4-Hydroxy-6-methoxyaurones with high-affinity binding to cytosolic domain of P-glycoprotein.

A series of 4-hydroxy-6-methoxyaurones and 4,6-dimethoxyaurones has been synthesised and tested for their binding affinity toward the nucleotide-binding domain of P-glycoprotein, an ABC (ATP-Binding Cassette) transporter which mediates the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy. These compounds differ from each other by the nature of the substituent on the aurone B-ring. The binding affinity seems to be linked to the nature of the substituent, as well as to the presence or the absence of a hydroxy group at position 4.

Alkylation of 2-phenyl-4-quinolones: synthetic and structural studies.

The alkylation of 2-phenyl-4-quinolones was investigated and showed that the N-alkylation versus O-alkylation is highly dependent on whether C-5 is hydroxylated or not. N-Alkylation is favoured by the presence of a 5-hydroxyl group. The synthetic and the NMR structural studies are reported.