N-Arylsulfonylsubstituted-1H indole derivatives as small molecule dual inhibitors of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and tubulin

[Display omitted] •N-Arylsulfonylsubstituted-1H indole derivatives exhibit inhibitory activity to STAT3 phosphorylation.•These compounds exhibit higher inhibitory activity to tubulin polymerization than colchicine.•The SAR of these compounds at R1 and R′ position was investigated. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3) is a proposed therapeutic target for the development of anti-cancer agents. In this report, a series of N-arylsulfonylsubstituted-1H indole derivatives were designed and synthesized as STAT3 inhibitors, their anti-proliferative activities were evaluated against a number of tumor cells, some potent compounds exhibited IC50 values less than 10 μM. The most potent compound 4a was further confirmed to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation at Tyr705. It was further revealed that 4a arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and inhibited tubulin polymerization. This study describes a series of N-arylsulfonylsubstituted-1H indole derivatives as potent anti-cancer agents targeting both STAT3 and tubulin.