Anthracenyl chalcone: a promising anticancer agent-structural and molecular docking studies

This study employed computational methods to investigate the potential anticancer activity of two anthracenyl chalcone derivatives: (E)-1-(anthracen-9-yl)-3-(4-dimethylamino)naphthalen-1-yl) prop-2-en-1-one (1) and (E)-1-(9-anthryl)-3-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (2). Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations with the B3LYP/6-311 + + G(d,p) basis set optimized the molecular structures. Hirshfeld surface analysis confirmed the presence of intermolecular interactions (C-H & ctdot;O and C-H & ctdot;pi) within the crystal packing. Molecular docking simulations using Cavity-based Docking (CB-Dock) software revealed favorable binding within the active site of the target protein (PDB ID: 1M17). Compound 2 exhibited a slightly stronger binding affinity (- 10.1 kcal/mol) compared to compound 1 (- 9.2 kcal/mol), suggesting a tighter interaction. Both compounds interacted with crucial amino-acid residues (Leu 694, Phe 699, Val 702, Ala 719, Lys 721, Thr 766, Leu 768, Met 769, Pro 770, Gly 772, Cys 773, Arg 817, Asn 818, Leu 820, Thr 830, and Asp 831), including some previously identified as important for known anticancer agents targeting 1M17. These findings suggest the potential of these anthracenyl chalcone derivatives as novel anticancer agents.