A series of novel acenaphthopyrazine derivatives was synthesized from acenaphthylene-1,2-dione via three steps, including bromination, cyclization, and SNArH reaction. These new compounds exhibited potential antiproliferative activity against MCF-7 cells in vitro, and 3-[2-(dimethylamino)ethylamino]acenaphtho[1,2-b]pyrazine-8,9-dicarbonitrile exhibited the highest activity (IC 50 = 4.60 μM). DNA-binding experiments suggested that these derivatives bind to DNA through intercalation with intrinsic binding constants K all above 105 M−1. Optical property studies indicated that these compounds have long emission wavelength (λ em > 560 nm), high quantum yields in toluene (Φf = 0.59 for 3-(morpholin-4-yl)acenaphtho[1,2-b]pyrazine-8,9-dicarbonitrile), and large Stokes shift (ΔS > 130 nm).
Graphical Abstract