Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Docking Analysis of Novel Tetrahydrobenzothiophene Derivatives

Background: The role of retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptors in cancer development has raised the interest to develop multi-functional agents. Objective: The main purpose of this work was in silico design and synthesis of potential anticancer candidates with antioxidant effect. Methods: The compounds were designed based on their docking studies with respect to the RORγt receptor. Using the Gewald protocol, a series of new tetrahydrobenzothiophene derivatives was synthesized. The physicochemical and spectroanalytical findings, including FTIR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and mass spectroscopic techniques, verified the molecular structures of the synthesized derivatives. The anticancer and antioxidant potential of the synthesized compounds was assessed in vitro. The compounds were tested by the National Cancer Institute, USA for anticancer action towards different cell lines representing nine cancerous conditions. The antioxidant activity of compounds was assessed in vitro using the DPPH free radical scavenging method. Results: Docking analysis on RORγt receptors revealed that the test compounds have anticancer potential. Within the binding pocket of the chosen PDB ID (6q7a), RCA3 and RCA5 showed good docking scores in molecular docking studies, validating their capability of being used in rational drug design as lead compounds. Compounds showed diversified ratios of anticancer activity. RCA5 and RCA7 showed excellent antioxidant activity in reference to ascorbic acid with IC50 values of 18.71μg/mL and 20.88μg/mL. Conclusion: Cytotoxicity results very well complemented the docking scores. Compounds RCA3 and RCA5 displayed higher anticancer activity in the subpanels of leukemia, breast cancer, and lung cancer. Compounds RCA5 and RCA7 displayed potent antioxidant action comparable to ascorbic acid, while other compounds presented mild to good antioxidant behavior.