Multicomponent reactions have emerged as an important approach for the synthesis of diverse and complicated chemical compounds. They have various advantages over two-component reactions, including the convenience of one-pot procedures and the ability to modify the structure of agents. Here, we employed in vitro and in silico studies to explore the anticancer potential of novel aminobenzylnaphthols derived from the Betti reaction (MMZ compounds). MTT assay was used to explore the cytotoxic activity of the compounds in pancreatic (BxPC-3 cells) and colorectal (HT-29) cancer cell lines or normal human lung fibroblasts (WI-38 cells). Proapoptotic properties of two derivatives MMZ-45AA and MMZ-140C were explored using AO/EB and annexin V-FITC/PI staining. In silico studies including ADMET profiling, molecular target prediction, docking, and dynamics were employed. The compounds exhibited cytotoxic properties and showed proapoptotic properties in respective IC₅₀ concentrations. As indicated by in silico investigations, anticancer activity of MMZs can be attributed to the inhibition of ADORA1, CDK2, and TRIM24. Furthermore, compounds exhibited favorable ADMET properties. MMZs constitute an interesting scaffold for the potential development of new anticancer agents.

A short synthetic route to stereoselective access to C-glycosyl-aminoethyl sulfide derivatives has been developed through the reaction of tributhyltin derivatives of glycals with aziridinecarboaldehyde and the regioselective ring opening of a chiral aziridine with thiophenol. The absolute configurations of the resulting diastereoisomers were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Bifunctional thioureas and, for the first time, bifunctional thiosquaramides as organocatalysts were used in the asymmetric Betti reaction involving 1-, 2-naphthols and hydroxyquinoline with N-tosylimine and ketimine. The described methodology affords direct access to chiral aminoarylnaphthols in excellent yield (up to 98%) with high enantioselectivity (up to 80% ee) and enantioenriched 3-amino-2-oxindoles (up to 78% yield, up to 98% ee).