5-Alkyl-2-ferrocenyl-6,7-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrazin-4(5H)-one derivatives inhibit growth of lung cancer A549 cell by inducing apoptosis.

we found that 5-alkyl-2-ferrocenyl-6,7-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrazin-4(5H)-one derivatives 8d, 8e and 8f could effectively induce apoptosis in A549 lung cancer cells and elevate the levels of integrin beta4 and ROS. The data suggested that these compounds might be promising agents for the cancer therapy, and these compounds would be useful tools for further investigate the functions of integrin beta4 in regulation of the cancer cell apoptosis.