1. Academic Validation
  2. Simple structural modifications confer cytotoxicity to allobetulin

Simple structural modifications confer cytotoxicity to allobetulin

  • Bioorg Med Chem. 2015 Jul 1;23(13):3002-12. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.05.015.
Lucie Heller 1 Anja Obernauer 1 René Csuk 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Organic Chemistry, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 2, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
  • 2 Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Organic Chemistry, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 2, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany. Electronic address: rene.csuk@chemie.uni-halle.de.
Abstract

A variety of allobetulin derivatives was synthesized from allobetulin or allobetulone. These compounds were screened for their cytotoxic activity using a photometric SRB assay employing six different human tumor cell lines. In summary, opening of ring A of allobetulin in general lowers the cytotoxicity, but the 2,3-seco diethyl ester was highly cytotoxic and remarkable selective for A549 lung carcinoma cells while being significantly less cytotoxic for non-malignant mouse fibroblasts. The introduction of an amino group at position C-3 in the allobetulin skeleton enhances cytotoxicity and furnishes highly cytotoxic compounds. Their selectivity to distinguish between Cancer cell and non-malignant cell depends on the configuration at position C-3.

Keywords

Allobetulin; Betulin; Cytotoxicity; SRB-assay.

Figures