Synthesis and antitumor activity of some nitrogen heterocycles bearing pyrimidine moiety

Synthesis of novel pyrimidine derivatives 4‐16 was accomplished by heterocyclization of polarized system, for example, Chalcone. Claisen‐Schmidt condensation of 2‐acetyl naphthalene with 4‐(N, N‐dimethylaminobenzaldehyde) afforded chalcone 3, which was utilized for synthesis various pyrimidine derivatives by treatment with urea, thiourea, and guandine hydrochloride in ethanolic sodium hydroxide solution. The reactivity of the synthesized pyrimidine derivatives towards different nucleophilic and electrophilic reagent were examined. The constructions of the newly synthesized pyrimidine derivatives were elucidated from their spectral and elemental analysis. All the synthesized compounds were tested in vitro for their anticancer activities against HePG‐2 and MCF‐7 cell lines. Some of them posses a wide range of pharmacological activity. Finally, a molecular docking study was conducted to reveal the probable interaction with the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) active site.