Synthesis of Antitumor Carbazole-Amonafide Structural Hybrids

A facile synthesis of new antitumor [4,5‐bc]carbazole‐amonafide derivatives is described. These compounds represent a new class of structural hybrids that contain the medicinally important carbazole and amonafide cores. The synthesis involves a Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of bromoamonafide with arylboronic acid reagents followed by the introduction of an azide group and subsequent regiospecific thermal nitrene insertion to yield carbazole‐amonafide hybrids in good yields. Preliminary antiproliferative assays against cancer and benign cell lines identified compounds with selective antitumor activity that exhibited submicromolar IC50 values. A facile synthesis of new [4,5‐bc]carbazole‐amonafide derivatives with selective antitumor activity is described. This new class of structural hybrids contains the medicinally important carbazole and amonafide cores.