In the work, the in vitro antiproliferative activity of a series of synthetic fatty acid amides were investigated in seven cancer cell lines. The study revealed that most of the compounds showed antiproliferative activity against tested tumor cell lines, mainly on human glioma cells (U251) and human ovarian cancer cells with a multiple drug-resistant phenotype (NCI-ADR/RES). In addition, the fatty methyl benzylamide derived from ricinoleic acid (with the fatty acid obtained from castor oil, a renewable resource) showed a high selectivity with potent growth inhibition and cell death for the glioma cell line-the most aggressive CNS cancer.

Michael addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to nitrostyrenes is efficiently promoted by hydrotalcite [Mg-Al] to afford the respective g-nitrodicarbonyl adducts. Differently, the addition of Meldrum's acid leads to a direct access of g-nitroesters through a one pot domino process. GABA derivatives (+/À)-phenibut and (+/À)-baclofen were readily synthesized from the respective nitro adducts.

Heterocyclic–fatty acid derivatives are a new class of compounds with a broad range of biological activities.

In this work, an efficient and reusable pyrrolidinium ionic liquid (PyrrIL) catalysis system was developed and used in a Knoevenagel condensation reaction of long-chain aldehydes with several 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds.