Converting Bile Acids into Mitocans.

Cholic acid (1, CD), deoxycholic (3, DCA), chenodeoxycholic acid (5, CDCA), ursodeoxycholic acid (7, UDCA), and lithocholic acid (9, LCA) were acetylated and converted into their piperazinyl spacered rhodamine B conjugates 16-20. While the parent bile acids showed almost no cytotoxic effects for several human tumor cell lines, the piperazinyl amides were cytostatic but an even superior effect was observed for the rhodamine B conjugates. Extra staining experiments showed these compounds as mitocans; they led to a cell arrest in the G1 phase.