New ferrocene modified lawsone Mannich bases with anti-proliferative activity against tumor cells

Abstract EN

Lawsone (1a) is a known naphthoquinone dye from the Henna plant Lawsonia inermis.

Out of a series of four new ferrocene modified Mannich bases of 1a, the 2-pyridyl derivative 2a was distinctly more active than its analogs 2b–d in breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer cells.

2a also exhibited greater antiproliferative effects when compared with the known anticancer active Mannich bases 1b and 1c in the androgen-receptor negative PC-3 prostate and Pgp-expressing KB-V1/Vbl cervix carcinoma cell lines.

Compound 2a reached sub-micromolar activities in these aggressive cancer cells and, thus, features a promising drug candidate for the efficient treatment of hormone- or multidrug-resistant cancer types