Synthesis and antineoplastic activity of 2-alkylaminoethyl derivatives of various steroidal oximes.

Various steroidal oxime ether derivatives in androstene and estrane series have been synthesized and evaluated for the antineoplastic activity at National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. O-alkylation of the oximes by various alkylaminoethyl halides gave the oxime ether derivatives. The 17alpha-ethynylandrostene derivatives 29 (DPJ-684), 30 (DPJ-685), 31 (DPJ-686) and estrane derivatives 35 (DPJ-531) and 36 (DPJ-532) were among the small percentage of compounds, which have been screened by NCI for in vivo hollow fiber assay by virtue of their activity against one or more human tumour cell lines in 60 cell line in vitro prescreen. The preliminary in vivo reports of hollow fiber assays have been referred to the Biological Evaluation Committee for Cancer Drugs for considering these compounds for further detailed in vivo testing.