Novel hybrids of brefeldin A and nitrogen mustards with improved antiproliferative selectivity: Design, synthesis and antitumor biological evaluation

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.02.088

A series of novel conjugates of brefeldin A (11a?c, 12a?c and 13a?c) were obtained by introducing a variety of nitrogen mustards at 4-OH or 7-OH position to explore more efficacious and less toxic antitumor agents. The antiproliferative activities were te

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.02.088

Accepted Manuscript
Novel hybrids of brefeldin A and nitrogen mustards with improved antiproliferative
selectivity: Design, synthesis and antitumor biological evaluation
Tong Han, Kangtao Tian, Huaqi Pan, Yongxiang Liu, Fanxing Xu, Zhanlin Li, Takahiro
Uchita, Ming Gao, Huiming Hua, Dahong Li
PII:
S0223-5234(18)30235-6
10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.02.088
EJMECH 10265
DOI:
Reference:
To appear in: European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Received Date: 15 November 2017
Revised Date: 10 February 2018
Accepted Date: 28 February 2018
Please cite this article as: T. Han, K. Tian, H. Pan, Y. Liu, F. Xu, Z. Li, T. Uchita, M. Gao, H. Hua, D. Li,
Novel hybrids of brefeldin A and nitrogen mustards with improved antiproliferative selectivity: Design,
synthesis and antitumor biological evaluation, European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2018), doi:
10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.02.088.
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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Novel hybrids of brefeldin A and nitrogen mustards
with improved antiproliferative selectivity: design,
synthesis and antitumor biological evaluation
Tong Hana,1, Kangtao Tiana,1, Huaqi Panb,1, Yongxiang Liuc, Fanxing Xuc, Zhanlin Lia,
Takahiro Uchitad, Ming Gaod, Huiming Huaa, Dahong Lia,
aKey Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, and School
of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road,
Shenyang 110016, PR China
bShenyang Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road,
Shenyang 110016, PR China
cWuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenyang
110016, PR China
dSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mukogawa Women’s University, 11-68 Koshien, Nishinomiya
663-8179, Japan
Corresponding author.
Tel: +86 2423986465 (D. Li)
; E-mail addresses: lidahong0203@163.com (D. Li).
1These authors contributed equally to this work.

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ABSTRACT
A series of novel conjugates of brefeldin A (11a−c, 12a−c and 13a−c) were
obtained by introducing a variety of nitrogen mustards at 4-OH or 7-OH position to
explore more efficacious and less toxic antitumor agents. The antiproliferative
activities were tested against three cancer cell lines (HL-60, PC-3 and Bel-7402) and
one multidrug resistant cell line Bel-7402/5-FU. Among them, compound 11a was the
strongest derivative with IC50 values of 4.48, 9.37, 0.2 and 0.84 µM, respectively, and
more potent than nitrogen mustards. Though the antiproliferative potency was weaker
than the lead compound brefeldin A, 11a displayed lower toxicity than brefeldin A
(IC50 < 0.001 µM) with an IC50 of 9.74 µM against normal human liver L-O2 cells,
showing good selectivity between normal and malignant liver cells. The mechanism
studies confirmed that 11a could induce apoptosis, arrest cell cycle at the G1 phase
and lead to mitochondrial dysfunction in Bel-7402 cells at submicromolar
concentrations. Furthermore, 11a induced the intrinsic apoptotic mitochondrial
pathway in Bel-7402 cells, evidenced by the enhanced expression of the pro-apoptotic
protein Bax, cyto-c and p53, and the reduced expression of the anti-apoptotic protein
Bcl-2. The caspase-9 and -3 levels were also up-regulated.
Keywords: brefeldin A, antiproliferative activity, nitrogen mustards, selectivity,
hybrids

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1. Introduction
Cancer, the second cause of mortality in the world, is continuing to be a major
health problem in developing countries [1,2]. According to recent statistics, cancer
incidence and mortality have been increasing in China and this situation will become
even more severe in the future with the rapidity of population aging process [3].
Therefore, discovering new anticancer agents remains of critical importances.
Natural products have played prominent roles for drug discovery and cancer
therapy [4,5]. Brefeldin A (BFA, 1) (Figure 1) is a 16-membered macrolide antibiotic
which was first isolated from Penicillium decumbens [6]. It shows a wide variety of
biological properties, including antitumor [7,8], antifungal [9], antimitotic [10] and
antiviral effects [11]. The potent antiproliferative activity of BFA was tested by the
National Cancer Institute's 60 (NCI-60) cancer cell line assay with the mean graph
midpoint (MGM) GI50 value of 40 nM [12]. Due to its attractive biological activities
and the potential as a lead for anticancer drug development, BFA has been a target of
study for numerous chemists and pharmacologists [13−15]. Its possible mechanisms
were disclosed by a number of important discoveries. Especially, BFA could block the
secretory process in eukaryotic cells by interfering the endoplasmic reticulumto Golgi
membrane traffic, causing the disassembly of Golgi apparatus and redistribution of
Golgi-apparatus proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum [16], contributing to its
activities. Moreover, it could induce apoptosis in a wide variety of human cancer cells,
such as ovarian carcinoma cells by activating the mitochondrial pathway and
caspase-8 [17], neuroendocrine tumor and prostatic cancer cells via a
p53-independent mechanism [18], as well as breast cancer cells by decreasing the
level of CD44 and anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 [19]. Despite its potentials
to be a cancer chemotherapeutic agent, BFA faces some major limitations, such as

