Abstract: Compounds and methods suppressing aromatase activity expression in cancer cells. Provided are compounds are those of formula I: wherein R1 may be alkyl, cycloalkyl, haloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, haloaryl, alkoxy, alkylaryl, and arylalkyl; R2 is H, alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, arylalkyl, and cycloalkyl; R3, with the base nitrogen, forms an amide or sulfonamide; R4 is selected from nitro, amine, amide, and benzamide; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof Also provided are small molecule selective aromatase inhibitors having a molecular weight of less 500 g/mol. In some embodiments, the small molecule selective aromatase inhibitors described herein have a molecular weight of less than 450 g/mol. Also provided are methods for suppressing aromatase activity expression in cancer cells comprising the step of administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of a small molecule aromatase inhibitor to a subject in need of such treatment. In one embodiment, the cancer cells are breast cancer cells.