Design, synthesis and in vitro anticancer evaluation of a stearic acid-based ester conjugate.

Chemical synthesis and characterization of a lipophilic ester conjugate, propofol stearate and evaluation of its anticancer efficacy on human breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-361, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. The chemical structure of the synthesized conjugate was characterized by spectroscopic studies. Its anticancer potential was evaluated on the basis of growth inhibition, cancer cell adhesion and migration and apoptosis induction. Propofol stearate exhibited significant (p<0.05) growth inhibition of breast cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner. MDA-MB-231 cells showed highest susceptibility towards the inhibitory effect of the conjugate. Moreover, treatment of MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with 25 μM propofol stearate potentially suppressed their adhesion (~34%) and migration (~41%), and induced apoptosis (~25%). Exogenously-applied stearic acid as an ester derivative, inhibits the growth of human breast cancer cells and shows a beneficial role in the treatment of breast cancer, in vitro.