Synthesis and evaluation of some 17-acetamidoandrostane and N,N-dimethyl-7-deoxycholic amide derivatives as cytotoxic agents: structure/activity studies.

Using pregnenolone and 7-deoxycholic acid as starting materials, some 17-acetamidoandrostane and N,N-dimethyl-7-deoxycholic amide derivatives were synthesized. The cytotoxicity of the synthesized compounds was tested in vitro against two tumor cell lines: SGC 7901 (human gastric carcinoma) and Bel 7404 (human liver carcinoma). The result showed that the blockage of the interaction of the amide group with outside groups might cause a decrease of the cytotoxicity, and an O-benzyloximino group at the 3-position of N,N-dimethyl-7-deoxycholic amide could enhance the cytotoxic activity of the compound. The information obtained from the studies provides the structure-activity relationship for these compounds and may be useful for the design of novel chemotherapeutic drugs.