The hitherto unknown 3-nitrobenzothiazolo-and 3-nitrobenzoxazolo[3,2-a] quinolinium salts were synthesized via the photochemically induced cyclization of the corresponding 2-(2-chloro-5-nitrostyryl)benzothiazole and 2-(2chloro-5-nitrostyry1)benzoxazole. Results on their cytotoxic and antitumor activity are presented.The benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids fagaronine ( la)2and nitidine (lb)3 represent a class of compounds isolated from the Rutaceae family that show potent antitumor activity against L1210 and P-388 murine leukemias.Coralyne (2) ,* a berbenium alkaloid structurally related to the benzo[c]phenantridines, exhibits antitumor activity against both tumor screens. Studies on the mechanism of action of fagaronine and nitidine indicate that both alkaloids inhibit DNA synthesis probably by interacting with A-T base pairs.5 Derivatives of these compounds have been synthesized in order to study the structureactivity relationships and showed that the positively charged nitrogen atom is necessary for their reported antitumor activity.6-10 +University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus.
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