Antiproliferative and antioxidative effects of novel hydrazone derivatives bearing coumarin and chromene moiety

[inline-graphic not available: see fulltext] A series of new hybrid molecules with a hydrazone fragment were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the hydrazones 4a–c showed exchange of syn and antiperiplanar conformers around the amide bond, the more stable being the antiperiplanar one. The nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) spectra confirm E configuration around C=N bond. The tested compounds exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects against human tumor cell lines in a micromolar range (MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) tetrazolium reduction assay). Hydrazone 4a proved to be the most potent antiproliferative agent of the series. Within the antioxidant screening 8b exhibited the highest radical scavenging activity (% RSA max) and the largest rate constant for the reaction with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl.