Samarium(II) promoted stereoselective synthesis of antiproliferative cis-beta-alkoxy-gamma-alkyl-gamma-lactones.

Samarium(II) iodide promotes the stereoselective synthesis of cis-beta-alkoxy-gamma-alkyl-gamma-lactones under mild conditions starting from linear precursors. The in vitro antiproliferative activities were examined in the human solid tumor cell lines from diverse origin A2780, SW1573, and WiDr. From the growth inhibition data a structure-activity relationship was obtained. Overall the results point to the relevant role of cis-beta-alkoxy-gamma-alkyl-gamma-lactones as novel scaffolds for the development of new anticancer drugs.