Synthesis, Characterization and in vitro Anticancer Activity of Novel 8,4’-Oxyneolignan Analogues

Neolignans are a class of natural products with a wide range of biological effects. These substances are of great synthetic and biological interest, especially in searching for novel anticancer agents. In this paper, we report the synthesis of a new subclass of 8,4’-oxyneolignan analogues (β-ketoethers and β-ketoesters) and their cell viability assay on twenty four different cancer cells, among leukemias and carcinomas. Three compounds inhibited the growth of most human cancer cells. 2-Oxo-2-phenylethyl(2E)-3-[4-(2-oxo-2-phenylethoxy) phenyl]prop-2-enoate showed an antiproliferative activi...