9-hydroxymethyl noscapine

9-hydroxymethyl noscapine is a synthetic small molecule research compound and an analogue of the opium-derived alkaloid noscapine. It is modified at the C-9 position of the isoquinoline ring via the Blanc reaction (treatment of noscapine hydrochloride with paraformaldehyde and HCl). Like its parent compound, it acts as a tubulin-binding agent that disrupts microtubule dynamics, leading to mitotic arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that the addition of the hydroxymethyl group significantly enhances the compound's solubility and anticancer potency compared to noscapine, showing significantly lower IC50 values against glioblastoma (U87 and U251) and non-small cell lung cancer (H1299) cell lines. The compound was developed in an academic research setting at the University of Delhi and has not yet entered clinical trials.

Other names

3-(9-Hydroxymethyl-4-methoxy-6-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]isoquinoline-5-yl)-6,7-dimethoxy-3H-isobenzofuran-1-one