Efficient synthesis of isobenzofuran-1(3H)-ones (phthalides) and selected biological evaluations

A phthalide derivative isolated from endophytic fungi Pestalotiopsis photiniae induces G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human HeLa cells

MP [4-(3′,3′-dimethylallyloxy)-5-methyl-6-methoxyphthalide] was obtained from liquid culture of Pestalotiopsis photiniae isolated from the Chinese Podocarpaceae plant Podocarpus macrophyllus. MP significantly inhibited the proliferation of HeLa tumor cell lines. After treatment with MP, characteristic apoptotic features such as DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation were observed in DAPI-stained HeLa cells. Flow cytometry showed that MP induced G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Western blotting and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to investigate protein and mRNA expression. MP caused significant cell cycle arrest by upregulating the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27^KIP1 protein and p21^CIP1 mRNA levels in HeLa cells. The expression of p73 protein was increased after treatment with various MP concentrations. mRNA expression of the cell cycle-related genes, p21^CIP1, p16^INK4a and Gadd45α, was significantly upregulated and mRNA levels demonstrated significantly increased translation of p73, JunB, FKHR, and Bim. The results indicate that MP may be a potential treatment for cervical cancer.

Synthesis of 1,4-dihydro-benzo[d][1,3]oxazin-2-ones from phthalides via an aminolysis-Hofmann rearrangement protocol

A simple two-step procedure for the conversion of readily available phthalides to the corresponding benzoxazinones was developed. Initial ring-opening aminolysis to form a primary 2-hydroxymethylbenzamide, followed by reaction with bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodobenzene (BTI) conveniently provided a variety of 4-substituted benzoxazinones.