An alternative synthesis of 3?,4?-diaminoflavones to evaluate their antioxidant ability and cell apoptosis of zebrafish larvae

Abstract

We described herein a concise synthesis of 3?,4?-diaminoflavone 10. This new, three-step synthetic approach is more efficient than the conventional seven-step synthetic method. The route is shortened significantly by introducing the amino moieties early and eliminating the need for nitro group reduction. The other two analogues, 5,7-dihydroxy-3?,4?-diaminoflavone 11 and 5,7-dimethoxy-3?,4?-diaminoflavone 12, were also synthesized similarly. The above three compounds, along with flavone, were evaluated for their antioxidant and UVB-protection abilities on zebrafish larvae. The data showed that compound 10 exhibited the best result, with ?102.3% of ROS-scavenging rate. © 2012 by the authors.