Structural comparison of alkylpolyamine analogues with potent in vitro antitumor or antiparasitic activity

A series of symmetrically or unsymmetrically alkyl-substituted polyamine analogues were synthesized containing either a 3-3-3 or 3-7-3 polyamine backbone. These analogues were evaluated in vitro as antitumor agents in the NCI H157 and NCI H82 lung carcinoma cell lines, and as antitrypanosomal agents against four strains of Trypanosoma brucei brucei or Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. The resulting biological data suggest that it is possible to specifically target tumor cells or parasitic organisms with alkylpolyamine analogues based on structure.