New gastroprotective labdeneamides from (4S,9R,10R) methyl 18-carboxy-labda-8,13(E)-diene-15-oate

Starting from the diterpene (4S,9R,10R) methyl 18-carboxy-labda-8,13(E)-dien-15-oate (PMD) and its 8(9)-en isomer [PMD 8(9)-en], 11 amides were prepared and assessed for a gastroprotective effect in the ethanol/HCl-induced gastric lesions model in mice. Basal cytotoxicity of the compounds was determined on the following human cell lines: normal lung fibroblasts (MRC-5), gastric epithelial adenocarcinoma (AGS), and hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep G2). All compounds are described for the first time. At the single oral dose of 0.1 mg/kg, compounds 1, 10, and 11 presented a strong gastroprotective effect, at least comparable with that of the reference compound lansoprazole at 1 mg/kg, reducing gastric lesions by 76.7, 67.7, and 77.2 %, respectively. The leucyl amide methyl ester 3, tryptophanyl amide methyl ester 5, and benzyl amide 6 of PMD presented a selective basal cytotoxicity on Hep G2 cells with IC₅₀ values of 136.8, 105.3, and 94.2 µM, respectively, while the IC₅₀ values towards AGS cells were 439.5, 928.0, and 937.3 µM, respectively. The three compounds did not affect fibroblast viability with IC₅₀ values > 1000 µM. Compounds 7, 8, 10, and 11 showed no toxic effect against the three selected cell lines.