Mito-methyl coumarin, a novel mitochondria-targeted drug with great antitumor potential was synthesized.

Due to higher transmembrane potential of tumor cells, enhanced accumulation of cationic drugs in tumor mitochondria has been attributed to a higher (more negative inside) mitochondrial transmembrane potential compared with normal cells, emerging researchers are focus on developing mitochondria-targeted antitumor drugs. Coumarins showed great potential on antitumor, but mitochondria-targeted coumarin derivatives have not been reported. In the present study, we synthesized mitochondria-targeted-methyl coumarin (mito-methyl coumarin) through coupling 6-methyl coumarin to TPP. We confirmed that mito-methyl coumarin inhibited HeLa cells proliferation selectively, induced ROS generation, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, promoted mitochondria Ca2+ accumulation, decreased mitochondria mass and induced HeLa cells apoptosis, but methyl coumarin did not. These results demonstrate that we succeed in synthesizing a novel mitochondria-targeted drug, mito-methyl coumarin, which is effective in inhibiting HeLa cells proliferation and inducing HeLa cells apoptosis through promoting ROS generation and mitochondria Ca2+ accumulation.