On the formation of steroidal amidoesters of 4-[N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]benzoic acid and their cytotoxic activity.

The 4-[N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]benzoate of 17beta-acetamido-5alpha-androstan-3beta-ol, 17beta-acetamido-5-androsten-3beta-ol, 3beta-acetamido-5alpha-androstan-17beta-ol and 3alpha-acetamido-5beta-androstan-17beta-ol have been prepared and their antineoplastic effect evaluated against MIA Pa-Ca-2 pancreatic carcinoma, T47D breast carcinoma and A431 squamus cell carcinoma. Among the compounds tested, the compound 17beta-acetamido-3beta-hydroxy-5-androsten-4-[N, N-bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]benzoate appeared to possess a significant cytotoxic effect against A431 cells.