Gold-catalyzed cyclization in the synthesis of antimitotic 2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]oxepine derivatives of colchicine.

New allocolchicine derivatives bearing 2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]oxepine moiety were synthesized via gold-catalyzed cyclization as a key synthetic step. The obtained 2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]oxepine-containing allocolchicinoids possess cytotoxic activity against HEK293, PANC-1, COL0357, HeLa, and Colon26 cancer cell lines at low micromolar range of concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]