New acetylenic derivatives of bile acids as versatile precursors for the preparation of prodrugs. Synthesis and cytotoxicity study

Three groups of bile acid derivatives with acetylenic moieties, such as propargyl, hex-5-ynoyl, and 4,7,10,13-tetraoxahexadec-15-ynoyl ones, were obtained. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2, Huh7), prostate cancer (PC3), and human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cell lines was studied. The parameters enabling estimation of the total lipophilicity of the synthesized bile acid derivatives (logP, TPSA) were calculated. The correlation between the cytotoxic activity and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of the synthesized compounds was determined. A physicochemical mechanism for the cytotoxic action of bile acid derivatives is proposed.