Abstract A series of symmetrical and unsymmetrical 1, 4-dihydropyridines were synthesized by a rapid, single pot microwave irradiation (MWI) based protocol along with conventional approach and characterized by NMR, IR and mass spectroscopic techniques. The compounds were evaluated for their tumor cell cytotoxicity in HL-60 tumor cells. A 3D-QSAR study using CoMFA and CoMSIA was carried out to decipher the factors governing MDR ...