Synthesis and In vitro Evaluation of 4-Substituted-1-azaanthraquinones

In summary, six 4-substituted-1-azzanthraquinones were designed and synthesized using hetero Diels-Alder reaction as a key step. Although a great number of reaction conditions for benzylic bromination were examined, this step need to be improved for the efficient synthesis of the related analogues. 4-Bromomethyl-1-azzanthraquinone 6 may have potential for the treatment of tumors resistant to the doxorubicin. The compounds 9 and 10 containing the latent alkylating functionality may need further in depth biological evaluation. Work is in progress to design, synthesize, and evaluate additional compounds in this and related systems.