Synthesis of sulfur analogues of alkyl lysophospholipid and neoplastic cell growth inhibitory properties.

Five sulfur-containing phospholipid analogues (compounds 1-5) of alkyl lysophospholipid (1-O-alkyl-2-O-methyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphocholine, ALP) were synthesized and tested for inhibition of neoplastic cell proliferation with two human ovarian carcinoma cell lines in a clonogenic assay and with the HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cell line. Compared with 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphocholine (ET-18-OMe), the most active reference analogue, these thio analogues are at least as active against HL-60 cells, and the 1-S-hexadecyl-2-O-ethyl analogue (2) is twice as active in the clonogenic assays.