A series of nitrogen-containing derivatives of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid were prepared by a modification at C-28 position via esterification with 2-hydroxyacetic acid followed by amidation with amines, such as piperazine, N-methylpiperazine, and alkane-1, 2-diamines, alkane-1, 4-diamines, alkane-1, 6-diamines. In vitro antiproliferative activities of the compounds prepared towards MCF-7, Hela and A549 cell lines were evaluated by a MTT method to show that OA-5a, OA-5b, OA-5c and UA-5a showed somewhat improved antiproliferative activities against MCF-7, Hela and A549 cells comparing to that of the positive control, gefitinib.
The structural relationship of 16 asiatic acid (AA) derivatives, including AA and asiaticoside (AS) to cytotoxicity and anti-hepatofibrotic activity in HSC-T6 cells, were investigated. Cytotoxicities of AA derivatives varied from 5.5 microM to over 2000 microM of IC50 depending on AA functional group modifications. Substituting the hydroxyl group at the C(2) to N[triple bond]C and substituting bulky groups for dihydroxyl groups at (3), (23) of the A-ring increased the cytotoxicity, but keto group at C(11) and benzoyl ester at C(2) were greatly reduced it. Modification of the carboxylic acid group at C28 also reduced the cytotoxicity. The collagen synthesis determined by hydroxyproline content in the cells was inhibited from a maximum of 48% (Zlx-i-85 and 87) to 15% (AS) by AA derivatives. The anti-hepatofibrotic effect of these compounds might be due to the reduced expression of prolyl 4-hydroxylase alpha and beta subunits and TIMP2. However, the inhibition of collagen by asiaticoside derivatives did not show any structural-activity relationship.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.