Synthesis and In Vitro Antiproliferative Effects of New Dihydropyrano[3,2-b]Chromene Derivatives

Three-component reaction of 3-hydroxy-4H-chromen-4-one, aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile or ethyl cyanoacetate in EtOH, at reflux and in the presence of catalytic amounts of nanosized MgO has been used for the synthesis of dihydropyrano[3,2-b]chromene derivatives. A number of advantages are associated with this method such as, easy monitoring of reaction progress, convenient workup procedure and high yields. The antiproliferative effects of these compounds were tested by MTT assay on six cell lines; five cancerous (Caco-2, A549, MCF-7, HT1080, and U87) and one normal (3T3). The results revealed that some of these compounds had cytotoxicity against tested cell lines especially against Caco-2 (colorectal) cell line.