Synthesis of organotin poly(ether esters) from reaction with glycyrrhetinic acid and their preliminary activity against various cancer cell lines

•Organotin poly(ether esters) are formed in high yield from glycyrrhetinic acid.•Polymers are rapidly formed using commercial reactants.•Polymers are mainly composed of non-bridging asymmetric structures about tin.•Polymers exhibit good inhibition of a number of cancer cell lines.•Some polymers showed good activity against pancreatic and prostate cancer cell lines.

Polyether esters are rapidly formed employing the interfacial condensation of organotin dihalides with glycyrrhetinic acid in high yield and oligomeric to polymeric chain length. Infrared spectroscopy shows the formation of tin–oxygen bonds. The products are a mixture of bridging and non-bridging structures about the tin atom. Proton NMR and MALDI MS results are consistent with the formation of the poly(ether esters). The dimethyltin, dibutyltin, and diphenyltin polymers exhibit good inhibition of the pancreatic and prostrate cell lines.

Graphical abstractRepeat unit for the synthesis of polymer from reaction of dimethyltin dichloride and glycyrrhetinic acid.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide