine, EtOH, r.t., 2 h; (f) ClCH2COOEt,
K2CO3, NaI, EtOH, 50 °C, 2 h; (g) 80% NH2NH2·H2O, EtOH, 50 °C, 48 h; (h) i. ArCHO, 12a–d, 13a–c or
15, EtOH, then HCl-EtOH; ii. 19a–b, HCl, EtOH, then HCl-EtOH.
As shown in Scheme 2, aryloxybenzaldehydes 12a–d and 13a–c were prepared from 2,5-(or 2,4-)
dihydroxybenzaldehyde via regioselective O-alkylation reactions with benzyl chlorides in acetonitrile
in the presence of sodium hydrogencarbonate and potassium iodide. Cyclization of m-dihydroxy-
benzene with ethyl acetoacetate in sulfuric acid at 10 °C, followed by formylation with urotropine in
glacial acetic acid and sulfuric acid in sequence, namely a Duff reaction, provided chromenealdehyde
15 as a white solid [13]. Imidazolindiones 19a–b were synthesized from substituted anilines, which
were turned into phenyl isocyanates 16a–b in a similar manner as described for compound 5.
Subsequent treatment of 16a–b with glycine methyl ester hydrochloride in the presence of triethylamine in
dichloromethane gave ureas 17a–b. Cyclization of 17a–b in the presence of concentrated hydrochloride
gave rise to 18a–b, which were further condensed with N,N-dimethylformamide dimethylacetal
(DMF-DMA) to obtain 19a–b [14].

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Scheme 2. Synthesis of intermediates 12a–d, 13a–c, 15 and 19a–b.
2907
Reactions and conditions: (a) ArCH2Cl, NaHCO3, CH3CN, r.f., 30 h; (b) ArCH2Cl, NaHCO3, CH3CN, r.f., 30 h;
(c) ethyl acetoacetate, H2SO4, 10 °C, 4 h; (d) urotropine, HOAc, 115 °C, 4 h; (e) triphosgene, dioxane, 80 °C,
24 h; (f) Glycine methyl ester hydrochloride, TEA, CH2Cl2, r.t., 1 h, 0 °C, 4 h, r.t. 1 h; (g) conc. HCl, acetone,
4 h; (h) DMF-DMA, CH3CN, r.f., 4 h.
2.2. Biological Results and Discussion
All target compounds 1a–g, 2a–k, 3a–e and 4a–c were evaluated for their cytotoxicity in vitro
against the human leukemia cell line (HL-60), human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line (A549)
and human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-
diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, taking sorafenib and PAC-1 as references. The results
expressed as IC50 values are summarized in Table 1. The IC50 values are the average of at least three
independent experiments. As listed in Table 1, phenylhydrazones 1a–g and 2a–k, with the exception of
1c and 1d, exhibited moderate to excellent cytotoxicity towards the tested cell lines with IC50 values
ranging from 0.22 to 6.0 μm. Generally, phenyl groups Ar2 substituted with chromenyl and
imidazolidinyl moieties gave rise to two series of compounds 3a–e and 4a–c with a dramatic decrease
or even a loss in antitumor potency, indicating that Ar2 was critical for the optimal activity and it is not
tolerant ofr bulky and rigid heteroaromatic rings in this region.

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Table 1. Structures and cytotoxicity of compounds 1a–g, 2a–k, 3a–e and 4a–c against
HL-60, A549 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines.
IC50 (μmol/L)
Compd.
1a
Ar1
Ar2
HL-60
A549
MDA-MB-231
ND
0.64 ± 0.12
1.9 ± 0.16
1b
1c
0.56 ± 0.04 0.78 ± 0.02
13.0 ± 0.37 0.48 ± 0.06
0.48 ± 0.02
0.26 ± 0.01
1d
1e
8.8 ± 0.31 5.1 ± 0.25
0.82 ± 0.08 1.6 ± 0.41
8.5 ± 0.44
0.92 ± 0.24
1f
1g
2a
0.63 ± 0.17 1.3 ± 0.16
6.0 ± 0.09 0.50 ± 0.04
0.55 ± 0.09 1.6 ± 0.14
0.82 ± 0.05
0.58 ± 0.03
0.73 ± 0.06
2b
0.51 ± 0.01 1.2 ± 0.05
0.73 ± 0.02
2c
2.6 ± 0.11 0.59 ± 0.02
3.8 ± 0.13 1.7 ± 0.12
0.71 ± 0.01
0.53 ± 0.02
2d
2e
2f
2.3 ± 0.11 0.49 ± 0.05
4.7 ± 0.19 2.8 ± 0.21
0.35 ± 0.02
0.48 ± 0.05
2g
0.22 ± 0.01 0.34 ± 0.01
0.41 ± 0.3

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Table 1. Cont.
IC50 (μmol/L)
A549 MDA-MB-231
Compd.
2h
Ar1
Ar2
HL-60
0.50 ± 0.004 1.8 ± 0.04
0.38 ± 0.01 0.54 ± 0.06
0.31 ± 0.14 0.96 ± 0.20
0.90 ± 0.006
0.44 ± 0.04
2.0 ± 0.12
2i
2j
2k
2.0 ± 0.11
2.3 ± 0.08
0.22 ± 0.04
3a
3b
3c
15.2 ± 0.22 17.0 ± 0.52
5.6 ± 0.36
3.8 ± 0.28
3.6 ± 0.28
3.6 ± 0.12
3.3 ± 0.25
4.0 ± 0.33
>50
6.4 ± 0.42
1.7 ± 0.15
3d
3e
4a
1.8 ± 0.07
8.9 ± 0.41
7.0 ± 0.18
4.5 ± 0.13 19.0 ± 0.57
12.0 ± 0.32 37.2 ± 0.46
4b
4c
25.5 ± 0.29 3.4 ± 0.10
13.3 ± 0.32
13.1 ± 0.37
>50
7.8 ± 0.20
Sorafenib
PAC-1
ND
1.3 ± 0.06
2.8 ± 0.10
2.7 ± 0.11
2.0 ± 0.05
4.5 ± 0.03
ND: not determined.

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Compounds with alkyl groups on the phenyl ring Ar2 (compounds 1a–g) exhibited moderate
activity, however, the introduction of 4- or 5-benzyloxyl groups to the phenyl ring Ar2 resulted in a
remarkable increase in the activity (2a–c, 2e, 2g–k). Moreover, compounds substituted with a
5-(2-fluorobenzyloxy) group (2g and 2j) exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity, especially compound
2g which displayed prominent activity with IC50 values of 0.22, 0.34 and 0.41 μM, respectively, which
were 3.8- to 20.5-fold higher than those of sorafenib and PAC-1.
As for substituents on the ureido-linked phenyl Ar1, the introduction of electron-withdrawing
substituents on Ar1 was beneficial to the improvement of cytotoxicity, and the trifluoromethoxyl group
produced the best potency. A case in point is that compound 2g with a trifluoromethoxyl group at the
meta-position of Ar1 showed more potent cytotoxicity against all the three tested cell lines than
compound 2h with no substituent. Similarly, 3b and 3d with 3-trifluoromethyl and
3,5-di-trifluoromethyl groups on Ar1, respectively, displayed potency against two or three cell lines
than 3a with no substituent, while 3e with an electron-donating 3,4-dimethyl group showed a decline
in antitumor activity against the A549 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines.
3. Experimental
3.1. Chemistry
Melting points were obtained on a Büchi Melting Point B-540 apparatus (Büchi Labortechnik,
Flawil, Switzerland) and were uncorrected. Mass spectra (MS) was taken in ESI mode on Agilent 1100
LC-MS (Agilent, Palo Alto, CA, USA). Proton (1H) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was
performed using a Bruker ARX-300 300 MHz spectrometers (Bruker Bioscience, Billerica, MA, USA)
with TMS as an internal standard. Unless otherwise noted, all the materials were obtained from
commercial available sources and were used without further purification.
3.2. 4-Isocyanatobenzonitrile (5)
4-Aminobezonitrile (100 g, 0.847 mol) was treated with excess hydrogen chloride-ethanol and the
resulting solution was evaporated to dryness. The hydrochloride salt obtained was then dissolved in
dioxane (200 mL) and added dropwise to a solution of triphosgene (125 g, 0.423 mol) in dioxane
(200 mL). The reaction mixture was heated to 80 °C and stirred for 24 h. The resulting mixture was
concentrated in vacuo and distilled under reduced pressure to give 5 (103 g, 84.4%) as colorless oil.
B.p.: 130–131 °C (15 mmHg).
3.3. General Procedure for Preparation of 1-(4-Cyanophenyl)-3-substituted Phenylureas 6a–o
To a solution of 5 (16 g, 0.111 mol) in tetrahydrofuran (100 mL) was slowly added the
corresponding substituted aniline (0.111 mol). The resulted mixture was stirred at room temperature
and the reaction was monitored by TLC. The reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo, and the
precipitated product was filtered and dried to obtain 6a–o.
1-(4-Cyanophenyl)-3-(3-fluorophenyl)urea (6a): Yield: 87.2%; ESI-MS m/z: 256.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-
Cyanophenyl)-3-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)urea (6b): Yield: 78.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 306.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-

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Cyanophenyl-3-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)urea (6c): Yield: 84.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 290.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-
Cyanophenyl)-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (6d): Yield: 80.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 306.1 [M+H]+.
1-(4-Cyanophenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (6e): Yield: 80.0%; ESI-MS m/z: 306.1 [M+H]+.
1-(4-Cyanophenyl)-3-(3-chlorophenyl)urea (6f): Yield: 88.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 272.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-
Cyanophenyl)-3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)urea (6g): Yield: 81.9%; ESI-MS m/z: 306.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-
Cyanophenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)urea (6h): Yield: 84.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 322.1 [M+H]+.
1-(4-Cyanophenyl)-3-phenylurea (6i): Yield: 79.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 238.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-Cyanophenyl)-
3-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (6j): Yield: 83.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 306.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-Cyanophenyl)-
3-(4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (6k): Yield: 80.2%; ESI-MS m/z: 340.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-
Cyanophenyl)-3-(3-methoxyphenyl)urea (6l): Yield: 83.0%; ESI-MS m/z: 268.1 [M+H]+. -(4-
Cyanophenyl)-3-(3,5-di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (6m): Yield: 82.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 373.4 [M+H]+.
1-(4-Cyanophenyl)-3-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)urea (6n): Yield: 82.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 266.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-
Cyanophenyl)-3-(3-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (6o): Yield: 83.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 340.0 [M+H]+.
3.4. General Procedure for Preparation of 4-(3-Substituted Phenylureido)benzothioamides 7a–o
To a solution of benzonitrile 6a–o (0.086 mol) in N,N-dimethylformamide (250 mL) was added
magnesium chloride (22 g, 0.109 mol) and sodium hydrogensulfide (12.2 g, 0.218 mol ). The reaction
mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then was added to 1 L water, acidified to pH 4
with dilute hydrochloric acid and filtered. The collected solid was washed with water until the filtrate
became neutral and dried to obtain 7a–o.
4-(3-(3-Fuorophenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7a): Yield: 58.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 290.1 [M+H]+. 4-(3-
(3,5-Dichlorophenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7b): Yield: 58.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 340.0 [M+H]+. 4-(3-(3-
Chloro-4-fluorophenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7c): Yield: 62.5%; ESI-MS m/z:324.0 [M+H]+. 4-(3-
(4-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7d): Yield: 60.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 340.1 [M+H]+. 4-
(3-(3-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7e): Yield: 66.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 340.1 [M+H]+.
4-(3-(3-Chlorophenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7f): Yield: 59.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 306.0 [M+H]+. 4-(3-
(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7g): Yield: 67.0%; ESI-MS m/z: 340.0 [M+H]+. 4-(3-(3-
(Trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7h): Yield: 59.2%; ESI-MS m/z: 356.1 [M+H]+. 4-
(3-Phenylureido)benzothioamide (7i): Yield: 66.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 272.2 [M+H]+. 4-(3-(2-
(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7j): Yield: 67.2%; ESI-MS m/z: 340.1 [M+H]+. 4-(3-
(4-Chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7k): Yield: 61.1%; ESI-MS m/z: 374.2
[M+H]+. 4-(3-(3-Methoxyphenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7l): Yield: 58.5%; ESI-MS m/z:302.1 [M+H]+.
4-(3-(3,5-Di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7m): Yield: 62.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 408.1
[M+H]+. 4-(3-(3,4-Dimethylphenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7n): Yield: 66.5%; ESI-MS m/z:300.3
[M+H]+. 4-(3-(3-Chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)benzothioamide (7o): Yield: 63.1%; ESI-MS
m/z: 374.2[M+H]+.

