Synthesis and biological evaluation of 1-phenyl-1,2,3,4-dihydroisoquinoline compounds as tubulin polymerization inhibitors

A series of 1-phenyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline derivatives and several 1-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline, 1-phenyl-isoquinoline analogues were synthesized, and their cytotoxicity and tubulin polymerization inhibitory activity were evaluated. The 1-phenyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline compounds were found to be potential tubulin polymerization inhibitors. Compound 5n, bearing a 3'-OH and 4'-OCH(3) substituted 1-phenyl B-ring, was shown to confer optimal bioactivity. The single-crystal structure of 5n was further determined by X-ray diffraction, and the binding mode of 5n to tubulin was obtained by molecular docking, which can explain the structure-activity relationships. The studies presented here provide a new structural type for the development of novel antitumor agents.