Application of Suzuki arylation, Sonogashira ethynylation and Rosenmund–von Braun cyanation in the exploration of substitution effects on the anticancer activity of 2-aroylquinolines

A variety of functionalities were introduced at 2-aroylquinoline's C5 position, which is considered equivalent to C-3' of the B-ring of CA4, via Suzuki arylation, Sonogashira ethynylation, and Rosenmund-von Braun cyanation. These substitutions are rarely utilized in the modification of 3'-OH of CA4. The resulting products 6 and 7 having cyano and ethynyl groups exhibited comparable antiproliferative and tubulin inhibitory activities to colchicine.