Synthesis, Anti-Cancer and Anti-Migratory Evaluation of 3,6-Dibromocarbazole and 5-Bromoindole Derivatives

In this study, a new series of -alkyl-3,6-dibromocarbazole and -alkyl-5-bromoindole derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated in vitro as anti-cancer and anti-migration agents. Cytotoxic and anti-migratory effects of these compounds were evaluated in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines and an insight on the structure-activity relationship was developed. Preliminary investigations of their anti-cancer activity demonstrated that several compounds have moderate antiproliferative effects on cancer cell lines with GI values in the range of 4.7-32.2 µM. Moreover, carbazole derivatives , , , , and inhibit migration activity of metastatic cell line MDA-MB-231 in the range of 18-20%. The effect of compounds , , and in extension of invadopodia and filopodia was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and results demonstrated a reduction in actin-based cell extensions by compounds and .