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3.5. General Procedure for Preparation of 1-(4-(4-Chloromethylthiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-substituted
Phenylureas 8a–o
Arylthioamides 7a–o (0.083 mol) were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (300 mL) and heated to 50 °C.
To the stirred solution was added 1,3-dichloroacetone (10.5 g, 0.083 mol). The reaction mixture was
stirred for 7 h. The resulting mixture was evaporated in vacuo to remove most of the solvent, cooled
and filtered off. The residue was suspended in 1 L water and the suspension was stirred and alkalinized
to pH 8 with saturated potassium carbonate solution. The precipitates was filtered, washed with water
and dried to obtain 8a–o.
1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-fluorophenyl)urea (8a): Yield: 50.3%; ESI-MS m/z:
362.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)urea (8b): Yield: 58.1%;
ESI-MS m/z: 412.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)urea
(8c): Yield: 55.3%; ESI-MS m/z: 396.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(4-
(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (8d): Yield: 53.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 412.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)
thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (8e): Yield: 50.9%; ESI-MS m/z: 412.1 [M+H]+.
1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-chlorophenyl)urea (8f): Yield: 51.2%; ESI-MS m/z:
378.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)urea (8g): Yield:
57.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 412.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethoxy)
phenyl)urea (8h): Yield: 57.6%; ESI-MS m/z: 428.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)
phenyl)-3-phenylurea (8i): Yield: 54.3%; ESI-MS m/z: 344.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-
2-yl)phenyl)-3-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (8j): Yield: 52.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 412.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-
(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (8k): Yield: 55.6%;
ESI-MS m/z: 446.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-methoxyphenyl)urea
(8l): Yield: 57.1%; ESI-MS m/z: 374.2 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3,5-
di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (8m): Yield: 52.3%; ESI-MS m/z: 480.0 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(4-(Chloromethyl)
thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)urea (8n): Yield: 50.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 372.2 [M+H]+. 1-(4-
(4-(Chloromethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (8o): Yield: 54.2%;
ESI-MS m/z: 446.0 [M+H]+.
3.6. General Procedure for Preparation of 1-Substituted Phenyl-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-
2-yl)phenyl)ureas 9a–o
To a solution of piperazine (64 g, 0.748 mol) in ethanol was added urea 8a–o in portions. The
reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h. The resulting mixture was evaporated
in vacuo to remove most of the solvent and poured into 1.5 L water. The white precipitates was
filtered, washed with water and dried to obtain 9a–o.
1-(3-Fluorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9a): Yield: 78.1%; ESI-MS
m/z: 412.3 [M+H]+. 1-(3,5-Dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9b):
Yield: 79.6%; ESI-MS m/z: 462.1 [M+H]+. 1-(3-Chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)
thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9c): Yield: 83.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 446.2 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-
3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9d): Yield: 81.0%; ESI-MS m/z: 463.2 [M+H]+.

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1-(3-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9e): Yield: 83.4%;
ESI-MS m/z: 463.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3-Chlorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea
(9f): Yield: 77.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 428.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)
thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9g): Yield: 78.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 462.1 [M+H]+. 1-(3-(Trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)-
3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9h): Yield: 80.9%; ESI-MS m/z: 478.3
[M+H]+. 1-phenyl-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9i): Yield: 83.4%; ESI-MS
m/z: 394.2 [M+H]+. 1-(2-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea
(9j): Yield: 55.6%; ESI-MS m/z: 463.2 [M+H]+. 1-(4-Chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-
(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9k): Yield: 86.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 480.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3-
Methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9l): Yield: 78.9%; ESI-MS
m/z: 424.3 [M+H]+. 1-(3,5-Di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)
phenyl)urea (9m): Yield: 79.6%; ESI-MS m/z: 530.2 [M+H]+. 1-3,4-Dimethylphenyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-
(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9n): Yield: 75.0%; ESI-MS m/z: 422.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3-
Chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (9o): Yield:
79.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 480.2 [M+H]+.
3.7. General Procedure for Preparation of Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-substituted phenylureido)phenyl)thiazol-
4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetates 10a–o
To a solution of N-substituted piperazine 9a–o (0.063 mol) in ethanol (300 mL) was added
potassium carbonate (5.2 g, 0.038 mol), ethyl chloroacetate (7.7 g, 0.063 mol) and sodium iodide (cat.).
The reaction mixture was heated to 50 °C and stirred for 2 h. The reaction mixture was concentrated in
vacuo and cooled. The product precipitated was filtered off, washed with ethanol and water, and dried
to obtain 10a–o.
Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(3-fluorophenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10a):
Yield: 87.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 498.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)ureido)phenyl)
thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10b): Yield: 88.3%; ESI-MS m/z: 548.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-
(4-((2-(4-(3-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10c):
Yield: 90.4%; ESI-MS m/z:532.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)phenyl)
thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10d): Yield: 93.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 548.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-
(4-((2-(4-(3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10e):
Yield: 92.0%; ESI-MS m/z: 548.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(3-chlorophenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-
4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10f): Yield: 89.1%; ESI-MS m/z: 514.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-
(3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10g): Yield: 87.0%;
ESI-MS m/z: 548.1 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(3-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-
yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10h): Yield: 88.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 564.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-
(3-phenylureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10i): Yield: 90.4%; ESI-MS m/z:
480.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-
1-yl)acetate (10j): Yield: 91.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 548.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(4-chloro-3-
(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10k) Yield: 91.5%;
ESI-MS m/z: 582.1 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(3-methoxyphenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)

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piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10l) Yield: 93.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 498.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(3,5-
di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10m): Yield: 95.0%;
ESI-MS m/z: 616.2 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)
piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10n) Yield: 88.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 508.3 [M+H]+. Ethyl 2-(4-((2-(4-(3-(3-chloro-
4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)acetate (10o): Yield: 88.4%;
ESI-MS m/z: 582.1 [M+H]+.
3.8. General Procedure for Preparation of 1-Substituted phenyl-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)
piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)ureas 11a–o
To a solution of ester 10a–o (0.044 mol) in ethanol (250 mL) was added 80% hydrazine hydrate
(27.7 g, 0.443 mol). The reaction mixture was heated to 50 °C and stirred for 48 h. The reaction
mixture was evaporated to remove most of the solvent. The residue was filtered off, washed with
water, and dried to obtain 11a–o.
1-(3-Fluorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea
(11a): Yield: 85.1%; ESI-MS m/z: 484.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3,5-Dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-
oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11b): Yield: 83.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 534.2
[M+H]+. 1-(3-Chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-
2-yl)phenyl)urea (11c): Yield: 88.9%; ESI-MS m/z:518.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-
(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11d): Yield: 85.3%;
ESI-MS m/z: 534.1 [M+H]+. 1-(3-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-
1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11e): Yield: 86.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 534.1 [M+H]+. 1-(3-Chlorophenyl)
-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11f): Yield: 85.1%;
ESI-MS m/z: 500.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-
yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11g): Yield: 87.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 534.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3-
(Trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)
phenyl)urea (11h): Yield: 85.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 550.3 [M+H]+. 1-phenyl-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-
oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11i): Yield: 87.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 466.2
[M+H]+. 1-(2-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-
2-yl)phenyl)urea (11j): Yield: 88.1%; ESI-MS m/z: 534.1 [M+H]+. 1-(4-Chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)
phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11k): Yield:
88.0%; ESI-MS m/z: 568.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3-Methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-
1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11l): Yield: 85.2%; ESI-MS m/z: 496.3 [M+H]+. 1-(3,5-
Di(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-
yl)phenyl)urea (11m): Yield: 84.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 602.2 [M+H]+. 1-(3,4-Dimethylphenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-
(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11n): Yield: 88.2%; ESI-MS
m/z: 494.3 [M+H]+. 1-(3-Chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-hydrazinyl-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-
1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (11o): Yield: 87.34%; ESI-MS m/z: 568.2 [M+H]+.

