Ten derivatives (3-12) of marine alkaloid lamellarin D (1) were synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxicity against a HeLa cell line in an effort to examine their structure-activity relationships. It appeared that the hydroxyl groups at positions C-8 and C-20 of 1 were important structural requirements for cytotoxic activity, while the hydroxyl group at C-14 and the two methoxy groups at C-13 and C-21 were not necessary for the activity.
Division of Marine Life Science and Biochemistry, Faculty of Fisheries, and Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-Machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan. fumito@net.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
