Synthesis, characterisation and antitumour activity of some quercetin analogues

Quercetin is one of the most abundant naturally occurring flavonoid and is associated with a wide range of biological activities, such as antioxidant, antiinflammatory and anticancer activities. However, there are multiple problems associated with the bioavailability of quercetin, thereby restricting its use. Taking this into consideration, the structure of quercetin was modified by removal of multiple hydroxyl groups and introduction of substituents such as Cl, OCH3 and N (CH3)2 on the p-position of the B-ring. The effect of structural modification on the anticancer activity was studied using four different cell lines, including MCF-7, HepG2, HCT-15 and PC-3. Compound 1a has shown an activity better than quercetin in HepG2 cell lines, whereas 1c and 1e showed significant growth inhibition of the HCT-15 cell lines.