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3.9. General Procedure for Preparation of 5-Benzyloxy-2-hydroxybenzaldehydes 12a–d
To a solution of 2,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (50 g, 0.362 mol) in acetonitrile (500 mL) was added
substituted benzyl chloride (0.471 mol), sodium hydrogen carbonate (35 g, 0.413 mol) and potassium
iodide (cat.). The reaction mixture was heated to reflux and stirred for 30 h. The mixture was
poured into water (500 mL). The precipitates were filtered off, dried, recrystallized from methanol to
give 12a–d.
5-(Benzyloxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (12a): Yield: 53.5%; ESI-MS m/z: 227.1 [M+H]+.
5-((2-Fluorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (12b): Yield: 48.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 245.1 [M+H]+.
5-((4-Chlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (12c): Yield: 45.5%; ESI-MS m/z:261.0 [M+H]+.
5-((3-Chlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (12d): Yield: 46.9%; ESI-MS m/z: 261.0 [M+H]+.
3.10. General Procedure for Preparation of 4-Benzyloxy-2-hydroxybenzaldehydes 13a–c
To a solution of 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (50 g, 0.362 mol) in acetonitrile (500 mL) was added
benzyl chloride (60 g, 0.471 mol), sodium hydrogencarbonate (35 g, 0.413 mol) and potassium iodide
(cat.). The reaction mixture was heated to reflux and stirred for 30 h. The mixture was poured into
water (500 mL). The precipitates were filtered off, dried, recrystallized from methanol to give 13a–c.
4-((4-Chlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (13a): Yield: 49.1%; ESI-MS m/z: 260.9 [M+H]+.
4-((2,4-Dichlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (13b): Yield: 50.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 295.0 [M+H]+.
4-((3-Fluorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (13c): Yield: 49.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 245.1 [M+H]+.
3.11. 7-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-one (14)
Sulfuric acid (500 mL) was cooled below 10 °C in an ice-salt bath, and to the cooled acid was
slowly added a solution of m-dihydroxybenzene (55 g, 0.500 mol) in ethyl acetoacetate (65 g, 0.500 mol).
The reaction mixture was stirred for 4 h. The resulting mixture was poured onto cracked ice and
stirred. The precipitates were filtered off, washed with water and dried to afford 14 (67.0 g, 76.1%) as
a white solid. ESI-MS m/z: 175.0 [M+H]+.
3.12. 7-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromene-6-carbaldehyde (15)
A suspension of urotropine (20 g, 0.143 mol) in glacial acetic acid (80 mL) was heated to 40 °C and
stirred until a clear solution formed. To this solution was added 14 (5 g, 0.028 mol) in portions. The
reaction mixture was stirred for 20 min and then heated to 115 °C and stirred for another 2 h. Finally
the reaction mixture was cooled to 95 °C, 30% sulfuric acid (15 mL) was added and the reaction
continued for 1.5 h. The resulting mixture was evaporated to dryness and the dry residue obtained was
extracted with ether. The organic layer was then washed with saturated sodium hydrogencarbonate
solution, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and evaporated to dryness to afford 15 (2.2 g, 38.0%) as
a white solid. ESI-MS m/z: 205.0 [M+H]+.

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3.13. General Procedure for Preparation of Substituted 4-Substituted Phenyl Isocyanates 16a–b
To a solution of triphosgene (40 g, 0.135 mol) in dioxane (100 mL) was added substituted aniline
(0.270 mol) dropwise. The reaction mixture was heated to 80 °C and stirred for 24 h. The reaction
mixture was evaporated in vacuo to remove the solvent. The residue was distilled under reduced
pressure to give the desired phenyl isocyanates 16a–b.
1-Isocyanato-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzene (16a): Yield: 70.6%; b.p.: 90–92 °C (20 mmHg).
1-Fluoro-4-isocyanatobenzene (16b): Yield: 73.1%; b.p.: 75–77 °C (20 mmHg).
3.14. General Procedure for Preparation of Methyl 2-(3-(4-Substituted phenyl)ureido)acetates 17a–b
To a suspension of glycine methyl ester hydrochloride (16 g, 0.130 mol) in dichloromethane (150 mL)
was added triethylamine (15.6 g, 0.154 mol) dropwise. The mixture was stirred at room temperature
for 1 h and cooled below 0 °C in an ice bath. To the cold mixture was added isocyanate 16a–b
(0.118 mol) slowly. The reaction mixture was kept in an ice bath and stirred for 4 h, then another 1 h at
room temperature. The reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness, poured into water (300 mL) and
stirred. The precipitates were collected by filtration and dried to give 17a–b.
Methyl 2-(3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ureido)acetate (17a): Yield: 80.6%; ESI-MS m/z: 277.1 [M+H]+.
Methyl 2-(3-(4-fluorophenyl)ureido)acetate (17b): Yield: 77.8%; ESI-MS m/z: 227.1 [M+H]+.
3.15. General Procedure for Preparation of 3-(4-Substituted phenyl)imidazolidine-2,4-diones 18a–b
To a solution of ester 17a–b (0.044 mol) in acetone (100 mL) was added concentrated hydrochloride
(110 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred and refluxed for 4 h. The reaction mixture was evaporated
to remove most of the solvent and cooled. The precipitates were filtered off, washed by water and
dried to give 18a–b.
3-(4-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)imidazolidine-2,4-dione (18a): Yield: 66.7%; ESI-MS m/z: 245.1 [M+H]+.
3-(4-Fluorophenyl)imidazolidine-2,4-dione (18b): Yield: 61.2%; ESI-MS m/z: 195.1 [M+H]+.
3.16. General Procedure for Preparation of 5-((dimethylamino)methylene)-3-(4-substituted phenyl)
imidazolidine-2,4-diones 19a–b
Imidazolindione 18a–b (0.026 mol), N,N-dimethylformamide dimethylacetal (12 g, 0.103 mol)
were added to acetonitrile (10 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred and refluxed for 4 h. The reaction
mixture was cooled, and precipitates were filtered off, washed by acetonitrile in small portions, dried
to give 19a–b.
5-((Dimethylamino)methylene)-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)imidazolidine-2,4-dione (19a) Yield: 47.7%;
ESI-MS m/z: 277.1 [M+H]+. 5-((Dimethylamino)methylene)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)imidazolidine-2,4-dione
(19b): Yield: 52.4%; ESI-MS m/z: 227.1 [M+H]+.

