Design, synthesis and anticancer activity of N(3),N(11)-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-14-aryl-14H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenes-3,11-dicarboxamide.

A series of novel N(3),N(11)-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-14-aryl-14H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenes-3,11-dicarboxamide, three N(3),N(11)-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-14-aryl-14H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthene-3,11-dimethanamine derivatives and their intermediates 14-aryl-14H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenes-3,11-dicarboxylic acid, were synthesized, and the structures of which were characterized by (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR, high resolution (HR)-MS, and IR spectra. The antitumor activities of these molecules were evaluated on five cancer cell lines. The results of in vitro assay against human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (SK-HEP-1 and HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells), acute promyelocytic leukemia NB4 cells and uterine cervix cancer HeLa cells, show several compounds to be endowed with cytotoxicity in micromolar to submicromolar range. The carboxamide derivatives 6c and 6e exhibitted good inhibition on NB4 cancer cells, and the IC(50) values of which were 0.82 µM and 0.96 µM, respectively, much lower than 5.01 µM of the positive control As(2)O(3). Flow cytometric analysis results revealed that compounds 6e and 6f may induce tumor cell apoptosis.