In this study, 70 new seco-lupane triterpene
derivatives
were designed, synthesized, and characterized, and their in
vitro anticancer activities were evaluated. Structure–activity
relationship studies showed that most compounds inhibited the growth
of a variety of tumor cells in vitro. With the extension
of alkyl chains, the activity of azole compounds gradually increased
while that of indole compounds first increased and then decreased.
Moreover, all indole derivatives showed stronger anticancer activity
than azole derivatives. In addition, compound 21 showed
the strongest inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells with an IC50 value of 0.97 μM. Mechanistic studies showed that compound 21 coregulates the cell death process by inducing ferroptosis
and regulating the cell cycle. In conclusion, compound 21 can be used as a ferroptosis inducer and cycle blocker to regulate
the HepG2 death process, and it has the potential to become an effective
new drug for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
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