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undesirable drug-like properties and low selectivity between tumor and normal cells
[20,21].
The structural modification of BFA focused on α,β-unsaturated lactone and the C4
and C7 hydroxyl groups. The cytotoxic activity of BFA was to reduce without
carbon-carbon double bond or lactone bond [22]. Methylation or oxidation at C4 and
C7 hydroxyl groups also decreased the antiproliferative activities [23]. The sulfide
and sulfoxide derivatives of BFA displayed promising antitumor effects in vitro and in
vivo. Perhaps, after drug metabolism, an intact BFA pharmacophore generated [24].
And the ester derivatives at the C4 and C7 hydroxyl groups of BFA, such as A and B
(Figure 1), also exhibited strong cytotoxicity [12]. Moreover, a series of analogues of
modified C15 methyl group were reported. Most of the analogues exhibited
significant biological activities, especially when the methyl group was replaced by
vinyl (C) or phenemyl (D) groups [25] (Figure 1). Therefore, the strategy to develop
novel BFA derivatives by rational modification is effective.
Nitrogen mustards are DNA alkylating agents which have been widely used in
cancer chemotherapy with the advantages of broad spectrum and strong potency of
antitumor activity [26]. Combining nitrogen mustards with natural products is a good
way to develop novel antitumor agents (E−H) [27−30] (Figure 2). Herein, we
describe the design and synthesis of a series of novel BFA-nitrogen mustard
conjugates with cytostatic activity and improved antiproliferative selectivity between
malignant and normal cells.
2. Result and Discussion
2.1. Chemistry
The BFA was isolated from the fermentation liquor and mycelium of

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Eupenicillium brefeldianum, and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR,
high-resolution mass spectra, X-ray crystal structure analysis and optical rotation. The
synthesis of the new BFA derivatives is outlined in Schemes 1 and 2. The nitrogen
mustard intermediates were prepared as depicted in Scheme 1. The benzoic acid
mustard 4 was prepared according to the literature [31]. Simply, reaction of 2 with
ethylene oxide in 25% acetic solution gave 3, then treatment of 3 with phosphorus
oxychloride followed by hydrolysis of the ester with concentrated hydrochloric acid
obtained 4. Esterification of 5 in dry methanol and the presence of SOCl2 led to ester
6 in quantitative yield, and subsequent reaction of 6 with succinic anhydride provided
melphalan derivative 7 (Scheme 1).
In order to get the ester derivatives only at C4, the 4,7-OH groups were firstly
protected
with
tert-butyldimethylsilyl
(TBS)
groups
using
tert-butyldimethylsilyltriflate (TBSOTf) and 2,6-lutidine in dichloromethane (DCM).
The TBS group on 4-OH of 8 was removed by tert-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF)
in THF to obtain the intermediate 9 (Scheme 2). Reacting compound 9 with
intermediates 4,
7
or chlorambucil in the presence of DMAP and
1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDCI) afforded
10a−c. The derivatives 11a−c were got from 10a−c by the deprotection with TBAF in
THF. Target compounds 12a−c and 13a−c were prepared from the combination of 4, 7
or chlorambucil and BFA in the presence of DMAP and EDCI in DCM, followed by
column chromatography on silica gel using petroleum ether-ethyl acetate (V : V = 2 :
1
13
1). The structures of all the derivatives were confirmed by H NMR, C NMR and
high resolution mass spectrum (HR-MS).
2.2. Biological evaluation
2.2.1 Cytotoxic activity and structure-activity relationships analysis

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The cytotoxic activities of target hybrids 11a−c, 12a−c and 13a−c against three
human cancer cell lines (HL-60 human leukemic cell line, PC-3 human prostatic
cancer cell line and Bel-7402 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line), the multidrug
resistant cell line Bel-7402/5-FU and the human normal hepatic cell line (L-O2) were
screened and compared with lead compound BFA (1), nitrogen mustards
(chlorambucil, 4 and 7) and positive control 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in each panel. As
shown in Table 1, almost all the target compounds showed cytotoxic activities against
one or more cell lines. For instance, compounds 11a, 12a, 13a, 11b, 12c and 13c
exhibited cytotoxic activities against three cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging
from 0.25 to 18.54 µM. 12b showed antiproliferative activities against PC-3 and
Bel-7402 cells with IC50 values of 6.84 and 4.86 µM, respectively, and 13c with IC50
values of 9.37 and 4.85 µM against HL-60 and Bel-7402 cells, respectively. The
benzoic acid mustard combined compounds (11a, 12a and 13a) were more potent than
those with chlorambucil (11b, 12b and 13b) and melphalan (11c, 12c and 13c). In
addition, 4-OH linked hybrids 11a and 11b showed stronger cytotoxic effects than
7-OH linked 12a and 12b, and 4,7-OH derivatives 13a and 13b. It is worth noticing
that all the hybrids exhibited more potent inhibitory activities (IC50 0.25−7.25 µM)
than nitrogen mustards, and some of them showed superior cytotoxic activities to
5-FU (IC50 18.49 µM) against Bel-7402 cells. In Bel-7402/5-FU cell line, all the
compounds exhibited stronger activities (IC50 0.84−15.63 µM) than nitrogen mustards
and 5-FU (IC50 > 80 µM). Especially, 11a displayed the most potent cytotoxic activity
among all the derivatives with IC50 values of 0.25 µM against Bel-7402 cells and 0.84
µM against Bel-7402/5-FU cells.
To investigate whether the hybrids exhibited selective antiproliferative activities
between normal and malignant liver cells, 11a−c, 12a−c and 13a−c were tested

