Concise Synthesis and Evaluation of Ortho-Naphthoquinones Containing A Phenolic Hydroxy Moiety

A concise and efficient synthesis method for the preparation of antiproliferative ortho-naphthoquinones is described. Notably, the synthesis of ortho-furanonaphthoquinone was achieved by utilizing a regioselective oxidative conjugate addition of dimethylamine and the Sonogashira coupling/cyclization reaction as the key steps. Additionally, an improved synthesis of hydroxy-P-lapachone was established and included a regioselective prenylation by directed ortho-lithiation. In vitro antiproliferative effects of the synthesized against a panel of 39 human cancer cell lines were evaluated and the results were directly compared to those previously obtained for 1.