Synthesis and anti-angiogenesis activity of coumarin derivatives.

A series of 7-diethylaminocoumarin compounds were synthesized and the cytotoxicities were tested against human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and some cancer cells. We found that the introduction of cyano groups at the 4-position will promote the bioactivity. In particular, compounds 9 and 10 strongly inhibited the proliferation of various cancer cell lines, and 12 and 15 showed a high selectivity for HUVEC. Therefore, these coumarin molecules can be utilized as lead compounds to develop potential nontoxic angiogenesis inhibitors and small molecular ligands to target HUVEC.