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against human normal liver L-O2 cells with BFA and nitrogen mustards as control.
The results were listed in Table 1. Compared with BFA (IC50 < 0.001 µM), all the
targeted compounds showed lower antiproliferative activities against L-O2 cells with
IC50 values from 4.57 to 29.87 µM. In particular, 11a, the most potent one against
Bel-7402 and Bel-7402/5-FU cell lines, showed low toxicity against L-O2 cells with
the IC50 value of 9.74 µM plus good selective index (SI). These results encouraged us
to further investigate the possible cellular mechanisms of 11a in Bel-7402 cell line.
2.2.2 Stability of 11a
To verify that if compound 11a was easy to hydrolyze and release free BFA, the
stability of compound 11a was studied in DMEM culture media supplemented with
FBS under cell-free conditions (cell-free cDMEM) [32]. The results of HPLC analysis
were summarized in Figure 3. It could be observed that compound 11a was stable in
DMEM culture media with no detectable hydrolyzed BFA within 24 h.
2.2.3 Cell cycle analysis
To determine whether the cell cycle arrest was participated in the suppression of
cell growth by 11a, the DNA content of cell nuclei was detected by flow cytometry.
Bel-7402 cells were treated with 11a (0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 µM) for 72 h, stained with
propidium iodide (PI) and analyzed by flow cytometry. Non-treated cells were used as
control. As shown in Figure 4, cells in the G1 phase increased from 39.28% in control
group to 43.80%, 54.26% and 58.17% in a concentration-dependent manner in
Bel-7402 cell lines. The results revealed that 11a caused G1 phase arrest in a
concentration-dependent manner.
2.2.4 The morphological analysis by Hoechst 33258 staining
The changes of morphological features, such as cell shrinkage, chromatin
condensation and nuclear membrane bleb are the characteristics of apoptotic cells [33].

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Hence, to clarify whether the loss of cancer cell viability by 11a was associated with
apoptosis, we used fluorescence microscopy to observe the morphology of Bel-7402
cells stained with Hoechst 33258, after treatment with different concentrations (the
same as the cell cycle test) of 11a for 48 h. The morphological analysis, depicted in
Figure 5, showed that control cells were uniformly stained with Hoechst 33258 and
presented round homogeneous nuclei, without morphological changes. Bel-7402 cells,
which were exposed to 0.125 and 0.25 µM 11a, presented remarkable morphological
changes, such as cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation and evident reduction in the
number of adherent cells. The rupture of cell membrane and the nuclear fragmentation
were evident after the treatment of 0.5 µM 11a. These results supported the
pro-apoptotic effects of 11a in Bel-7402 cells at submicromolar concentration.
2.2.5 Cell apoptosis assay
To further confirm the apoptosis-inducing effects of 11a, an annexin V-FITC/PI
binding assay was performed. The cells were treated with different concentrations (the
same as the cell cycle test) of 11a for 72 h. Then, the cells were harvested and stained
with annexin-V and PI, and the percentages of apoptotic cells were determined by
flow cytometry analysis. As shown in Figure 6, the treatment of Bel-7402 cells with
11a at the concentrations of 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 µM resulted in cell apoptosis of
15.96%, 33.95% and 57.59%, respectively, compared to 4.47% in the control group.
The results showed that 11a caused a marked increase of the Bel-7402 cells apoptosis
in a concentration-dependent manner.
2.2.6 Mitochondria membrane potential analysis
Mitochondria play a crucial role in the induction and control of apoptosis, which
results in a variety of key events, including the loss of mitochondrial membrane
potential and release of pro-apoptotic factors such as cytochrome c (cyto-c), Bax and

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other apoptosis-inducing factors [34]. We therefore studied the effects of 11a on
mitochondrial membrane potentials in Bel-7402 cell line. The cells were treated with
different concentrations (the same as the cell cycle test) of 11a for 48 h, and the
changes of mitochondrial membrane potentials were monitored by flow cytometry
using the dye 5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethylbenzimidazol caebocyanine
(JC-1). As shown in Figure 7, 11a induced a concentration-dependent increase in the
proportion of cells with depolarized mitochondria. This illustrated that the induction
of apoptosis by 11a was associated with the mitochondrial (intrinsic) pathways.
2.2.7 Effects on apoptosis-related proteins
Mitochondria play an essential role in cell death signal transduction, apoptotic
stimuli can activate apoptosis-related proteins such as Bax (proapoptotic protein) and
Bcl-2 (antiapoptotic protein) to enter mitochondria, which induce the mitochondria to
release cyto-c and, in turn, activate the caspase-9 and -3, finally triggering the
execution of apoptosis [35,36]. Hence, to determine the involvement of the
mitochondria-dependent pathway in Bel-7402 cells apoptosis induced by 11a, we
examined the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax, cyto-c, caspase-9 and -3 activities by
Western blot analysis. Moreover, the level of p53 has also been tested, the p53 tumor
suppressor gene is critically involved in cell cycle regulation, DNA repair, and
programmed cell death. It can also up-regulates the transcription of Bax and represses
Bcl-2 transcription in the mitochondrial pathway [37,38]. As shown in Figure 8, in
comparison with the control cells, 11a induced an increase of Bax level and a
reduction of Bcl-2 level in a dose-dependent fashion. Treatment with 11a caused an
accumulation of cyto-c in the cytosol, most probably due to the release from
mitochondria (Figure 8). Then, 11a caused a significant increase in the levels of
caspase-9 and -3 compared to the control in Bel-7402 cells. These results suggested

