Nitrogen-containing flavonoids as CDK1/Cyclin B inhibitors: Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation

A novel series of nitrogen-containing flavonoids 5a–l, 6a,b, and 7a,b were designed and synthesized as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) inhibitors. The representative compounds 5a, 5b, 5e, and 5g showed potent CDK1/Cyclin B inhibitory activities. All compounds displayed a significant growth inhibitory action in vitro against Bel-7402, PC-3, ECA-109, A-549, HL-60, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Flow cytometry analysis showed that 5b induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells.