Synthesis and Cytotoxic Activity of Novel C-23-Modified Asiatic Acid Derivatives

We selectively oxidized the C-23 hydroxyl group in an asiatic acid (AA) derivative and then, for the first time with AA, modification of the C-23 carboxyl group was conducted to synthesize a series of new AA derivatives. The evaluation of their cytotoxic activities against two human cancer cell lines (SKOV-3 and HCT116) using the MTT assay in vitro revealed a distinctive structure activity relationship (SAR) associated with the intramolecular...