Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of VEGFR-2/HDAC dual inhibitors as multitargeted antitumor agents based on fruquintinib and vorinostat

Herein, a series of 4-(benzofuran-6-yloxy)quinazoline derivatives as VEGFR-2/HDAC dual inhibitors were designed and synthesized based on fruquintinib and vorinostat. Among them, compound 13 exhibited potent inhibitory activity against VEGFR-2 and HDAC1 with IC(50) values of 57.83 nM and 9.82 nM, and displayed moderate to significant antiproliferative activity against MCF-7, A549, HeLa and HUVEC. The cellular mechanism studies revealed that compound 13 arrested the cell cycle at the S and G2 phases, and induced significant apoptosis in HeLa cells. Tube formation assay in HUVECs demonstrated that 13 had a significant anti-angiogenic effect. Additionally, a molecular docking study supported the initial design strategy. These results highlighted that 13 was a valuable VEGFR-2/HDAC dual inhibitor and deserved further study for cancer therapy.