Antiproliferative activity and synthesis of 8-prenylnaringenin derivatives by demethylation of 7-O- and 4′-O-substituted isoxanthohumols

Several analogues of 7-O- and 4′-O-substituted isoxanthohumol and 8-prenylnaringenin, the strongest known phytoestrogen and potential anticancerogenic agent, were synthesized. Acyl, alkyl, and allyl derivatives of isoxanthohumol underwent the demethylation process using MgI(2 )× 2Et(2)O in anhydrous THF with the yields of 61–89%. Some of the compounds approached the international criteria of antiproliferative activity (4 μg/ml) for synthetic agents against the human cancer cell lines.