Hycanthone synthesis

Lucanthone (20) constitutes one of the first effective antischistosomal agents. Biological investigation of this agent showed that the active species in man is in fact the hydroxylated metabolic product hycanthone (21). The published Synthesis for the... 

Predecessors to praziquantel as the preferred treatment for schistosomiasis include oxamniquine, and the related compound hycanthone (Cioli et al., 1995). These drugs act by inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis, but only after parasite-mediated biotransformation of the drug by a schistosome enzyme (Cioli et al., 1993, 1985). Until relatively recently, oxamniquine continued to be the primary drug used to treat schistosomiasis in Brazil. 

Hycanthone, which was earlier identified as an antisehistosomal drug, found to possess antineoplastic activity in animals. It is comparatively non-toxie. Besides, it is an interealating agent whieh inhibits both DNA and RNA synthesis. 

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