Design, synthesis, in vitro anticancer evaluation, in silico molecular docking and ADMET profiling of carbohydrate-conjugated pyridine oximes.

Herein, some new carbohydrate-conjugated pyridine oximes were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as promising anticancer agents. The synthesized compounds were characterized using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS spectroscopy. The in vitro anticancer activities of these compounds were evaluated against three cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and A549) and a normal cell line (HEK-293) using the MTT assay. Among all the synthesized derivatives, compound 25 exhibited the most potent anticancer activity, with IC50 values of 4.26 ± 0.29 μM against MCF-7, 15.90 ± 0.95 μM against MDA-MB-231 and 8.36 ± 0.47 μM against A549 cells, compared to an IC50 value of 325.82 ± 3.05 μM against non-cancerous HEK-293 cells. The in silico molecular docking studies further supported its anticancer potential, showing strong binding affinities of -10.3 and -9.5 kcal/mol with EGFR and tubulin-combretastatin A4 protein respectively. Additionally, the ADME and toxicity predictions indicated favorable physicochemical characteristics, oral bioavailability, and drug-like profiles. The synthesized carbohydrate-conjugated pyridine oximes are found as a promising class of anticancer agents and highlight compound 25 as a potential lead for further preclinical studies.