Vitamin D Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin D, including details on sources, melanin, benefits, deficiency, supplements, calcium absorption.

Preparations of vitamin D analogs, spirostanols and furostanols from diosgenin and their cytotoxic activities.

Quan HJ, Koyanagi J, Komada F, Saito S

College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin 133000, China.

Vitamin D analogs 12 and 13 having a spiro ring in the side chain, various spirostanols 18-21, 26, 27, 29 and 37, and furostanols 34-36 having SCN and SeCN groups at the 26 position were prepared from diosgenin 1 via (20S,22R,25R)-spirost-1alpha,2alpha-epoxy-4,6-dien-3-one 19 as a key intermediate. The cytotoxic activities of these derivatives as well as 1 on scarcely P-gp-expressed HCT 116 cells and P-gp-overexpressed Hep G2 cells were examined by MTT assay. Furostanols 34 (IC(50) value: 4.9+/-0.3 microM) and 36 (IC(50) value: 1.3+/-0.2 microM) exhibited marked cytotoxic effects on HCT 116 cells, and spirostanol 29 (IC(50) value: 2.4+/-0.8 microM) and furostanol 36 (IC(50) value: 2.8+/-0.4 microM) on Hep G2 cells. Furthermore, the effects of vitamin D analog 12, spirostanol 26 and furostanol 36 on apoptosis-signaling pathways were investigated. Compounds 12 and 26 overexpressed p53 and Bax mRNAs, while compound 36 overexpressed only Bax mRNA.

Published 6 June 2005 in Eur J Med Chem, 40(7): 662-73.
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