Indolo[3,2-c]cinnolines with antiproliferative, antifungal, and antibacterial activity

A series of indolo[3,2-c]cinnoline derivatives was prepared and tested to evaluate their biological activity. Most of them inhibited the proliferation of leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumor-derived cell lines at micromolar concentrations, whereas none of the compounds were active against HIV-1. With the exception of 7g, all title compounds showed antibacterial activity against grampositive bacteria, being up to 200 times more potent than the reference drug streptomycin. Some of the indolo[3,2-c]cinnolines were also endowed with good antifungal activity, particularly against Cryptococcus neoformans. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.