Potential cytotoxic and selective effect of new benzo[b]xanthenes against oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Aim: The current work shows a new synthetic methodology to obtain 21 naphthoquinones that have been evaluated against oral cavity cancer. The compounds were obtained by a three-component reaction involving lawsone, dimedone and aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by lithium chloride under microwave irradiation to produce families of 1,4- and 1,2-naphthoquinones.

Results: A clonogenic assay was performed on SCC9 cell line cultures with all compounds, revealing five very active compounds.