Synthesis and biological activity of retinoic acid receptor-α specific amides

Retinoids are analogues of all-trans-retinoic acid, a powerful hormone that mediates many fundamental biological processes. Cancer and other serious hyperproliferative diseases are attractive therapeutic targets for retinoids, but the therapeutic use of retinoids is limited due to severe toxicity. We report here the design of retinoid receptor-α specific ligands with growth inhibitory activity in breast cancer cell lines, and which do not cause the cutaneous toxicity associated with the currently available nonselective retinoid agonists.