Synthesis of Benzophenones and in vitro Evaluation of Their Anticancer Potential in Breast and Prostate Cancer Cells

send to a friend share this

Synthesis of Benzophenones and in vitro Evaluation of Their Anticancer Potential in Breast and Prostate Cancer Cells

Monday, 16.09.2019


Lydia Saidi, [b] Djenisa H. A. Rocha, [a][c][e] Oualid Talhi,[a] [d] Yamina Bentarzi,[b] Bellara Nedjar-Kolli,[b] Khaldoun Bachari,[d] Filipe A. Almeida Paz,[e] Luisa A. Helguero,[c] and Artur M. S. Silva[a]

[a] QOPNA and LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)

[b] Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Houari Boumediene University of Sciences and Technology, USTHB, BP 32, El-Alia, Bab Ezzouar, 16111 Algiers (Algeria)

[c] Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)

[d] Centre de Recherche Scientifique et Technique en Analyses Physico-Chimiques (CRAPC), BP384, Bou-Ismail, 42004 Tipaza (Algeria)

[e] CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)


Breast and prostate cancers are frequently treated with chemotherapy. Several novel chemicals are being reported for this purpose, particularly synthetic and natural benzophenones. This work reports the synthesis of substituted 2-hydroxybenzophenones through 1,4-conjugate addition/intramolecular cycloaddition/dehydration of nitromethane on key intermediate chromones. Structures were extensively studied by means of 2D NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal XRD. Their cytotoxicity was evaluated in vitro in two breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and T47-D) and one prostate cancer cell line (PC3). The most potent compound exhibited good cytotoxic effects against the three cancer cell lines (IC50 values ranging from 12.09 to 26.49 µm) and induced cell-cycle retardation only on prostate cancer cells, which suggested that it might exert cell type-specific effects.

ChemMedChem, 2019, 14, 1041-1048. DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900127

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/cmdc.201900127