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A group of podophyllotoxin (PPT) derivatives ( 7a – j ) were synthesized by conjugating aryloxyacetanilide moieties to the 4′-hydroxyl of 4′-demethyl-4-deoxypodophyllotoxin (DDPT), and their anticancer activity was evaluated. It was found that the most potent compound 7d inhibited the proliferation of three cancer cell lines with sub to low micromolar IC 50 values. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that 7d induced cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase in MGC-803 cells, and regulated the expression of cell cycle check point proteins, such as cyclin A, cyclin B, CDK1, cdc25c, and p21. Finally, 4 mg/kg of 7d reduced the weights and volumes of HepG2 xenografts in mice. Our findings suggest that 7d might be a potential anticancer agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Because prior studies have shown inconsistency between structure–activity relationships for podophyllotoxin derivatives as topoisomerase II inhibitors and cytotoxic agents, eight novel podophyllotoxin analogs were synthesized to further explore the effects of structural variations on both A and D rings on activity. The new compounds contain a 4,5-dimethoxy substituted A ring and opened D-ring variants and were prepared by appropriate functional and stereochemical operations at the methylenedioxy group, C7, C8, and C8′. Four compounds (15, 18, 21 and 22) demonstrated noticeable inhibitory activity against A549, DU145, KB and KBvin tumor cells, and the most active compound 18 showed IC50 values less than 10μg/mL. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]