Diversity-oriented rapid assembly of mercapto-1,2,4-triazoles and quinolines and exploring their cytotoxic activity for prostate and breast cancer cell lines

A series of mercapto-1,2,4-triazole–quinoline hybrids (7a–7m) was designed, synthesized and evaluated for anticancer activity against DU-145 (prostate cancer) and MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer) cell lines. Compound 4-((5-benzyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)-7-chloroquinoline (7c) showed notable potency with an IC₅₀ value of 17.91 ± 2.1 μM against DU-145 cells highlighting the promise of these hybrids in developing innovative therapeutic strategies to combat cancer effectively. In-silico molecular docking studies further elucidated the binding interactions of the most active compound, supporting their potential as promising anticancer agents.