PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SEVERAL PYRIMIDINE DERIVATIVES AND EVALUATION OF THEIR ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITY

Abstract: This study included the preparation of several hexagonal rings derived from pyrimidines. Alpha-beta-unsaturated compounds were prepared by reacting 4-methyl thiazole-5-carbaldehyde with acetophenone substitutes. This step was considered the nucleus for the preparation of hexagonal rings. Then, the alpha-beta-unsaturated compounds were treated with several reagents to obtain pyrimidine derivatives in equal molar ratios. They reacted with urea to form 2-oxopyrimidine and with thiourea to form 2-thiopyrimidine. In the final step, they were reacted with cyanoguanidine to form 2-cyanamide pyrimidine. The catalyst in all cases was sodium hydroxide, and the solvent was ethanol. Physical and spectroscopic techniques, including infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of protons and carbons, were used to confirm the compounds’ structures. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used to monitor the reaction progress and determine melting points and purity. Two bacterial isolates, one Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and one Gram-negative (Escherichia coli), were used to study the effects of several of the produced chemicals on their growth. Several synthesized compounds had strong inhibitory efficacy against the examined microorganisms, while the antibiotic amoxicillin was a control. Furthermore, the prepared compounds (MC7, MC15, and MC19) were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) in vitro. These cells were treated with six concentrations (50, 100, 200, and 400) µg/ml. The results showed a dose-dependent cellular response, where the survival rate of cancer cells decreased with increasing concentration (P≤0.0001). In contrast, normal cells were affected to a lesser extent, indicating the possibility of the compounds’ selectivity against cancer cells.