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that 11a increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, leading to the release of cyto-c, caspase-9 and
-3 activation, which triggered the execution of apoptosis. Furthermore, 11a also
caused the up-regulation of p53 in a concentration dependent manner. Thus, 11a
induced cell apoptosis via the mitochondria-dependent pathway.
3. Conclusion
In summary, a series of novel derivatives of BFA were obtained by introducing
nitrogen mustards at 4-OH and/or 7-OH. All the synthesized compounds were
evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against HL-60, PC-3, Bel-7402, Bel-7402/5-FU
and L-O2 cell lines. 11a exhibited the strongest antiproliferative potency against
tumor cell lines with IC50 values of 4.48, 9.37, 0.25 and 0.84 µM, respectively. 11a
also displayed much lower cytotoxicity than BFA against L-O2 cells with the selective
index (SI) of 38.9. Further mechanistic studies revealed that 11a induced apoptosis
and G1 phase arrest in Bel-7402 cells which were similar as BFA. Incubation with
11a increased the number of cells with collapsed mitochondrial membrane potentials
at low concentrations in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, the
mitochondrial pathway would be involved in BFA derivatives-mediated apoptosis.
Western blot analysis further confirmed that 11a induced apoptosis via mitochondrial
pathway, since 11a increased the expression of Bax, cyto-c, caspase-9, -3 and p53,
and reduced the relative levels of Bcl-2. Taken together, 11a deserved further
investigation as a potential chemotherapeutic agent for liver cancer.
4. Experimental
4.1. Chemistry
Chemicals and solvents were purchased from commercial sources. Further

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purification by standard methods were employed when necessary. Melting points
were determined on an XT-4 micro melting point apparatus and uncorrected. 1H NMR
and 13C NMR spectra were recorded on a Bruker ARX-400 NMR spectrometer in the
indicated solvents (TMS as internal standard): the values of the chemical shifts were
expressed in
δ values (ppm) and the coupling constants (J) in Hz. Mass spectra were
obtained on Agilent 1100 Ion trap mass spectrometer. HR-MS were carried out on
Agilent Q-TOF B.05.01 (B5125.2).
4.1.1. General procedures to synthesize 9
9 was obtained from 1 in a two-step sequence according to the literature [12]. To
a solution of 1 (200 mg, 0.71 mmol) in 5 mL of anhydrous DCM at 0 oC, 2,6-lutidine
(86 µL) was added. TBSOTf (250 µL, 1.0 mmol) was added dropwise to the reaction
mixture, which was warmed to room temperature and stirred for 8 h. The mixture was
extracted with DCM (5 mL × 3) and then dried over Na2SO4. The solvent was
evaporated, and the crude product 8 was obtained. Then the TBS group of 4-OH of
compound 8 (100 mg, 0.2 mmol) was selective deprotected by the addition of TBAF
(0.2 mmol) in THF dropwise over 2 h. After remove of solvent, the mixture was
purified by column chromatography (petroleum ether/ethyl acetate 2:1) to yield 9. The
chemical structure of 9 was confirmed by 1H NMR data. The 4-OH and 7-OH of BFA
1
have different chemical shift values in the H NMR spectrum, in general, the δH of
4-OH is around 5.10, while the δH of 7-OH is around 4.50 [39]. The structure of 9 was
determined because of the characteristic 4-OH signal δH 5.19 could be observed.
Compound 9. white oil, yield: 56%. 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ 7.34 (1H, dd,
J = 15.6, 2.9 Hz, C3-H), 5.73 (1H, m, C11-H), 5.67 (1H, m, C2-H), 5.19 (1H, m, OH),
5.13 (1H, d, C10-H), 4.70 (1H, m, C15-H), 4.21 (1H, m, C7-H), 3.95 (1H, m, C4-H),
2.35 (1H, m, C9-H), 0.70−2.03 (29H, m, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H, 6CH3).

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4.1.2 General procedures to synthesize 11a−c, 12a−c and 13a−c
To a solution of 9 (32 mg, 0.08 mmol) in 2.5 mL of anhydrous DCM, 4, 7 and
chlorambucil (0.08 mmol), EDCI (29 mg, 0.15 mmol) and catalytic amount of DMAP
were added. The reaction solution was stirred for 2 h at room temperature. The
mixture was poured into 10 mL of H2O, and extracted with DCM (5 mL × 3). The
organic layers were combined, washed with saturated NaCl solution, dried over
anhydrous Na2SO4, and concentrated in vacuo. The residues were purified by
chromatography on silica gel (petroleum ether-ethyl acetate 5:1) to afford 10a−c.
10a−c (0.06 mmol) in 2 mL of THF was mixed with TBAF (0.42 mmol) by stirring at
room temperature for 20 h. The mixture was poured into 10 mL of H2O and extracted
with ethyl acetate (5 mL × 3). The organic layer was combined, washed with water
and saturated NaCl solution, dried over anhydrous Na2SO4, and concentrated in vacuo,
sequentially. The residues were purified by column chromatography (petroleum
ether/ethyl acetate 2:1) to yield 11a−c.
To a solution of 4, 7 or chlorambucil (0.11 mmol) in 10 mL of anhydrous DCM,
BFA (28 mg, 0.1 mmol), EDCI (60 mg, 0.3 mmol) and catalytic amount of DMAP
were added. The reaction solution was stirred for 24 h at room temperature and
quenched with 10 mL of H2O, extracted with DCM (10 mL × 3), dried over
anhydrous Na2SO4 and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by
silica gel column chromatography (petroleum ether/ethyl acetate 2:1) to afford the
1
title compounds 12a−c and 13a−c. Meanwhile, the 4-OH H NMR signals (δH 5.41,
5.20, 5.19) of 12a−c were observed, these inferred that nitrogen mustard derivatives
were introduced to 7-OH of BFA.
1
4.1.2.1 Compound 11a. Yellow oil, yield: 23%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm) 7.85 (2H, d, J = 8.9 Hz, Ar-H), 7.35 (1H, dd, J = 15.7, 3.2 Hz, C3-H), 6.88 (2 H,

