Synthesis of Propargyl Compounds and Their Cytotoxic Activity

Twelve compounds bearing one or two propargyl groups were prepared and screened for their cytotoxic activity. Three derivatives, 3-methyl-1-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)-9 H -carbazole, 1,3-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2,8-bis(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)-6-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)xanthen-9-one, and (3 E ,7 E ,11 E )-3,7,10,10-tetramethyl-1-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-1-azacyclododeca-3,7,11-trien-2-one, were found to have cytotoxic activity. Among them, 1,3-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2,8-bis(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)-6-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)xanthen-9-one showed the strongest activity against HepG2, LU-1, and Hela cell lines with IC 50 values of 1.02, 2.19, and 2.55 μg/mL, respectively.