Chemical and biochemical studies on carbohydrate esters. XI. Antitumor effects of fatty acid monoesters of D-glucose.

Abstract

1-O-, 3-O- and 6-O-acyl-D-glucopyranoses carrying capryloyl, lauroyl, myristoyl, palmitoyl and stearoyl functions were tested for their in vivo and in vitro antitumor effects against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice, and a leukemia cell line L-5178Y [mouse]; the total packed cell volume method and the tissue culture method, respectively, were used. In the in vivo bioassay, the 1- and 3-myristate and the 6-stearate were moderately effective, while all other compounds exhibited little or no effect. These samples inhibited the growth of the cultured leukemia cells to various extents: relatively lower ID50 values were obtained with the 1-laurate, 1-myristate, 1-palmitate, 3-myristate and 6-laurate. On the basis of these findings, the monoesters of monosaccharide appear to be less promising as antitumor agents than the analogous derivatives of disaccharide.