Synthesis and Anti-cancer Activity of Paclitaxel−Coumarin Conjugate

Background: Paclitaxel, a natural diterpenoid compound, has anti-tumor effect by acting on tubulin, whereas coumarin, another kind of natural product, has anti-tumor effect, along with some other effects, such as anti-bacterial-., Moreover, it also possesses fluorescence. Objective: Multi targeting is an effective strategy in drug design to combat tumor. Therefore, a combination of paclitaxel with other active molecular drugs for exploring the novel lead with multi-functions is in demand. Materials and Methods: To synthsize paclitaxel-coumarin conjugate via click chemistry and to investigate anticancer activity by MTT assay and the scratch test. Results and Discussion: The results of MTT assay showed that compared tothe paclitaxel, the anti-tumor activity of the conjugate was significantly improved. The results of flow cytometry showed that the conjugate had a stronger ability to induce apoptosis. The scratch test results showed that the conjugate had better anti- metastasis ability than paclitaxel. Conclusion: These findings indicated that paclitaxel and coumarin had a synergistic effect, which paved the way for the development of paclitaxel through fluorescence.