Synthesis, Structural Analysis and Cytotoxic Activity of Novel A- and B-Modified d-Homo Lactone Androstane Derivative

The d-homo androstane lactone 3β-hydroxy-17-oxa-d-homoandrost-5-en-16-one (I) was transformed through intermediate compounds 17-oxa-d-homoandrost-4-ene-3,16-dione (II) and/or 17-oxa-d-homoandrost-4-ene-3,6,16-trione (III) to 3(E),6(E)-dihydroximino-17-oxa-d-homoandrost-4-en-16-one (IV), which was characterized using analytical and spectral data. Compound IV was examined by X-ray crystallography, IR and NMR spectroscopy. Compound IV crystallized in a monoclinic system with a P21 space group. The dimensions of the unit cell are: a = 11.2815(5) A; b = 13.1512(4) A; c = 13.7145(8) A; β = 110.890(5)°. The asymmetric unit cell consists of two symmetrically independent molecules (A and B) of 3(E),6(E)-dihydroximino-17-oxa-d-homoandrost-4-en-16-one and one methanol molecule. In the molecular structure of compound IV, two molecules in the asymmetric unit are connected by O–H···N hydrogen bonds, while the crystal packing of compound IV is predominantly organized by a dense network of O–H···O hydrogen bonds, mostly involving the O atom from the methanol molecule as donor or acceptor. Derivatives I–IV were screened for antitumor activity against six human cancer cell lines and one non-tumor cell line. The d-homo androstane lactone (3β-hydroxy-17-oxa-d-homoandrost-5-en-16-one) I was transformed through intermediate compounds 17-oxa-d-homoandrost-4-ene-3,16-dione (II) and/or 17-oxa-d-homoandrost-4-ene-3,6,16-trione (III) to 3(E),6(E)-dihydroximino-17-oxa-d-homoandrost-4-en-16-one (IV) which was characterized according to the analytical and spectral data. Compound IV was examined by X-ray crystallography, IR and NMR spectroscopy. Derivatives I–IV were screened for antitumor activity against six human cancer cell lines and one non-tumor cell line.