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3.17. General Procedure for the Preparation of Target Compounds 1a–g, 2a–k, and 3a–e
To a solution of acethydrazide 11a–o (0.002 mol) in ethanol (10 mL) was added appropriate
benzaldehyde or the prepared aromatic aldehyde 12a–d, 13a–c or 15. The reaction mixture was stirred
and refluxed for 2 h. The reaction mixture was cooled and precipitates were collected by filtration to
obtain the crude product, which was then purified by flash column chromatography. The pure product
was dissolved in chloroform. To the solution was added excess hydrogen chloride-ethanol and stirred
for 1 h. Ether was added to the mixture above. The precipitates were filtered off and dried to afford
1a–g, 2a–k, and 3a–e as dihydrochlorides.
1-(3-Fluorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(2-hydroxy-4-methylbenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-
1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (1a). Yield: 80.1%; M.p.: 185–187 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 602.1
1
[M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.66 (s, 1H), 11.50 (s, 1H), 10.44 (s, 1H), 9.03
(s, 1H), 8.97 (s, 1H), 8.42 (s, 1H), 7.86 (d, 2H), 7.58 (d, 2H), 7.50 (d, 1H), 7.41 (s, 1H), 7.32 (dd, 1H),
7.15 (d, 1H), 7.04 (s, 1H), 6.98 (s, 1H), 6.80 (t, 1H), 3.66 (s, 2H), 3.34 (s, 1H), 3.32 (s, 2H), 3.12
(s, 1H), 2.54 (s, 6H), 2.22 (s, 3H). Anal. Calcd for C31H32FN7O3S (%):C, 61.88; H, 5.36; N, 16.30;
Found (%): C, 61.81; H, 5.42; N, 16.28.
1-(3,5-Dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(2-hydroxy-3-(2-methylallyl)benzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)
piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (1b). Yield: 76.1%; M.p.: 178–180 °C; ESI-MS m/z:
1
691.7 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.89 (s, 1H), 11.50 (s, 1H), 9.20 (s, 1H), 9.15
(s, 1H), 8.49 (s, 1H), 7.86 (m, 3H), 7.57 (m, 3H), 7.41 (s, 1H), 7.25 (d, 1H), 7.18–7.14 (m, 2H), 6.88
(t, 1H), 4.75 (s, 1H), 4.63 (s, 1H), 3.66–3.58 (m, 4H), 3.13 (s, 2H), 2.54 (s, 8H), 1.67 (s, 3H).
Anal. Calcd for C34H35Cl2N7O3S (%): C, 58.96; H, 5.09; N, 14.16; Found (%): C, 58.94; H, 5.02; N, 14.22.
1-(3-Chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-
oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (1c). Yield: 82.7%; M.p.: 231–232 °C; ESI-MS
1
m/z: 734.6 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.98 (s, 1H), 9.71 (s, 1H), 9.67 (s, 1H),
9.09 (s, 1H), 8.47 (s, 1H), 7.91 (d, 3H), 7.81 (d, 1H), 7.62 (d, 2H), 7.44 (d, 1H), 7.38–7.33 (m, 2H),
7.22 (s, 1H), 4.45 (s, 2H), 3.67 (brs, 10H), 1.41 (d, 9H), 1.28 (d, 9H). Anal. Calcd for C38H45ClFN7O3S
(%):C, 62.15; H, 6.18; N, 13.35; Found (%): C, 62.17; H, 6.11; N, 13.28.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(2-Hydroxy-6-isopropyl-3-methylbenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)
methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (1d). Yield: 77.4%; M.p.: 185–187 °C;
ESI-MS m/z: 694.5 [M−2HCl+H]+. 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.98 (s, 1H), 10.14 (s, 1H), 10.05
(s, 1H), 9.01 (s, 1H), 8.54 (s, 1H), 8.37 (s, 1H), 7.98–7.93 (m, 3H), 7.70–7.64 (m, 6H), 7.33 (t, 1H),
6.90 (dd, 1H), 4.67 (s, 2H), 4.56 (s, 2H), 3.60 (brs, 8H), 1.28 (d, 9H). Anal. Calcd for C35H38F3N7O3S
(%):C, 60.59; H, 5.52; N, 14.13; Found (%): C, 60.61; H, 5.51; N, 14.18.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(5-(tert-Butyl)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)
thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (1e). Yield: 75.1%; M.p.: 215–218 °C; ESI-MS
1
m/z: 694.4 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 12.51 (s, 1H), 11.70 (s, 1H), 10.00 (s, 1H),
9.95 (s, 1H), 8.90 (s, 1H), 7.89 (s, 3H), 7.75–7.62 (m, 7H), 7.14 (d, 1H), 6.75 (d, 1H), 4.27–4.09