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d, J = 8.91 Hz, Ar-H), 5.76 (1H, m, C11-H), 5.55 (1H, dd, J = 15.7, 1.6 Hz, C2-H),
5.43 (1H, m, C10-H), 5.28 (1H, dd, J = 15.11, 9.70 Hz, C4-H), 4.74 (1H, m, C15-H),
4.57 (1H, d, J = 3.4 Hz, 7-OH), 4.09 (1H, m, C7-H), 3.78−3.84 (8H, m, -NCH2CH2Cl),
0.76−2.62 (15H, m, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H, CH3). 13C NMR (100 MHz,
DMSO-d6):
δ (ppm) 165.4, 165.1, 151.0, 149.8, 137.3, 131.7, 131.7, 130.2, 117.2,
117.0, 111.8, 111.8, 76.4, 71.8, 70.9, 52.2, 52.2, 50.0, 43.4, 43.2, 41.3, 41.3, 41.0,
33.89, 31.89, 26.85, 21.07. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C27H35Cl2NO5Na [M+Na]+
546.1784, found 546.1745.
1
4.1.2.2 Compound 12a. Yellow oil, yield: 19%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm) 7.68 (2H, m, Ar-H), 7.37 (1H, m, C3-H), 6.72 (2H, m, Ar-H), 5.74 (1H, m,
C11-H), 5.54 (1H, d, J = 15.8 Hz, C2-H), 5.41 (1H, m, OH), 5.20−5.31 (2H, m, C10-H,
C7-H), 4.73 (1H, m, C15-H), 4.08 (1H, m, C4-H), 3.48−3.81 (8H, m, -NCH2CH2Cl),
0.76−2.34 (15H, m, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H, CH3). 13C NMR (100 MHz,
DMSO-d6):
δ (ppm) 167.4, 167.4, 152.5, 149.9, 137.3, 132.2, 132.0, 132.0, 116.9,
111.7, 111.6, 111.2, 71.8, 70.9, 65.5, 52.7, 52.1, 50.0, 43.6, 43.5, 43.2, 41.3, 41.0, 31.9,
30.5, 26.8, 19.1. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C27H36Cl2NO5 [M+H]+ 524.1965, found
524.1957.
1
4.1.2.3 Compound 13a. Yellow oil, yield: 35%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm) 7.76 (4H, m, Ar-H), 7.39 (1H, dd, J = 15.7, 3.1 Hz, C3-H), 6.82 (4H, m, Ar-H),
5.83 (1H, m, C11-H), 5.58 (1H, d, J = 15.74 Hz, C2-H), 5.53 (1H, d, J = 10.17 Hz,
C10-H), 5.23−5.33 (2H, m, C4, C7-H), 4.75 (1H, m, C15-H), 3.76−3.77 (16H, m,
-NCH2CH2Cl), 0.77−2.80 (15H, m, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, C13, 2C14-H, CH3). 13C
NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ (ppm) 166.1, 165.3, 165.0, 152.1, 150.7, 149.5, 136.5,
132.9, 131.7, 131.6, 131.5, 131.5, 119.2, 117.9, 117.3, 112.1, 111.8, 111.58, 111.58,
76.2, 71.8, 71.1, 52.2, 52.2, 52.1, 52.1, 50.4, 49.4, 44.6, 43.6, 41.3, 41.3, 41.3, 41.3,

