Abstract
A phenolic 3, 4-diphenyl-1, 2-dihydroisoquinoline derivative (4a) as a new 4-hydroxytamoxifen analogue and a related compound (4c) were synthesized from 3, 4-diphenyl-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-ols (5a, c), which were prepared by intramolecular Barbier reaction of N-(2-iodobenzyl)phenacylamines. Anti-proliferative activities of 4a, c and 5a, c, as well as 4b and 5b prepared previously, against human mammary carcinoma MCF-7 cell line and human nasopharyngeal carcinoma KB cell line were evaluated. The 3, 4-diphenyl-1, 2-dihydroisoquinoline derivatives (4a, c) and isoquinolin-4-ols (5a, b) were active against MCF-7 cells and were nearly equipotent to the corresponding nonphenolic compound (1a). The mechanism of the anti-proliferative activity of 4a-c against MCF-7 cells is discussed.