Molecules 2013, 18
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(m, 2H), 3.35 (s, 1H), 3.17 (s, 4H), 3.07 (s, 2H), 2.87 (s, 4H), 2.13 (s, 3H), 1.21 (s, 6H). Anal. Calcd
for C35H38F3N7O3S (%):C, 60.59; H, 5.52; N, 14.13; Found (%): C, 60.51; H, 5.48; N, 14.16.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(2-Hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-
2-yl)phenyl)-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (1f). Yield: 70.7%; M.p.: 198–200 °C; ESI-MS m/z:
1
667.9 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 12.00 (s, 1H), 10.22 (s, 1H), 10.12 (s, 1H), 8.52
(s, 1H), 8.35 (s, 1H), 7.98–7.92 (m, 4H), 7.70–7.62 (m, 7H), 7.28 (s, 1H), 6.89 (s, 2H), 4.67 (s, 1H),
4.57 (s, 2H), 3.72 (s, 3H), 3.64 (brs, 9H). Anal. Calcd for C32H33F3N7O4S (%):C, 57.56; H, 4.83; N,
14.68; Found (%): C, 57.53; H, 4.85; N, 14.71.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(2-Hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)
phenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (1g). Yield: 78.4%; M.p.: 205–207 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 638.1
[M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.94 (s, 1H), 10.14 (s, 1H), 9.84 (s, 1H), 9.74 (d, 1H),
8.51 (s, 1H), 8.36 (s, 1H), 8.02 (s, 1H), 7.93 (d, 2H), 7.89–7.88 (m, 1H), 7.75 (d, 1H), 7.66–7.50 (m, 4H),
7.34–7.24 (m, 2H), 6.94–6.84 (m, 2H), 4.54 (s, 1H), 4.45 (s, 1H), 4.03 (s, 2H), 3.51 (brs, 8H). Anal.
Calcd for C31H30F3N7O3S (%):C, 58.39; H, 4.74; N, 15.38; Found (%): C, 58.36; H, 4.75; N, 15.36.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(5-(Benzyloxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)
thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-fluorophenyl)urea (2a). Yield: 74.9%; M.p.: 190–192 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 694.5
[M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.41 (s, 1H), 10.66 (s, 1H), 9.72 (s, 1H), 9.09 (s, 1H),
9.03 (s, 1H), 8.47 (s, 1H), 7.85 (d, 2H), 7.59 (d, 2H), 7.50 (d, 1H), 7.47–7.25 (m, 7H), 7.23–7.08 (m,
2H), 6.97 (dd, 1H), 6.85–6.77 (m, 2H), 5.04 (s, 2H), 3.64 (d, 2H), 3.31 (s, 4H), 2.52 (s, 6H). Anal.
Calcd for C37H36FN7O4S (%):C, 64.05; H, 5.23; N, 14.13; Found (%): C, 64.02; H,5.24; N, 14.09.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(5-(Benzyloxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)
thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-chlorophenyl)urea (2b). Yield: 78.3%; M.p.: 188–190 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 709.9
[M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.45 (s, 1H), 10.67 (s, 1H), 9.53 (d, 2H), 8.48 (s, 1H),
8.17 (s, 1H), 7.85 (d, 2H), 7.72 (s, 1H), 7.59 (d, 2H), 7.45–7.30 (m, 9H), 7.16 (dd, 1H), 7.04–6.90 (m,
2H), 6.86–6.80 (m, 1H), 5.04 (s, 2H), 3.64 (d, 2H), 3.32 (s, 4H), 2.54 (s, 6H). Anal. Calcd for
C37H36ClN7O4S (%):C, 62.57; H, 5.11; N, 13.80; Found (%): C, 62.55; H,5.14; N, 13.73.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(4-((4-Chlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)
methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-chlorophenyl)urea (2c). Yield: 84.4%; M.p.: 218–220 °C; ESI-MS
1
m/z: 744.1 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.80 (s, 1H), 9.76 (s, 1H), 9.72 (s, 1H),
9.67 (s, 1H), 8.41 (s, 1H), 8.26 (s, 1H), 7.93 (s, 1H), 7.90 (s, 2H), 7.71 (s, 1H), 7.63 (d, 2H), 7.46 (s,
4H), 7.31 (s, 1H), 7.30 (s, 1H), 7.02–7.01 (m, 1H), 6.59–6.54 (m, 2H), 5.11 (d, 2H), 4.51 (s, 1H), 4.45
(s, 2H), 3.58 (brs, 9H). Anal. Calcd for C37H35Cl2N7O4S (%):C, 59.68; H, 4.74; N, 13.17; Found (%):
C, 59.64; H,4.70; N, 13.13.
1-(3-Chlorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(4-((2,4-dichlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-
2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (2d). Yield: 75.2%; M.p.: 218–220 °C;
1
ESI-MS m/z: 778.0 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.82 (s, 1H), 9.78 (s, 1H), 9.74
(s, 1H), 9.70 (s, 1H), 8.27 (s, 1H), 7.94 (s, 2H), 7.91 (s, 2H), 7.71–7.70 (m, 3H), 7.66–7.59 (m, 4H),
7.50–7.45 (m, 1H), 7.31 (s, 1H), 7.30 (s, 1H), 7.04–7.01 (m, 1H), 6.61–6.56 (m, 2H), 5.15 (d, 2H),

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4.53 (s, 1H), 4.46 (s, 2H), 3.66 (brs, 9H). Anal. Calcd for C37H34Cl3N7O4S (%): C, 57.04; H, 4.40; N,
12.58; Found (%): C, 57.06; H,4.38; N, 12.51.
1-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(4-((3-fluorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-
oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (2e). Yield: 79.4%; M.p.: 209–210 °C; ESI-MS
1
m/z: 761.8 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.79 (s, 1H), 9.81 (s, 1H), 9.77 (s, 1H),
9.74 (s, 1H), 9.70 (s, 1H), 8.26 (s, 1H), 7.93–7.88 (m, 4H), 7.62 (d, 3H), 7.53 (d, 1H), 7.46–7.41 (m, 1H),
7.35 (dd, 1H), 7.29–7.25 (m, 2H), 7.20–7.14 (m, 1H), 6.61–6.55 (m, 2H), 5.15 (s, 1H), 5.12 (s, 1H),
4.50 (s, 1H), 4.45 (s, 2H), 3.52 (brs, 9H). Anal. Calcd for C37H34Cl2FN7O4S (%):C, 58.27; H, 4.49; N,
12.86; Found (%): C, 58.26; H,4.47; N, 12.89.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(4-((4-Chlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)
methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)urea (2f). Yield: 73.5%; M.p.: 227–228 °C; ESI-MS
1
m/z: 777.7 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.78 (s, 1H), 9.79 (s, 1H), 9.75 (s, 1H),
9.72 (s, 1H), 9.69 (s, 1H), 8.41 (s, 1H), 8.25 (s, 1H), 7.93–7.88 (m, 4H), 7.62 (d, 2H), 7.53 (d, 2H),
7.46 (s, 4H), 7.35 (dd, 1H), 6.59–6.53 (m, 2H), 5.12 (s, 1H), 5.09 (s, 1H), 4.49 (s, 1H), 4.43 (s, 2H),
3.53 (s, 9H). Anal. Calcd for C37H34Cl3N7O4S (%):C, 57.04; H, 4.40; N, 12.58; Found (%): C, 57.06;
H,4.47; N, 12.59.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(5-((2-Fluorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)
methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)urea (2g). Yield: 71.2%; M.p.: 165–168 °C;
ESI-MS m/z: 778.5 [M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.42 (s, 1H), 10.71 (s, 1H), 9.75 (s,
1H), 9.09 (s, 1H), 9.08 (s, 1H), 8.48 (s, 1H), 8.17 (s, 1H), 7.86 (d, 2H), 7.71 (s, 1H), 7.59 (d, 2H), 7.54
(d, 1H), 7.44–7.39 (m, 3H), 7.33–7.14 (m, 3H), 7.01–6.95 (m, 2H), 6.85 (d, 1H), 5.08 (s, 2H), 3.66 (s,
2H), 3.47 (s, 1H), 3.10 (s, 1H), 2.54 (s, 8H). Anal. Calcd for C38H35F4N7O5S (%): C, 58.68; H, 4.54; N,
12.61; Found (%): C, 58.66; H,4.59; N, 12.58.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(5-((2-Fluorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)
methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-phenylurea (2h). Yield: 78.4%; M.p.: 202–203 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 694.4
[M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.40 (s, 1H), 10.70 (s, 1H), 9.74 (s, 1H), 8.96 (s, 1H),
8.74 (s, 1H), 8.48 (s, 1H), 7.84 (d, 2H), 7.59–7.52 (m, 3H), 7.47 (d, 2H), 7.40 (s, 2H), 7.32–7.20 (m,
4H), 7.16 (d, 1H), 7.01–6.97 (m, 2H), 6.85 (d, 1H), 5.08 (s, 2H), 3.66 (s, 1H), 3.29 (s, 4H), 3.10 (s,
1H), 2.54 (s, 6H). Anal. Calcd for C37H36FN7O4S (%):C, 64.05; H, 5.23; N, 14.13; Found (%): C,
64.02; H, 5.20; N, 14.18.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(5-((4-Chlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)
methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (2i). Yield: 72.6%; M.p.: 247–249 °C;
1
ESI-MS m/z: 778.0 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 12.03 (s, 1H), 10.65 (s, 1H),
10.33–10.26 (m, 3H), 8.50 (s, 3H), 8.33 (s, 1H), 7.86 (s, 1H), 7.71 (s, 2H), 7.47 (s, 3H), 7.36–7.29
(m, 4H), 6.98 (dd, 1H), 6.89 (d, 1H), 5.06 (s, 2H), 4.67 (s, 2H), 4.52 (s, 2H), 3.92–3.32 (s, 8H).
Anal. Calcd for C38H35ClF3N7O4S (%):C, 58.65; H, 4.53; N, 12.60; Found (%): C, 58.63; H, 4.55;
N, 12.61.

