Synthesis and antitumor activity of spergualin analogues. I. Chemical modification of 7-guanidino-3-hydroxyacyl moiety.

Many analogues and derivatives of an antitumor antibiotic, spergualin, were synthesized, and the relationships between the structure and the activity against mouse L-1210 tumor were studied. Both modification of the 15-hydroxyl group and alteration of chain-length of the omega-guanidinoacyl moiety affected the activity. 15-Deoxyspergualin (18, 1-amino-19-guanidino-11-hydroxy-4,9,12-triazanonadecane-10,13-d ion e) and its analogue 25 (1-amino-21-guanidino-11-hydroxy-4,9,12-triazauneicosane-10,13-dio ne) had strong activity, superior to that of spergualin.