Furoxan-piplartine hybrids as effective NO donors and ROS inducers in PC3 cancer cells: design, synthesis, and biological evaluation.

Conjugation of the naturally occurring product piplartine (PPT, 1), which is a potent cytotoxic compound and ROS inducer, with a diphenyl sulfonyl-substituted furoxan moiety (namely, 3,4-bis(phenylsulfonyl)-1,2,5-oxadiazole-2-oxide), an important type of NO donor, an ether linker of different chain lengths is described, characterized and screened for the anticancer potential. The cytotoxicity of the new hybrids was evaluated on a panel of human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, PC3 and OVCAR-3) and two non-cancer human cells (MCF10A and PNT2). In general, the synthesized hybrids were more cytotoxic and selective compared to their furoxan precursors 4-6 and PPT in the above cancer cells.

Exploitation of a tuned oxidation with N-haloimides in the synthesis of caulibugulones A-D.

Marine alkaloids caulibugulones A-D were synthesized in six steps starting from the readily available 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde. Pomeranz-Fritsch reaction of N-(2,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-N-(2,2-dimethoxyethyl)-2-nitrobenzenesulfonamide proceeded smoothly to give 5,8-dimethoxyisoquinoline, which was oxidized to isoquinolinediones by a tunable oxidation reaction with N-haloimides. Therefore, NBS furnished direct conversion to the isoquinoline-5,8-dione; alternatively, N-haloimides of cyanuric acid provided both oxidation and halogenation generating 6,7-dihaloisoquinoline-5,8-diones.