New Betulin Derivatives with Nitrogen Heterocyclic Moiety—Synthesis and Anticancer Activity In Vitro

Abstract

As part of the search for new medicinal substances with potential application in oncology, the synthesis of new compounds combining the betulin molecule and the indole system was carried out. The structure of the ester derivatives obtained in the Steglich reaction was confirmed by spectroscopic methods (1H and 13C NMR, HR-MS). The obtained new 3-indolyl betulin derivatives were evaluated for anticancer activity against several human cancer cell lines (melanomas, breast cancers, colorectal adenocarcinomas, lung cancer) as well as normal human fibroblasts. The significant reduction in MCF-7 cells viability for 28-hydroxy-(lup-20(29)-ene)-3-yl 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)acetate was observed at a concentration of 10 µg/mL (17 µM). In addition, cytometric analysis showed that this compound strongly reduces the proliferation rate of breast cancer cells. For this, the derivative showing the promising cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 breast cancer cells, the pharmacokinetic profile prediction was performed using in silico methods. Based on the results obtained in the study, it can be concluded that indole-functionalized triterpene EB367 is a promising starting point for further research in the field of breast cancer therapy or the synthesis of new derivatives.