Fourteen hybrids of farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS) with various diamines were synthesized and biologically
evaluated. It was found that FTS-monoamide molecules (10a–g) displayed strong anti-proliferative
activity against seven human cancer cell lines, superior to FTS and FTS-bisamide compounds (11a–g). The
mono-amide 10f was the most active, with IC50s of 3.78–7.63 lM against all tested cancer cells, even
more potent than sorafenib (9.12–22.9 lM). In addition, 10f induced SMMC-7721 cell apoptosis,
down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 and up-regulated Bax and caspase-3. Furthermore, 10f had the
improved aqueous solubility relative to FTS. Finally, treatment with 10f dose-dependently inhibited
the Ras-related signaling pathways in SMMC-7721 cells. Collectively, 10f could be a promising candidate
for the intervention of human cancers