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38.5, 33.9, 26.8, 21.0. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C38H47Cl4N2O6 [M+H]+ 767.2183,
found 767.2174.
1
4.1.2.4 Compound 11b. Yellow oil, yield: 32%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm) 7.27 (1H, dd, J = 15.8, 3.3 Hz, C3-H), 7.04 (2H, d, J = 8.6 Hz, Ar-H), 6.68 (2H,
d, J = 8.6 Hz, Ar-H), 5.71 (1H, m, C11-H), 5.59 (1H, dd, J = 15.8, 1.6 Hz, C2-H),
5.20−5.26 (2H, m, C4, C10-H), 4.75 (1H, m, C15-H), 4.56 (1H, s, OH), 4.07 (1H, m,
C7-H), 3.70 (8H, m, -NCH2CH2Cl), 0.74−2.49 (21H, m, -CH2CH2CH2-, C5, 2C6, 2C8,
C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H, CH3). 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ (ppm) 172.4, 165.4,
149.3, 145.0, 137.2, 130.2, 129.9, 129.8, 129.8, 117.4, 112.4, 112.4, 76.4, 71.7, 70.8,
52.7, 52.7, 49.6, 43.4, 43.3, 41.6, 41.6, 40.9, 33.9, 33.8, 33.4, 31.8, 27.2, 26.8, 21.1.
HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C30H42Cl2NO5 [M+H]+ 566.2435, found 566.2391.
1
4.1.2.5 Compound 12b. Yellow oil, yield: 19%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm) 7.76 (2H, d, J = 9.0 Hz, Ar-H), 7.37 (1H, dd, J = 15.6, 3.0 Hz, C3-H), 6.84 (2H,
d, J = 9.1 Hz, Ar-H), 5.71−5.78 (2H, m, H-2, C11-H), 5.20−5.26 (3H, m, OH, C10-H,
C7-H), 4.72 (1H, m, C15-H), 4.05 (1H, m, C4-H), 3.76−3.81 (8H, m, -NCH2CH2Cl),
13
0.75−2.33 (21H, m, -CH2CH2CH2-, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H, CH3). C
NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ (ppm) 166.1, 165.7, 154.7, 150.7, 137.0, 131.5, 131.5,
130.6, 129.2, 117.0, 111.7, 111.7, 75.6, 74.5, 71.4, 56.5, 56.5, 52.8, 52.2, 52.2, 43.2,
41.3, 41.3, 39.1, 33.9, 31.9, 30.5, 26.9, 21.2, 19.0. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for
C30H42Cl2NO5 [M+H]+ 566.2435, found 566.2417.
1
4.1.2.6 Compound 13b. Yellow oil, yield: 19%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm) 7.27 (1H, dd, J = 15.8, 3.2 Hz, C3-H), 7.01 (4H, dd, J = 8.5, 3.0 Hz, Ar-H),
6.64 (4H, dd, J = 8.7, 3.1 Hz, Ar-H), 5.73−5.81 (1H, m, C11-H), 5.61 (1H, d, J = 15.66
Hz, C2-H), 5.32 (1H, d, J = 9.7 Hz, C10-H), 5.20 (1H, dd, J = 15.2, 9.7 Hz, C4-H),
5.04 (1H, m, C7-H), 4.75 (1H, m, C15-H), 3.69 (16H, m, -NCH2CH2Cl), 0.75−2.46

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13
(27H, m, CH2CH2CH2, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H, CH3). C NMR (100
MHz, DMSO-d6): (ppm) 172.8, 172.3, 165.4, 149.0, 145.0, 145.0, 136.3, 131.1,
δ
130.0, 129.8, 129.7, 129.7, 129.7, 129.7, 117.6, 112.4, 112.4, 112.3, 112.3, 76.1, 75.2,
71.8, 52.7, 52.7, 52.7, 52.7, 49.9, 42.9, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 38.1, 33.9,
33.7, 33.7, 33.3, 31.8, 27.2, 27.1, 26.8, 21.1. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for
C44H59Cl4N2O6 [M+H]+ 851.3122, found 851.3101.
1
4.1.2.7 Compound 11c. Yellow oil, yield: 21%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm): 7.24 (1H, dd, J = 15.8, 3.1 Hz, C3-H), 7.0 (2H, d, J = 8.6 Hz, Ar-H), 6.65 (2H,
d, J = 8.7 Hz, Ar-H), 5.72 (1H, m, C11-H), 5.62 (1H, dd, J = 15.8, 1.7 Hz, C2-H),
5.15−5.25 (2H, m, C4-H, C10-H), 4.72 (1H, m, C15-H), 4.37 (1H, m, -NH), 4.05 (1H,
m, C7-H), 3.69 (8H, m, -NCH2CH2Cl), 3.58 (3H, s, OCH3), 0.69−2.89 (22H, m,
13
-COCH2CH2CO-, -ArCH2CHNCO-, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H, CH3). C
NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ (ppm) 172.7, 171.8, 171.3, 165.5, 149.0, 145.4, 137.2,
130.6, 130.6, 130.2, 125.6, 117.5, 112.1, 112.1, 76.6, 71.6, 70.8, 54.4, 52.6, 52.6, 52.2,
49.5, 43.4, 43.3, 41.6, 41.6, 40.7, 36.4, 33.8, 31.8, 30.0, 29.2, 26.9, 21.1. HRMS (ESI)
m/z calcd for C34H46Cl2N2O8Na [M+Na]+ 703.2523, found 703.2451.
1
4.1.2.8 Compound 12c. Yellow oil, yield: 6%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm) 7.34 (1H, dd, J = 15.5, 2.9 Hz, C3-H), 7.03 (2H, d, J = 8.6 Hz, Ar-H), 6.64 (2H,
d, J = 8.7 Hz, Ar-H), 5.67−5.76 (2H, m, C11-H, C2-H), 5.19 (1H, m, OH), 5.13 (1H, m,
C10-H), 4.97 (1H, m, C7-H), 4.71(1H, m, C15-H), 4.35 (1H, m, -NH), 3.99 (1H, m,
C4-H), 3.69 (8H, m, -NCH2CH2Cl), 3.58 (3H, s, OCH3), 0.74−2.88 (22H, m,
-COCH2CH2CO-, -ArCH2CHNHCO-, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H, CH3). 13C
NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ (ppm) 172.7, 172.3, 171.3, 166.1, 154.5, 145.4, 136.8,
130.5, 130.5, 130.5, 125.6, 116.9, 112.1, 112.1, 75.4, 74.5, 71.4, 54.4, 52.6, 52.6, 52.3,
52.2, 52.2, 43.2, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 38.6, 36.3, 33.9, 31.9, 29.6, 26.9, 21.2. HRMS (ESI)

