Anthracene appended organotin (IV) compounds: Synthesis, structure elucidation and their cytotoxicity against A549 and RBL cancer cell lines

Two new anthracene Schiff base triorganotin (IV) compounds trimethylstannyl(E)-4-((anthracen-9-ylmethylene)amino)benzoate (1) and triphenylstannyl(E)-4-((anthracen-9-ylmethylene)amino)benzoate (2) were synthesized by mixing trimethylstannyl (or triphenylstannyl) 4-aminobenzoate and 9-anthraldehyde in anhydrous toluene under refluxing conditions. Elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 119Sn NMR and ESI-MS were used to determine the composition of the compounds. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed the structural details of the compounds. The in vitro cytotoxicity assessment of these compunds was screened against human A-549 (lung carcinoma) and rat RBL (leukemia) cancer cell lines. Both compounds displayed a pronounced in vitro cytotoxic effect on the subjected cancer cell lines. Notably, the proliferation of A-549 cells experienced substantial inhibition in the presence of compound 2. The mode of interaction with Hsp90 and NF-κB p65 proteins responsible for cancer propagation was also assessed by molecular docking. Compounds 1 and 2 bind to the Hsp90 protein with binding energies of −307.65 and −373.45 kcal/mol, respectively, while to NF-κB p65 protein the binding energies are of −329.35 and −395.35 kcal/mol, in the same order. Compound 2 exhibited a significantly high binding affinity to NF-κB p65 and Hsp90 proteins validating our experimental findings from the in vitro experiments. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.