Abstract
The present study reports the synthesis, characterization and anticancer potential of novel ester conjugates of stearic acid (SA) and palmitic acid (PA). An ester conjugates were chemically designed by esterification of the terminal COOH group of the fatty acid to C1-OH position of 2,6-diisopropylphenol (propofol). The structure of new ester conjugates viz; propofol stearate and propofol palmitate were characterized by UV, NMR (H-1, C-13) and FAB mass spectroscopy. The anticancer efficacy of the conjugates was examined on HepG2, Lovo, HT1080, A549 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines. Treatment with propofol stearate significantly inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 cancer cells whereas propofol palmitate exhibited cytotoxicity towards A549 cancer cells. However, both of the conjugates showed significant (p < 0.05) growth inhibition of all types of tested cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. The preliminary results suggest that novel conjugates possess anticancer properties that reduce the proliferation of cancer cells in vitro.