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m/z calcd for C34H46Cl2N2O8Na [M+Na]+ 703.2523, found 703.2457.
1
4.1.2.9 Compound 13c. Yellow oil, yield: 24%. H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ
(ppm) 7.23 (1H, dd, J = 15.8, 3.1 Hz, C3-H), 7.03 (4H, d, J = 8.5 Hz, Ar-H), 6.64 (4H,
d, J = 8.4 Hz, Ar-H), 5.75 (1H, m, C11-H), 5.64 (1H, dd, J = 15.8, 1.5 Hz, C2-H),
5.17−5.24 (2H, m, C4, C10-H), 4.98 (1H, m, C7-H), 4.73 (1H, m, C15-H), 4.33−4.40
(2H, m, -NH), 3.69 (16H, m, -NCH2CH2Cl), 3.57−3.58 (6H, s, -OCH3), 0.74−2.89
(29H, m, -COCH2CH2CO-, -ArCH2CHNCO-, C5, 2C6, 2C8, C9, 2C12, 2C13, 2C14-H,
13
CH3). C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6):
δ (ppm) 172.6, 172.6, 172.2, 171.7, 171.3,
171.3, 165.4, 148.6, 145.4, 145.4, 136.4, 131.1, 130.6, 130.6, 130.6, 130.6, 125.6,
125.6, 117.7, 112.1, 112.1, 112.1, 112.1, 76.3, 75.2, 71.6, 54.4, 54.4, 52.6, 52.6, 52.6,
52.6, 52.2, 52.2, 49.6, 43.0, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 41.6, 37.8, 36.4, 36.4, 33.9,
31.8, 30.0, 30.0, 29.5, 29.2, 21.1. HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C52H69Cl4N4O12 [M+H]+
1081.3661, found 1081.3552.
4.2 Stability of 11a
Compound 11a was dissolved in culture medium to a final concentration of 100
µM from 50 mM stock solution in DMSO. The solutions were incubated at 37 oC. An
aliquot (20 µL) of the incubation mixture was taken out at different time points (0, 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 24 h). and the component were analyzed by HPLC equipped with a
C18 reverse phase column (Shimadzu, LC-6 AD) with the flow rate of 0.5 mL/min
methanol-water (60 : 40−100 : 0) and detection at UV 230 nm.
4.3 MTT assay
The antiproliferative activities were determined by the MTT method. The assay
was performed in 96-well plates. Cells were added to each well and incubated for 24 h
o
at 37 C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2. Then cells were incubated in the
presence or absence of test compounds. After 72 h, 20 µL MTT solution (5 mg/mL)

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per well was added to each cultured medium, which was incubated for another 4 h.
Then, DMSO (150 µL) was added to each well and the plates were shaken for 10 min
at room temperature. After that, the OD of each well was measured on a Microplate
Reader (BIO-RAD) at the wavelength of 570 nm. In these experiments, the negative
reference was 0.1% DMSO. BFA, nitrogen mustards and 5-FU were used as the
positive reference. The IC50 values were calculated according to the inhibition ratios.
4.4 Cell cycle analysis
Cell cycle effects were tested by flow cytometry with PI (KGA511, KeyGEN
Biotech, Nanjing, China). Bel-7402 cells were plated in 6-well plates and incubated at
37 oC for 24 h. Cells were then incubated with 11a at certain concentrations. After 24
h, cells were centrifuged and fixed in 70% ethanol at 4 oC overnight and resuspended
in PBS containing 100 µL RNase A and 400 µL PI. Cellular DNA content, for cell
cycle distribution analysis, was measured using a flow cytometer (FACS Calibur
Becton–Dickinson).
4.5 Hoechst 333258 staining
The nuclear morphological modifications were analyzed by fluorescent
microscopy using Hoechst staining. In this experiment, Bel-7402 cells were seeded on
6-well plates, with 2 mL of medium. Following 24 h of incubation, compound 11a
was added at indicated concentrations and cells were incubated again for a period of
48 h. Cells were harvested by mild trypsinization, collected by centrifugation and
washed twice with PBS. Cells were then stained with 500 µL of Hoechst solution (2
mg/mL in PBS) (Keygen, Nanjing, China) for 15 min at room temperature, in
darkness. Following incubation cells were washed with PBS, mounted in a slide and
observed with a fiuorescent microscope with a DAPI filter.
4.6 Cell apoptosis assay

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Apoptosis was analyzed using Annexin V and PI double staining by flow
cytometry according to the manufacturer’s instructions (KGA1024, KeyGEN Biotech,
Nanjing, China) in order to detect apoptotic cells. The Bel-7402 cells were seeded in
6-well plates to grow overnight, and then treated with or without 11a at indicated
concentrations for 24 h. Cells were then washed twice in PBS and resuspended in
Annexin V binding buffer. Annexin V-FITC was then added and the mixture was
o
incubated for 15 min under dark conditions at 25 C. PI was added just prior to
acquisition. The percentage of cells positive for PI and/or Annexin V-FITC was
reported inside the quadrants.
4.7 Mitochondrial membrane potential assay
Briefly, Bel-7402 cells were incubated with 11a or vehicle for 24 h, and then
washed with PBS and stained with JC-1 dye under dark conditions according to the
manufacturer’s instruction (KGA601, KeyGEN Biotech, Nanjing, China). The
percentage of cells with healthy or collapsed mitochondrial membrane potentials was
monitored by flow cytometry analysis.
4.8 Western blot assay
Bel-7402 cells were incubated with 11a at the indicated concentrations for 72 h.
The cells were harvested and lysed using lysis buffer, and the solution was centrifuged
at 14,000 g for 10 min at 4 oC. Then the protein concentrations were determined, and
individual cell lysates (25 µg per lane) were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (10% gel, SDS-PAGE) and transferred onto
nitrocellulose membranes. After being blocked with 5% fat-free milk, the target
proteins in the membranes were probed with monoclonal antibodies against Bcl-2,
Bax, cyto-c, caspase-9, -3, p53 and GAPDH (KeyGEN Biotech, Nanjing, China) at 4
oC overnight, respectively. The bound antibodies were detected by appropriate second

