Kabushiki Kaisha Yakult Honsha

Hisako Nagai

Seigo Sawada

Tadashi Miyasaka

Takashi Yaegashi

Kenichi Tezuka

Kenichiro Nokata

Satoru Okajima

New camptothecin derivatives, useful as antitumor agents or intermediates therefor, of the general formula (I) ##STR1## wherein X is a lower alkyl group, and R is a hydrogen atom or the grouping -COY where Y is a linear or branched unsubstituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkyl group; a lower alkyl group substituted by a halogen atom or a lower alkylthio, amino, acylamino, hydroxyl, lower alkoxy, aryloxy or lower alkoxycarbonyl group; a C.sub.3 -C.sub.19 alkenyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.19 alkynyl or C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 cycloalkyl group; a C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 cycloalkyl group substituted by an acylamino-lower alkyl group; an N-acylpyrrolidyl group; a phenyl group; a phenyl group substituted by a halogen atom or a trifluoromethyl, nitro, amino, lower alkoxycarbonyl, lower alkyl, phenyl or lower alkoxy; a cinnamyl group; a benzyl group; a naphthyl group; a pyridyl group; a furyl group; or a thienyl group, as well as acid addition salts and quaternary ammonium salts thereof, and a process for preparing the new camptothecin derivatives by subjecting 7-ethylcamptothecin to the treatment with an N-di-X-ethylenediamine followed by acylation.

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Tokyo, Japan

Hisako Nagai