Abstract
Various (heterocyclo)carbonyl mono-oxime esters of anthraquinone were synthesized, which exhibited an ability for DNA cleavage upon UV irradiation. Their structure-activity relationship was established, in which the most potent compound was anthraquinone O-9-(1,3-benzothiazole-2-carbonyl)oxime (4j). It can produce radical species and nick DNA at the concentration as low as 1.0 μM. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.