A comparative evaluation of monomethoxy substituted o-diarylazoles as antiproliferative microtubule destabilizing agents

Monomethoxy substituted o-diarylazoles with isoxazole, triazole, pyrazole, or pyrrole linkers were synthesized and evaluated for antimitotic antitubulin activity in a sea urchin embryo model. Structure–activity relationship study revealed that only isoxazole heterocycle together with the unsubstituted phenyl ring next to the heteroatom endowed the molecule with appropriate configuration to exhibit antiproliferative effect by microtubule destabilizing mode of action.