Abstract:
Peganum harmala L. is an important medicinal plant used since ancient times due to its alkaloids rich in B-carbolines. Norharman is a naturally occurring B-carboline extracted from P. harmala L. that exhibits a wide range of biological, psychopharmacological and toxicology actions. Novel series of ten B-carbolines consisting of various aldehyde moieties at the C-1 position were prepared from L-tryptophan under basic conditions, followed by N,N-benzylated using different types of benzyl bromides. The prepared compounds were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against Hela, HT-29, Hep G2 and K562 cell lines using a 3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. N',N°-benzylated-B- carbolineum bromate derivatives 5a-e exerted promising anticancer activities compared to benzylated-B-carboline derivatives, 4a-e. 5c exhibited a broad spectrum of activity with an ICso value lower than 20 uM against all the tested cancer cell lines. Additionally, all B-carboline derivatives displayed moderate antibacterial activities against tested bacterial strains. The result suggested that this compound could potentially be developed as a novel anticancer agent.
