An efficient method applying acyl chlorides as reagents was developed for the acylation of the hindered hydroxy group of dialkyl α-hydroxy-benzylphosphonates. The procedure did not require any catalyst. A few acylations were also performed with the SC-enantiomer of dimethyl α-hydroxy-benzylphosphonate, and the optical purity was retained. A part of the acyloxyphosphonates was tested against eight tumor cell lines of different tissue origin at c = 50 μM concentration. The compounds elicited moderate cytostatic effect against breast, skin, prostate, colon, and lung carcinomas; a melanoma cell line; and against Kaposi’s sarcoma cell lines. Then, dose-dependent cytotoxicity was assayed, and benzoylation of the α-hydroxy group was identified as a moiety that increases anticancer cytotoxicity across all cell lines. Surprisingly, a few analogues were more toxic to multidrug resistant cancer cell lines, thus evading P-glycoprotein mediated drug extrusion.

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A series of new dialkyl alfa-diethylphosphonoylethyl-alfa-hydroxy-ethylphosphonates were prepared using the Pudovik reaction of the corresponding gamma-oxophosphonate with dialkyl phosphites performed on the surface of Al2O3/KF. The adducts revealed unexpected reactivity in the attempted O-acylation reaction, and provided the corresponding 5-phosphonoyl-1,2-oxaphospholane 2-oxides. On treatment with Cs2CO3, instead of the expected rearrangement a cyclization reaction leading to the same ring products took place. Three of the phosphonoylethyl-alfa-hydroxy-ethylphosphonates, along with two phosphonoylmethyl analogues revealed significant and selective anticancer effect on A431 cells, and occasionally, on PC-3 and MDA-MB 231 cells.