10.1016/j.bmc.2016.08.038
This research presents the synthesis and activity evaluation of cyclic dipeptides arylidene N-alkoxydiketopiperazines (DKPs), which are biologically active natural products with potential applications in medicine due to their antimicrobial, antitumor, antiviral, and plant growth regulation properties. The study aimed to design and stereoselectively synthesize a series of arylidene N-alkoxy DKPs and assess their antitumor activities and inhibitory effects against caspase-3, a key enzyme in apoptosis. The synthesis involved the use of various benzylic halides, diethyl malonate, nano-K2CO3, EtONO, and other reagents to produce compounds with different aryl and alkyl substitutions. The conclusions drawn from the research indicated that most of the synthesized DKPs exhibited antitumor activity, with compounds 6d, 6f, 6l, and 6o showing higher potency against certain tumor cell lines. Particularly, compound 6o demonstrated significant antitumor activity against K562-1, HCT-15, and A549 cells, with IC50 values of 7.3, 8.6, and 11.4 μM, respectively.