Benzimidazolyl-Phenylpropenones Synthesized and Evaluated for Selective Anticancer Activity in Prostate Colon and Breast Tumor Models

In this study, benzimidazolyl–phenylpropenone derivatives ( 3a–h ) were synthesized and fully characterized using ¹ H, ¹³ C NMR spectroscopy and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS). Their in vitro anticancer activity was evaluated against human cancer cell lines, including prostate (PC3), colon (CaCo2 and HCT-116), and breast (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) tumors, alongside normal human skin fibroblasts. All compounds demonstrated promising cytotoxic activity against the cancer cell lines, with IC ₅₀ values ranging from 1.78 to 8.83 µM. Toxicity toward normal fibroblasts was moderate, with IC ₅₀ values between 3.23 and 8.02 µM. Compared with reference compounds Roscovitine and Paclitaxel (Taxol®), several derivatives showed higher activity than Roscovitine, though generally less potent than Paclitaxel.These findings position benzimidazolyl–phenylpropenones as promising scaffolds for the development of novel anticancer agents.