title: Synthesis and antitumor activity of quinonoid derivatives of cannabinoids.
abstract: Three cannabis constituents, cannabidiol (1), Delta(8)-tetrahydrocannabinol (3), and cannabinol (5), were oxidized to their respective para-quinones 2, 4, and 6. In the 1960s, the oxidized product 4 had been assigned a para-quinone structure, which was later modified to an ortho-quinone. To distinguish between the two possible quinone structures, a detailed NMR investigation was undertaken. The original para-quinone structure was confirmed. X-ray crystallography elucidated the structures of the crystalline 2 and 6. All three compounds displayed antiproliferative activity in several human cancer cell lines in vitro, and quinone 2 significantly reduced cancer growth of HT-29 cancer in nude mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Natalya M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Kogan
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rabinowitz
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sandor
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schlesinger
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mechoulam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D011809:Quinones / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002186:Cannabinoids; D011809:Quinones