10.1016/j.bmc.2005.02.041
The research focuses on the development and optimization of anti-cancer ProTides, specifically phosphoramidates related to thymectacin, aimed at enhancing their in vitro potency against colon and prostate cancer cell lines. The study involved the synthesis of twelve analogues of the lead anti-cancer agent thymectacin, with the goal of tuning its ester and amino acid regions to improve potency. The synthesis was achieved through a one-step reaction using phosphorochloridate chemistry, and the resulting compounds were fully characterized, revealing the presence of two phosphate diastereoisomers. The anti-cancer effects of these compounds were evaluated against breast (MDA MB231), colon (HT115), and prostate (PC-3) cancer cell lines using the MTT assay, which measures cell viability by converting a tetrazolium salt into a formazan precipitate. The实验结果 showed significant enhancements in potency with certain structural modifications, particularly the replacement of the methyl ester with a benzyl ester, which resulted in a 175-fold increase in potency against colon cancer cells. The compounds were further analyzed using NMR spectroscopy to confirm their structures and to distinguish between the diastereoisomers.