Synthesis of novel 7-oxo and 7-hydroxy trifluoroallocolchicinoids with cytotoxic effect

Assessment of antioxidant, antitumor and pro-apoptotic effects of Salvia fruticosa Mill. subsp. thomasii (Lacaita) Brullo, Guglielmo, Pavone & Terrasi (Lamiaceae)

The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant and antitumor effects of Salvia fruticosa Mill subsp. thomasii (Lacaita) Brullo, Guglielmo, Pavone & Terrasi (Lamiaceae). The aerial parts were extracted by maceration with methanol. This extract was partitioned with methanol and n-hexane. Luteolin, luteolin 7-O-glucoside, rutin and salvigenin were isolated from the methanol-soluble fraction. n-Hexane fraction showed viridiflorol, β-pinene, 1,8-cineole, as main components. The methanol-soluble fraction exerted antitumor activity against human breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and human colorectal carcinoma (RKO and Caco-2) cells. TUNEL test revealed that S. fruticosa subsp. thomasii leads to cells death by apoptosis, with low cytotoxic effects on non-tumoral 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, it exerted the highest protection of lipid peroxidation and reduced the oxidative stress induced by menadione treatment in 3T3-L1 murine fibroblasts. S. fruticosa subsp. thomasii bioactivity could promote its use not only as food but also in nutraceutical/pharmaceutical industries.

Synthesis and cytostatic properties of polyfunctionalized furanoallocolchicinoids

A series of furan-based allocolchicinoids was prepared from commercially available colchicine via a nine-step reaction sequence. Cytostatic activity, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, tubulin and F-actin expression were studied in vitro in 2D and 3D cultures of normal and tumor epithelial keratinocytes, endothelial and mesenchymal cells. Among the prepared furanoallocolchicine analogues, 14a and 7a displayed the most pronounced anti-cancer activity. These compounds induced two types of effects: (a) cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase as a direct consequence of effective tubulin binding (metaphase effect), and (b) pronounced cell stress (as evidenced by the overexpression of tubulin and F-actin), which was caused by the hyperpolarization of mitochondrial and lysosomal membranes (interphase effect).

3-(Dipropylamino)-5-hydroxybenzofuro[2,3-f]quinazolin-1(2H)-one (DPA-HBFQ-1) plays an inhibitory role on breast cancer cell growth and progression

A series of unknown 3-(alkyl(dialkyl)amino)benzofuro[2,3-f]quinazolin-1(2H)-ones 4-17 has been synthesized as new ellipticine analogs, in which the carbazole moiety and the pyridine ring were replaced by a dibenzofuran residue and a pyrimidine ring, respectively. The synthesis of these benzofuroquinazolinones 4-17 was performed in a simple one-pot reaction using 3-aminodibenzofuran or its 2-methoxy derivative, as starting materials. From 3-(dipropylamino)-5-methoxybenzofuro[2,3-f] quinazolin-1(2H)-one (13), we prepared 3-(dipropylamino)-5-hydroxybenzofuro[2,3-f]quinazolin-1(2H)-one (18), referred to as DPA-HBFQ-1. The cytotoxic activities of all the synthesized compounds, tested in different human breast cancer cell lines, revealed that DPA-HBFQ-1 was the most active compound. In particular, the latter was able to inhibit anchorage-dependent and -independent cell growth and to induce apoptosis in estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-positive and -negative breast cancer cells. It did not affect proliferation and apoptotic responses in MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cells. The observed effects have been ascribed to an enhanced p21(Cip1/WAF1) expression in a p53-dependent manner of tumor suppressor and to a selective inhibition of human topoisomerase II. In addition, DPA-HBFQ-1 exerted growth inhibitory effects also in other cancer cell lines, even though with a lower cytotoxic activity. Our results indicate DPA-HBFQ-1 as a good candidate to be useful as cancer therapeutic agent, particularly for breast cancer.

Synthesis of indole-derived allocolchicine congeners exhibiting pronounced anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing properties

The synthesis and biological assessment of indole-based allocolchicine congeners with potent anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing activity are reported.

An efficient combinatorial synthesis of allocolchicine analogues via a triple cascade reaction and their evaluation as inhibitors of insulin aggregation

A controlled cascade: A divergent, diastereoselective and efficient one-pot synthesis of allocolchicinoids via a cascade Suzuki-Michael addition-Carbocyclization sequence is described. The utility of the compounds as possible inhibitors of insulin aggregation is also presented.