1,4,9,10-Anthradiquinone as precursor for antitumor compounds.

1,4,9,10-Anthradiquinone 5 was reacted with enamines 6 in the Nenitzescu reaction to yield unexpected 3,3a,6,12-tetrahydro-3a,7-dihydroxy-2-methyl-6,12-dioxo-naphtho[2,3-d]indol-1-carboxylates 8A. However, anthracycline-like naphtho-condensed 5-hydroxyindoles were not obtained from this diquinone. It yielded similar reaction products of the Nenitzescu reaction like other quinones activated by two electron-withdrawing groups. Furthermore, these new compounds 8A were found to constitute precursors for the synthesis of azonines. The conversion to dibenzoazonines 13 occurred in an unusual and up to now unknown way consisting of isomerization, ring opening, and re-closure. 2-Chloro-anthradiquinone 19 reacted with enamines 6 as vinylogeous acid chloride to pyrroloanthraquinone 20. No substitution of chlorine was observed. Naphtho-condensed indoles 26 were obtained by the reactions of unsubstituted 1,4-anthraquinone 25 with enamines 6 via the normal Nenitzescu route. Indoles 26 were converted to Mannich bases, reacting further to dimers by the Diels-Alder reaction of intermediate o-quinone methides. Most of the synthesized heterocycles were evaluated for their anticancer properties in the NCI's human-disease oriented in vitro anticancer screen. Particularly, carbinolamines 8A exhibited inhibitory activity of tumor cell growth and thus they constitute a new class of lead structures for anticancer drug design.