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 2 n and 2 m exhibited potent cytotoxicity against human cervix cancer(HeLa) cell line with IC 50 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 2 n can serve as an attractive candidate for the development of novel apoptosis in anticancer treatment.