Discovery and structural-activity relationship of N-benzyl-2-fluorobenzamides as EGFR/HDAC3 dual-target inhibitors for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer

Abstract

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) synergistically drive malignant progression in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In this study, a series of N-benzyl-2-fluorobenzamide derivatives (11–43) were identified as EGFR/HDAC3 dual-target inhibitors. Among them, compound 38 exhibited the most promising activity, with IC₅₀ values of 20.34 nM and 1.09 μM against EGFR and HDAC3, respectively. Molecular modeling revealed that the 2-fluorobenzamide moiety of 38 chelates with Zn2+ in the active channel of HDAC3, while the 4-fluorobenzyl group occupies the ATP-binding pocket of EGFR, exercising a dual-target binding function. In vitro experiments demonstrated that 38 exhibited superior anti-proliferative activity (IC₅₀ = 1.98 μM) against MDA-MB-231 cells compared to chidamide (IC₅₀ = 24.37 μM), inducing 74.15 % inhibition of cell migration and 57.4 % late-stage apoptosis. In vivo studies revealed that 38 (30 mg/kg/day) suppressed tumor growth by 34.78 % without significant toxicity. Collectively, 38 represents a novel dual EGFR/HDAC3 inhibitor that shows promising potential for providing new therapeutic insights into TNBC treatment.