A series of 2-phenyl-5-nitrobenzimidazoles substituted at the para positon of the 2-phenyl moiety was synthesized ＆ evaluated for their activity to inhibit topoisomerase I. The structure-activity relationship study revealed that neither the electronic nor lipophilic parameters were related to the topoisomerase I inhibition. A strict spatial requirement seems to be present for retention of topoisomerase I inhibition activity.