Cytotoxic Activity of Betulinic Acid Derivatives Synthesized Using Enzymes

Betulinic acid, a triterpenoid found in many plant species, has attracted attention due to its important pharmacological properties, such as anti-cancer and anti-HIV activities. In order to obtain derivatives potentially useful for detailed pharmacological studies, betulinic acid derivatives were synthesized by reaction of betulinic acid with benzoyl chloride and with acetic anhydride using lipase as catalyst. Enzyme-catalyzed of betulinic acid with benzoyl chloride converted betulinic acid into 3β-benzoil-lup-20 (29)-ene-28-oic acid ester (BCL) whereas with acetic anhydride converted betulinic acid into 3β-acetoxy-lup-20 (29)-ene-28-oic acid ester (BAA). The BAA then underwent further reaction with 1-decanol to produce 3β-acetoxy-lup-20(29)-ene-28 decanoate (BAAD). Betulinic acid derivatives prepared were tested for cytotoxic activity on three cancer cell lines in vitro: all tested compounds showed stronger cytotoxic activity than betulinic acid.