Background/aim: As part of our continuing investigation in coumarin derivatives as potential anticancer substances, a series of alkylpsoralens were synthesized, and their antiproliferative activity was evaluated in leukemic HL60 cells.
Materials and methods: Alkylpsoralens were systematically synthesized from the combination of several chloroketones and 7-hydroxycoumarin derivatives.
Results: Among the compounds synthesized, 4,4',8-trimethylpsoralen demonstrated the most potent activity (IC50=6.6 μM).
Conclusion: The correlation between the alkylation pattern and antiproliferative activity showed the importance of the C4-methyl and C8-methyl moieties in the psoralen nucleus as well as the importance of lipophilicity for their antiproliferative activity.
Keywords: HL60 cells; Linear furocoumarin; antiproliferative activity; psoralen; structure and activity relationship.
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