Synthesis and cytotoxic properties of tryptamine derivatives

The cyclopropyliminium and subsequent Grandberg rearrangements of cyclopropylketone hydrozones lead to the formation of tryptamines, which were additionally substituted at either the aromatic ring atoms or the amino group. The products were tested for their cytotoxic properties against HepG2, Jurkat and HEK293 cell lines using MTT assay. The highest activity as well as the highest selectivity was found amongst the compounds derived with one benzyl substituent at the amino group. The flow cytometry technique revealed cell-type specificity in terms of the mechanism of viability inhibition. Thus, the compounds were found to induce mainly apoptosis in HEK293 and HepG2 cells, while Jurkat cells displayed late apoptotic and necrotic responses. The apoptosis pathway is most likely to include mitochondrial damage.

Graphical abstract16 tryptamine derivatives tested against HEK296, HeG2 and Jurkat cell lines wit IC50 values down to 4.3 μM.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide