Inhibition of MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation by Simple Diphenyl Chalcone and Its Chlorinated Derivative

Abstract

The pharmacological activities of chalcones and their derivatives are well documented. Chalcones are an important class of natural products that occur in edible plants such as spices, tea, fruits and other vegetables. In vitro studies have shown that chalcones inhibit proliferation of breast cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and blocking cell cycle progression. Substituent effects, namely, adding electron-withdrawing substituents to the chalcone structural motif, and the extents to which those changes alter the anti-proliferative ability of chalcones have not been thoroughly investigated. Herein, we examine the introduction of chlorine to the aromatic system of the chalcone and how these electron-withdrawing substituents affect chalcone’s anti-proliferative ability.