Synthesis and antitumor activity of new anthracycline analogues

New anthracycline analogues 2-9 as potential anticancer agents have been synthesized from daunomycin (1a) and doxorubicin (1b). Compounds 2 and 6 were prepared by the nucleophilic displacement type esterification of 14-bromodaunomycin (1c) with N-benzoyl-(2R,3S)-phenylisoserine and L-pyroglutamic acid in triethylamine, respectively. Compounds 3, 7 and 4, 8 were prepared by the reaction of either daunomycin (1a) or doxorubicin (1b) with one equivalent of the corresponding acids in the presence of EDCI/PP. Compounds 5, 9 were obtained from 1b by reaction with 2.2 equivalents of the corresponding acids in the same manner. The cytotoxic activities of the analogues in comparison with adrimycin on cultured SNU-16 and MCF7 cell were described.