Abstract

The preparation of furyl-1,4-quinone and hydroquinones by reaction of 2-furaldehyde N,N-dimethylhydrazone with benzo- and naphthoquinones is reported. Access to furylnaphthoquinones from unactivated quinones requires acid-induced conditions, however oxidative coupling reactions of activated quinones proceed under neutral conditions. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of the prepared compounds against a panel of three human cancer cell lines has been studied. Most of the furyl-1,4-quinones exhibited good antiproliferative activity (GI50 = 6.5-33.5 μm) against the MCF-7, NCI-H460, and SF-268 (CNS cancer) cell lines chosen for testing. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.