RESUMO
Coumestan represents a biologically relevant structural motif distributed in a number of natural products, and the rapid construction of related derivatives as well as the characterization of targets would accelerate lead compound discovery in medicinal chemistry. In this work, a general and scalable approach to 8,9-dihydroxycoumestans via two-electrode constant current electrolysis was developed. The application of a two-phase (aqueous/organic) system plays a crucial role for success, protecting the sensitive o-benzoquinone intermediates from over-oxidation. Based on the structurally diverse products, a primary SAR study on coumestan scaffold was completed, and compound 3r exhibited potent antiproliferative activities and a robust topoisomerase I (Top1) inhibitory activity. Further mechanism studies demonstrates that compound 3r was a novel Top1 poison, which might open an avenue for the development of Top1-targeted antitumor agent.