Banasri Hazra

Ø DIOSPYRIN was isolated from the plant Diospyros montana Roxb. and converted into its semi-synthetic derivatives (~35)

which are active against eight human cancer cell lines

viz. breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7)

cervical epithelial carcinoma (HeLa)

keratinocyte-derived epidermal carcinoma (A431)

acute myeloblastic leukemia (HL-60)

chronic myelogenic leukemia (K-562)

larymgeal carcinoma (Hep2)

fibrosarcoma (HT1080)

and malignant melanoma (A375). Ø The inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of some of the new derivatives have been found to be in the low micromolar range

with significantly lower toxicity in normal human lymphocytes. Ø Some of the derivatives possess significant inhibitory activity against experimental models for parasitic and microbial diseases like leishmaniasis

trypanosomiasis

malaria

schistosomiasis

and tuberculosis. Ø Studies on the mechanism of action at the molecular level indicated that the novel compounds induce apoptotic death in the cancer (and parasite) cells

hence

possess the potential to be designed and developed into effective chemotherapeutic agents. Important publications 1. ‘Increased cytotoxicity by the combination of radiation and diospyrin diethylether in fibrosarcoma in culture and in tumor’

Binod Kumar

Amit Kumar

B.N. Pandey

Banasri Hazra

K.P.Mishra

International Journal of Radiation Biology (In Press). 2. ‘Synthesis of novel aminoquinonoid analogues of diospyrin and evaluation of their inhibitory activity against murine and human cancer cells’

Madhushree Das Sarma

Rina Ghosh

Amarendra Patra

European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2008)

doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2007.11.028 3. ‘Novel glycoside derivatives of diospyrin : Synthesis and activity against human cancer cell lines’

Rajdeep Chowdhury

Keya Chaudhuri

Organic Biomoecular Chemistry

5 (2007) 3115–3125. 4. ‘Radiosensitization by diospyrin diethylether in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cell line’

Ja

RESEARCH INTEREST i) Isolation

purification and synthetic modification of bioactive natural products

with particular reference to quinonoid compounds. ii) Interdisciplinary programme involving studies on characterisation

development

and mechanism of action of antitumour and antimicrobial agents.