Design, synthesis, and evaluation of 3,5-disubstituted 7-azaindoles as Trk inhibitors with anticancer and antiangiogenic activities

Tropomyosin-related kinase A (TrkA) is considered a promising target in the development of a therapeutic treatment of cancer and pain. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of novel 7-azaindole-based Trk kinase inhibitors through the structure-based design strategy. By varying the functional groups at the 3 and 5 positions of a 7-azaindole scaffold, we studied the structure-activity relationships (SAR) profiles and identified a series of potent Trk inhibitors. Representative derivatives showed desirable activity in cellular proliferation and apoptosis assays. Moreover, these inhibitors exhibited noteworthy antiangiogenic activity.