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1-(4-Chloro-3-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(5-((2-fluorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)
hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (2j). Yield: 74.5%; M.p.:
165–167 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 796.5 [M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.42 (s, 1H), 10.71 (s,
1H), 9.75 (s, 1H), 9.61 (s, 1H), 9.47 (s, 1H), 8.49 (s, 1H), 8.13 (s, 1H), 7.83 (d, 2H), 7.66–7.52 (m, 6H),
7.40 (s, 2H), 7.23–7.17 (m, 3H), 6.99 (d, 1H), 6.85 (d, 1H), 5.08 (s, 2H), 3.66 (s, 1H), 3.64 (s, 1H),
3.49 (s, 1H), 3.31 (s, 1H), 3.11 (s, 2H), 2.54 (s, 6H). Anal. Calcd for C38H34ClF4N7O4S (%):C, 57.32;
H, 4.30; N, 12.31; Found (%): C, 57.33; H, 4.35; N, 12.25.
1-(3-Chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-(5-((3-chlorobenzyl)oxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinyl)-
2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (2k). Yield: 73.3%; M.p.: 194–195 °C; ESI-MS
1
m/z: 762.2 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.42 (s, 1H), 10.67 (s, 1H), 9.75 (s, 1H),
9.09 (s, 1H), 8.98 (s, 1H), 8.47 (s, 1H), 7.86–7.80 (m, 4H), 7.58 (d, 2H), 7.51 (s, 1H), 7.41 (s, 4H),
7.34 (d, 2H), 7.15 (d, 1H), 7.00–6.96 (m, 1H), 6.84 (d, 1H), 5.07 (s, 2H), 3.66 (s, 2H), 3.32 (s, 2H),
3.10 (s, 2H), 2.54 (s, 6H). Anal. Calcd for C37H34Cl2FN7O4S (%):C, 58.27; H, 4.49; N, 12.86; Found
(%): C, 58.25; H, 4.45; N, 12.92.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-((7-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-6-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)
piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-phenylurea (3a). Yield: 75.2%; M.p.: 243–245 °C; ESI-MS
1
m/z: 652.1 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 12.19 (s, 1H), 9.46 (d, 1H), 9.18 (d, 1H),
9.00 (s, 1H), 8.61 (s, 1H), 7.91 (d, 3H), 7.71 (d, 1H), 7.62 (d, 2H), 7.00–6.95 (d, 2H), 7.29 (t, 2H),
7.00–6.95 (m, 2H), 6.26 (s, 1H), 4.47 (s, 2H), 3.47 (d, 10H), 2.41 (s, 3H). Anal. Calcd for
C34H33N7O5S (%):C, 62.66; H, 5.10; N, 15.04; Found (%): C, 62.61; H, 5.13; N, 15.02.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-((7-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-6-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)
piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (3b). Yield: 71.7%; M.p.:
242–243 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 720.1 [M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 12.53 (s, 1H), 12.16 (s,
1H), 10.99 (s, 1H), 9.96 (s, 1H), 9.87 (s, 1H), 8.98 (s, 1H), 8.61 (s, 1H), 8.01 (s, 1H), 7.93 (d, 3H),
7.72 (t, 1H), 7.68–7.57 (m, 3H), 7.52 (t, 1H), 7.32 (d, 1H), 6.98–6.95 (m, 1H), 6.26 (s, 1H), 4.52 (s,
2H), 3.80 (s, 2H), 3.59 (brs, 8H), 2.41 (s, 3H). Anal. Calcd for C35H32F3N7O5S (%):C, 58.41; H, 4.48;
N, 13.62; Found (%): C, 58.43; H, 4.43; N, 13.68.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-((7-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-6-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)
piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-methoxyphenyl)urea (3c). Yield: 75.3%; M.p.: 236–238 °C;
ESI-MS m/z: 682.3 [M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 12.60 (s, 1H), 12.19 (s, 1H), 9.40 (s,
1H), 9.00 (s, 2H), 8.61 (s, 1H), 7.89 (s, 3H), 7.74 (d, 1H), 7.61 (d, 2H), 7.37 (d, 2H), 6.97 (d, 1H), 6.88
(d, 2H), 6.26 (s, 1H), 4.47 (s, 2H), 3.72 (s, 3H), 3.61 (s, 10H), 2.41 (s, 3H). Anal. Calcd for
C35H35N7O6S (%):C, 61.66; H, 5.17; N, 14.38; Found (%): C, 61.13; H, 5.14; N, 14.35.
1-(3,5-bis(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-((7-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-6-yl)
methylene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (3d). Yield: 70.1%;
1
M.p.: 225–226 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 788.3 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 12.68 (s, 1H),
10.53 (d, 1H), 10.01 (d, 1H), 8.98 (s, 1H), 8.13 (s, 2H), 8.00–7.89 (m, 4H), 7.73 (t, 1H), 7.66 (d, 3H),

