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A new series of compounds planned by molecular hybridization of the nucleobases uracil and thymine, or the xanthine theobromine, with coumarins, and linked through 1,2,3-triazole heterocycles were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against the human tumor cell lines: colon carcinoma (HCT116), laryngeal tumor cells (Hep-2), and lung carcinoma cells (A549). The hybrid compound 9a exhibited better activity in the series, showing an IC50 of 24.19 ± 1.39 μM against the HCT116 cells, with a selectivity index (SI) of 6, when compared to the cytotoxicity against the non-tumor cell line HaCat. The in silico search for pharmacological targets was achieved through molecular docking studies on all active compounds, which suggested that the synthesized compounds possess a high affinity to the Topoisomerase 1–DNA complex, supporting their antitumor activity. The in silico toxicity prediction studies suggest that the compounds present a low risk of causing theoretical mutagenic and tumorigenic effects. These findings indicate that molecular hybridization from natural derivative molecules is an interesting approach to seek new antitumor candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the synthesis of seleno-substituted chromenes from selenoalkynes and phenols. In this cascade reaction, the applied gold catalyst not only functions as a p-acid, but also as a Lewis acid, enabling the propargylic substitution in the first step to connect the oxygen carbon bond. Under the optimal reaction condition a total of 26 chromenes were accessible by this modular access. During scale up experiments, the hydrolysis of the vinylselenium substructure to the corresponding chromenones was observed. By revisiting the electron-rich starting materials, four chromenones were produced following a one-pot reaction using a single gold catalyst. To better understand the interaction of gold and selenium, a series of nuclear magnetic resonance studies and high-resolution mass spectrometry studies were performed, which led to the proposal of a mechanism for this transformation., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)