Synthesis of alkylphosphonates, a new class of antineoplastic agents.

Three different phosphonate analogues of hexadecylphosphocholine, a representative of a new class of antineoplastic agents, were synthesized. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds have been devised to contain only one cleavage point for either phospholipase C or phospholipase D. These structural features should allow an examination of the importance of these enzymes for the antineoplastic activities of alkylphosphocholines.