everal studies have indicated the potential therapeutic outcomes of combining selective COX-2 inhibitors with
tubulin-targeting anticancer agents. In the current study, a novel series of thiazolidin-4-one-based derivatives
(7a–q) was designed by merging the pharmacophoric features of some COXs inhibitors and tubulin polymerization
inhibitors. Compounds 7a–q were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against MCF7,
HT29, and A2780 cancer cell lines (IC50 = 0.02–17.02 μM). The cytotoxicity of 7a–q was also assessed against
normal MRC5 cells (IC50 = 0.47–13.46 μM). Compounds 7c, 7i, and 7j, the most active in the MTT assay,
significantly reduced the number of HT29 colonies compared to the control. Compounds 7c, 7i, and 7j also
induced significant decreases in the tumor volumes and masses in Ehrlich solid carcinoma-bearing mice
compared to the control. The three compounds also exhibited significant anti-HT29 migration activity in the
wound-healing assay. They have also induced cell cycle arrest in HT29 cells at the S and G2/M phases. In
addition, they induced significant increases in both early and late apoptotic events in HT29 cells compared to the
control, where 7j showed the highest effect. On the other hand, compound 7j (1 μM) displayed weak inhibitory
activity against tubulin polymerization compared to colchicine (3 μM). On the other hand, compounds 7a–q
inhibited the activity of COX-2 (IC50 = 0.42–29.11 μM) compared to celecoxib (IC50 = 0.86 μM). In addition, 7c,
7i, and 7j showed moderate inhibition of inflammation in rats compared to indomethacin, with better GIT safety
profiles. Molecular docking analysis revealed that 7c, 7i, and 7j have higher binding free energies towards COX-2
than COX-1. These above results suggested that 7j could serve as a potential anticancer drug candidate