Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-fluoroalkenyloxindole ring-fused 3-trifluoromethyloxindoles obtained from indoline-2,3-diones and difluoromethylene phosphabetaine

<p></p> <p>A wide variety of multi-substituted 3-fluoroalkenyloxindole ring-fused 3-trifluoromethyloxindoles were obtained in good yields by the reaction of indoline-2,3-diones with difluoromethylene phosphabetaine. Their biological activities against human prostate cancer cells <b>PC-3</b> and human Breast cancer cells <b>MCF-7</b> have been preliminarily demonstrated, using MTT-based assays with the commercially available standard drug Paclitaxel as a positive control. Several compounds exhibited comparable <i>in vitro</i> inhibitory activities against human prostate cancer cells <b>PC-3</b> and human Breast cancer cells <b>MCF-7</b> to Paclitaxel. These results indicate that 3-fluoroalkenyloxindole ring-fused 3-trifluoromethyloxindoles may be potential lead compounds for further biological screening.</p