Deoxyartemisinin derivatives from photooxygenation of anhydrodeoxydihydroartemisinin and their cytotoxic evaluation

J Nat Prod. 2002 Feb;65(2):184-8. doi: 10.1021/np0104065.

Abstract

Photooxygenation of anhydrodeoxydihydroartemisinin (4) followed by chromatographic separation of the reaction mixture yielded the new compounds alpha- (5) and beta-hydroperoxydeoxyartemisitene (8) and the formate ester 7, together with two previously reported compounds, 6 and 9. Reduction of 5 using polymer-bound triphenylphosphine afforded the new compound dihydrodeoxyartemisitene (10). Treatment of 10 with a catalytic amount of BF(3)-OEt(2) yielded the C(2)-symmetrical dimer bis(dihydrodeoxyartemisitene) ether (11) and two new compounds, dihydrodeoxyartemisitene methyl ether (12) and the dimer 13, as minor products. Dehydroacetoxylation of 5 using acetic anhydride in pyridine afforded deoxyartemisitene (14). The identities of the new compounds (5, 7, 8, 10-14) were deduced from their spectral data and by chemical derivatization. The stereochemistry of dimer 11 was defined on the basis of X-ray crystallographic analysis. All compounds were evaluated in vitro in the National Cancer Institute drug-screening program consisting of 60 human cancer cell lines derived from nine different tissues. Of the compounds tested, deoxyartemisitene (14) demonstrated significant cytotoxicity against a number of human cancer cell lines.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / chemical synthesis*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology
  • Artemisia / chemistry*
  • Artemisinins*
  • Breast Neoplasms
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Molecular Structure
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Oxygen / chemistry*
  • Photochemistry
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sesquiterpenes / chemical synthesis*
  • Sesquiterpenes / chemistry
  • Sesquiterpenes / isolation & purification
  • Sesquiterpenes / pharmacology
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured / drug effects

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Artemisinins
  • Sesquiterpenes
  • anhydrodihydroartemisinin
  • deoxyartemisinin
  • artemisinin
  • Oxygen