Synthesis and cytotoxic activities of β-carboline amino acid ester conjugates

β-Carboline represents a class of compounds with potent anti-tumor activity by intercalating with DNA. To further enhance the cytotoxic potency and bioavailability of β-carboline, a series of novel β-carboline amino acid ester conjugates were designed and synthesized, and the cytotoxic activities of these compounds were tested using a panel of human tumor cell lines. In addition, the membrane permeability of these compounds was evaluated in vitro using a Caco-2 cell monolayer model. The β-carboline amino acid ester conjugates demonstrated improved cytotoxic activity compared to the parental β-carbolines. In particular, the Lys/Arg conjugates were the most potent analogs with an IC₅₀ value of 4 and 1 μM against human cervical carcinoma cells. The low interaction energy of Arg conjugate based on molecular modeling may contribute to its enhanced cytotoxicity. Taken together, this study provided new insights into structure-activity relationships in the β-carboline amino acid ester conjugates and identified the β-carboline Lys/Arg conjugates as promising lead compounds for further in vivo biological and molecular evaluation.