10.1016/j.bmc.2009.11.037
The study reports the synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular docking studies of a series of amide-coupled benzoic nitrogen mustard derivatives as potential antitumor agents targeting EGFR and HER-2 kinases. The researchers synthesized these derivatives, which were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the autophosphorylation of EGFR and HER-2 kinases using a solid-phase ELISA assay. Compounds 5b and 5t exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity, comparable to the positive control erlotinib. Molecular docking simulations were performed to explore the binding modes of these compounds at the EGFR active site. The antiproliferative activity of the synthesized compounds was also evaluated on the MCF-7 human tumor cell line, with compounds 5b and 5t showing significant inhibitory activity in tumor growth inhibition. Overall, the study suggests that these benzoic nitrogen mustard derivatives, particularly compounds 5b and 5t, have potential as antitumor agents due to their potent inhibitory activity against EGFR and HER-2 kinases.