Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Cassane Diterpene (5α)-Vuacapane-8(14), 9(11)-Diene and of Some Related Compounds

A set of thirteen cassane-type diterpenes was synthesized and an expedient synthetic route was used to evaluate 14-desmethyl analogs of the most active tested cassane. The anti-inflammatory activities of these 13 compounds were evaluated on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cell line by inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production, some of them reaching 100% NO inhibition after 72 h of treatment. The greatest anti-inflammatory effect was observed for compounds 16 and 20 with an IC_{50 NO} of 2.98 ± 0.04 μg/mL and 5.71 ± 0.14 μg/mL, respectively. Flow-cytometry analysis was used to determine the cell cycle distribution and showed that the inhibition in NO release was accompanied by a reversion of the differentiation processes. Moreover, the anti-cancer potential of these 13 compounds were evaluated in three tumor cell lines (B16-F10, HT29, and Hep G2). The strongest cytotoxic effect was achieved by salicylaldehyde 20, and pterolobirin G (6), with IC₅₀ values around 3 μg/mL in HT29 cells, with total apoptosis rates 80% at IC₈₀ concentrations, producing a significant cell-cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase, and a possible activation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Additionally, initial SAR data analysis showed that the methyl group at the C-14 positions of cassane diterpenoids is not always important for their cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities.