Synthesis and biological evaluation of potent benzoselenophene and heteroaromatic analogues of ()-1-(chloromethyl)-8-methoxy-2,3-dihydro-1-benzo[]indol-5-ol (-MCBI).

A diverse series of compounds (18a-x) were synthesized from ()-1-(chloromethyl)-8-methoxy-2,3-dihydro-1-benzo[]indol-5-ol (-MCBI) and benzoselenophene or heteroaromatic acids. These new compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against the human gastric NCI-N87 and human ovarian SK-OV3 cancer cell lines. The incorporation of a methoxy substituent at the C-7 position of the -CBI unit enhances the cytotoxicity through its additional van der Waals interaction and gave a much higher potency than the corresponding -CBI-based analogues.

Synthesis and anticancer activity of benzoselenophene and heteroaromatic derivatives of 1,2,9,9a-tetrahydrocyclopropa[c]benzo[e]indol-4-one (CBI).

The current study reports the synthesis of different derivatives of benzoselenophene analogs as well as a diverse series of compounds (14a-p, 15 and 16) from 1,2,9,9a-tetrahydrocyclopropa[c]benzo[e]indol-4-one (CBI) and benzoselenophene or heteroaromatic acids. The overall yield of scaffold 12 was improved by an one-pot reaction, which helps in large-scale synthesis of CBI, a duocarmycin alkylation subunit analog. The series of compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against SK-OV3 ovarian cancer cell lines, which revealed that benzoselenophene can enhance or maintain the anticancer activity of the duocarmycin analog upon replacing the indole moiety.

Fucoidan induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in MC3 human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells.

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide present in brown algae that has been identified to exhibit multiple biological effects. In this study, the apoptotic effects of fucoidan in MC3 human mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) cells were investigated. The apoptotic effects of fucoidan on MC3 MEC cells were evaluated by cell proliferation assay, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining and western blot analysis.

Apoptotic effect of methanol extract of Picrasma quassioides by regulating specificity protein 1 in human cervical cancer cells.

In the present study, we examined the effects of methanol extracts of Picrasma quassioides (MEPQ) on apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells. The results showed that MEPQ decreased the viability and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis in HEp-2 cells. MEPQ decreased specificity protein 1 (Sp1) in HEp-2 cells, whereas Sp1 mRNA was not changed.