| Abstract: | 1-Hydroxyphenazine 5,10-dioxide showed antitumor properties against mouse leukemia P388. It also participated in biochemical mechanisms of quinoid antitumor agents, as indicated by inhibition of radiolabeled DNA-RNA precursors in cultured leukemia L1210 cells and by stimulation of oxygen consumption in mammalian microsomes. This suggests that the isosteric di-N-oxide system may be a biologically active substitute for 1,4-quinone, and that di-N-oxides of tetrahydrobenzob]phenazines can be explored as anthracyclinone N-isosteres. As potential synthetic intermediates, 7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-6,11-dihydroxybenzob]-phenazines have been prepared by 1) Diels-Alder addition of phenazine-1,4-quinone and 1-methoxy-3-(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadiene to give isolable but labile adducts and 2) condensation of 6,7-diamino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-hydroxy-5,8-dimethoxy-2-naphthoic acid with 3-methoxy-1,2-quinone. Attempts at N-oxidation gave instead oxidation of the 6,11-hydroquinone ring to quinone, regardless of hydroxyl protection. Despite previous literature indications, we have been unable to synthesize the 1,4-dihydroxyphenazine 5,10-dioxide system. We conclude that this hydroxyl substitution pattern (1,4) in an adjacent ring must be avoided in the redesign of anthracyclinone isosteres that have di N-oxide in place of quinone. |
