Antitumor activity of unsaturated fatty acid esters of 4′-demethyldeoxypodophyllotoxin

Unsaturated fatty acid esters of 4′-demethyldeoxypodophyllotoxin (DDPT) were prepared and tested for antitumor activity. The esters showed increased in vivo antitumor activity despite the lower in vitro activity than DDPT. Especially, the ester (DFE12) of all-cis-11,14-eicosadienoic acid was much better (IR, 83%) than VP-16 (IR, 60%) without loss of body weight. Unsaturated fatty acids could be evaluated to be good carrier vehicles of DDPT.