Synthesis and evaluation of the anticancer activity of albiziabioside A and its analogues as apoptosis inducers against human melanoma cells

We have efficiently synthesized albiziabioside A (1) together with its six disaccharide analogues through a linear synthesis, and evaluated their cytotoxicity against six different skin cancer cells. All of the analogues showed weak cytotoxicity, with the exception of compound 1, which exhibited strong cytotoxicity against A375 cells. Albiziabioside A can induce cell cycle arrest in both the S and G(2)/M phases. Moreover, albiziabioside A can induce A375 cell apoptosis via mitochondria( pathways involving a caspase cascade. These results provide for the first time a basic mechanism for the anticancer activity of 1.