A series of 6-amidinobenzothiazoles, linked via phenoxymethylene or directly to the 1,2,3-triazole ring with a
p
-substituted phenyl or benzyl moiety, were synthesised and evaluated
in vitro
against four human tumour cell lines and the protozoan parasite
Trypanosoma brucei
. The influence of the type of amidino substituent and phenoxymethylene linker on antiproliferative and antitrypanosomal activities was observed, showing that the imidazoline moiety had a major impact on both activities. Benzothiazole imidazoline
14a
, which was directly connected to
N
-1-phenyl-1,2,3-triazole, had the most potent growth-inhibitory effect (IC
50
= 0.25 µM) on colorectal adenocarcinoma (SW620), while benzothiazole imidazoline
11b
, containing a phenoxymethylene linker, exhibited the best antitrypanosomal potency (IC
90
= 0.12 µM). DNA binding assays showed a non-covalent interaction of 6-amidinobenzothiazole ligands, indicating both minor groove binding and intercalation modes of DNA interaction. Our findings encourage further development of novel structurally related 6-amidino-2-arylbenzothiazoles to obtain more selective anticancer and anti-HAT agents.
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