Cerric ammonium nitrate catalyzed eco-friendly green synthesis of chitosan Schiff base using PEG-400 as an anticancer agent against gastric cancer cells via inhibiting EGFR

Abstract

The present study was conducted to scrutinize the pharmacological effect of oxazole-embedded Chitosan as an anticancer agent against gastric cancer cells. This compound was synthesized using the classical Schiff base reaction but utilizing the novel green chemical process where cerric ammonium nitrate (CAN) was used as a catalyst in the PEG-400 as solvent media. The target compound was obtained with an excellent yield at the catalyst loading of 5% CAN concentration in 15 min. The Kinase-Glo Plus luminescence kinase assay kit was used to determine the EGFR inhibitory activity of compound 1 where it showed potent activity with IC50 of 2.14 µM. Its effect was also determined on the cellular viability of the Human gastric cancer cell line (SGC7901), liver cancer cell line (HepG2), and lung cancer cell line (A549), where it exhibits potent activity against SGC7901. The compound further showed the concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on migration and invasion of SGC7901. In RT-qPCR analysis, the compound showed induction of apoptosis of SGC7901 cells possibly by restoring the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax near to normal, and inhibition of the mRNA expression of EGFR in a concentration-dependent manner. KEY WORDS: Schiff base, Chitosan, EGFR, mRNA, apoptosis, Bcl-2 Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2024, 38(4), 1091-1101. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v38i4.22