Synthesis and antiproliferative evaluation of novel biheterocycles based on coumarin and 2-aminoselenophene-3-carbonitrile unit

A series of novel coumarins with 2-amino-3-cyanoselenophen-5-yl unit on C-3 have been synthesized. These compounds prepared easily at room temperature, in a short time and in high yield. The importance of biheterocyclic units as dominant structural motif of coumarin derivatives has been well recognized. Anti-cancer activity screening on MCF-7 cell line allowed identification of 2-amino-5-(6-bromo-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)selenophene-3-carbonitrile with the highest level of cytotoxic activity with mean IC₅₀ and cLogP (partition co-efficient) values 10.84 µM and 3.18, respectively. The most radical scavenging compound was also recognized. Graphic abstract: