2,4-Diamino-9H-pyrimido[4,5-b]indol-5-ols: synthesis, in vitro cytotoxic activity, and QSAR investigations.

A series of novel 2,4-diaminopyrimido[4,5-b]indol-6-ols has been synthesized and the in vitro cytotoxic activities were evaluated against four human cancer cell lines originating from solid tumors. An increase in activity was observed when a heteroaromatic ring was annulated on side g of the pyrimido[4,5-b]indole system to give compounds with activities comparable to ellipticine and cisplatin. To understand the experimental cytotoxic activities, QSAR investigations were performed, which showed a very good linearity between the experimental and predicted IC(50).