Potential antitumor agents. 62. Structure-activity relationships for tricyclic compounds related to the colon tumor active drug 9-oxo-9H-xanthene-4-acetic acid.

A series of tricyclic analogues of 9-oxo-9H-xanthene-4-acetic acid have been prepared and evaluated for their ability to cause hemorrhagic necrosis in subcutaneously implanted colon 38 tumors in mice, in an effort to extend the structure-activity relationships for this series. As was found previously with analogues of flavone-8-acetic acid (FAA) (Atwell et al. Anti-Cancer Drug Des. 1989, 4, 161), all electronic modifications of the XAA nucleus led to severe decreases or complete abolition of activity, suggesting narrow structure-activity relationships. Dipole moments for many of the compounds were computed, and the degree to which the molecular dipole moment lay out of the plane of the aromatic part of these molecules was found to be determined largely by the contributions from the acetic acid moiety relative to that from the tricyclic ring system. There did not appear to be any general relationship between the magnitude of the dipole moment and activity. However, for compounds containing the 9-carbonyl functionality, the orientation of the dipole vector may be of significance. In all compounds possessing an ether group peri to the acetic acid side chain, there was a close approach (ca. 2.4 A) between this and the side chain OH.