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antibodies and visualized using an enhanced chemiluminescent reagent. The relative
levels of each signaling event to control GAPDH were determined by densimetric
scanning.
Acknowledgment
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation
of China (41576136), Project Funded by China Post Doctoral Science Foundation
(2017T100186), Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (20170540858),
General Scientific Research Projects of Department of Education in Liaoning
Province (2017LQN05), and Career Development Support Plan for Young and
Middle-aged Teachers in Shenyang Pharmaceutical University.
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Table 1
Effects of BFA derivatives on cell viability against different cell lines.
IC50 (µM)a
Compound
HL-60
PC-3
Bel-7402
Bel-7402/5-FU
L-O2
SIb
4.48 ± 0.28
8.25 ± 0.80
9.31 ± 0.45
12.55 ± 0.63
34.68 ± 2.45
67.43 ± 2.76
1.52 ± 0.04
14.37 ± 1.22
9.37 ± 0.48
12.36 ± 0.65
6.02 ± 0.34
11.63 ± 0.42
0.025 ± 0.002
2.37 ± 0.20
9.37 ± 0.49
10.57 ± 0.84
18.54 ± 1.56
1.37 ± 0.12
6.84 ± 0.49
20.36 ± 1.32
14.46 ± 0.47
17.58 ± 1.33
32.54 ± 2.60
57.27 ± 2.40
> 80
0.25 ± 0.02
1.45 ± 0.12
6.30 ± 0.27
1.93 ± 0.16
4.86 ± 0.48
7.25 ± 0.34
1.37 ± 0.07
1.49 ± 0.13
4.85 ± 0.26
46.45 ± 2.17
23.94 ± 1.34
> 80
0.84 ± 0.02
4.05 ± 0.30
15.30 ± 1.05
8.35 ± 0.40
13.85 ± 0.96
15.63 ± 0.72
4.60 ± 0.14
3.05 ± 0.12
7.47 ± 0.41
> 80
9.74 ± 0.36
9.51 ± 0.42
17.32 ± 0.80
38.9
6.6
11a
12a
2.7
13a
29.58 ± 0.79 15.3
11b
15.47 ± 1.26
19.47 ± 0.84
5.16 ± 0.23
4.57 ± 0.25
29.87 ± 1.47
68.57 ± 2.08
3.2
2.7
3.8
3.1
6.2
1.5
12b
13b
11c
12c
13c
4
7
> 80
32.86 ± 2.39 1.37
Chlorambucil
BFA
40.35 ± 1.78
0.068 ± 0.003
23.86 ± 1.05
> 80
> 80
< 0.001
NTc
NCd
0.024 ± 0.001
18.49 ± 1.20
0.82 ± 0.05
> 80
NC
5-FU
aIC50: half inhibitory concentrations measured by the MTT assay. The values are expressed as
b
averages ± standard deviations of three independent experiments. SI: selectivity index. It was
calculated as: SI = IC50(L-O2)/IC50(Bel-7402). c NT: not tested. dNC: not calculated.

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1. Legends of Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6, Fig. 7, Fig. 8, Scheme 1 and Scheme 2
Fig. 1. The chemical structures of BFA and some of its derivatives.
Fig. 2. The chemical structures of some reported natural product/nitrogen mustard hybrids.
Fig. 3. HPLC of (a) BFA and 11a in MeOH, (b) 11a in cell-free culture medium (cDMEM) after
incubation for 1, 6, 12 and 24 h.
Fig. 4. Cell cycle analysis of 11a in Bel-7402 cells by flow cytometry.
Fig. 5. Hoechst staining of 11a in Bel-7402 cells.
Fig. 6. Flow cytometry analysis of apoptosis induced by 11a in Bel-7402 cells.
Fig. 7. 11a induced mitochondrial depolarization in Bel-7402 cells.
Fig. 8. 11a affected the expressions of the mitochondria pathway related proteins in Bel-7402 cells.
Con is short for control.
Scheme 1. Synthesis of compounds 4 and 7. Reagents and conditions: (a) ethylene oxide, H2O,
CH3COOH, rt, 24 h; (b) POCl3, 50 oC, 0.5 h; (c) 10% HCl, 12 h; (d) SOCl2, MeOH, reflux, 12 h;
(e) succinic anhydride, DMAP, DCM, rt, 18 h.
Scheme 2. Synthesis of compounds 11a−c, 12a−c and 13a−c. Reagents and conditions: (a)
o
o
TBSOTf, 2,6-lutidine, DCM, 0−25 C, 3 h; (b) TBAF (1 eq.), THF, 0−25 C, 24 h; (c) 4, 7 or
o
chlorambucil, EDCI, DMAP, DCM, rt, 24 h; (d) TBAF (7 eq.), THF, 0−25 C, 20 h; (e) 4, 7 or
chlorambucil, EDCI, DMAP, DCM, rt, 12−24 h.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
2. Graphics for Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6, Fig. 7, Fig. 8, Scheme 1 and Scheme
2
Figure 1

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Figure 2