The emodin anthraquinone derivatives are generally used in traditional Chinese medicine due to their various pharmacological activities. In the present study, a series of emodin anthraquinone derivatives have been designed and synthesized, among which 1,3-dihydroxy-6,8-dimethoxyanthracene-9,10-dione is a natural compound that has been synthesized for the very first time, and 1,3-dimethoxy-5,8-dimethylanthracene-9,10-dione is a compound that has never been reported earlier. Interestingly, while total seven of these compounds showed neuraminidase inhibitory activity in influenza virus with inhibition rate more than 50 %, specific four compounds exhibited significant inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. The further results demonstrate that 1,3-dimethoxy-5,8-dimethylanthracene-9,10-dione showed the best anticancer activity among all the synthesized compounds by inducing highest apoptosis rate to HCT116 cancer cells and arresting their G0/G1 cell cycle phase, through elevation of intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, the binding of 1,3-dimethoxy-5,8-dimethylanthracene-9,10-dione with BSA protein has thoroughly been investigated. Altogether, this study suggests the neuraminidase inhibitory activity and antitumor potential of the new emodin anthraquinone derivatives.
Keywords: antitumor properties; emodin anthraquinone derivatives; influenza virus; molecular docking; synthesis.
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