Novel benzofuran–1,3,4-thiadiazole aryl urea hybrids as dual VEGFR-2/BRAF inhibitors: anticancer activity, apoptosis induction, and molecular modeling studies

The development of dual-directed anticancer agents has emerged as an effective strategy to simultaneously modulate tumor proliferation and angiogenesis while overcoming resistance associated with single-target therapies. In the present study, a novel series of benzofuran-based aryl urea derivatives incorporating a 1,3,4-thiadiazole linker were designed as dual VEGFR-2/BRAFWT inhibitors using sorafenib as a pharmacophoric template. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds against cervix HeLa, prostate PC-3, colon HCT-116, and breast MCF-7 cancer cell lines was evaluated. Most derivatives showed variable activity, with 5-bromobenzofuran analogues displaying superior potency. Compound 7j emerged as the most active analogue, with IC50 values of 7.83–13.27 μM and reduced toxicity toward normal lung fibroblast WI-38 cells. Enzymatic assays revealed potent dual inhibition of VEGFR-2 and BRAFWT by 7j (IC50 = 0.044 and 0.071 μM, respectively), outperforming sorafenib and vemurafenib. Mechanistic studies showed that 7j induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and promoted apoptosis in HeLa cells. This effect was associated with upregulation of BAX, p53, and caspase-9, downregulation of Bcl-2, and activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Additionally, in silico studies including molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated stable ligand–target interactions and favorable binding modes of 7j across both VEGFR-2 and BRAF, supporting the proposed hybrid design strategy. Overall, compound 7j represents a promising dual VEGFR-2/BRAFWT inhibitor and highlights benzofuran-based scaffolds as valuable platforms for anticancer drug development.