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7.06–6.88 (m, 1H), 6.26 (d, 1H), 4.55 (s, 4H), 4.11–3.56 (m, 8H), 2.41 (s, 3H). Anal. Calcd for
C36H31F6N7O5S (%):C, 54.89; H, 3.97; N, 12.45; Found (%): C, 54.88; H, 3.94; N, 12.40.
1-(3,4-Dimethylphenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-((7-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-6-yl)methylene)
hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (3e). Yield: 72.2%; M.p.:
1
246–248 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 666.3 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 12.56 (s, 1H), 12.16
(s, 1H), 11.00 (s, 1H), 9.71 (d, 1H), 9.26 (d, 1H), 8.98 (s, 1H), 7.93–7.88 (m, 3H), 7.75–7.70 (m, 1H),
7.61 (dd, 2H), 7.24–7.19 (m, 2H), 7.04–6.95 (m, 2H), 6.27–6.25 (m, 1H), 4.52 (s, 2H), 3.81 (s, 2H),
3.60 (brs, 8H), 2.41 (s, 3H), 2.19 (s, 3H), 2.16 (s, 3H). Anal. Calcd for C36H37N7O5S (%):C, 63.61; H,
5.49; N, 14.42; Found (%): C, 63.58; H, 5.54; N, 14.40.
3.18. General Procedure for Preparation of Target Compounds 4a–c
Acethydrazide 11e or 11o (0.002 mol) was dissolved in 1M hydrochloride (5 mL) to obtain the
hydrochloride form. The resulting hydrochloride salt was then added to a solution of imidazolindione
19a–b (0.002 mol) in ethanol (10 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 h.
The precipitates were filtered off and dried to obtain 4a–c as dihydrochlorides.
1-(3-Chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-((2,5-dioxo-1-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)
imidazolidin-4-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)urea (4a).
1
Yield: 58.4%; M.p.: 239–241 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 822.0 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm):
10.63 (s, 1H), 9.98 (s, 2H), 9.77 (s, 1H), 8.72 (d, 1H), 8.12 (s, 1H), 7.94 (s, 1H), 7.92 (d,
J = 3.1 Hz, 2H), 7.84 (d, 2H), 7.67 (d, 2H), 7.65–7.62 (t, 4H), 6.73 (d, 1H), 4.49 (s, 2H), 3.73 (s, 2H),
3.38 (brs, 8H). Anal. Calcd for C35H30ClF6N9O4S (%):C, 51.13; H, 3.68; N, 15.33; Found (%):
C, 51.18; H, 3.64; N, 15.40.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-((2,5-dioxo-1-(4-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)imidazolidin-4-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)-2-
oxoethyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (4b). Yield: 57.8%;
1
M.p.: 205–207 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 788.0 [M−2HCl+H]+; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 10.32 (s, 1H),
9.61 (d, 3H), 8.02 (s, 1H), 7.89–7.83 (m, 5H), 7.70–7.50 (m, 9H), 7.32 (d, 1H), 4.43 (s, 2H), 3.32 (s,
10H). Anal. Calcd for C35H31F6N9O4S (%):C, 53.37; H, 3.97; N, 16.00; Found (%): C, 53.38; H, 3.94;
N, 15.92.
1-(4-(4-((4-(2-(2-((1-(4-Fluorophenyl)-2,5-dioxoimidazolidin-4-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)
piperazin-1-yl)methyl)thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (4c). Yield: 55.2%; M.p.:
200–201 °C; ESI-MS m/z: 738.2 [M−2HCl+H]+; 1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ (ppm): 11.56 (s, 1H), 10.22 (s,
1H), 9.60–9.35 (m, 3H), 8.31 (d, 1H), 8.03 (s, 1H), 7.90 (d, 2H), 7.65–7.60 (m, 3H), 7.55–7.50 (m,
1H), 7.45–7.26 (m, 5H), 6.65 (d, 1H), 4.23 (s, 2H), 3.75 (s, 1H), 3.52–2.55 (m, 9H). Anal. Calcd for
C34H31F4N9O4S (%):C, 55.35; H, 4.24; N, 17.09; Found (%): C, 55.38; H, 4.20; N, 17.12.
3.19. Evaluation of the Biological Activity
The cytotoxicity of target compounds 1a–g, 2a–k, 3a–e and 4a–c were evaluated against the A549,
MDA-MB-231 and HL-60 cell lines by MTT method in vitro, with sorafenib and PAC-1 as the

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positive controls. The cancer cell lines were cultured in minimum essential medium (MEM)
supplement with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Approximately 4 × 103cells, suspend in MEM
medium, were plated onto each well of a 96-well plate and incubated in 5% CO2 at 37 °C for 24 h. The
tested compounds at indicated final concentrations were added to the culture medium and the cell
cultures were continued for 72 h. Fresh MTT was added to each well at a terminal concentration of
5 μg/mL and incubated with cells at 37 °C for 4 h. The formazan crystals were dissolved in 100 μL
DMSO per well, and the absorbency at 492 nm (for absorbance of MTT formazan) and 630 nm (for the
reference wavelength) was measured with the ELISA reader. All of the compounds were tested twice
in the cell lines. The results expressed as IC50 (inhibitory concentration of 50%) were the averages of
two determinations and were calculated by using the Bacus Laboratories Incorporated Slide Scanner
(Bliss) software.
4. Conclusions
In summary, a novel series of dual diaryl urea and N-acylhydrazone derivatives were designed
based on the hybrid pharmacophore concept. All the target compounds were synthesized and screened
for their cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines (HL-60, A549 and MDA-MB-231) by
standard MTT assays. The pharmacological results indicated that most compounds exhibited moderate
to excellent activity. The preliminary SARs showed that both electron-withdrawing groups on Ar1 and
4- or 5-benzyloxyl groups on Ar2 are favorable for optimal cytotoxicity. Moreover, this encouraging
research provides a valuable leading compound 2g with IC50 values of 0.22, 0.34 and 0.41 μM against
tested cell lines respectively, which were 3.8 to 22.5 times more active than the references sorafenib
and PAC-1, and highlights the potential for further development of novel dual diaryl urea and
N-acylhydrazone derivatives. Studies on the mechanism of action of these compounds are in progress
and will be reported in the near future.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21002065) and
the Young Scholar Growth Plan in University of Liaoning Province (No. LJQ201107).
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