Synthesis and functionalization of chiral superstructured porphyrins

Chiral porphyrins 1 and 2, bearing, respectively, four and two chains at th e meso carbons, each one with a stereocentre at C-2 and a double bond at C- 5, were functionalized to afford the corresponding thiosemicarbazonic deriv atives 9-12 and the nickel(II) porphyrinato 13, compounds with potential an tiviral, antibacterial and antitumour properties. To verify the biological activity of some of these products, assays of proliferation inhibition and apoptosis tests in vitro on human leukemic cell lines U937 were carried out for compounds 1, 6, 9 and 10. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.