Synthesis and Antitumor Activity of 4-tert-Butyl-5-benzyl-2-benzyliminothiazoles

A series of novel Schiff bases including 4-tert-butyl-5-benzyl-2-benzyliminothiazoles was synthesized by reacting the aromatic aldehydes with the corresponding 2-aminothiazoles.The antitumor bioassay revealed that compounds 2n and 2m exhibited potent cytotoxicity against human cervix cancer（HeLa） cell line with IC50 values of 0.001 and 0.007 mmol/L,respectively.The preliminary structure-activity relationship（SAR） investigations and the apoptosis evaluation suggest that 4-tert-butyl-5-benzyl-2-benzyliminothiazoles may be a satisfactory backbone for antitumor activity,and compound 2n can serve as an attractive candidate for the development of novel apoptosis in anticancer treatment.