Abstract:
Peganum harmala L. is a medicinal plant traditionally used since ancient times due to its alkaloids rich in β-carbolines. Norharman is a naturally occurring β-carboline extracted from P. harmala L. that exhibits a wide range of biological, psychopharmacological and toxicology actions. In this study, ten novel β-carboline derivatives consisting of various aldehyde moieties at the C-1 position were synthesized from L-tryptophan via base-catalyzed reactions, followed by N2,N9-benzylated using various 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 or MTT assay. N2,N9-benzylated-β-carbolineum bromate derivatives 5a-e exerted promising anticancer activities compared to N2-benzylated-β-carboline derivatives, 4a-e. with compound 5c exhibited a broad spectrum of activity with an IC50 value lower than 20 uM against all the tested cancer cell lines. Additionally, all β-carboline derivatives displayed moderate antibacterial activities against tested bacterial strains. These findings highlight the potential of N2,N9-benzylated-β-carbolineum bromates as promising anticancer agents.
